Robotic car seat assembly

What was our assignment?

At the beginning of the project, the customer's requirement was to partially eliminate the human factor in the bolting operations in the production of car seats. Of course, it was necessary to meet not only the quality, but above all the time and dimensional parameters of the entire operation. The biggest challenge was the actual integration of the robotic cell into the small spaces of the existing line. The feasibility of this task had to be verified first by a complex simulation. We proceeded to the actual implementation only after the simulation was approved.

How did we handle it?

The basis of the robotic cell is an industrial robot with camera vision and an automatic screwdriver that tightens pre-assembled screws according to the parameters required by the production process. The workstation also consists of a screwdriver controller, a switchboard and a safety solution.

The main goal of this application is to accurately guide the robot to the center of the screw hole, whose of different screws, the robot has to switch between different screwdriving programs (starting torque, ending torque, angle, etc.).

The safety of the entire workplace is paramount. Certified fencing, safety locks and barriers, sliding doors, impact rails and emergency stop buttons are therefore a matter of course.

The PLC-based robotic workstation control system with integrated operator interface features an open communication interface and advanced diagnostics. All data can be sent to the customer's higher-level system. Measured screwdriving parameters can also be continuously stored in an SQL database using our own ProDaSt solution. The current application status and diagnostics are displayed in the operator panel, including the piece counter and history of screwed pieces.

The workstation includes complete documentation necessary for its operation and maintenance, including a Declaration of Conformity.

The robotic cell can operate both in stand-alone mode and as part of new or existing production lines.