Polyester fabric covers are a good choice for most painting applications. These covers are clean room laundered, HEPA dried, and individually vacuum sealed, so they won’t shed dust or fibers onto wet paint or coatings. They also absorb paint, oil, and other fluids to keep them from dripping onto your work surface. These covers protect your arm from light paint splashes and spills, but large amounts of fluid will soak through the fabric. Use the snaps on covers for Fanuc arms to easily install and remove them. Covers for Universal Robots (UR) arms are made from a stretchy fabric that hugs your arm without restricting its movement.

Plastic-laminated polyester fabric covers are nonabsorbent, so they’ll keep paint, water, and other liquids from damaging your robot arm. They are also washed, dried, and individually vacuum sealed in clean rooms, so they won’t shed dust or fibers onto wet paint or coatings. Elastic bands built into these covers keep them in place while the robot moves. They’re often used for powder-coat painting, since you can clean the powder coat off of the surface and recycle it. Liquids won’t soak through these covers, unless they are corrosive.

PVC/vinyl plastic covers are more abrasion resistant than polyester, so they’re often used for robot arms in applications such as sorting, packing, and loading. They protect your arm from dust, powders, and water-soluble coolants and cutting fluids. These covers are not waterproof, but they will provide some protection from water and other liquids.

Use CSM/vinyl plastic covers to protect your arms from heavy abrasion, such as from flying chips. They’re durable, cut and tear resistant, and they last up to three times longer than PVC/vinyl plastic covers. These covers are often used for robot arms in cutting and deburring applications. They provide some protection from water and other liquids, but they are not waterproof. They’ll also break down from amines, which are commonly found in cleaners.