kRC4 Under -4°C

    What device could i use in order to increase the temperature inside the KRC4 (-4°c).

    Is there a controlled resistance (official or unofficial KUKA part) that you recommend me?

    when the controller reach that temperature it is unable to move niether manual nor automatic

    thanaks

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    How are you reaching that temperature inside the KRC4? if your controller is that cold then what about the robot itself? it is not normal for them to run at those temperatures. I have heard about version that have been adapted for the cold, but i am not sure what those adaptions are.

    Every problem has a solution, that isn't the problem. The problem is the solution.

    And you are using it outside or something? but in this case i am recommending that you contact kuka. your are using the cabinet way outside is recommended temperature range. which you could solve by putting a heater/resitor inside, but this is also a problem for the robot itself. The lubricants are not supposed to get this cold and cause wore wear on the arm.

    Every problem has a solution, that isn't the problem. The problem is the solution.

    Is the KRC4 interior reaching -4C with the power on, or off?

    The KRC4 generates a fair amount of waste heat internally. Usually the issue is removing heat. If leaving the main power on keeps the internal temperature high enough, then I would suggest just leaving it powered up, or power it up in advance with enough time to warm up before you use it.

    If the KRC4 does not generate enough heat while "idling", you may need to have the robot keep moving through a warmup routine, to increase the internal waste heat generated.

    The KRC4 is double-walled at the back, and contains a heat exchanger to pass heat from the internal air and external air, without drawing external air into the cabinet. You could ask KUKA tech support if there's a way to disable the heat exchanger fans without creating a system fault. I don't think blocking the vents would be a good idea, the fan would be liable to overheat.

    Wrapping insulation around the KRC4 might help.

    As to the robot itself, there are "arctic" rated KRs that I've used that can operate down to -40C or lower (but cannot be run at "normal" temperatures because their special lubricants are too thin). I don't think an arctic-rated robot is needed for running near 0C, but -4C... I'm not sure. And if the ambient temperatures get higher in the summer, that poses risks for a cold-optimized robot.

    I've used an off the shelf panel heater a few times before in freezers. We powered it off the robot, so if the controller was off for too long, it would cause issues. You'd have to boot the controller, wait for it to heat, then cycle power.

    This was an article robot, but the controller really isn't rated for that temp, so we improvised. This has been running this way for years.

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