ABB / Robotics

Which main computer your IRC5 has decides which RobotWare version it can run. DSQC 639 and DSQC1000 are not interchangeable, and that single board determines what the whole cell can do.

ABB robots turn up in New Zealand meat processing, packaging, palletising and general manufacturing. The manipulators outlast several generations of controller, and the spares that matter are the electronics rather than the arm.

The main computer divides the IRC5 generation

Start here, because ABB splits its own documentation on this line.

You cannot run RobotWare 6 on a DSQC 639 main computer. ABB states RobotWare 6 requires DSQC1000 or later.

So if a cell needs a software upgrade for a new function, the question is not only licensing. It may be a main computer replacement first.

And the reverse matters for spares: ABB product manuals are published in separate variants for DSQC 639 and DSQC1000 machines. If a procedure does not match your controller, check which main computer you have before assuming the manual is wrong.

The FlexPendant, and how to avoid buying a whole one

The single most replaced item on an ABB cell.

The DSQC679 requires RobotWare 5.07.02 or higher. On an older installation that is worth checking before ordering.

What actually fails, and what you can buy separately

Pendants fail from use rather than fault. The common failures are resistive touch layer degradation and backlight failure from high cycle use, and clouding of the protective overlay from solvent exposure.

Because of that, most of the pendant is available as components:

A cracked screen or a dead joystick does not require a complete pendant. Given what a FlexPendant costs, that is a substantial saving and it is the first question worth asking.

Tell us what has actually failed and we will quote the component before the assembly.

Removing a pendant trips the E-stop

A practical warning. The IRC5 supports connecting and disconnecting the FlexPendant, but the safety circuit will trigger unless a jumper plug is fitted or the system is specifically configured to allow disconnection.

So if you are running a cell without a pendant attached, you need the hot-plug device. And always verify the safety state before removing one.

The housing includes a slot for the stylus, which is needed for calibration and sub-menu navigation.

The drive system is modular

ABB specifies that the IRC5 contains one Main Drive Unit and up to three Additional Drive Units, and in some cases an Additional Rectifier Unit.

The allowed combinations depend on the robot type. The drive system is sized to the manipulator, so a drive unit from one robot is not automatically right for another.

Confirmed drive unit: DSQC663, order number 3HAC029818-001.

Robots sharing one published drive configuration include the IRB 2400, 2600, 4400, 460, 4600, 660, 6600, 6620, 6640, 6650, 6660, 6700, 760, 7600 and 8700.

Tell us the robot type as well as the drive unit number. That is how we confirm the combination is valid.

Controller variants

The Compact takes only one I/O unit. If a cell has grown and needs more I/O, that is a controller constraint rather than a module purchase.

Panel Mounted installation requirements

From the ABB product manual, and these are requirements rather than suggestions:

• Do not mount the Control Module or Drive Module on a painted surface. The module framing must be connected to earth
• Both modules must be mounted and connected to the same earth
• Tightening torque 4.5 Nm
• Mounting plate dimensions of 511 x 660 mm and 711 x 660 mm depending on configuration

Mounting onto paint is a real and common installation fault. It breaks the earth path that the module framing relies on.

An IRC5 can replace an older controller on an existing robot

Commercially the most useful thing on this page.

ABB states it is possible to exchange earlier ABB controllers connected to ABB IRB manipulators, keeping the manipulator and gaining the newer control system.

So an ageing controller does not mean scrapping the robot. The arm is the expensive, long-lived part and the electronics are what date.

Which earlier manipulators are covered depends on the IRC5 variant, and ABB publishes that list by three-phase variant. Tell us the manipulator type and the existing controller and we will find out whether the path exists for your machine.

The alternative is often simpler. A tested used controller or main computer of the same generation puts the cell straight back into production with the existing program and no revalidation.

DSQC part numbering

ABB robotics uses DSQC board designations alongside 3HAC order numbers. Both identify the part.

Send whichever you have. The DSQC number is usually printed on the board and the 3HAC number on the label.

Note that ABB reissues order numbers. The DSQC679 pendant at 3HAC028357-001 replaced 3HAC023195-001, so an old drawing may quote a superseded number for a part still available.

Software and options

SafeMove is a safety function and is robot-specific. ABB publishes a list of supported robots and it has changed across revisions. If a cell uses SafeMove, that constrains what a replacement controller can be.

The usual caution applies: a like-for-like replacement preserves the safety assessment, a substitution may not, and that decision belongs with whoever is responsible for the cell.

Calibration

ABB introduced Axis Calibration as the standard calibration method, replacing earlier approaches.

Calibration tools carry their own article numbers, for example the rotation tool 3HAB7887-1.

A robot that has had a motor or gearbox replaced needs recalibrating. The tools are specific to the manipulator, and they are frequently missing from a second-hand cell. Ask before you need them.

Manipulator protection types

ABB offers protection variants beyond standard, including Foundry Plus on robots such as the IRB 6700.

Foundry and washdown variants are different manipulators, not options fitted later. Relevant in New Zealand meat and dairy plant, where the standard version will not survive.

If you are sourcing a used robot for a washdown area, check the protection type before anything else.

Environment

ABB specifies maximum ambient humidity of 95 percent at constant temperature for the controller, with defined minimum and maximum ambient temperatures by variant.

The at constant temperature qualifier matters. A controller in an unheated building that cools overnight and warms in the morning will see condensation, and that is outside the specification regardless of the humidity reading.

Robot drives and general servo are different things

Worth separating, because the two get conflated when someone says an ABB servo drive has failed.

A robot drive unit is not a general servo drive and cannot be substituted with one. The drive system is matched to the manipulator and the allowed combinations are published by robot type.

For the general purpose range, including the MotiFlex e180 memory unit that carries tuning parameters into a replacement drive, see our ABB servo drives and motors page.

What to send us

The robot type. IRB 2600, IRB 6700 and so on, with the variant if you have it.

The controller type. IRC5, IRC5 Compact, Panel Mounted, or OmniCore.

The main computer. DSQC 639 or DSQC1000. This is the one that decides compatibility.

The RobotWare version.

The DSQC or 3HAC number off the part.

For a pendant, what has actually failed, because the components are available separately.

What we can supply

Controller electronics. Main computers, drive units, I/O units, panel boards, contactor interface boards and power supplies, across the IRC5 generations.

FlexPendants complete, and as components. Touch displays, joysticks, enabling switches, membranes, motherboards and cables.

Cables and harnesses. Manipulator cables are a common failure and a specific part per robot.

Earlier generations. S4C and S4C+ controller parts where a cell has not been migrated.

Most of this is surplus and tested used, because that is what exists for a platform where the manipulators outlive the electronics.

We buy ABB robotics

Robot spares hold significant value and the market for them is thin. Controller boards, pendants, drive units and manipulator cables are all worth money to a plant with the same generation running.

If a cell is being decommissioned, the electronics are worth more as spares than the whole thing is as scrap. See Sell To Us.

Related

ABB overview, servo drives and motors for MicroFlex and MotiFlex, and ACS880 for the industrial drive range.

For servo systems from other brands see Allen-Bradley Kinetix, Omron G5 and 1S, Mitsubishi MR-J and Beckhoff AX and AM.

Send us your part numbers

Include the robot type and the main computer, since DSQC 639 and DSQC1000 machines take different parts and run different software. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with ABB Ltd. ABB, IRB, IRC5, OmniCore, FlexPendant, RobotWare, SafeMove and MultiMove are trademarks of ABB Ltd. All trademarks, brand names and order numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute a safety assessment.