Before you write off that worn or damaged unit, find out what’s still recoverable — and how it can reduce the cost of your replacement.
When an ABB robot goes down — whether from a collision, worn components, or just years of hard use — the instinct is to focus on what it costs to get back up and running. A replacement arm, a refurbished unit, a new controller. The numbers add up fast, and the broken robot sitting on the floor starts to feel like a sunk cost.
But that broken robot usually isn’t worthless. And at Bow, figuring out exactly what it’s worth is something we do every day.
Not Every Component Fails at the Same Rate
A robot that’s no longer fit for production rarely fails all at once. A collision might damage the arm structure while leaving the motors completely intact. Years of heavy cycling might wear out the gearboxes while the drives, controller, and electrical components have plenty of life left. An outdated robot might be mechanically sound but no longer supported by your controls infrastructure.
The condition of the whole robot doesn’t determine the condition of every part inside it. And the parts that are still good have real value — either as tested components in our refurbishment inventory, or as core/exchange credit toward the cost of your replacement.
That’s the starting point for how Bow approaches a worn or damaged unit.
What a Bow Evaluation Actually Looks Like
When a customer brings us a robot — or sends us a unit they’re planning to replace — we don’t just look at what’s broken. We look at what’s still usable.
Our evaluation process assesses the condition of the major mechanical and electrical assemblies: what can be reused as-is, what can be rebuilt, and what is genuinely at end of life. A robot that “doesn’t run” often has significant recoverable value once you break it down systematically.
Some common examples of what we find:
- Gearboxes worn out, but motors test clean and are candidates for reuse or exchange
- Arm structure collision-damaged, but the controller and drives are fully functional
- Mechanically sound arm with electrical issues that are isolated and repairable
- Overall worn unit where several individual assemblies still meet our refurbishment standards
The outcome of that evaluation isn’t just a diagnosis — it’s a credit. Usable components from your old robot offset the cost of the refurbished replacement arm or unit you need to get back into production.
How Core and Exchange Credit Works
The core/exchange model is straightforward: the recoverable value of your worn or damaged robot comes back to you as a credit toward a Bow-refurbished replacement.
Rather than treating your old unit as a disposal problem, we treat it as a parts resource. Motors, drives, and other assemblies that pass our testing and quality standards go into our refurbishment process — and the value of those components is applied to your invoice.
The result is a better price on a reliable replacement, and a faster path back to production. You’re not paying full price for a refurbished arm and leaving your old robot’s usable value on the table.
For customers replacing multiple robots, or planning ahead for future maintenance needs, this kind of exchange relationship can create meaningful ongoing cost savings — not just a one-time discount.
“Replacement-Ready” Doesn’t Mean “No Value Left”
Some of the units we see come from customers who have already made the decision to replace. The robot works, but it’s aging, maintenance costs are climbing, and a refurbished replacement makes more sense than continuing to service the old one.
Even in that scenario — a running robot that’s simply being retired from service — there’s often more recoverable value than customers expect. When a unit is still operational, our evaluation has even more to work with. Components that are worn but not failed can still carry exchange value. Electrical and control assemblies on an older but functional unit often have significant life remaining.
The best time to explore core/exchange value isn’t after the robot fails. It’s when you’re planning the replacement.
What Bow Provides in Return
The exchange side of this equation matters as much as the credit. What customers receive from Bow is a refurbished ABB arm or robot that has gone through our inspection, rebuild, and testing process — not an unknown-history unit sourced at auction and sold as-is.
We stand behind what we sell. The refurbished replacement is a reliable production asset, not a gamble. Combined with the core credit from your worn unit, it’s a significantly better outcome than purchasing a replacement at full price while your old robot contributes nothing to the equation.
Start With an Evaluation
If you have a worn, damaged, or replacement-ready ABB robot, the first step is finding out what it’s actually worth. Bow can assess the unit and give you a clear picture of what’s recoverable — and what that value means toward the cost of your replacement.
You might be surprised by how much is still there.