Case Study - Assembly Automation


FULLY AUTOMATIC ASSEMBLY OF AN AUTOMOTIVE LATCH ASSEMBLY

Challenge

A high volume automotive manufacturer, Southco Manufacturing, presented TQC with a number of parts and asked for a machine to automatically assemble them in a short cycle time.

The component, a glovebox latch, is produced in various formats to suit different applications and the overall production volume requirements meant that assembly time had to fit with injection moulding time.

Solution

Based on the system requiring minimal operator involvement, TQC designed and manufactured a fully automated linear assembly system based around a Flexlink conveyor loop with 8 stations.

All parts are bowl fed from bulk and allow the assembly to be sequentially built up along the different stations.  Following assembly the part is fully tested with passed parts marked.  Passed and failed parts are automatically unloaded.

The system is PLC controlled and includes a HMI.  A guard enclosure, including roof, is installed for safety and noise reduction.

Key Benefits

The system ensures that all assemblies supplied to the end customer are correct as integrated testing is included.  Labour costs are at a minimal as a service operator is all that is required, manual assembly would require typically 6 operators.

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View machine video here.

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