How to Troubleshoot a Robot
When your robot starts acting up, it’s important to find out why as soon as possible. You can protect your robot from making repairs down the road, as well as reduce downtime, by being proactive with troubleshooting.
There are a few basics in troubleshooting a robot that you can follow to see where the error lies. If you decide to troubleshoot the robot yourself, be sure to follow all safety precautions. Unplug the robot from all energy sources, place the robot in a spacious area to allow you to work around it, and wear all necessary safety gear to prevent any accidents or injuries.
To learn more about troubleshooting a wonky robot, read our troubleshooting guide below!
How do you know if something is wrong with your robot?
The most obvious answer to this question is if the robot will not turn on or function normally.
To be more detailed, your robot may require troubleshooting if it:
Doesn't conform to an upgrade properly
Makes unnecessary movements, wasting time and energy
Doesn’t move at all
Overheats
Has low completed cycles
Has a connection error
You should have a hawk’s eye for malfunctioning robots so you can reduce downtime and low utilization as quickly as possible. By doing this, you can save the robot (and yourself!) from costly replacements and repairs as well as maintain your production productivity.
Basics of troubleshooting a robot
While the troubleshooting process is dependent on the robot and the error it’s experiencing, there are baseline considerations that start the problem-solving flow. Like a production line, having a smooth and uniform process that builds into something more specific saves time, energy, and money.
Here are some of the steps robotics technicians would take when troubleshooting a robot:
CHECK THE TEACH PENDANT DISPLAY.
By checking the teach pendant display, you give yourself valuable information about the robot’s programming. If there are any errors in the programming, they will likely show up on the teach pendant and will allow you to troubleshoot from there.
RUN THE ROBOT THROUGH MULTIPLE CYCLES.
When NRTC Automation performs robot repairs, we run the robot through at least 50 cycles to observe its motions and repeatability. This allows you to see any surface-level errors that might arise, as well as cross off unrelated issues if the problem lies deeper in the robot’s programming or interior.
MAKE THE ROBOT FAIL.
Yes, you will want to make the robot intentionally fail so you can see if any of those actions align with the error the robot is experiencing. Try all failures to eliminate potential errors and save time during the troubleshooting process.
TURN IT OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN.
This is the most revered advice of all time by IT and technical professionals. It’s most likely the first thing they are going to tell you to do. It’s worth a shot, so try turning off your robot and powering it back up again to see if that has any effect.
REPLACE BATTERIES.
Batteries can be finnicky and cause malfunctions. Replacing a robot’s batteries is good robot hygiene and should be part of the scheduled maintenance check.
CHECK THE SERVO MOTOR TEMPERATURE.
SERVO MOTORS ARE MEANT TO GET HOT, BUT THEY HAVE AN IDEAL TEMPERATURE RANGE. IF IT OVERHEATS OR DOESN’T REACH ITS IDEAL TEMPERATURE RANGE, THEN IT WILL AFFECT THE REST OF THE ROBOT’S FUNCTIONING LEVELS. EITHER REPLACE YOUR SERVO MOTOR WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OR CHECK IF IT CAN BE REPAIRED.
Prevent errors ahead of time.
Schedule maintenance checks for your robot.
By scheduling maintenance checks, you ensure that your robot is current on all programming updates, oil changes, parts replacements, and more. Prevent errors ahead of time by sticking to the schedule and save money and time on your manufacturing floor.
DO YOU WANT TO TRAIN YOUR TEAM TO TROUBLESHOOT?
NRTC Automation provides robotics training to enhance the internal troubleshooting process and educate your employees on the foundations of robotics. From basic programming to advanced troubleshooting, we will train your staff in a personalized format according to your needs. Educating your team will boost productivity and reduce downtime on the manufacturing floor, so contact NRTC Automation today to learn more about our robotics training service.
