Industrial Robot Cable: Some FAQ That You need to Know

What is the manufacturing cost of industrial robot wiring harness?

The manufacturing cost of industrial robot wiring harnesses will be affected by a variety of factors, including raw material costs, production processes, labor costs, market demand, supplier pricing strategies, etc. The following are some factors that affect industrial robot wiring harnesses:

1. Raw material cost: The raw materials of the wire harness include wires, terminals, insulating materials, etc. The cost of these materials will directly affect the manufacturing cost of the wire harness.
2. Production process: The production process of wire harness includes terminal crimping, wire harness braiding, injection molding, etc. The complexity and precision requirements of the process will also affect the cost.
3. Labor costs: Wire harness manufacturing is a labor-intensive industry to a certain extent. Especially in the off-season, labor retention and adjustment will affect costs.
4. Market demand: Changes in market demand will affect the price of wire harnesses. For example, if the market demand for industrial robots increases, the price of wire harnesses may also increase accordingly.
5. Supplier pricing strategies: Different suppliers may set prices based on their own cost structures, market positioning and competitive strategies.
6. Other factors: including transportation costs, duties, taxes, etc, will also affect the final market price.

It is worth noting that ways to reduce wiring harness costs may include consolidating wire diameters on existing projects, lowering standards, price-comparison integration of connectors, or using lower-cost materials such as aluminum wires instead of copper wires.

How to ensure the performance of industrial robot wiring harness in extreme environments (such as high temperature and high humidity)

The performance of industrial robot wire harnesses in extreme environments mainly depends on the design, material selection and manufacturing process of the wire harness. The following are some key points. These measures can ensure that the wire harness can still maintain good electrical performance and mechanical strength in harsh environments such as high temperature and high humidity:

Material temperature resistance: Choose insulation and sheath materials that can withstand extreme temperatures, such as silicone rubber, which has good high and low temperature resistance and can work in the temperature range of -60°C to 200°C.

Chemical resistance: The wire harness material needs to be chemical-resistant to resist corrosion from oil, acid and alkali and other chemical substances, and maintain the insulation performance of the wire harness.

UV resistance: The wire harness material should be resistant to UV rays to prevent aging and performance degradation due to prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Hydrolysis resistance: The wire harness material should have hydrolysis resistance to ensure that the wire harness will not be degraded by moisture in a high-humidity environment and maintain its electrical insulation properties.

Bending resistance: The wire harness design should take into account the robot’s range of motion to ensure that the wire harness can maintain performance despite repeated bending and twisting. This is usually achieved by using highly flexible wires and appropriate bending radii.

Shielding design: The high-voltage wiring harness adopts a shielding structure to reduce electromagnetic interference and ensure the stability of signal transmission.

Mechanical protection: Provide additional mechanical protection to the wiring harness from abrasion and impact through the use of protective measures such as corrugated pipes, hoses or fire-resistant cloth.

Sealing design: Use a sealing ring at the junction of the connector and the wiring harness to ensure the sealing of the entire wiring harness system and prevent water vapor and dust from entering.

Testing and certification: The wire harness should undergo strict safety tests before leaving the factory, including continuity, withstand voltage, resistance and insulation tests, to ensure that it meets relevant safety standards and performance requirements.

Design redundancy: Consider some redundancy in the wire harness design to account for possible damage or performance degradation in extreme environments.

Through the above measures, industrial robot wiring harnesses can maintain their performance in extreme environments, ensuring the reliability and safety of the robot system.

How long is the maintenance and replacement cycle for industrial robot wiring harnesses?

The maintenance and replacement cycle of industrial robot wire harnesses is affected by many factors, including the frequency of use of the robot, the working environment (such as temperature, humidity, oil pollution, etc.), the quality of the wire harness, and the quality of daily maintenance work. Usually, the maintenance cycle of the wiring harness will be shorter than the replacement cycle and needs to be carried out regularly.

1. Regular maintenance: According to reports, regular maintenance of industrial robots can effectively extend the service life of the robot and reduce the failure rate. This means that the wiring harness, as an important part of the robot, also requires regular maintenance inspections.
2. Maintenance cycle: The specific maintenance cycle will be determined based on the robot manufacturer’s recommendations and actual usage. Some manufacturers may recommend detailed inspection and maintenance of the wiring harness every six months or every year to ensure the reliability and safety of the connections.
3. Replacement cycle: The replacement cycle of the wire harness is usually longer, maybe once every few years, but this depends on the wear and tear of the wire harness and whether there is performance degradation. If the wiring harness is aged, damaged, or cannot meet the robot’s performance requirements, it needs to be replaced.
4. Special considerations: Special environmental factors also need to be taken into consideration during the maintenance and replacement of wiring harnesses. For example, robotic wiring harnesses that operate in high temperatures or oily environments may require more frequent inspections and earlier replacements.
5. Professional advice: The final maintenance and replacement cycle should follow the robot manufacturer’s guidance and recommendations, and be determined based on the actual use of the robot. Manufacturers usually provide detailed maintenance manuals and recommended intervals as described.
6. Safety and performance: In any case, safety and robot performance are the most important considerations. If damage to the wiring harness may cause safety issues or affect the performance of the robot, it should be replaced immediately.

In short, the maintenance and replacement cycle of industrial robot wiring harnesses should be determined based on the manufacturer’s recommendations, the robot’s working conditions and usage, and ensuring that safe operating procedures are followed.

For industrial robots working in special environments, such as high humidity or corrosive environments, how should wires and insulation materials be selected?

For industrial robots working in special environments, such as high humidity or corrosive environments, it is crucial to select appropriate wires and insulation materials to ensure the reliability and safety of the robot. Here are some key factors and recommendations:

1. Temperature resistance: Choose wires and insulation materials that can withstand operating temperatures in high humidity and corrosive environments. Wire insulation should be able to withstand the maximum expected operating temperature while maintaining its insulating properties.
2. Moisture-proof and corrosion-resistant: In high-humidity or corrosive environments, insulation materials should have good moisture-proof and corrosion-resistant properties. This can be achieved by using special polymer materials, such as silicone rubber or fluoroelastomer, which are naturally resistant to moisture and corrosive chemicals.
3. Insulation level: According to IEC standards, select the appropriate insulation level, such as A, E, B, F, H levels. Each level corresponds to a different maximum operating temperature and insulation material.
4. Mechanical strength: Wires and insulation materials should have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the physical stress and wear that may be encountered in harsh environments.
5. Chemical resistance: In corrosive environments, wires and insulation materials should be resistant to chemical substances, such as acids, alkalis, and solvents.
6. Voltage resistance: Choose insulating materials with high voltage resistance to prevent breakdown or flashover under high humidity conditions.
7. Damp heat test: Conduct a damp heat test to evaluate the safety and reliability of the product under high temperature and high humidity conditions, and ensure that wires and insulation materials can work stably under expected usage conditions.
8. Flame retardant properties: Choose insulation materials with good flame retardant properties to reduce the risk of fire, especially in environments with flammable substances.
9. Certifications and standards: Select wire and insulation materials that meet relevant safety and performance standards, such as UL certification or RoHS standards.
10. Professional Advice: Consult the material manufacturer or professional engineer for professional advice on the selection of wire and insulation materials for your specific application.

By comprehensively considering the above factors, combined with actual application needs and environmental conditions, wires and insulation materials suitable for industrial robots working in high humidity or corrosive environments can be selected.

How to test the performance of wires and insulation materials to ensure they meet the requirements of industrial robots?

In order to ensure that wires and insulation materials meet the requirements for industrial robots working in special environments, a series of performance tests are required. Here are some key tests and criteria that can help evaluate a material’s suitability for an application:

1. Mechanical testing: including tension, bending, pull-out, torsion, bending, lifting test, swing test, flexibility, tensile strength, yield strength, area shrinkage, elongation, fatigue test, etc. These tests evaluate the mechanical properties of materials to ensure they maintain their integrity under mechanical stress.
2. Electrical testing: including impedance, continuity, and withstand voltage testing. These tests are crucial to ensure that wires and insulation materials meet the electrical performance requirements of industrial robots.
3. Temperature resistance test: Through high-temperature storage test and high-temperature working test, the applicability of the product in high-temperature environment is tested. The testing equipment is usually a constant temperature and humidity test chamber, which can simulate different temperature conditions.
4. Damp heat test: simulate the use of the product under high temperature and high humidity conditions, and evaluate the moisture-proof ability and safety and reliability of the product. The damp heat test includes constant damp heat test and alternating damp heat test.
5. Chemical resistance test: Evaluate the stability of materials in specific chemical environments, such as oil resistance, acid and alkali resistance, etc. This is especially important for robots working in chemical factories or corrosive environments.
6. Flame retardant performance test: Through the fire retardant performance test, it is ensured that the insulation material can slow down the spread of fire and improve safety in the event of fire.
7. Aging test: simulate the aging conditions that wires and insulation materials may encounter during long-term use, and evaluate their durability and lifespan.
8. Reliability test: including durability, life test, and test in artificial climate environment to ensure the reliability of the product in long-term use.
9. Metallographic structure analysis: Analyze the microstructure of the material through metallographic methods to evaluate the stability and uniformity of its internal structure.
10. Failure analysis: Conduct failure simulations on materials to predict and evaluate possible failure modes in practical applications.
11. Special cable standards for industrial robots: According to CRIA 0003.1-2016 and other standards, test the drag chain radius, bending radius, torsion angle, etc. of the cable to ensure that the cable can adapt to the dynamic working environment of the robot.

When conducting the above tests, you should refer to relevant national or international standards, such as GB/T 238-2013, GB/T 3195-2016, GB/T 33201-2016, etc., as well as industry standards, such as CRIA 0003.1-2016, to ensure that the test accuracy and standardization.

Through these tests, the performance of wires and insulation materials can be comprehensively evaluated to ensure that they can work stably and reliably in the special working environment of industrial robots.

How to ensure the anti-interference of signal transmission in the design of industrial robot wiring harness?

The signal transmission anti-interference in the design of industrial robot wiring harness is a key factor to ensure the reliability and stability of the robot. The following are some commonly used methods to enhance the interference immunity of signal transmission:

1. Shielding technology: Using shielded cables can reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), and the shielding layer can effectively isolate interference from external electromagnetic fields.
2. Twisted pair: Twisted pair can offset electromagnetic interference between two wires by twisting them together, and is often used to transmit control signals.
3. Optical fiber transmission: Fiber optic cables are not subject to electromagnetic interference and are suitable for signal transmission over long distances or in high-interference environments.
4. Filter: Installing a filter in the cable line can filter out unwanted frequencies and reduce noise interference.
5. Reasonable wiring: Avoid parallel wiring of signal lines and power lines or high-current lines to reduce cross interference.
6. Distance isolation: Keep signal lines at a certain distance from potential interference sources to reduce the impact of interference.
7. Grounding: Good grounding can provide a reference potential and reduce interference caused by ground loops.
8. Use anti-interference materials: Choose wires and insulation materials with anti-interference properties, such as special elastomers.
9. Frequency hopping technology: In wireless communications, frequency hopping technology can be used to avoid interference on the same frequency for a long time.
10. Channel isolation: Protocols working in unlicensed frequency bands need to use channel isolation methods to allocate channel resources through clear channel assessment (CCA) and listen before talk (LBT) signal access mechanisms to reduce conflicts and interference.
11. Interference detection and positioning: Through interference detection and positioning technology, interference sources can be identified and measures can be taken to avoid or reduce interference.
12. Interference cancellation technology: Using multiple antenna technologies such as MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and beam forming at the receiving end can effectively eliminate multipath effects and interference.
13. Power control: By dynamically adjusting the transmit power, the signal transmission quality can be improved without increasing interference.
14. Intelligent algorithms: Use intelligent algorithms such as deep learning to predict and adapt to interference environments and optimize signal transmission.
15. Spectrum sensing: Spectrum sensing technology based on compressed sensing theory can achieve sampling and reconstruction of signals to avoid interference.

Through the above measures, the anti-interference of signal transmission in the design of industrial robot wiring harness can be effectively improved, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the robot system.