No more swinging cables.
On ABB’s new IRB 6600ID (Internal Dressing) robot, process cables are routed inside the upper arm – improving cable lifetime prediction and robot simulation reliability.
Process cables carry all the data controlling a robot’s motion. On a conventional robot, these cables run externally along the upper arm.
Each time the robot arm moves, the cables come into swing – causing excessive wear and reduced cable lifetime.
But more importantly, the irregular motion pattern of the cable harness makes it difficult to predict its lifetime. Unfortunately, this is a common cause of costly unpredicted line stops.
Longer and more predictable dresspack lifetime
On IRB 6600ID, the process cables are routed inside the upper arm as a so-called internal dresspack. This means that the cables will follow every motion of the robot arm instead of coming into swing, ensuring a longer and more predictable lifetime.
An external dresspack normally have a lifetime of 6–8 years in 3-shift operation, compared to 1–2 years for an external dressing. This translates into approximately 3–4 fewer dresspack changes for each robot during its lifetime.
The cost reduction can be up to € 7,000 per robot and year – excluding costs related to cable damage caused by, for example, weld spatters, heat and abrasive contacts with other equipment.
What you see is what you get
When programming a conventional robot, there is always a blind spot. Because of the external routing and unpredictable motion of the dresspack, programmers have to use their imagination to take its practical implications into consideration.
With the IRB 6600ID, the geometry of the robot is well defined. So programmers can disregard the dresspack and focus on optimizing the process.
This is a significant advantage when offline programming a new process line, and in some cases even more important when introducing new workpieces in an existing line. The time for fine-tuning programs in line is reduced to a minimum.
Specialized for spot welding and materials handling
The absence of external cables makes the upper arm of the IRB 6600ID a highly compact solution – allowing it to perform tasks unavailable to externally dressed robots.
For example, the wrist can enter through narrow openings to spot weld inside a car body. In addition, the interference with other robots in high-density installations is reduced.
Like any member of the IRB 6600-family, the IRB 6600ID features the highest inertia performance. This makes it suitable for handling not only heavy but also wide workpieces.
The robot is available with dresspacks for both spot welding and materials handling. The IRB 6650ID version shares all the characteristics of the IRB 6600ID, but comes with a longer lower arm for an extended working range.