To date, many industrial robots in my country are still imported products. From their instruction manuals, we can see that manufacturers generally recommend using stainless steel screws to fix the equipment during installation. However, in reality, domestic companies often choose carbon steel screws instead of the stainless steel screws recommended by the manufacturers.
The suggestions from international companies are reasonable. The most obvious reason is that after prolonged use, carbon steel screws will wear down at the screw joints and are prone to rust, which can also cause structural damage to robots.
From this perspective, choosing the stainless steel screws recommended by the manufacturer seems more reasonable, but domestic companies have switched to carbon steel screws, which reflects an unequal power dynamic and vested interests.
If stainless steel screws recommended by international companies are used, they are prone to locking. As the saying goes, it is easy to install but difficult to remove. When it comes to the next maintenance, stainless steel screws are difficult to remove. If they need to be removed, it is necessary to purchase special disassembly equipment from international manufacturers and hire professional technicians, which will be a considerable expense. Considering the cost and passivity, domestic companies are unwilling to choose stainless steel screws and instead choose carbon steel screws that are easier to maintain.
In addition, screws, which may seem like insignificant components, have a whole set of technical logic behind them. Due to political hegemony, not all components can be exported to China. Some companies, for this reason, are learning from the experience of using substitutes while looking for better alternatives.
