How To Perform Preventative Maintenance on a Welding Robot

Opti­miz­ing Robot Welder Per­for­mance: The Impor­tance of Pre­ven­ta­tive Maintenance

The impact of robot­ic tech­nol­o­gy on man­u­fac­tur­ing is unde­ni­able, rev­o­lu­tion­iz­ing indus­tries for over four decades. From auto­mo­tive giants to small-scale oper­a­tions, the inte­gra­tion of robot sys­tems and work cells has unlocked new lev­els of effi­cien­cy and pro­duc­tiv­i­ty. Tasks that once con­sumed entire days of man­u­al labor can now be accom­plished in a frac­tion of a shift, thanks to the tire­less efforts of these robot­ic work­hors­es. How­ev­er, to ensure these robots main­tain peak per­for­mance and uptime, pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance emerges as a crit­i­cal necessity. 

Robot­ic weld­ing tech­nol­o­gy has been a bless­ing to man­u­fac­tur­ing for over 40 years. By using robot sys­tems and work cells, indus­tries like the auto­mo­tive indus­try are able to build vehi­cles more effi­cient­ly than ever before. What once would have tak­en a man­u­al oper­a­tors an entire day to per­form can now be com­plet­ed in a frac­tion of a shift. This amount of uptime makes pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance vital to the func­tion­al­i­ty of the robot.

Robot Welder Pre­ven­ta­tive Maintenance

As robots are designed to oper­ate relent­less­ly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at full throt­tle, they are engi­neered with min­i­mal main­te­nance require­ments. This design phi­los­o­phy min­i­mizes down­time for main­te­nance tasks, allow­ing for seam­less pro­duc­tion. Strik­ing the right bal­ance in main­te­nance is cru­cial, as over-main­te­nance can lead to issues like over-greas­ing, poten­tial­ly caus­ing more harm than good. Adher­ing to a well-planned pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance sched­ule is as piv­otal to your weld­ing robot sys­tem as using the right grease. 

Since these robots are designed to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at full speed, they are engi­neered to require min­i­mal main­te­nance. This decreas­es the amount of down­time nec­es­sary to per­form main­te­nance. Also, there is a pos­si­bil­i­ty that a robot can have too much main­te­nance per­formed, which will cause the robot to be over-greased. Adher­ing to a pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance sched­ule is just as impor­tant to the oper­a­tion of your weld­ing robot sys­tem as mak­ing sure that you use the prop­er grease. Plus, by con­tin­u­ing sched­uled pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance can great­ly improve the up-time and the per­for­mance of a robot­ic weld­ing system.

Enhanc­ing Uptime and Performance

Sched­uled pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance is the bedrock of a high-per­form­ing robot­ic weld­ing sys­tem. It ensures the sys­tem oper­ates at its best, opti­miz­ing both uptime and per­for­mance. Neglect­ing main­te­nance can lead to unex­pect­ed break­downs, pro­duc­tion delays, and increased costs. With reg­u­lar main­te­nance, you can extend the life of your robot­ic weld­ing sys­tem, max­i­miz­ing your return on investment.

Key Pre­ven­ta­tive Main­te­nance Steps For Your Robot Welder

There are a few sim­ple steps you should check when run­ning through the pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance schedule:

Week­ly Weld­ing Lin­er Replacement

With a weld­ing robot, the most com­mon wear hap­pens in the weld­ing lin­er. If your com­pa­ny is run­ning your robot three shifts, the weld­ing lin­er should be changed week­ly to elim­i­nate defects dur­ing oper­a­tion. The weld­ing lin­er is the most sus­cep­ti­ble com­po­nent to wear in a weld­ing robot. In a three-shift oper­a­tion, it’s essen­tial to replace the weld­ing lin­er week­ly to elim­i­nate defects dur­ing pro­duc­tion. A fresh weld­ing lin­er con­tributes to con­sis­tent and defect-free welding.

Cable Inspec­tion

Watch the robot run through the appli­ca­tion and make note of any cables that are drag­ging, rub­bing, touch­ing clamps, or any mov­ing along any oth­er part of the weld­ing cell or sys­tem. These could become cost­ly prob­lem areas for cable main­te­nance if not fixed. Worn cables should be replaced, and cables should be secured to cut down on excess wear and tear.

Weld­ing Gun Tips and Nozzles

Dai­ly replace­ment of weld­ing gun tips is essen­tial. Addi­tion­al­ly, inspect the weld­ing noz­zle for weld spat­ter buildup, which can hin­der weld­ing func­tion­al­i­ty. A fresh con­tact tip on the weld­ing torch can cor­rect defects that might occur dur­ing weld­ing. Employ­ing soap bub­bles to check for shield­ing gas leaks ensures a seam­less weld­ing process.

Unlock­ing the Poten­tial of Robot­ic Weld­ing Automation

In con­clu­sion, pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance is the cor­ner­stone of own­ing and oper­at­ing an indus­tri­al robot sys­tem or work cell. A robust main­te­nance sched­ule ensures your robot sys­tem will endure for years to come, con­sis­tent­ly deliv­er­ing excep­tion­al performance.

Over­all, pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance per­for­mance is a vital part of own­ing and oper­at­ing an indus­tri­al robot sys­tem or work cell, and a good main­te­nance sched­ule will ensure that your robot will last for many years.

Con­tact Robots​.com Today

For more infor­ma­tion on robot­ic automa­tion and the impor­tance of pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance, reach out to Robots​.com today. Our expert team is ready to assist you, either online or by call­ing 877−762−6881. Don’t com­pro­mise on robot per­for­mance; invest in pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance and secure the longevi­ty of your robot­ic weld­ing system.

For more infor­ma­tion on robot­ic automa­tion or pre­ven­ta­tive main­te­nance, call Robots​.com today online or at 877−762−6881.