Robot with smart path planning for multiple parts

A collaborative robot welding system for path planning, the collaborative robot welding system comprising:

• a collaborative robot having an arm and a calibrated tool center point (TCP);
• a welding torch connected to a distal end of the arm of the collaborative robot in a determined relation to the TCP;
• a programmable robot controller;
• a servo-mechanism apparatus configured to move the arm of the collaborative robot under the command of the programmable robot controller via a motion program;
• at least one actuator operatively connected to the programmable robot controller;
• and a user interface operatively connected to the programmable robot controller,
• wherein the collaborative robot welding system is configured to enable:
• programming of a first welding path along a first welding seam of a first part of a sequence of multiple identical parts to be welded by a user enabling the at least one actuator and moving the welding torch attached to the arm of the collaborative robot along the first welding seam to define a first weld pattern recorded in the programmable robot controller,
• positioning of the welding torch by the user at a start target position of the first part, and recording the start target position in the programmable robot controller via the at least one actuator,
• positioning of the welding torch by the user at an end target position of a last part of the sequence of multiple identical parts, and recording the end target position in the programmable robot controller via the at least one actuator,
• informing of the collaborative robot system of a number of the identical parts in the sequence of multiple identical parts via the user interface of the collaborative robot system,
• calculating of a subsequent welding path for each subsequent part of the sequence of multiple identical parts, via the programmable robot controller, based on the start target position, the end target position, the number of the identical parts, and the first welding path of the first part, defining a subsequent weld pattern for each subsequent part of the sequence of multiple identical parts, and
• automatic recording of each subsequent weld pattern for each subsequent part as an independently defined subsequent weld pattern within the programmable robot controller which can be independently modified by the user via the user interface.