Welding fume extraction xFUME® ROBO extraction kit
The compact solution for extraction at the source for MIG/MAG industrial robots or cobots
Welding fume extraction should be standard in robot welding or cobot welding with housing. Used as a central welding fume extraction system connected to a so-called low vacuum system, the polluted air is extracted from the welding cell, filtered and recirculated as fresh air. However, a look into production halls shows that there are still many welding cells which are open at the top without welding fume extraction. A far more efficient and also much safer system for the people working in the direct vicinity of the welding cells is the so-called extraction at the source. With this method of welding fume extraction, the harmful fumes are extracted directly at the source with a high vacuum system. With the xFUME® ROBO extraction kit ABICOR BINZEL offers a highly developed, compact welding fume extraction solution for extraction at the source for conventional welding robots and welding cobots and thus significantly supports health and safety at work for manufacturing companies.
All information at a glance
- Why extraction at the source for welding robots?
- How extraction at the source works on the welding robot
- Installation and functionality of the xFUME® ROBO extraction kit
- Advantages of the xFUME® ROBO extraction kit
- Blogs about welding fume extraction
- Videos about welding fume extraction
- Documentation
Why extraction at the source for welding robots?
Welding robots are used where high quantities have to be produced within a very short time, often in three-shift operation. Industrial robots reduce the workload of welders from monotonous, repetitive welding tasks and provide a significant contribution to occupational health and safety – at least for the benefit of the musculoskeletal system of the welders. However, the subject of healthy air during welding in particular is gaining considerably more importance than was the case just a few years ago. Welding fume extraction is also important with welding robots – even if, at first glance, the employees in robot production have no direct contact with the welding fumes that are harmful to health. But this assumption is deceptive.
Especially during MIG welding and MAG welding, a lot of welding fumes are produced that have to be extracted from the robot cells. Usually, when the welding fumes are extracted with stationary extraction systems, it is not considered that there are many employees working in the production hall who are equipping and maintaining the welding cells or carrying out other work in the direct vicinity. When a robot cell or a welding curtain is opened, welding fumes always get into the ambient air – and these are inhaled unintentionally. This must be absolutely avoided!
The International Research Institute of Cancer (IARC) has already determined in 2018 that welding fumes are carcinogenic. Therefore, for reasons of health and safety at work, it is essential to ensure clean air at the workplace with the appropriate technology. The xFUME® ROBO extraction kit – used either in conjunction with a mobile extraction unit or connected to a central extraction system – prevents harmful fumes from spreading in the robot welding cell or cobot welding cell at all, because they are absorbed directly at the source with this extraction solution.
Multiple scientific studies have confirmed that extraction at the source – i. e. the extraction of welding fumes directly at the welding process – is the most efficient technology for the collection of fumes. With this system, depending on the welding position, more than 95 % of all dust particles > 0.1 µm can be filtered out of the welding fumes.
How extraction at the source works on the welding robot
A manual fume extraction torch captures the welding fumes with a special extraction nozzle. Since such an extraction nozzle would be rather inconvenient with a robot welding torch, extraction at the source with a welding robot must be solved differently.
Welding robots often work in constrained positions with only limited accessibility. Therefore, an additional welding fume extraction system must be installed in such a way that it does not obstruct the movements of the industrial robot and, at the same time, is close enough to the process so that the efficiency of the extraction performance is not reduced.
The design of the xFUME® ROBO extraction kit allows mounting on any MIG/MAG robot torch without great effort and, after installation, enables continued good accessibility as well as welding in constrained positions. The particles extracted directly from the welding process are guided through a hose system into a high vacuum extraction unit, and collected in the integrated filter. With a good welding fume extraction unit such as the xFUME® ADVANCED from ABICOR BINZEL, there is also no risk of unintentionally extracting too much shielding gas.
The xFUME® ROBO extraction kit can be mounted on the robot torch neck by using adapter sleeves. These sleeves make it possible to mount the kit on different torch neck thicknesses – i. e. different torch neck diameters – as variations in diameter can be easily adjusted. Two silicone extraction hoses connect the conduit of the welding fumes with a Y-piece. By the way, the silicone hoses are mounted without tools, which additionally simplifies maintenance.
The harmful welding fumes are collected behind the gas nozzle. This guarantees good accessibility of the robot torch to the process – even in constrained positions.
The connected high vacuum system captures welding fumes under high static pressure and relatively low volume flow directly at the source. The aspirated welding fumes are conveyed into the welding fume extraction unit and collected in the integrated filter.
Advantages of the xFUME® ROBO extraction kit
- Ensures the best possible capture of welding fumes with robot welding torches through extraction at the source
- Easy retrofitting of existing systems on conventional welding robots
- Allows good access to the workpiece even in constrained positions
- Ensures easy and tool-free maintenance
- Guarantees the highest possible occupational health and safety protection from welding fumes for employees in welding robot production
- Can be adapted to any extraction system for robot welding
Blogs about welding fume extraction
- 5 mistakes to avoid with a fume extraction torch
- What you should consider with welding fume filters
- Fume extraction for robotic welding – nice-to-have or must-have?
You can find even more information about extraction technology in our »ABIBLOG«.
Explainer: xFUME® ADVANCED
xFUME® ADVANCED – Ideally suited for ABICOR BINZEL fume extraction torches
Explainer: xFUME® FLEX
Find more videos about welding fume extraction on the »ABICOR BINZEL YouTube channel« .