You know the weather affects the people in your plant. Humans may move slower when it’s hot, are grumpier when it rains, or not come in at all when the snow is on the ground.
The weather can also affect the computers in the plant, which is why the temperature is usually controlled better in the offices than on the floor.
But your servos can also be affected by weather. We specialize in Indramat legacy servos, but much of this information is applicable to other servo motors as well. Rain and damp won’t usually create problems, since Indramat servos are enclosed. They’re designed to work in washdown environments, including those with corrosive chemicals, so they won’t be stymied by a bit of precipitation.
In fact, robot “doctors” using servo motors were recently tested in Pakistan specifically for use in thunderstorms and flooding, when human health workers may not be able to reach rural areas safely. The experiment went swimmingly.
Temperature is something else again. Heat in the environment can lead to overheating in the servo, and the servo motor’s response is to shut down. Not only does this disrupt work, but it can also affect the lifespan of the servo significantly.
Extreme cold can also affect a servo motor’s performance. Servos designed for use in cold temperatures have dry lubrication and are built from materials that don’t become brittle in freezing temperatures. Indramat servos don’t fall into this category.
Usually, it makes most sense to keep the ambient temperature around the servo steady in a closed cabinet.
If an extreme change in weather is anticipated — including the change experienced by the machinery when you buy a used component from someone in another country — you should check the parameters to make sure you’re taking weather changes into account.
Broadly speaking, your servos will not complain about the weather as much as your human workers, but they will stop working if the temperature is not to their liking… much more often than human workers do.
If you have trouble with your Indramat components, call us. We’re the specialists.