We sell new equipment, so read this with that in mind. There are cases where a used robot is a sound purchase — and there are specific reasons why a paint booth is the hardest place to make one work.
What a used painting robot actually costs
- The certificate. Explosion-proof certification applies to the equipment as built and maintained. A used arm with an unclear maintenance history, replaced seals or a modified dress pack is a question your safety engineer has to answer, and the original certificate may not help.
- The software version. Painting packages, tracking cards and bell controllers move between versions. A robot on an old version may not accept a current colour-change or metering package.
- The spare parts window. Ask how long the manufacturer will supply that generation of drive, encoder and dress pack. Paint robots wear in the media path.
- The unknown history. Paint robots live in solvent. Bearings, seals and the pressurisation enclosure age differently from a handling robot in dry air.
Where used makes sense
- Training cells, laboratories and offline programming rigs, where no hazardous atmosphere and no production commitment are involved.
- A non-classified application — handling, palletising or dispensing outside a booth — where the certification question does not arise.
- A same-model addition to a fleet you already maintain, with your own spares and programming skills.
If you buy used anyway, check these
- The nameplate and the certificate number, and whether the certificate is still valid — not just issued. Certificates expire: one Chinese certificate in our own register expired in February 2025, and we say so on the page rather than leaving it out.
- The purge and pressurisation system, its interlocks and the actual purge times against the certificate annex.
- A powered functional test with the media path connected, not a static inspection.
- What documentation transfers: schematics, programs, backups and passwords. On our deliveries that package is contractual.
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell used robots?
No. We supply new equipment with published certificate numbers and a 12-month warranty from shipment.
Can a used robot be re-certified?
Re-certification of used explosion-proof equipment is a matter for a notified body and the manufacturer, not for a supplier. Ask them before you buy, not after.
What is the cheapest legitimate way to start?
One new workstation on your highest-volume part, with a manual station kept for prototypes and the long tail. That is the pattern we recommend for a first robot, and it is cheaper than a used cell that cannot be certified.
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