Choose a foundry or steel-mill robot for the specific task and its measured hazards—not for the plant label or an “IP67” badge. Match the robot, tooling, cables, protection package and complete cell to the payload, reach, cycle, heat, splash, dust and access conditions at the work point. Then verify the exact configuration’s limits with its manufacturer and assess the integrated application for safety.
Start with the job, not the word “foundry”
Ladling molten metal, tending a die-casting machine, skimming, forging, washdown and inspection are different applications. They impose different loads, access requirements, cycle times and exposures. “Foundry robot” is a manufacturer configuration category, not a guarantee that a robot is suitable for every process in a foundry. The same applies to a steel mill: a mobile inspection robot and a fixed arm for handling process material solve different problems.
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Before comparing models, write down the task and the conditions at the robot and wrist. Include the end effector—the gripper, ladle, tool or other device attached to the robot—because it changes the robot’s load and can be exposed to hazards the arm itself does not encounter.
- Operation and material: Define whether the robot will inspect, tend a machine, ladle, skim, cast, forge, clean or perform another specific operation. Note the workpiece or process material and how it is presented.
- Payload and inertia: Calculate the combined load of the workpiece, tool, gripper, cables and any other equipment carried by the arm. Include the load’s position relative to the wrist: an off-centre or moving load can challenge a robot differently from a compact load of the same weight.
- Reach and access: Map the working envelope, approach angles, fixtures and mounting location. Check whether the application needs a floor, wall or ceiling mount, or an additional linear or gantry axis.
- Exposure: Record ambient temperature, radiant and contact heat, splash, dust, scale, steam, water jets, oils, chemicals and corrosion. Note where each exposure occurs and how long and how often it lasts; conditions at the wrist may differ from conditions at the base.
- Duty and performance: Specify the required cycle, operating hours per shift, repeatability or process tolerance, acceleration and expected availability.
- Cell and people: Describe process hazards, operator and maintainer access, guarding, safety functions, controls, utilities and service access.
- Support and recovery: Check local manufacturer or integrator coverage, spare-parts access, maintenance intervals, commissioning and training, and how the operation will recover from a failure.
Give vendors the same task sheet. Ask them to state limits for the exact robot, protection package, tool and exposure duration you propose—not just a family-level rating or a general product description.
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Compare configurations against the task
The examples below show what manufacturers describe for particular foundry or harsh-environment configurations. They are not a head-to-head performance test, and their specifications are not interchangeable. Confirm current availability, exact variant, tool/load conditions and application limits with the manufacturer before specifying.
| Configuration or example | Published details | What to verify for your application |
|---|---|---|
| ABB Foundry Plus 2 | ABB’s November 2011 brochure describes optional foundry protection for die casting, sand casting, forging, machining, ladling and skimming. It says the whole robot is IP67 compliant, from base to wrist, and can withstand high-pressure steam washing. The brochure lists IRB 140, IRB 1600, IRB 2400, IRB 2600, IRB 4400, IRB 4600, IRB 6620, IRB 6640, IRB 6650S, IRB 6660-205/1.9 and IRB 7600 as compatible models. It also describes improved sealing, cable and electronics protection, corrosion-resistant coatings and an optional cable guard. | The brochure is dated 2011. Confirm current availability, compatibility with the selected model, exposure limits and what protection is included in the quoted configuration. |
| KUKA foundry configurations | KUKA describes foundry wrists with IP67 protection, heat- and corrosion-resistant features, special seals and heat-resistant special-steel gripper tooling. Its foundry offering spans stated payloads from 3 to 1,300 kg. For the KR 1000 titan F example, KUKA states payload up to 1,300 kg and reach up to 6.5 m. | These are family and variant details, not a rating for every KUKA robot. Confirm limits and tooling suitability for the exact model and exposure. |
| KUKA KR QUANTEC Foundry variants | In a January 2020 announcement, KUKA stated that the variants handle ambient temperatures up to 55 °C and that the wrist can withstand a maximum temperature of 180 °C for ten seconds per minute. | The wrist figure describes bounded exposure, not a continuous whole-robot operating temperature. Confirm the allowable temperature profile and exposure conditions for the specific application. |
| ABB IRB 6790 Foundry Prime | ABB lists this model for high-pressure water-jet cleaning, washing and similar harsh, high-humidity work, with IP69 protection. Its product page gives two variants: 205 kg payload at 2.80 m reach, or 235 kg payload at 2.65 m reach. | These are product-page specifications for the cleaning application. Confirm the current datasheet, tool and load conditions, and application envelope before comparison. |
An IP rating concerns ingress protection; it is not, by itself, a heat rating or evidence that a robot can tolerate radiant heat, molten-metal splash or every kind of washdown. Read the manufacturer’s stated protection and exposure limits for the complete proposed configuration. A rating for the arm also does not establish protection for a tool, cables, connectors or other equipment in the cell.
What does IP67—or IP69—tell you?
IP ratings describe protection against ingress, not general ruggedness. In the examples above, ABB’s Foundry Plus 2 brochure claims IP67 for the whole robot and resistance to high-pressure steam washing; ABB lists IP69 for the IRB 6790 Foundry Prime in a high-pressure water-jet cleaning context; and KUKA describes IP67-protected foundry wrists. Those are different claims for different configurations. Do not infer that one rating covers a different model, process or exposure.
Ask the vendor what the stated rating applies to, which parts of the system it covers and what conditions the claim assumes. Separately establish the limits for heat, chemicals, corrosion, impact and the duration or frequency of exposure. An ingress rating alone does not answer those questions.
Can an industrial robot work near molten metal?
Possibly, but a general foundry designation, IP rating or robot-level safety standard does not establish that a particular molten-metal application is suitable. Molten-metal handling brings process hazards that require application-specific engineering and a hazard assessment of the complete system. Obtain explicit evidence for the proposed robot and configuration under the actual exposure conditions; do not substitute an intermittent wrist temperature limit for a continuous temperature rating.
Steel-mill inspection may call for a different approach from material handling. Boston Dynamics’ POSCO case study says the steelmaker began using Spot for blast-furnace inspections in 2023. It describes radiant heat and furnace gas as hazards and the mobile robot as moving between locations to reduce time spent in one place. That is an inspection example, not evidence that Spot—or a fixed robot arm—is rated to handle molten steel.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Assess the robot and the whole cell
A robot cell is the integrated setup around the robot: its tool, guarding, controls, safety systems, utilities and interfaces with the process and people. A robot that fits the payload and reach figures on paper may still be a poor choice if its cables, end effector, guarding or maintenance access cannot withstand the plant conditions or support the required cycle.
ISO 10218 separates robot-machine requirements from application and cell integration. ISO 10218-1:2025, edition 3, published in February 2025, addresses safety requirements for the industrial robot as a machine before integration. ISO 10218-2:2025, edition 2, also published in February 2025, addresses integration of robot applications and cells, including design, commissioning, operation, maintenance, decommissioning and disposal. ISO describes the distinction this way: “ISO 10218-1 provides the safety requirements for the robot as a machine itself, while ISO 10218-2 focuses on the integration of robots into complete systems, ensuring comprehensive safety coverage from individual components to fully operational cells.”
The ISO pages identify exclusions that matter here: they do not cover hazards related to loads such as molten metals, and they exclude severe conditions outside manufacturer specifications. Treat the standards’ stated scope as a starting point, not proof that an extreme process is safe or compliant. Check the full standards, applicable local law and the hazards of the engineered application.
Turn the shortlist into a defensible specification
- Issue one common task and exposure sheet. Send all bidders the same material, tool, payload and inertia, reach, mounting, cycle, accuracy and environmental information. Include measured or otherwise documented exposure conditions and their duration and frequency.
- Request configuration-specific evidence. Have each manufacturer identify the exact model and protection options, state the permitted limits at the base and wrist, and explain assumptions or exclusions. Ask how the proposed tool, cables and other exposed equipment are addressed.
- Compare integration and safety scope as well as the arm. Clarify who is responsible for end-effector design, guarding, controls, safety functions, utilities, commissioning and maintenance access. Require an application-specific hazard assessment for the integrated cell.
- Plan service and failure recovery. Confirm who can commission and maintain the system locally, which spares and training are available, and what recovery arrangements the operation needs if a robot or protection component fails.
- Validate the installed application. Define acceptance checks against the agreed task, cycle and exposure limits before procurement is finalized. Do not treat a catalog rating or a general family description as validation of the complete cell.
Manufacturer materials and standards-body pages establish the examples and scope described here; they do not provide an independent comparison of productivity, downtime, service life or total cost of ownership. No universal winner can be inferred from these specifications. Select on documented fit for the plant’s task, exact operating envelope, integration plan and support requirements.
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