M410iB Balancer repair

    Hello all,


    Has any of you had the chance to swap out an M410iB/450 Balancer in the past? If so, would you happen to have some tips for this?


    I'm taking a 410 apart next week and, while the manual is very helpful, I could use some hands on information.


    Thank you.

    At the rear end of the balancer there are some empty threaded holes. Those holes are for jacking screws that are used to adjust the position of the balancer shaft. You MUST make sure that the balancer is fully retracted when you pull the balancer! If not, when you try to pull it off of the robot, there will be a massive force trying to pull it back together.


    Jog J2 and J3 to zero, and then insert the jacking screws and tighten them, this will preload the shaft and make removal and reinstallation much easier. If you are completely replacing the balancer, you will have to install the jacking bolts on the new balancer and adjust them as you install the new unit.


    I've never found this info in any manual, but luckily I have a much older mentor who passed this info on to me. I can't understand how Fanuc simply passes over this mandatory knowledge in their documentation.

    Adding to pdl's great advice:


    I touch up the end of the jacking screws on a bench grinder so they're flat when they meet the end-plate.

    I put a dot of grease on the end of the each jacking screw to make it easier to turn against the end-plate.

    I thread the jacking screws in till they touch the plate and then give each one a 1/2-turn to start.

    If the front pin is worn, it can be very difficult to find the sweet spot where the front pin is centered for removal. It's usually a combination of the jacking screws, lifting the front of the balancer, and cursing.

    Quote from pdl

    I've never found this info in any manual, but luckily I have a much older mentor who passed this info on to me. I can't understand how Fanuc simply passes over this mandatory knowledge in their documentation.

    This is actually mentioned in the M410iB maintenance manual, in a very short paragraph pertaining to the replacement of the J1 reducer. That is basically why I asked about tips as that seemed to be a bit too little to go on. My paranoid self even had the robot end propped up as we unmounted the balancer from one of the client's spare units.

    At this moment, after changing a balancer and a J3 bearing, all that's left for me is to replace a J1 reducer for one of these robots and I can honestly say I know how to take one apart piece by piece.

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