Robotics
ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID
Build and run a pick-and-place on a virtual ABB robot in RobotStudio, programming it in RAPID, with no real robot needed.
ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics. It has 16 modules and takes about 16.8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 16.8 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: robot programmer, automation engineer, cell integrator and maintenance technician. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- ABB RobotStudio with a virtual controller: a 30-day trial of the full version. After it, Basic mode still runs the virtual controller but not the offline programming and simulation tools, so plan to finish inside the trial. Hardware: none. The virtual controller runs every exercise.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Build a RobotStudio station and jog the robot with the virtual FlexPendant
- Define tool and work-object frames and attach a gripper
- Create paths and targets, then write RAPID for motion and pick-and-place
- Check for collisions and simulate signals and physics
- Share a station and work on it with others in RobotStudio Cloud
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No robot experience assumed.
What you need
Software: ABB RobotStudio with a virtual controller: a 30-day trial of the full version. After it, Basic mode still runs the virtual controller but not the offline programming and simulation tools, so plan to finish inside the trial.
Hardware: None. The virtual controller runs every exercise.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
16 modules in order, at your own pace. 16.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1RobotStudio: Getting Started27m
- 2Navigating and Jogging in the Station, with lab practice: 29m
- 3The FlexPendant, with lab practice: 56m
- 4Tool and Work-Object Frames, with lab practice: 52m
- 5Grippers and End Effectors54m
- 6Paths and Targets, with lab practice: 39m
- 7RAPID: Introduction35m
- 8Pick and Place in RAPID, with lab practice: 1h 10m
Show the other 8 modules
- 9Collision Avoidance and Checking30m
- 10Signals, Events and the Signal Analyzer15m
- 11Physics, Mechanisms and Cables22m
- 12Sharing Stations and Add-Ins17m
- 13RobotStudio Cloud33m
- 14Kinematics Background18m
- 15Recording, Envelopes and AR23m
- 16Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free trial: 30 days
RobotStudio
ABB
- Runs on
- Windows PC
- Account
- A free ABB Robotics account
The trial gives full RobotStudio Premium features for 30 days on the computer where you start it, and you get one trial per user or machine. After that RobotStudio keeps running in a free Basic mode without the Premium features, so offline programming and simulation need a paid licence or a school licence.
Steps
- 1.Open the RobotStudio Desktop page on abb.com and download the current RobotStudio installer.
- 2.Run the installer and accept the ABB licence terms.
- 3.Start RobotStudio and choose Start Free Trial in the licence window.
- 4.Sign in with your ABB Robotics account, or create one when asked.
- 5.Let RobotStudio restart, then check the licence information shows the 30-day trial.
- Start the trial only when you have time to work through the course, because it cannot be repeated on the same account or computer.
- Keep an internet connection for activation. After activation the Premium features also work offline on that computer until the trial ends.
Official download pageabb.comAlternatives
- RobotStudio for Education: Free to qualified schools, universities and training centres for non-commercial teaching. Your institution requests it and invites you.
- RoboDK: Separate simulator with its own 30-day trial and ABB robots in its library.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Jog, teach and run a robot arm in the lab, the same moves you write in RAPID, and finish with pick and place and palletising.
- JogRobotics lab, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Jog
- Teach and runRobotics lab, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Teach and run
- Pick and placeRobotics lab, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Pick and place
- PalletisingRobotics lab, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Palletising
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 10 hours
Bag palletising cell on an ABB IRB 4600: RobotStudio station, RAPID, collision check and cycle time
Build a bag-palletising cell offline in RobotStudio. An ABB IRB 4600 picks 25 kg bags from a conveyor stop and builds a 12-bag pallet on one of two stations. You deliver the packed station with its RAPID, your signal list, a clean collision check, a cycle time read from the Signal Analyzer and a short acceptance record. The sample pack shows what an integrator hands over for the full job.
- 10documents in the pack
- 9steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 9things to hand in
- 10 hof work, at your pace
- Cell layoutPalletiser PAL-1 Cell Layout and Safeguarding
- Risk registerRisk Assessment Register: Palletiser PAL-1 (ISO 12100, task-based)
- SRSSafety Requirements Specification: PAL-1 Safety Functions
- I/O handshakePLC-Robot I/O Handshake Table: CP-201 (AC500) to IRC5
- Control narrativeCycle Description and Modes: Palletiser PAL-1
- SDSSoftware Design Specification: RAPID Program Set and Cell PLC
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
PLC Programming
Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Robot programmer
- Automation engineer
- Cell integrator
- Maintenance technician
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: ABB Robotics, Aleksandar Haber PhD. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
ABB Robotics · Aleksandar Haber PhD. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is RobotStudio free?
For 30 days, yes: ABB gives a full-featured trial. After it, the free Basic mode still runs the virtual controller, but the offline programming and simulation tools this course uses need a licence, so plan the modules into the trial window.
Do I need an ABB robot?
No. The virtual controller and FlexPendant behave like the real ones; a program written here loads onto a real IRC5 or OmniCore controller.
Which controllers does this cover?
IRC5 and OmniCore through RobotWare 6 and 7. The RAPID language is the same.
Some source lessons are members-only. Are they included?
No. Four members-only lessons were left out and their topics are covered by public lessons.
Is the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it an ABB qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not an ABB credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course cover, module by module?
The ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course has 16 modules. It opens with "RobotStudio: Getting Started", goes through "Navigating and Jogging in the Station", "Paths and Targets", "Physics, Mechanisms and Cables" and "Recording, Envelopes and AR" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course?
After the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course: Build a station with a robot and a virtual controller; Jog with the mouse and the virtual FlexPendant in every motion mode; Define tooldata and wobjdata and know why the program follows the frame. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course, and does it cost anything?
For the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course, software: ABB RobotStudio with a virtual controller: a 30-day trial of the full version. After it, Basic mode still runs the virtual controller but not the offline programming and simulation tools, so plan to finish inside the trial. Hardware: none. The virtual controller runs every exercise. The course itself is free.
Is the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course suitable for me, and what level is it?
ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID is rated beginner. Beginner. No robot experience assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in manufacturing and robotics, and takes about 16.8 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course?
Skills from the ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID course (for example: build a station with a robot and a virtual controller) are used in roles such as robot programmer, automation engineer, cell integrator and maintenance technician, and in robotics engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
ABB Robot Programming with RobotStudio and RAPID, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.