Assembly solutions

Task Description:

The task was to press rings into an aluminum die-cast housing. Since power electronics for electromotive will be installed in the housing during the further course of production, it had to be ensured by cleaning that no metal chips remain from the press-fitting process.

Process description:

• Manual loading and line start
  The operator inserts the assembly into a type-specific fixture. Sensors check whether the assembly is in the correct position in the fixture. The DMC of the assembly is then scanned automatically. Furthermore, a batch code of the rings as well as the material label of the housing is scanned manually. An MES query checks the plausibility between product and shoring condition. If the product is OK, the system is released for processing.
• Separating the rings
  (Do 64.27mm; Di 55mm and s5.2mm; weight per ring approx. 31g). The rings are fed to the system without any cycle time. This is achieved by filling a storage container (vibratory feeder). From this container, the rings are conveyed to a separating system. There they are separated in the correct position. Level sensors measure the filling quantity of both the storage and the separation systems and then display a message. The hopper is filled at the rear of the line without interrupting production.
• Provision of the rings
  The rings separated in the correct position in the preliminary process are now prepared for the press-fit process.
  
• Pressing in the rings
  The pressing tool takes over the ring provided and probes the press-fit point at low speed. The probing force and probing position determined there are recorded. As a result, the ring is pressed in to the stop under force and position control. Forces of up to 15 kN occur during this process. The following functions and accuracies are required for the process: Adjustable press speed; programmability of stroke positions with an accuracy of +/- 0.01mm; force resolution of 100N; positioning accuracy of the assembly before pressing in +/-0.05mm.
• Checking the press-fit depth
  After the rings have been pressed in, they are transported to the "Testing" station. There, the press-in depth of 7.3 +/-0.1 is determined by means of a measuring system for each ring and this data is then sent to the MES database.
• Cleaning the housing
  Since metal chips are produced during the press-fitting process, the assembly is finally cleaned with a compressed air cleaning system.

Field of application: Power electronics for e-mobility

• Task description:
  The task was to screw a connector to a circuit board.

Process description:
Manual loading The worker places 2 components in the interchangeable fixtures and scans the PCB and connector according to the specified order. After release by the operator outside the light barriers, nests are locked. A turning unit swivels the nests by 180 ° and starts the process.

• Screwing:
  A collaborative robot drives with an electric screwdriver to the closing position outside the screwing points, closes and is then sucked off at a subsequent position. Then the first position is screwed. The robot repeats this process until the interchangeable nest is completely screwed in. He then changes to a second changing nest if this has been approved by the worker. The process monitoring is carried out by the screw controller and PLC in connection with a higher-level production management system (production control system)

• Withdrawal:
  The components are removed using a manual gripper for two blanks. This is coordinated with the downstream system and can therefore be equipped.

The alternating nests, which are separated by a centrally installed light curtain, can be equipped in pendulum mode. The changing nests run independently and can therefore also produce in individual operation.

Application: Electronics manufacturing