Protecting robots, their cousins, cobots (collaborative robots) and precision servo-driven machinery from environmental hazards is crucial for ensuring their longevity, functionality, and reliability. As robots become increasingly integral to various industries, from manufacturing and healthcare to exploration, mining, agriculture and domestic services, safeguarding them from environmental challenges is essential. This discussion explores the importance of environmental protection for robots and outlines five effective strategies to achieve it.

Importance of Protecting Robots from a Harsh or Critical Environment

1. Longevity and Durability: Robots represent significant investments in terms of both time and money. Environmental factors such as moisture, sanitary washdown, dust, extreme temperatures, molten metal and sparks, and corrosive substances can severely degrade a robot’s components, leading to frequent breakdowns and costly repairs. Protecting robots from these elements extends their operational lifespan, making the investment more sustainable and economically viable.
2. Reliability and Performance: Robots are often deployed in critical applications where reliability is paramount. For instance, in healthcare, a malfunctioning surgical robot can have dire consequences. Environmental protection ensures that robots perform consistently and accurately, maintaining high standards of safety and efficiency.
3. Safety: Robots operating in hazardous environments, such as chemical plants or disaster zones, face risks that can also affect human operators. Protecting robots from environmental hazards reduces the risk of malfunction, which in turn minimizes the potential for accidents that could harm both the robots and nearby humans. In some cases, a robot will need to operate in a classified zone against starting a fire or explosion.
4. Maintenance and Downtime: Frequent exposure to harsh environments can lead to increased maintenance requirements and downtime. By protecting robots from environmental damage, the need for maintenance is reduced, and operational downtime is minimized. This improves overall productivity and reduces the total cost of ownership.
5. Adaptability and Versatility: Robots designed with environmental protection in mind can be deployed in a wider range of settings, including underwater, space, and extreme industrial environments. This adaptability enhances their versatility and broadens the scope of applications in which they can be effectively utilized.

Six Ways to Protect Robots and Machines from the Environment

Enclosures and Housing: One of the most effective ways to protect robots from environmental hazards is to use robust enclosures and housings. These can be designed to shield the robot from dust, moisture, corrosive substances, and physical impacts. Many technical fabrics have been developed for a variety of harsh environments and are commonly used for their durability and resistance to corrosion, temperature extremes, moisture, chemicals and abrasion. For example, robots used in underwater exploration are often encased in watertight housings made of corrosion-resistant materials to withstand the harsh marine environment.  There are several commercially available solutions from Futura-Automation and its partner Evotec:

1. EVOheat – steel is melted in a large electric arc furnace, which generates heat radiation of about 1600°C. Since the process needs to be constantly monitored, the temperature inside the furnace has to be measured regularly. Since the conditions near the furnace are quite extreme, the company uses an industrial robot for this process. Robots in foundry version regularly insert a lance into the furnace to test temperature.  Robot handled ladles are also dipped into molten metal for casting applications:  Metal Casting, Laser Cutting, Arc and Laser Welding, Metal Punching, Plasma Cutting, Forging

2. EVOpure – Industrial robots working in food related processes are usually exposed to high moisture level in their environment, which during the cleaning of the workstation and hall can reach even 80% and creates perfect conditions for corrosion. Another risk are the detergents and sanitizers used for cleaning the robot and area, which could negatively affect the surface and mechanisms of the robots, making them more vulnerable to damage. Another serious risk in robotic food production lines is the possibility of oils and lubricants from the robot getting into the food product.  Several industries call for this type of cover:  Food Processing, Meat Packaging, Pharmaceutical Processing, Medical Device assembly, Electronics parts handling, Cosmetics production

3. EVOblast –  covers are made of fabrics with high resistance to abrasion. Therefore, they are excellent protection against harmful effects of abrasive ricochet and high amount of dust generated in the abrasive blasting process.  Using an EVOblast cover, either on the robot directly or through a window opening,  allows the robot to work malfunction-free even in the most demanding processes like shot blasting, shot peening and sandblasting. Without a cover, abrasive ricochet and dust degrade the surface of the robot and penetrate its moving parts, such as gears. This causes seizing and consequently – permanent and costly damage.  This type of cover is suitable for:  Shot-blasting, Sand-blasting, Glazing, Glass-cutting, Ceramic Coat Spraying, Shot Peening, Glass Shot blasting

EVOdust – metal cast cutting process generates a large amount of dust. Metal shards and shavings accumulate on the surface of the robot and get inside their gears. Tooling liquids used in such processes, such as coolants or oils, increase the humidity in the production environment, which leads to corrosion of robot parts. Oil mist can also settle on the surface of the unprotected robot. This causes longer downtime for cleaning and increased operational cost.  Applications include: CNC Machining, Deburring, Polishing, Cutting, Grinding, Outdoor, Sawmill, Furniture Milling

EVOcoat – Protective Covers support the work of robots and machines in very dusty conditions and chemical vapour, as well as anywhere with increased humidity, e.g. in water-based and solvent-based painting.  EVO_coat covers are perfect for protection of robots in the processes of:  Powder Coating, Wet Painting, Spraying, Fiberglass and Carbon Fiber Spraying

Custom Machine Cover – It is possible to match a custom cover or “Bellows” to any of the application types above, not just robots and cobots. Many types of machines require protection. A good CAD file with all the dimensions and photos, when possible, are required to match the cover to the machine and provide a good fit. For moving parts, a bellows cover can be created that flexes with motion.

Conclusion

Protecting robots from environmental hazards is fundamental to ensuring their longevity, reliability, safety, and adaptability across various applications. By implementing robust enclosures and housings against high temperatures, paints and coatings, dust and dirt, shot and other abrading materials, outdoor environments and caustic washdown environments along with integrated temperature control systems, robots can be safeguarded against a wide range of environmental challenges. As robots continue to play an increasingly vital role in modern society, investing in their protection will be essential for maximizing their potential and ensuring their successful integration into diverse and demanding environments.