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Robotics & Automation vocabulary · Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Fault

Meaning in robotics & automation, with examples

/fɔːlt/nounCore term

In robotics & automation, fault means: An abnormal condition in a machine or system that stops it from working correctly, for example a broken wire, a failed sensor or an overloaded motor.

In Turkish: arıza, hata

How it is used

Used everywhere in maintenance and on HMIs. A machine has, shows or goes into a fault; you find, clear, reset and log faults. Drives and robots give fault codes. A fault usually stops the machine, while a warning only informs.

Example sentences

  1. Drive 3 is showing a fault code; look it up in the manual before you reset it.

  2. The fault came back after the reset, so it's not just a one-off glitch.

Common collocations

  • fault code
  • clear a fault
  • reset the fault
  • intermittent fault
  • fault finding
  • alarmA message, light or sound from a control system that tells the operator something is wrong or needs attention, often with a number and a short text.
  • troubleshootTo find the cause of a problem in a machine or system step by step and fix it, for example by checking signals, alarms, wiring and settings.
  • downtimeThe time a machine or line is not producing because of a breakdown, maintenance, a product changeover or missing material.
  • emergency stopA red mushroom-shaped button on a yellow background, or the function behind it, that stops a machine as quickly and safely as possible in a dangerous situation.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Maintenance and Troubleshooting

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