What units are used to express MOVL and MOVC speeds?

• A. They are expressed as V= Control_point_speed units of cm/min, mm/min, in/min, or mm/sec
• B. They are measured in percent
• C. They are measured in degrees
• D. They are measured in radians

Answer: (A)

MOVL and MOVC move the end effector along a straight line or a circular arc in Cartesian space, so their speed is a linear velocity along the path. That means the appropriate units are distance per time: cm/min, mm/min, in/min, or mm/sec. These show how far the robot travels along the path in a given time, which is exactly what the motion controller uses to define how fast the move occurs. Percent would imply a fraction of a maximum speed and isn’t tied to the actual distance traveled along the path, while degrees or radians describe angular velocity and are used for rotary motion or orientation rather than the linear travel along a path.