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How to Create Fanuc HMI Panels Using the Panel Wizard

How to Create Fanuc HMI Panels Using the Panel Wizard

Even though you want Fanuc robots to be as autonomous as possible, you sometimes need operators to interact with your robots and need a simple interface for that. Using third party HMIs to communicate with Fanuc Robots is certainly an option, but there is a bunch of setup needed, and accessing all the variables on the robot is difficult. Instead, you can create the interface using the built-in "Panel Wizard" to create up to four different operator screens.

This blog will show you how to create new panels in the Panel Wizard, then customize them with a variety of features and control options, including switches, buttons, and visual indicators.

To start, navigate through the Menu to [8] Browser-> [3]Panel Wizard.

Fanuc Panel Wizard Interface

Note: If you do not have the Panel Wizard Menu, you might need to add Fanuc's "Internet Connectivity Option R558" to your robot. 

Next, select which panel you want to customize. You might also have the option to modify an existing panel, or create a new panel. I will be creating a new panel.

Fanuc Panel Wizard Interface - Panel Selection

After selecting the panel, choose how many rows and columns this panel will have. You're limited to a maximum of 20 rows and 8 columns, but I would suggest using additional panels before reaching the limit. I picked 3 rows and 4 columns.

Now you get to pick from an assortment of controls to add to the panel.

Control Selection in Fanuc Panel Wizard

Below is more information for each control.

Fanuc Panel Wizard Controls

Control Name Example What it's good for Customizations
Fast Label Fast Label in Fanuc Panel Wizard Quickly adding text to a panel
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Size, Style, Width, and Height
Fast Lamp Fast Lamp in Fanuc Panel Wizard Quickly adding a visual status indicator
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • View Type + Image source +True/False images
Fast Switch Fast Switch in Fanuc Panel Wizard Quickly adding a way for users to toggle boolean values
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • View Type + Image source +True/False images
Button Change Button Change in Fanuc Panel Wizard Adding a way for users to switch to a different panel or URL
  • Page name or URL
  • View type (Normal, Image, F#)
    • Image source
    • True image
    • False image
  • Color
    • Background color
    • Foreground color
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign
Command Button Command Button in Fanuc Panel Wizard Adding a way for users to set a variable value on button press
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • Data Type and value on button push
  • View Type
  • Color
    • Background color
    • Foreground color
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign
Edit Box Edit Box in Fanuc Panel Wizard Letting users change a variable value within limited values
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • Input data type allowed, min and max input allowed
  • Color
    • Background color
    • Foreground color
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign
Label Label in Fanuc Panel Wizard Displaying variable information
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign
  • Color
    • Background color
    • Foreground color
Toggle Button Toggle Buttons in Fanuc Panel Wizard Toggling between two values (can be logic or numeric) and displaying a caption for each value. You can also toggle appearance changes if the value type is logic
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • Control Values
    • False value, True Value
    • False and True Captions
  • Viewtype and images
    • Viewtype: Button/Checkbox/F#/Circle
    • True image, False Image
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign
Toggle Lamp Toggle Lamp in Fanuc Panel Wizard Toggling a visual indicator based on a logical value, or a threshold value
  • Data
    • Data Type
    • Data Index
  • Type and control condition
    • >, >=, <, <=, =, !=
    • Comparison value
  • Viewtype and image of control for true and false cases
  • Color
    • True/False background color
    • Foreground color
  • Appearance: Caption, Font, Style, Width, and Height
  • Style: Border, HAlign and VAlign

After you have customized the control you want, select the row/column location and then repeat the process for any additional controls you want to customize. When done, press "Finish".

When you're finished, the new panel can be accessed via the Browser menu option: [8] Browser-> [#]Panel.

You can access the panel like this, or press the Menu button, and then press and hold on square to add your panel to the Menu Favorites.

If you want to change your panel title from "Panel 1/2/3/4" to a better title, you can edit the panel, and select "Modify Page".

You can also change the panel background color and font. I would recommend laying out a basic panel design on paper before creating the panel so it doesn't end up looking like a demo page created for a blog.


A demo page created for a blog

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