ABB Robotics recently launched a new Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) service, enabling robot users to create preventative maintenance plans for individual robots or groups of robots based on real-time operational data, thereby improving productivity and minimizing downtime.
CBM uses real-time data from robot operations to help identify any potential issues that could affect the robot's operational status, including load, speed, acceleration, and transmission wear. By comparing these variables with other robots in ABB's global robot database, the likelihood and timeframe of potential failures or downtime can be calculated.
For customers with a large number of robotic devices, ABB's CBM tools can advise on remedial measures, such as whether affected parts need to be repaired or replaced. By identifying which parts are likely to fail and when, customers can purchase spare parts accordingly, eliminating the need for long-term inventory, thus better planning their budgets and ensuring sufficient spare parts to support production operations when necessary.
Previously, it was difficult for users to determine whether critical components such as transmissions were worn or needed replacement. This meant that either parts were purchased unnecessarily, or problems were only discovered when a malfunction occurred, and the required spare parts could not be found when needed, leading to robot downtime and production interruptions.
The new CBM tools now enable customers to monitor robot operating status in real time, facilitating the creation of preventative maintenance plans based on known performance characteristics. This keeps robots in optimal working condition and maximizes efficiency. Simultaneously, real-time monitoring minimizes the risk of premature robot downtime, extends mean time between failures (MTBF), and ultimately prolongs the robot's lifespan.
To help customers determine which preventative measures should be taken, each robot comes with a report that includes the robot's serial number, summary table, data analysis, individual maintenance recommendations, conclusions, and system rating. This data allows customers to develop a reasonable maintenance plan, and ABB can provide technical support at any time if needed.
