8. Inspection and maintenance#

Depending on the usage of your MCS500, the robot may require minimal ongoing maintenance. For all units, joints 1 and 2 do not require greasing.

For units manufactured or reconditioned on or after July 2025, preventative maintenance will be required to replace the battery set. This preventative maintenance is recommended after five years of use. For units manufactured prior to this date and not reconditioned after July, 2025, there is no battery replacement required.

Danger

If you detect any anomalies, cease using the robot and contact our support team by creating a ticket at https://support.mecademic.com.

8.1. Locking up the MSIPS module#

Follow the procedure described in Section 2.4.6.

8.2. Cleaning#

Turn off the MSIPS module and wipe away any dust or dirt observed on the robot arm using a soft, lint-free cloth and Isopropyl alcohol. Never use compressed air to clean the robot arm.

8.3. Greasing the ball screw spline#

The first application of grease on the spline shaft is needed after approximately 50,000 m of travel. Subsequent applications of grease must be made every 100,000 m of travel. Use only AFB-LF grease, from THK. AFB-LF Grease is a general-purpose grease developed with a lithium-based consistency enhancer using refined mineral oil as the base oil. It excels in extreme pressure resistance and mechanical stability.

We do not provide this grease, but it can be easily ordered from THK or various distributors.

Warning

Keep the ball screw spline assembly sufficiently greased. Operating the robot with insufficient grease will permanently damage the assembly (i.e., joints 3 and 4).

Danger

Follow the safety instructions provided by the manufacturer of the grease, THK. A summary of these instructions is given below.

  • Avoid breathing mist or vapor. Work in a properly ventilated area. Contaminated work clothing must not be allowed out of the workplace. Wear protective gloves. Avoid release to the environment.

  • If grease gets onto your skin, wash with plenty of water. If skin irritation or rash occurs, get medical attention. Wash contaminated clothing before reuse.

  • If grease gets into your eyes, rinse immediately with water. Get medical attention if irritation develops and persists.

  • If grease gets into your mouth, rinse mouth immediately. Get medical attention if symptoms occur.

  • The grease is inflammable. If contents gets on fire, extinguish with foam, carbon dioxide or dry powder. Do not use water or halogenated extinguishing media.

  • Store in tightly closed container. Store away from strong oxidizing agents, and from heat.

To grease the spline shaft, cover the surrounding area and the end-effector in case the grease drips and follow the steps below:

  • Turn the power off.

  • Move the robot (joints 1 and 2) to a position where joint 3 can achieve it full stroke.

  • Move the spline shaft to its upper limit manually while pressing the brake release button (Figure 17).

  • Wipe off the old grease from the upper part of the spline with a clean cloth and then apply new grease, by directly filling the grooves on the shaft. Wipe off excess grease from the shaft.

  • Move the spline shaft to its lower limit manually while pressing the brake release button.

  • Repeat step 4 for the lower part of the spline.

  • Move the shaft up and down several times while pressing the brake release button. Wipe off excess grease from the shaft.

  • Store away grease and remove all cloths and covers.

  • Power on the robot and verify the motion of joints 3 and 4.

8.4. Making large-amplitude joints movements#

If you operate the revolute joints of your robot repeatedly within a small angle of 10° or less, an oil film shortage will develop locally and the bearings will get damaged. To prevent premature failure, move the joints at least 60°, ten times a day.

Similarly, if you repeatedly move joint 3 of your robot within less than 20 mm, move it at least 50 mm up and down, ten times a day.

8.5. Verifying the overall condition of the robot#

Verify on a regular basis the overall condition of your robot by following these steps:

  • During boot-up, and then once the robot is activated, verify the correct functioning of the LEDs on the MSIPS module (Section 5.5.2) and on the robot’s base (Section 5.4.1).

  • Move joints, one by one, slowly and then at maximum speed, as much as you can without risking interference and listen carefully for suspicious noise.

  • Remove power from the robot and gently press up or down the spline shaft, by applying no more than the equivalent of about 1 kg of load. The spline is not supposed to move under a small load like this.

  • Make sure all cables are correctly screwed in the robot’s base and on the MSIPS module.

  • Make sure there are no loose D-Sub connections.

  • Verify that the four M6 screws on the base of the robot are sufficiently tightened. They must be tightened with a torque of 3 Nm.

  • Verify that the four M3 screws attaching your tool to the flange of the robot are sufficiently tightened. They must be tightened with a torque of 1.5 Nm.

8.6. Battery replacement#

Robots manufactured or reconditioned on or after July 2025 are equipped with a battery set that preserves the robot’s joint position information when the robot is not powered on and allows internal electronics to detect joint movements that occur while the robot is powered off. The expected battery life of these units can range from five to fifteen years as per the information below:

  • Powered off all day: 5 years

  • Powered on for 8-hours/day: up to 7.5 years

  • Powered on for 16-hours/day: up to 15 years

If any battery becomes depleted, the robot will display the message [1024 Mastering needed].

Note

To prevent loss of mastering, schedule preventive maintenance with us every five years by creating a ticket at https://support.mecademic.com.