The key to good robot maintenance is consistency. By staying attentive to your robot repair needs and following an inspection schedule, you can avoid costly repairs and unexpected accidents. Here are some basic preventive maintenance steps to follow.
Daily Robot Inspection:
- Cleaning: Make sure you inspect and clean the entire work area and robot manipulator every day. Remove any residue or dust that has built up and determine whether it is the result of cracks in the robot frame or other performance problems.
- Tram Mark: Each axis has a tram mark, a decal or scribe marking the axis' home position. Make sure each mark is aligned correctly and undamaged.
- Leads: Check the condition of external cabling.
- Grease: Check for excessive grease leakage around the base, upper and lower arm axes.
1000 Hour Robot Inspection:
- Bolted Down: Make sure the bolts for the cover and base plate are fully tightened - repair or replace them when necessary. Check for loose base connectors.
6000 Hour Robot Inspection:
- Grease Check / Replacement: Make sure the speed reducer in every axis is fully functioning. Supply more grease if necessary. Also check the gear and bearing in the robot's wrist. Repair and grease as needed.
Year Inspection:
- Replace the robot battery.
Year and a Half Robot Inspection (12000 Hours):
- Replace grease in every major robot axes - including the base, lower and upper arm axes.
- Inspect the wrist's timing belt in the robot wrist and the wire harness in the manipulator for any damage or lack of connectivity.
Three Year Robot Inspection (24000 Hours):
- Check the robots' timing belt and wire harnesses once again, replace if necessary.
Four Year Robot Inspection (36000 Hours):
- Complete Overhaul of every robot component and functionality. Make needed robot repairs.
RobotWorx' technical staff is available to answer robot repair and preventive maintenance questions. Call RobotWorx at 740-383-8383 for all your robot repair needs - from robot maintenance advice to robot manuals or spare robot parts.
Let's face it, in order for a robot to solve all your problems it has to function.
Robots can only perform miracles for your company's productivity, throughput, ROI, if you remember that they are machines. To keep your machine running smoothly, it pays to perform the right maintenance at the right time.
Expert Help/Resources
A lot of preventive measures and basic maintenance can be handled right in your shop. But it is wise to double check with an expert first. RobotWorx' knowledgeable staff provides free phone counseling to every customer.
A lot of preventive measures and basic maintenance can be handled right in your shop. But it is wise to double check with an expert first. RobotWorx' knowledgeable staff provides free phone counseling to every customer.
Save yourself money and time by checking in with us before you take your robot apart. Plus, we have a fully stocked inventory of new and used robotic parts for affordable prices. Call us at 740-383-8383 with any maintenance question.
Stay Prepared for Robot Repair by Following These Steps...
- Buy a Manual:
Robot manuals are the perfect resource for maintenance and repair guidelines. Make sure you have the right manual to fit your specific robot model.
- Store Parts:
Keep an array of spare parts on hand. Instead of waiting for a part, you can make a quick change.
- Create a Schedule:
Make sure to create a maintenance schedule to fit your robot. Certain aspects should be checked daily. Other procedures should occur every 1000, 6000, 12000, 24000, and 36000 robot hours. Some manufacturers simplify it further by recommending maintenance every day, year, and five years.
- Match Maintenance:
The level of maintenance should match your application and setting. Material handling applications apply more stress on robot axes, so they require more frequent inspections and greasing. Robots working in hazardous environments or substances often need additional maintenance as well.
Have a question about robot maintenance? Call RobotWorx at 740-383-8383.
Maneuverability and speed define the Motoman SK120.
Add this used model to instantly increase productivity and perfect applications. The SK120 is capable of performing a wide variety of specific tasks. Whether your part needs to be welded, finished, moved, or put together, the SK120 provides the solution.
It has six axes of motion, a 120kg payload and an ample 2573mm horizontal reach. The Motoman SK120 is typically floor-mounted.
Interested in a versatile model that can change to suite your production needs? Call RobotWorx for more information about the Motoman SK120 at 740-383-8383.
See a Motoman SK120 plasma cut.
Whether you're searching for a specific part, or dealing with a maintenance question, RobotWorx has the parts inventory and know-how to keep your robot running smoothly.
This is especially true when it comes to electronic components. RobotWorx has a full array of power supplies, circuit boards, motor drives, and encoders. We make sure our parts are readily available, affordable, and of top quality. Put your order in today by calling 740-383-8383 or search our parts database for your needed part: Motoman Robot Parts, Fanuc Robot Parts, Panasonic Robot Parts, Other Robot Parts.
- Encoders:
Encoders are sensors that communicate the mechanical positions of various robot parts to the circuit board. They measure aspects about a robot, such as velocity and angle, and send them via electronic pulses to the microcontroller. - Circuit Boards:
The signals produced by encoders are received by circuit boards (sometimes referred to as microcontrollers). These support and connect electronic components using conductive pathways of etched copper and other elements. - Motor Drives:
Some robot joints are controlled directly by electric motors or drives. They provide the high speed, precise movements of the robot body. - Power Supply:
Electric motors generate the power to run the robot.
Free robots! Last year, RobotWorx gave away free industrial robots to eligible institutions of higher learning. The University of Minnesota was one of the lucky recipients of the 2007 RobotWorx Donation Program.
RobotWorx donated a refurbished Motoman SV3X robot to UMN's Computational Perception and Action Lab. Professor Paul Schrater, an instructor of Psychology and Computer Science at the UMN, recently took the time to discuss the impact of the donation robot on their research.
As described on its website, one of the lab's goals is "to explore questions about how humans use visual and haptic (touch) information to perform tasks like reaching and grasping an object." This is where the robot has been able to play a key role. The robot provides the precision, consistency, and the complete absence of "human" hesitancy.
"We use the robot to move cameras so we can do video-based tracking and move/swap objects for human reaching experiments," Schrater said. "It allows us to study how 
human motor control handles uncertainty about object shape and location. It also provides a way to automate complex experiments involving many objects."
human motor control handles uncertainty about object shape and location. It also provides a way to automate complex experiments involving many objects."Schrater and his students created their own EOAT to match their specific needs. "We attach grippers and platforms to hold and move the objects," he said. "The platforms have cradles for objects so that the objects can be removed. We are in the process of developing algorithms for real-time object interception experiments that will involve a novel object cradle attachment."
Schrater said the experience has been a good one. "I think it is an excellent way to help keep education affordable."
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