Motorman Robot Concerns?
The following
is an E mail sent to me March 2001, I have deleted the name of the person and
companies name. Anyone else have beyond the norm robot issues, send me an email.
Ed, we are on our 4th generation of Motoman robots, and I didn't think they
could get any worse, but I was wrong. I simply would not recommend the new UP/XRC
robots to anyone. We have had nothing but problems with them. Motoman has a real
problem with the encoders in their motors, and we have replaced everyone at least
once. In addition, I have a servo pack or motor go out on an average of once per
week. They are also having wire harness problems with the insulation prematurely
wearing out. I have had to replace four so far, and we have only been running
since August. We have also had to replace 13 boards in the main processor. They
are saying that the Panasonic power sources are creating noise in the unit and
taking out the boards, but we are not really buying it and neither is Panasonic.
What a nightmare. THE
FOLLOWING IS AN INDICATION THAT WELD PROCESS CONTROL IS NOT ESTABLISHED AT YOUR
FACILITY [1]
If you have robot weld rework on more than 2% of your parts. [2]
If you utilize three part gas mixes for carbon steels or thin gage stainless.
[3] If you
believe you can produce welds with a Metal Cored wire which you cannot do with
a lower cost MIG wire. [4]
If you utilize flux cored wires for welding clean carbon steels <3/8 in the
flat and horizontal welding positions. [5]
If you weld carbon steels and you use mixes containing oxygen. [6]
If you purchase your primary weld supplies from more than one supplier. [7]
If the person who has full responsibility for the robots is in the union.
[8] If your company
allows operators or anyone other than the programmer to make welding parameter
changes to the robot program. [9]
If your purchasing personnel make decisions on the consumables selected.
[10] If there
is no weld parameter data posted on the weld equipment or along side the robot
cells. [11]
If your manual welders daily use a whipping action or weave action with their
MIG guns. [12]
If your robots have a ROBOT down time per shift of more than 15 minutes. [13]
If you use pulsed MIG and don't know how to provide optimum pulsed parameter adjustments,
or you are not aware how your pulsed weld deposition rates compare against the
lower cost spray transfer. TWIN
MIG WIRE WELDING
With
the recent evolution of this high weld speed, high deposition rate, high weld
speed process, many of the negative weld issues that were a part of the process
since its inception have been now been eliminated. Using
the conventional MIG process, try and run two MIG wires into the same weld puddle
and you would have arc, heat and weld puddle issues. With
the twin wire MIG process the welding equipment utilized and the position of the
wires are such that the forces created by the magnetic fields will interact and
reduce reactions on the arc plasma. The two wires create a common arc in which
part of each arc is directed to the other arc. The bottom line the arc plasma
pressures on the resulting weld surface are reduced allowing twice the normal
MIG welding deposition rates, this of course allows for much higher welding speeds.
Go to MIG equipment to find out more. If a weld shop has issues with the regular,
two knob control single MIG wire process, then this shop should give careful consideration
to the twin wire process. There are many ways to greatly improve weld speeds without
resorting to Twin Arc. I have produced single wire 3/16 fillet welds at 90 in./min.
If you want more welding data on theses subjects call 970 988 1169 and attain
my "Management Engineers MIG Book".
Everyone
in the welding industry should be aware of the extensive confusion that has surrounded
the MIG process for decades. The weld reality on educating people on the worlds
most widely used welding process, is that regardless of the application each popular
MIG electrode wire size used has typically only three
optimum short circuit and three spray transfer wire feed settings for all welds
made in the flat or horizontal positions. To further simplify the weld parameter
requirements each process or mode of weld transfer requires a very narrow weld
voltage range. |
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