In the field of industrial automation, robots, as core execution units, directly impact production efficiency and cost control due to their operational stability and lifespan. Especially in harsh environments such as casting, sandblasting, and painting, robot bodies are susceptible to corrosion from dust, oil, moisture, and chemicals, leading to wear and tear on mechanical parts, electrical system failures, and even downtime for maintenance. To address this pain point, waterproof cleaning and protective covers specifically designed for large industrial robots have emerged. Among these, the protection solution for the IRB 6640 series robots, with its high adaptability, multi-functionality, and durability, has become an industry benchmark solution.
Technical Background
As a new generation of large industrial robots, the IRB 6640 series is used in high-load operations such as material handling, loading and unloading, spot welding, painting, and grinding. For example, a certain automobile manufacturing company uses IRB 6640-235/2.55 robots for body spot welding in its welding workshop. A single robot performs over 5.000 welding points per day, representing an extremely high workload. However, the metal spatter, high-temperature fumes, and coolant splashes generated during welding pose a dual threat to the robot: on the one hand, dust intrusion into the joint bearings leads to accelerated wear; on the other hand, moisture penetration into the electrical cabinet poses a short-circuit risk. Statistics show that the mean time between failures (MTBF) of an unprotected robot in such environments is only about 2000 hours, while installing a professional protective cover can increase the MTBF to over 8000 hours and reduce maintenance costs by 60%.
Protective Cover Design
1. Multi-layer Composite Structure: Balancing Protection and Function
The IRB 6640 waterproof cleaning protective cover employs a sandwich structure of "wear-resistant base material + waterproof coating + antistatic layer". The base material is made of high-strength polyester fiber with a tensile strength of 120MPa, capable of withstanding the dynamic loads during high-speed robot movement; the middle layer is a 0.5mm thick polyurethane elastomer coating with IP67 waterproof rating, capable of withstanding high-pressure water jet washing (pressure ≤600bar) and 100% humidity environments; the surface layer incorporates carbon fiber conductive filaments with a surface resistance ≤10⁶Ω, effectively preventing dust adsorption caused by static electricity buildup. Actual test data from a foundry company shows that after installing the protective cover, dust intrusion at robot joints decreased by 92%, and the electrical failure rate decreased by 75%.
2. Modular Design: Adaptable to Different Models and Working Conditions
For the six standard models included in the IRB 6640 series (such as IRB 6640-130/3.20. IRB 6640-205/2.75. etc.), the protective cover offers customized size options. Taking the IRB 6640-185/2.80 as an example, its protective cover covers the robot body and the first axis frame, adopting a segmented structure: the upper arm section features a detachable design for easy cable maintenance; the base section has forklift fork slots for rapid handling; and the wrist section uses an elastic retractable structure to adapt to deformation under different loads. Furthermore, for casting-reinforced robots, the protective cover is lined with a ceramic fiber insulation layer, capable of withstanding short-term high temperatures (≤70℃), meeting the requirements of casting cleaning conditions.
3. Dynamic Sealing Technology: Synergy of Motion and Protection
Sealing at the robot joints is the core challenge in protective cover design. The IRB 6640 protective cover employs a dual mechanism of "dynamic sealing ring + negative pressure adsorption": the sealing ring is made of a composite of silicone rubber and fluororubber, with a hardness of Shore A 60±5. ensuring both flexibility and oil resistance; the negative pressure system uses a micro-pump to create a -50Pa micro-negative pressure inside the protective cover, making it difficult for external dust to penetrate. Comparative tests in a sandblasting workshop showed that under traditional protection methods, dust penetration depth at robot joints reached 8mm, while with dynamic sealing technology, the penetration depth was controlled within 0.5mm.
Application Cases
Case 1: Efficiency Improvement in an Automotive Welding Workshop
A joint venture automaker deployed 12 IRB 6640-200ID robots in its welding workshop. Previously, using ordinary protective covers, the robots needed to be shut down three times a month for dust removal, each time taking two hours. After switching to waterproof cleaning protective covers, the cleaning frequency was reduced to once a quarter, and no downtime was required, increasing annual production by approximately 1200 car bodies. Simultaneously, the anti-static design of the protective covers reduced the adsorption of welding spatter, maintaining the robot's surface cleanliness at ISO 8 standard, and reducing the welding defect rate from 0.3% to 0.05%.
Case 2: Cost Optimization in a Foundry
An aluminum alloy foundry used IRB 6640-235/2.55 robots for deburring castings. Under the original protective scheme, the robot's joint bearings needed to be replaced on average every eight months, with a single-unit maintenance cost of approximately 20.000 yuan. After installing customized protective covers, the bearing life was extended to over three years, and the protective covers themselves are simple to maintain—only requiring monthly compressed air cleaning of the surface, reducing annual maintenance costs by 80%. In addition, the high-temperature resistance of the protective cover allows the robot to directly participate in the cleaning of castings, eliminating the transfer step in the traditional process and shortening the processing time of a single casting by 15 seconds.
Technology Trends
1. Intelligent Monitoring and Self-Cleaning Functions
Next-generation protective covers are integrating sensor networks to monitor temperature, humidity, and dust concentration in real time. For example, a solution under development uses fiber optic sensors on the inner wall of the cover to detect micro-cracks as small as 0.1mm, providing early warning of potential faults. Simultaneously, some models have piloted self-cleaning functions, using high-pressure air pulse technology to automatically remove surface deposits, reducing manual intervention.
2. Environmentally Friendly Materials and Recycling
In response to the trend of green manufacturing, protective cover materials are gradually being upgraded towards recyclability. A research institution has developed a bio-based polyurethane coating, whose raw material is derived from vegetable oil, shortening the degradation cycle from 50 years for traditional materials to 5 years, and the degradation products are non-toxic and harmless. Furthermore, modular design allows for individual replacement of cover components, extending the overall service life and reducing resource consumption.
The evolution of the IRB 6640 waterproof and cleanable protective cover is not only an innovation in materials and structure but also an upgrade in the application concept of industrial robots. From passive protection to active maintenance, from single-function to multi-scenario adaptation, this technological solution is redefining the standards for robot operation under harsh conditions. In the future, with the deep integration of intelligent sensing and environmentally friendly materials, protective covers will not only be "protective shells" for robots, but also "intelligent nodes" in production systems, providing key support for flexible manufacturing and lean production in the Industry 4.0 era.
