I'm looking for a small used robot like a Fanuc LR-Mate or something similar (Abb, Kawasaki, or any other manufacturer really) for as cheap as possible for a personal project. Does anyone know of a reputable dealer or any advice on ways to find older used equipment for cheaper? Thanks!
How to go about finding used and cheaper industrial robots?
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dohlfhauldhagen -
April 22, 2020 at 4:17 AM -
Thread is Unresolved
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It all depends on where you are located. I know of a few places in the UK that I purchased robots from or commissioned robots that they supplied, but I am not sure if the rules here permit me to mention any of them.
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but I am not sure if the rules here permit me to mention any of them.
No problem in mentioning them...….
The rules are really directed towards vendors using robot forum as an advertising platform but posting links and assisting information is welcome.
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And again, knowing your location in at least country or region like Europe, North America would help us to help you.
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Used and cheap usually means old, outdated, worn, missing software and documentation.
If you go that route be prepared to do a lot of research and work just to get it functioning. You may have to hunt to find old hardware and software.
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It all depends on where you are located. I know of a few places in the UK that I purchased robots from or commissioned robots that they supplied, but I am not sure if the rules here permit me to mention any of them.
Thank you for the suggestion, but unfortunately I'm in Michigan in the US! So the UK probably wouldn't be very practical.
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I've seen Ballard International over in Pontiac. They have a bunch of used robots.
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Since you are in MI that is not actually unfortunate. You can check out ICR and there is this auction going on in Lordstown, OH:
https://www.bidspotter.com/en-us/auction-…d-united4-10043
Those in the catalog might be bigger than what you want or need.
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dohlfhauldhagen, you and I are in the exact same boat. I've been looking for a 6 axis robot that is affordable for a few years.
You might want to make an account on HGR.com and follow them. They are near Cleveland, OH and right up the road from me.
Here are some rough prices I think might be useful for you. These are based solely on my experience watching things go through HGR:
- Old 6 axis robot, no control or cables, missing parts, dirty: $200-500
- Newer model (2005 or newer), reasonably sized, no control or cables, missing parts: $600-1400
- Old 6 Axis robot, 460V power, no software or teach pendant, dirty: $800-1500
- Old 6 Axis robot, very large, 460V power, no software or teach pendant, dirty: $1500-3000
- Newer model (2005 or newer), reasonably sized, cables and control, less dirty: $200-4000
- Fanuc 100iB with control, cables, and pendant: $4000-6000
- Fanuc 200iB with control, cables, and pendant: $5000-7000
- Fanuc 200iC with control, cables, and pendant: $7000-10k
Fanuc seems to command a used robot following just because of the name IMO. If you want to get one, you had better be able to throw some money down or get really lucky.
If you are just doing this for a hobby, outfitting a cheap old robot with new motors and control is feasible. That's what I am hoping to do. There is a really good chance you'll never get the original motors on an old robot to run due to lack of data or an encoder you can't interface to.
There are lots of other robots that pop up that aren't 6 axis articulated arms (SCARA, Cartesian, etc.). These sell MUCH cheaper and could be a fun intro to hobby robotics at home. They still run servos and nice gearboxes.
-Mike
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This one here is probably going to go way up from right now, but you can hope...
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The hard thing with the monster sized robots is you could never use them at home. You'd need a special concrete pour to handle the moment loading from the arm. I wish though:(
That is one nice robot.
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It only got bid up to $7500, but the reserve was not met. I don't do Kuka, but that was a clean, nice looking one there.
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