Robot Cable Management System

Cobot painting carrier

A painting robot should function smoothly under all types of conditions. Time is money, so minimal downtimes and installation times should be a part of daily operations. After a multi-axis cable carrier system was installed on this painting robot, problem-free painting could happen with the robot available around-the-clock.

The painting robot was equipped with a triflex® R cable carrier, which replaced the previous system two years ago. The robot uses the so-called "Easy" version (TRE), which has a flexible opening flap along the length to allow cables to be quickly and easily installed. triflex® R was specifically developed with robotic applications in mind.

The original solution, a grooved hose, created continual problems - it tore time and again. Moreover, the cables were extremely strained during complex movements. Since implementing triflex® R, the painting robot has been operating without a problem.

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1.2 million painted door seals
2,000 pieces are produced per shift. That's approximately 600,000 pieces every year. This means the robot with the replaced cable management system has already painted around 1.2 million seals without any failure. At acceleration rates of 31 inch/s² (800 mm/s²), the cable carrier and cables inside are extremely stressed. No compromise can be made on the speed due to the high number of pieces that need to be produced.

On top of this are the conditions in the painting cabin. Paint mist leads to heavy dirt accumulation. This settles everywhere and creates fairly extreme conditions application conditions.

Two cable carrier systems in operation
The painting robot has been equipped with a second TRE cable carriers system, also with a minimum bending radius of 3.4 inches (87 mm). With this additional system, a paint sprayer is operated for subtler tasks.

When the company has to replace a dirty media hose or cable, there is no problem at all. They are simply pressed in from the outside. This simple filling is due to the "Easy" design. Cables or hoses need not be routed through the chain. It has another major advantage in that the fixtures or plug connections need not be dismantled for filling.