Pre-Calibration Checklist

Confirm That the Robot Base Is Securely Installed

Before checking the robot’s accuracy, first confirm that the robot base is securely installed. If the base is unstable, the robot may vibrate during motion, reducing repeatability and making subsequent accuracy checks unreliable.

Ensure that the robot base installation meets the following requirements:

  • The floor where the robot is installed should be flat and clean.

  • The robot base should have sufficient rigidity to ensure the robot remains stable even when running at full speed (100% speed).

  • The robot body and base must be securely fastened with screws.

Check Method: Run the robot through large translational and rotational movements at 100% speed and check whether the robot base or body shows obvious vibration. If it does, reinforce the installation according to the robot manufacturer’s specifications.

Confirm That the Camera Bracket and Camera Are Securely Installed

Before performing hand-eye calibration, confirm that both the camera bracket and the camera are securely installed. Check the following items:

  • Check the camera bracket material and structure: The camera bracket should preferably be a machined part rather than an aluminum profile. Its structure should be sound and provide stable support.

  • Check the camera bracket installation rigidity: Check Method: Gently shake the bracket by hand and check for visible movement. The bracket passes the inspection only if there is no obvious shaking.

  • (If a camera slide is used) Check the sliding mechanism: Check Method: Move the slide back and forth to check for vibration and verify its repeat positioning accuracy. The slide passes the inspection only if it does not shake after positioning and its repeatability meets the application requirements.

  • Check the camera installation: Check Method: Verify that the camera and its cables are installed according to the camera mounting and cable-routing requirements.

Confirm That the Calibration Board Is Securely Installed on the Robot End (ETH)

In the Eye-to-Hand (ETH) scenario, when using the multiple random calibration-board poses method, first attach the calibration-board adapter to the robot end flange, and then mount the calibration board to the adapter. Make sure that:

  • The calibration board is securely installed.

  • The calibration board is centered in the camera’s field of view.

  • The calibration board plane is as parallel as possible to the plane where the camera is located (i.e., as perpendicular as possible to the Z-axis of the camera coordinate system).

Check Method: Gently shake the calibration board by hand. If there is no obvious movement, the mounting can be considered secure.

Attention

  • For other hand-eye calibration workflows and intrinsic-parameter checks, the calibration board does not need to be mounted to the robot. Place it flat at the center of the working plane instead.

  • For manual calibration using the TCP tip touch method, the calibration board must be fixed to the working plane so it cannot shift when touched by the robot.

Confirm That the Robot’s Absolute Accuracy Meets the Requirements

Check of the robot’s absolute accuracy usually requires professional equipment such as a laser tracker and dedicated calibration software. You can either verify the robot’s absolute accuracy yourself or contact the robot manufacturer and obtain an inspection report.

Confirm That the Camera Has Been Warmed Up

Temperature drift affects point-cloud dimensions and reduces camera repeatability and absolute accuracy.

For this reason, warm up the camera before performing hand-eye calibration.