Fanuc Robot Greasing Procedure

[Filomeno Robles]

Wehave 2 fanuc robots at our shop, and i recently noticed they are both due for a grease change. I have the manual for both robots, 1 is a R2000ib/125L and the other a R1000iA/100F. I'm wondering how much grease i should order and from where? basically does it come in grease gun tubes or 5 gallon pails? and is my best bet getting it from fanuc or another company? I am out of Canada, Manitoba if that changes anything.

Ours came in 5 gallon pails and we have a pneumatic grease gun setup that sits on top of it. Your manuals should tell you how much grease each robot will take. I didn't get much hands on with this part of our shutdown maintenance but I believe there is a "feed" and a "dump" fitting. You loosen the dump fitting and attach a hose going to an empty pail and pump new grease in the other end until you can see new grease coming out of the dump. But lets see if someone else can chime in to verify.

Ours came in 5 gallon pails and we have a pneumatic grease gun setup that sits on top of it. Your manuals should tell you how much grease each robot will take. I didn't get much hands on with this part of our shutdown maintenance but I believe there is a "feed" and a "dump" fitting. You loosen the dump fitting and attach a hose going to an empty pail and pump new grease in the other end until you can see new grease coming out of the dump. But lets see if someone else can chime in to verify.

There is a certain position and usually I believe it just lining up the tick marks on the robots putting each axis at a 90 degree angle. There is also a "workout" needed to be done where each axis needs to be jogged back and forth a certain degree each way for a certain period of time. All of that should be covered in the manuals.

Set the robot in a comfortable position for yourself, release the OUT plug, install the IN grease nipple if there isn't one already - I think R2000 has them already installed, some smaller robots only have plugs -, pump until clean grease pushes out through the outlet. Do not use high pressure for pumping. Use a handpump if possible, otherwise pneumatic set on low pressure. Do not hurry. Do not make a mess or you'll get a lot of stink eyes.

Exercise the robot after you finish greasing +/- 10 degrees on each greased axis before installing back the plugs to get rid of the built up pressure. Some grease will probably push out. Clean it off and install the plugs. Congrats. Your robots will live happily for another year.

I do agree with using a hand pump and taking your time. But I believe you may need to refresh your procedure. Along with based on robot conditions, age or robot, usage, etc. a yearly PM may or may not be needed.

Some of our robots are going on 5-6 years with the original grease We keep bringing it up that it needs done on shut down but here we are again just a couple weeks from shut down and nothing has been ordered or planned out for it. I guess they will realize our concern after we start having some major failures and costly repairs/downtime.

To be perfectly frank I don't even go as far as that most of the time. +/- 10 degrees a few times is plenty if you've gone low pressure and allowed enough time before you put up the plug. After pointlessly exercising robots for minutes on end, I ended up ditching most of that as well. 5 years, no problems, results speak for themselves on this. Only time that backfired was when a M600 peed all over me from the J4 reducer.

Of course, I don't mean LR Mates or M10s/20s with the oil change. In those cases I fully recommend following the procedure as it makes things easier. For some M410s and M900s you need to actually set the correct position to have access to the outlet, but not for much else. And I swapped out enough reducers - not due to maintenance issues mind you - to see why it doesn't really matter how you set the robot.

But with some robots in tight cells or on very high pedestals, we need to make concessions. I have a few robots where following the position in the maintenance manual actually makes the maintenance impossible

You can get the maintenance grease in tubes, pales or drums. Since Fanuc is buying the grease for their robots (Their are not in the grease business), you can find competitive sources to compare options. See this source: or you can search on Amazon, but the size of containers are very small.

Your best bet is to hire Fanuc to come in and do the PM's and you put one or two guys with them to shadow. Then next go around you are ready. Save yourself a lot of trouble because a lot of people damage robots doing annual PM's. Fyi, Fanuc uses electric pumps that will not over pressurize the drives. They also use vacuums.

Hello All, I need some help on selecting a air pump to change the grease in fanuc robots. I need a pump that will work with a 5gallon pail and is low pressure, grease is Vigogrease REO is a EP Lithium grease. Fanuc suggest grease gun tip pressure of max 1 MPa. Any pump suggestions, (brand, manufacturer, supplier ect.) would be greatly appreciated.

My suggestion is to schedule a service appointment with Fanuc for one of your robots, then while the technician is on site, take note of the equipment they use. We're still working on getting a matching set of equipment because our pictures of theirs was not as clear as we thought.

You need to be very careful when attempting this for the first time. We order A kit from Lincoln for our specific robots.

There are detailed instructions for how the arm is positioned for each axis when being greased. There is normally an outlet that need to be open when adding grease, or the seal will be damaged. This is A costly repair. The kit comes with the recomended grease, And applicators

to add the grease. This may be slower, but we have never had damage occur during this process. Do A little research before you have someone attempt this for the first time.

Additional note to prevent damage, it is a good idea (i believe outlined in the manual) to exercise the robot with a vent open for a while before sealing it after greasing. Otherwise pressure can blow out gaskets.

Thanks for the links, i have alot of experience replacing grease on fanuc robots, the manufacture of the pump i used at my previous employer is out of buisness. i have a request to viking pumps for pump info, let me know if anyone has a model # of the pump they use.

thanks, matt

SCARA Operations and Programming

This portion of the course begins by highlighting the features of a FANUC SR-Series Robot and R-30iB Compact Plus Controller. With recent changes to the RIA/ISO standards, it is possible to interface wirelessly with a controller to drive robot motion. This course will focus on using a PC or tablet in place of a teach pendant to setup, jog, and create/modify motion programs.

Course Objectives: Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

-Connect the controller to a PC or tablet.

-Become familiar with iRProgrammer and Navigate iPendant (FANUC controller interfacing software).

-Interface with a compact plus controller from a PC or tablet to perform basic setup operations, jog a robot, and create/modify motion programs.

Mechanical Maintenance

This portion of the course provides the detailed instruction and procedures necessary for completing routine maintenance of the robot. Customers will take part in the removal of the J2 robot arm cover, J3 and J4 motor assemblies, the ball-screw spline assembly, and belts. Reassembly will cover greasing schedules along with belt tensioning. Robot mastering will conclude this portion of the course.

Course Objectives: Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

-Identify the mechanical components that make up an SR-Series robot.

-Follow procedures for proper removal and installation of the J2 robot arm cover, J3 and J4 motor assemblies, the ball-screw spline assembly, and belts.

-Correctly apply grease as needed.

-Tension belts to the recommended specifications.

-Master the robot with a mastering fixture.

Electrical Maintenance

This portion of the course primarily focuses on an R-30iB Compact Plus Controller. Hardware, fuses, connections, and status LEDs will be identified in great detail. Customers will not only be taught how to troubleshoot various fault conditions, but presented with issues to investigate and resolve. Diagrams of the DC voltage, AC voltage, and the Safety Circuit will also be provided and reviewed.

Course Objectives: Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

-Safely power up the robot from complete shutdown.

-Identify controller components and replace them if necessary.

-Identify each fuse location and purpose.

-Identify each status LED and how to use it when troubleshooting.

-Recognize and troubleshoot various fault conditions.

-Read the DC, AC, and Safety Circuit diagrams.

In addition to presentations and demonstrations, this course offers a series of lab exercises for the student to complete. Lab exercises relate directly to the classroom presentations and are intended to reinforce what the student has learned through actual hands-on experience.

Audience: This course is designed for those who must setup, operate, program, and perform mechanical and electrical maintenance on a FANUC SR-Series Robot and R-30iB Compact Plus Controller.

Prerequisites: None

We reserve the right to cancel or modify classes at any time.

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