Case Study

The Problem

In 2004, a maintenance manager from a large auto parts company asked our company for help. He complained about numerous robot teach pendant cables lying on the plant floor, a common occurence in the manufacturing environment, where robots are involved. These expensive cables were not only tangled and dirty from oil, but also were continually damaged by flying metal chips from die-casting machines. It wasn't just the cables getting damaged, but the teach pendants as well. Accidental dropping of teach pendants resulting in damaged screens, cases, or internal components were often associated with trip hazards from the cables. The costs of frequent teach pendant and cable repairs and replacements were accumulating.

The Solution

Our team of engineers and technicians concentrated on finding the solution to this cable problem. A customized RoboReels® Retractable Robot Teach Pendant Cable Reel was built and tested at our facility. The cable management system was installed and successfully implemented at the auto-parts plant. Now, when not in use, the teach pendant cable is retracted in a fully enclosed reel - protecting it from dirt, oil, and metal chips. The cable management system was subsequently implemented on every robot on the line.

Not only has the RoboReels® Retractable Robot Teach Pendant Cable Reel saved the auto-parts plant thousands of dollars annually associated with damaged teach pendants and cables, but has also improved the plant environment by making it safer and more organized.