Okuzeka
Robotics & Automation vocabulary · Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Calibrate

Meaning in robotics & automation, with examples

/ˈkæləbreɪt/verbCommon term

In robotics & automation, calibrate means: To adjust or measure a robot, sensor or instrument against a known reference so that its readings or positions are correct.

In Turkish: kalibre etmek, kalibrasyon yapmak, ayarlamak

How it is used

Used for robots (zero positions, TCP, user frames), cameras, force sensors and measuring instruments. You calibrate something regularly, after a crash or after replacing a part. The noun is calibration, as in calibration certificate or calibration routine.

Example sentences

  1. We need to calibrate the camera again; the robot is picking 2 mm off center.

  2. After replacing the motor on axis 2, calibrate the axis before running any program.

Common collocations

  • calibrate the camera
  • calibration routine
  • calibration certificate
  • zero-point calibration
  • recalibrate
  • tool center pointThe reference point at the working tip of the robot's tool, such as the tip of a welding wire or the center between gripper fingers. The robot moves and positions this point.
  • accuracyHow close a robot gets to a commanded position that was not taught on the robot, for example a point calculated from a CAD model. Also called absolute accuracy.
  • encoderA sensor mounted on a motor or shaft that measures rotation and sends position and speed information to the drive or controller.
  • machine visionThe use of cameras, lighting and image processing software so that machines can inspect parts, read codes, measure or locate objects and guide robots.
  • repeatabilityHow closely a robot returns to the same taught point again and again. Data sheets give it as a small value, for example ±0.03 mm.

More terms: Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: