Creating Robotic Protective Covers for Use in Extreme Environments

Amulya Das, Director of Business Development at Mid-Mountain Materials, Inc., talks to AZoM about the company's robotic protective clothing, ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX, and other traditional protective fabrics.

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How is Mid-Mountain Materials, Inc. involved in heat resistant materials?

Materials that have the ability to protect equipment and instruments from being damaged due to high temperatures are called heat-resistant materials. Mid-Mountain Materials, Inc. is the industry’s leading expert in the manufacture of high performance textiles for extreme temperature protection.

Mid-Mountain develops manufactures and markets high performance coated and treated textiles, fabricated parts, composites and refractories for thermal protection, energy conservation, safety and process-specific applications.

Mid-Mountain works with companies to custom develop products for heat resistance to solve high temperature problems in the most severe industrial environments.

Could you describe the composition of ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX?

ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX was initially developed for use as Robotic Protective Clothing for use in extreme environments.

It is a very high strength, aromatic polyamide woven fabric that is coated with a very highly specialized and high performance silicone elastomer.

What are its key physical properties?

ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX fabric exhibits exceptional strength and very high flexural failure resistance due to the strength of its unique base fabric.

This fabric is woven utilizing a special higher strength aromatic polyamide fibre than most meta-aramid fibre.

Due to its higher crystallinity and strength, it can be used in the most demanding applications requiring high tensile properties, as well as very high chemical and thermal stability.

Could you outline some of the traditional protective fabrics that are commonly used?

A wide variety of fabrics are used today for protective covers for workers, equipment and critical processes used in wide variety of industries. Traditional fabrics that are commonly used include:

• Aluminum Coated Silica Fabric
• Aluminum Coated Kevlar®
• Hypalon Impregnated Nylon
• Nylon and Polyester fabric
• Fire-Retardant Vinyl
• Laminated Teflon® (PTFE)
• Silicone Coated Fiberglass
• Silicone Coated Nylon
• Urethane Coated Polyester and Nylon fabric
• Teflon® (PTFE) Coated Fiberglass
• Aluminum foil laminated fiberglass
• Woven Silica and Ceramic fabrics

Compared to other protective fabrics currently available, what makes ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX unique?

Its unique construction, engineered from a synthetic aromatic polyamide polymer blend with a unique silicone elastomer, provides superior strength, durability and thermal protection that stands up to the heat. The superior properties of ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX gives it an advantage over typical industrial fabrics.

These properties include:

• Better strength (tensile and tear) after thermal exposure
• Better abrasion resistance
• Excellent thermal stability
• Maximum protection
• Maximum value
• Excellent high/low temperature performance capability
• Very flexible – flexibility virtually unaffected by temperature
• Excellent ozone resistance
• Excellent UV resistance
• Excellent electrical insulating properties
• High thermal conductivity
• Excellent resistance to a wide range of fluids and chemicals
• Excellent weatherability
• Easy to fabricate/process

What professions could this be used in for personal protective clothing and why?

ARMATEX® SBN-13-602 ROBOTEX is mainly designed for protective covers for robots and robot systems, for a wide variety of markets with a broad range of harsh operating conditions.

In addition, this technical protective fabric can be used in many other professions to improve personnel safety in the workplace, given it has the following values in protection, and is effective against certain hazards as listed:

• High temperatures (Insulating, Firefighters)
• Burns (Flame, Convective and Radiant heat, Firefighters)
• Electric arc flash discharge (Plasma explosion, Electric companies)
• Molten metal impacts (Foundries)
• Metal sparks (Welding)
• Acid environment (Petrochemical, Gas, Refineries, Chemical)
• Cut resistant (Gloves, Glass industry)

Could you explain a little more about the concept of “robot protective clothing” – how common is this currently and what are the benefits?

Robots improve the quality of work by taking over dangerous, tedious and dirty jobs that are not possible, or safe, for humans to perform. But today’s complex manufacturing processes put Robotic equipment in danger, therefore it is extremely important to protect the robotic equipment in damaging and abusive environments. To protect robots, robotic equipment robot protective clothing was developed, and used as a means to protect the investment of the robot.

Figure 1. Robotic arm clothing / covering. Image Credit: Gretchen Reimbold / Mid-Mountain Materials

Wearing protective clothing, robots can handle tasks in demanding environments with dust, moisture, chemicals, and high and low temperatures. Robot covers are very common these days and provides several advantages to the robot:

• Operate in environments that unprotected robots cannot (high heat, cold, humidity, and corrosive atmospheres)
• Protect your investment from component failure
• Extend the operational life of your robot
• Reduce maintenance
• Increase automation uptime
• Easier maintenance and longer life of the robot

Are there different requirements for human protection and robotic protection?

Both Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) and Robotic Protection are designed with the same idea in mind, to protect the operator.

PPE can virtually save a person’s life, depending on the environment and conditions they are working in. The aim of human protective fabric is to provide personnel and possible life-saving protection with a high degree of wearing comfort.

Robot Protective clothing is designed to protect the components of the robot, similar to protecting personnel.

The difference is that Robotic Protection needs to be designed to withstand highly repetitive motions in very abusive environments.

ARMATEX® SBN-13-602 ROBOTEX has very high flexural fail resistance combined with high strength and heat resistance, to accommodate the repetitive movements of the robot in the most extreme environments.

What other industries could use this material, outside of protective clothing applications?

Following are some of the other industries which could use this material successfully.

• Food industry – clean room
• Heat – climate protection
• Foundry – forging
• Painting
• Surface treatment – sand blasting
• Window protection
• Welding gun – grippers
• Hose protection
• Machining
• Food Industries
• Automotive
• Nuclear
• Aeronautics

How is Mid-Mountain Materials looking to move forward with this product in the future?

The robotics industry is looking into a bright future. New manufacturing technologies have generated excitement about what some see as a Third Industrial Revolution. In the years ahead, technological improvements in robotics and automation will boost productivity and efficiency, implying significant economic gains for companies but the initial investments for robots are very high.

Figure 2. Robotic arm clothing must be able to withstand repetitive movements. Image Credit: Gretchen Reimbold / Mid-Mountain Materials

With this Robotic Revolution there is an urgent need of a robust protective cover for robots and robotic systems in the industry for their 100% return in investment, reduced maintenance and reduced down time. Mid-Mountain is undertaking this challenge seriously, and is determined to help in the success of this robotic revolution in various industries.

Recently we have developed ARMATEX® SBN 13-602 ROBOTEX which has uncompromising flexibility including very high strength and resistance to extreme conditions. Currently this product is being tested t in an ALCOA Plant in Australia, where all conventional materials have failed. Furthermore, we are looking forward to working closely in partnership with the Plant, Process and Maintenance Engineers, as well as Managers and Supervisors to determine their solution and make their process a success.

We will also study their particular robots, their movements, their environment, and the chemicals used in their manufacturing, which will influence cover design and materials. We will also help to determine if reusability or disposability is more appropriate for an application, and take into consideration OSHA and/or EPA requirements.

In addition, we will design, create and test samples to test on-site for evaluation of performance and ease of installation, as well as effectiveness. If you have a critical application or you need any help in optimizing your process, efficiency and equipment, please contact us at [ protected] or call us at +1 (800) 382- to discuss your problems and for immediate solution.

About Amulya Das

Amulya Das is Director of Business Development at Mid-Mountain Materials, Inc., and is based at the company’s manufacturing facility in Arlington, Washington, USA.

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Amulya is a Materials Scientist with  a degree in  Chemistry, and also has a Masters Degree in Chemical Technology with a specialization of Textile & Polymers Science from The Institute of Chemical Technology, Bombay, India.

As Director of Business Development, Amulya works closely with engineers and project managers to develop unique solutions that will address their applications challenges.

Prior to this role, Amulya served as the Manager of the Coating Division at Mid-Mountain, overseeing the manufacture of all standard and custom coated products.  

Amulya has 28 years of hands on working experience in manufacturing, engineering, design, and Research & Development with textiles, chemicals, and polymers as well as high performance materials.

Automation :

Industrial automation is accelerating on a global scale. Compared to human, robots allow companies to reach much higher efficiency, performance and uniformity for a given task. They have the ability of working in dangerous environments, and execute the same moves repetitively without getting tired nor lose precision.

Performance parameters :

To ensure a high productivity of the automation, plants measure a robot performance through 3 KPIs that determine its ROI:

• The MTBF aka Mean Time Between Failure : the time when a robot is operating normally.
• The MTTR aka Mean Time To Repair : the time a robot needs to be fully repaired and operational.
• The Down Time : the time when a robot is unable to pursue its tasks.

Why to protect robots :

It is important to prevent failure that could ruin a robot performance and the investment it represents. That is why it is necessary to use the appropriate protection against harmful factors. It reduces both risks of failure (reducing MTTR and Down Time) of the robot and extend its lifespan (increase MTBF).

Risk Factors :

The following list is made of factors that might provoke damage and even failures on the long run if they are left unattended.

Dust & Particles :

Machining robots, used in heavy industry, are often exposed to dust and particles generated from the material they process. Solid particles or splinters often lodge inside the equipment, creating abrasions and obstructions, that might clog or jam mechanisms, and damage the robot. Dust mixed with process fluids can also stick to captors and sensors misleading the system and forcing it to shut down the unit.

Molten Metal & Welding Sparks :

Welding robots or foundry handing robots are exposed to hot molten metal projections that agglomerate in time. Those projections could limit or disturb the range of motion of the robot arm and make it unable to operate.

High Level of Radiant Heat :

Long exposure of high level of radiant heat damage the robot by fusing, melting, or solidifying mobile elements. It also affects unprotected electric wiring and electronics parts by melting them.

Static Charge Build Up :

An accumulation of micro particles in the robot provokes a static charge build up, leading to arc flash hazards and sparks, particularly dangerous in explosive environments.

Different environments, different risks :

Foundry

Handling robots – Molten steel/Aluminum handling.

Protective cover is used to reflect radiant heat coming from the oven and protect the robot from projections and radiant heat. Without a reflective aluminized protection different parts that are close to the molten metal may bend with the stress due to the heat and the weight.

Risks Factors :

• Molten metal splash on the robot
• Radiant heat coming from the oven
• Convective heat coming from the bucket of molten metal

Forge

Handling robots – High temperature metal parts.

A very aggressive lubricant is used to help extraction of the part from the mould. These lubricants can be charged with graphite. Graphite can be abrasive for certain chemistries. In addition of the radiant heat, the cover needs to also protect the robot against these lubricants.

Risk factors:

• Metal projections
• Radiant heat coming from the material and the oven
• Convective heat coming due to the proximity with the oven
• Abrasive lubricant projections from the mould

Sandblasting

Sandblasting robots – Extremely abrasive environment.

Sandblasting robots are quite difficult to protect for long term as they dispatch highly abrasive materials. Due to their size, the sand and dust particles that are blown out for sanding get into the wrists and mechanisms of the machine. As a result, they may provoke failures. Normal materials get worn out very fast with these kinds of conditions, that is why the cover needs to be made from an abrasion resistant coated fabric.

Risk Factors:

• Abrasive sanding material and dust

Machining Robots/Machined parts Handling Robot

Robot covers for parts handling are inflated continuously. In this case, it is usual for the machine to face an environment full of thin metal particles and cutting oil splashes.

Unprotected, the robot pivot connections can get contaminated by thin metal particles, dusts or even machining chips. Moreover, cutting oils can damage the robot and even the robot cover if the fabric is not appropriate.

For instance, PVC covers are in this case prohibited as the plasticizers contained in the PVC will react with the oils and the cover will get stiffer with time.

• Abrasive dust and particles.
• Corrosion due to cutting oil splashes

Food industry

Machine in direct contact with food.

It is important that the machine does not contaminate the food of the production line, that is why the robot’s cover needs to be airtight and waterproof. To minimize any risk of contamination, the covers are inflated continuously and washed regularly. Two majors requirements exist in this case: the needs for the cover to be PVC free, and necessity of food grade protection.

Risk factors:

• Food contamination

Who are we ?

We have developed a full range of materials to match the specific requirements for industrial robot coverings. Please feel free to contact us if you need more information.

Are you interested in learning more about Robot Protection Covers? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!