Operation
Jog
Jogging is manually driving the robot from the teach pendant under operator control, done at reduced speed with the deadman held and the cell clear.
What it is
Jogging is moving the robot by hand from the teach pendant, one deliberate press at a time. It's how you position the robot to teach a point, back it out of a fixture, or check clearances.
Because you're commanding live motion with people potentially near the arm, jogging happens in a teach mode at reduced speed (T1). You hold the deadman (enabling device) the whole time, and the cell has to be clear of anyone not in the safeguarded space with you. Release the deadman or clutch it, and motion stops.
How it actually works
Two jog modes cover the work. Joint jog moves one axis at a time: press +J1 and only J1 rotates, which is the most predictable way to unwind a wrist or clear a joint limit. Cartesian jog moves the tool center point in a straight line along a frame's axes: +X, +Y, +Z for position, plus rotations about those axes for orientation. The frame you pick, world, tool, or user, decides what 'X' means. In tool frame, +Z typically drives along the tool's approach direction, so it plunges the way the gripper points regardless of how the arm is folded.
The pendant speed override scales how far each press moves you. At low override you creep in small increments for fine teaching; higher override covers distance faster but is still capped by the reduced-speed limit of teach mode. The robot moves only while you're actively pressing a jog key and holding the deadman.
How it differs
- Joint interpolation · Joint jog and joint-interpolated program motion both move axes independently. Jog is you pressing a key in teach mode; joint interpolation is a programmed move type executed in a running program. Same coordinate logic, completely different control.
- Linear motion · Cartesian jog moves the TCP along a frame's axes the same way linear-interpolated motion does. Jog is manual and momentary; linear motion is a programmed segment between taught points.
Where you meet it in the field
- Setting the reference position · You jog the robot to the reference position before recording it, so knowing joint vs Cartesian jog is a prerequisite for this procedure.
Common questions
- When should I use joint jog instead of Cartesian jog?
- Use joint jog when you need to control a single axis directly, like unwinding an over-rotated wrist or backing a joint off its limit. Cartesian jog is better when you want the tool to travel in a straight line or approach along the tool's own direction, since you don't have to think about how the arm is folded.
- Why does the frame I pick change where the robot goes when I jog +X?
- Cartesian jog moves relative to a frame, so +X in world frame points a fixed direction in the cell, while +X in tool frame points relative to how the gripper is oriented right now. If jog motion surprises you, check which frame is active.
- Why won't the robot jog at full speed?
- Jogging runs in a teach mode with a reduced-speed cap by design, because you're near the arm with the deadman held. The override scales motion within that limit. Full program speed happens only in an automatic run mode with the cell secured.