FORMING AND FABRICATING AUTOMATION
Robot Retrofits: When is it Time? W
ith proper maintenance, an industrial robot can remain in service for 10 to 15 yr. In many cases, retrofitting can extend—and even double—the life of these shopfloor workhorses.
for perhaps some communication modifications to derive the most from that new equipment and soft- ware. “Utilize as much of the older equipment as possible and bring it up to date,” he adds, stressing that robot retrofits bring big bene - fits. “Many users don’t realize that they can retrofit new controls on an older system. Recently, we ret- rofitted a welding cell—at least 10 yr. old—that has two robots and a positioner. We installed two new robots that control the positioner, but rebuilt the positioner—all at a fraction of the cost for a new cell.” The lesson here from Klopfen- stein: Look at all options, including a retrofit, before deciding to replace an entire cell.
For the most part, with proper maintenance, an industrial robot will remain in service for 10 to 15 yr. Much depends on the harshness of the environment and application, as well as the terms surrounding sup- plier hardware, control and software support. In many cases, retrofitting can extend—and even double—the life of these shopfloor workhorses. “We’ve seen, within the past 5 to 10 yr., huge improvements in weld- ing equipment and software, and fabricators want the highest-quality and most efficient welds for their customers,” Steve Klopfenstein, se- nior manager of retrofit systems at Yaskawa America, Inc., Motoman Robotics Division, tells MetalForm- ing . “In most cases, this improved technology can be interfaced to older robots without issue, save
Robot retrofits can include electrical-harness upgrades (as shown here), controls upgrades, regreases or even full rebuilds with all components pulled apart, examined, replaced if needed and cleaned.
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