1.11.1 Safety Measures When Operting the Robot

Observe the following measures considering that safety is very important when operating the robot.

• The worker who operates or may operate the robot, and the supervisor should take certain trainings. Except for those who are recognized to be fully aware of the safety and functions of the robot and designated accordingly, any unqualified person should not operate the robot.

• Before operating the robot, you must check whether the product has been installed by a qualified installer in compliance with the relevant national and regional regulations and laws.

• Before operating the robot, check whether the safety functions are working normally.

• Must wear a safety helmet, protective glasses and safety shoes.

• Two people must work together. One person should be teaching and the other should be monitoring from the operation panel. One of the two should be ready to press the emergency stop switch at any time, and the other should perform the work quickly with sufficient care in the operation area. In addition, check the evacuation route before starting the work.

• Supply the power after confirming that there is no worker within the safety guard.

• Works such as teaching should be performed outside the robot safety guard in principle. However, when required to stop the system and work within the operation range, the worker should bring in the mode switch key (or a switch to change to the auto mode), or the safety plug when going inside. Such action is necessary to make sure that no other worker accidentally changes the robot to the auto operation mode. Also, pay special attention to the direction of the operation of the robot just in preparation for the robot malfunctioning or operating in wrong conditions.

  ※ The supervisor should observe the followings.

  • The supervisor should be positioned at a location where she or he can see the robot entirely and should be dedicated to the duties of supervision.

  • If there is any problem, press the emergency stop button immediately.

  • Other people except for the persons involved in the work should not be allowed to stay within the operation range.

• In manual operation mode, the speed should be limited to a maximum of 250 mm/sec. At this time, you should progress the work while being prepared, together with the worker outide the guard, to press the emergency stop switch at any time if a problem occurs.

• When operating the robot manually in high speed mode, you should progress the operation from outside the safety guard.

• When performing a teaching work, you shoud put up a sign [Teaching in progress].

• When required to enter inside the safety guard, the worker should pull out the safety plug or an equivalent, and then bring it in when going inside.

• Do not use equipment that could be a source of noise near the teaching place or its surroundings.

• Do not operate the robot operation buttons on the teach pendant just by using the feeling at the hands while watching the teaching points. Instead, operate the buttons while checking with bare eyes.

[Warning]: Sufficiently check under your feet when teaching. In particular, you must perform the teaching work outside the safety guard when teaching at a high speed (250 mm/s or above).

• Take the following measures when abnormality occurs.

  • If abnormal operation is found, immediately press the emergency stop button.

  • If abnormality is to be checked following an emergency stop, the stop status of the concerned facility must be checked.

  • If the robot stops automatically due to abnormality with the power. Check first that the robot is stopped completely, and then investigate the cause and take measures.

  • If the emergency stop device does not perform functions properly, immediately shut off the main power, and then investigate the cause and take measures.

  • The investigation of the cause of the abnormality should not be performed by any other than the designated person. After the emergency stop, you should restart the system after surely identifying the cause of the abnormality and taking measure accordingly.

• Prepare proper work regulations, considering the installation location and work details, with regard to the robot operation and manipulation methods, and actions to take when abnormality occurs. In addition, work should be carried out according to the work regulations.

• Precautions to take when the robot is stopped

  • Must avoid approaching the robot recklessly while thinking that the robot is stopped. When you approach the robot because you think it is stopped, the robot may suddenly move, causing an accident in many cases. The robot will be in the stopped state in the following cases.

Table 1-4 State of the robot when the robot is stopped

No.	State of the robot	Source of driving	Entry
1	In temporary stop mode (Minor abnormality, temporary stop switch)	ON	X
2	In emergency stop mode (Major abnormality, emergency stop switch and safety door)	OFF	O
3	Waiting for input signal from peripheral devices (Start interlock)	ON	X
4	Playback being completed	ON	X
5	Waiting in progress	ON	X

[Caution]: You should not be negligent in paying attention to sudden movements even when entry is made possible. Must avoid approaching without preparing for possible emergency situation under any circumstances.

• If the entrance door needs to be opened to take measures for minor abnormalities (such as nozzle contact, deposition detection and arc abnormality) during a temporary stop, the same measures as taken for opening the door for the teaching should be taken.

• After completing the robot operation, clean the inside of the safety fence to make sure that no tools, oil or foreign substances remain. If the operation area is stained with oil, or if tools are left in the operation area, it could cause an accident such as falling over. Make sure that arranging and organizing are performed always.