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Gearbox producer SEAT Componentes wanted to automate the unloading of 18,000 machined gears a day at its plant in Spain to ensure the standard of the elements. The corporate built-in 10 collaborative robots from Common Robots utilizing solely inside sources.

This method made it attainable for SEAT to maintain know-how on cobot configuration in-house, eliminating additional programming and upkeep prices. The do-it-yourself set up was accomplished with out altering the present manufacturing facility structure, permitting new functions to be configured in lower than 1 hour.

Consequently, the firm has lowered errors, improved employee security, and now has a group ready to tackle new automation tasks.

The enterprise problem

SEAT is a producer of gearboxes for the Volkswagen Group crops in Europe, Asia, and America. It provides them for quite a lot of vehicles made by each Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT S.A., and Skoda.

At its plant in Barcelona, Spain, SEAT manufactures gearboxes, starting from the casting of the aluminum to the meeting of the housing, which comprises gears, shafts, synchronizer, and the differential gearbox.

The corporate additionally performs the next high quality management. It’s a very specialised and complicated course of during which high quality and precision are vital to ensure right operation and noise discount of the gearbox.

Unloading the elements and making them accessible for the gearbox meeting course of was carried out utterly by hand with operators unloading and transporting the elements on trolleys. A course of SEAT needed to automate to scale back errors and enhance security.

“The intention is to make sure that from the machining course of to meeting, the operator touches the half as little as attainable,” defined Fonseca, senior supervisor of technical companies at SEAT.

Cobots to the rescue

SEAT’s upkeep group based mostly its automation method on expertise gained from an earlier venture from 2015 during which it put in UR cobots at its shotblasting and washing stations. The corporate realized that cobots had been simple to put in, preserve, and combine while not having security measures reminiscent of fencing based mostly on performed danger assessments.

Since utilizing cobots simplified and streamlined the shotblasting and washing course of, the group beneficial integrating cobots once more to unload elements within the manufacture of gearboxes.

SEAT determined to combine 10 UR10e collaborative robots to hold out the unloading. The corporate may undertake that job with out the companies of an exterior integrator due to its earlier expertise with the cobots. This assured price financial savings each on the time of set up and in future upkeep duties.

Performing the combination of the UR cobots with SEAT’s sources concerned two levels of coaching and preparation. First, the SEAT Componentes Upkeep group educated inside the firm, beginning with the free UR Academy on-line coaching modules.

Second, the group carried out a pilot venture during which it built-in an preliminary cobot.

Cobots supply small footprint and ease of use

Throughout this pilot check, SEAT studied the prices and implementation durations of a collaborative robotic, the protection necessities that the know-how required, and the technical feasibility of the operation.

The cobots handed the check.

“We determined to make use of robots from Common Robots because of their simple programming and integration within the line, and above all due to their low footprint,” mentioned Francisco Pérez of the SEAT Componentes Upkeep Technical Workplace. “We had been in a position to set up them with out altering the present layouts, permitting the robots to work alongside the operator.

No fastened installations

The UR10e cobots presently serve 10 totally different machining traces. They don’t seem to be fastened installations, however they will simply be tailored to mannequin adjustments.

“In lower than 10 minutes, we are able to adapt a cobot to switch from unloading one half to a very totally different part,” Francisco Pérez identified.

Elevated machine uptime

Utilizing the PROFINET protocol, the cobot communicates with the PLC and receives directions as to when there are already machined items in order that it may carry out the associated operation. When that’s the case, the cobot unloads the elements onto trays.

As soon as the tray is full, the PLC communicates with the autonomous cell robots (AMRs) to take away the complete tray and insert a brand new one, thereby minimizing machine stoppages.

Simply-in-time manufacturing eliminates surplus inventory

The AMR transports the elements to a warehouse that’s crammed simply in time in keeping with manufacturing wants, avoiding surplus inventory and the prices these entail. Having reached this level, all the pieces is now prepared for the gearbox meeting line: The gears are positioned on a particular meeting tray, and thru a sequence of automated operations, the remaining gearbox elements are connected.

Inside this synchronized course of, the cobot complies with SEAT’s cycle instances to realize the plant’s each day manufacturing objectives.

Cobot No. 11 used for testing and validation

An extra eleventh UR10e has joined the cobot fleet on the SEAT plant. This robotic arm is meant for in-house coaching and is mounted on a cell platform to get near machines and work facilities.

The UR10e permits operators to familiarize themselves with programming collaborative robots. Moreover, it permits idea checks and validations of recent installations to be carried out earlier than their integration into the road.

3D printing of gripper fingers

One other key issue within the integration of UR cobots by SEAT is that the plant is self-sufficient in printing the “fingers” of the collaborative grippers, in keeping with every want and the extent of safety required to keep up the protection stage of the appliance.

This makes it attainable to have virtually rapid spares with out the necessity for inventory and to carry out idea checks in lower than 45 minutes, mentioned the firm.

Information of cobots saved in-house

“Performing integration in-house has allowed us to maintain the know-how of programming and integrating the cobots inside the upkeep space, which implies that throughout any stoppages, we may be extra decisive and the prices of machine downtime are decrease,” mentioned Manuel Gómez, upkeep supervisor at SEAT Elements.

Intuitive gripper configuration

This ease when adapting to manufacturing was bolstered with the intuitive configuration of the cobots and their peripherals, licensed by means of the UR+ platform.

“We now have been in a position to implement functions in lower than one hour,” Francisco Pérez emphasised. Furthermore, SEAT Elements can implement these adjustments with out having to name upon the companies of an integrator, which might enhance prices.

Cobots assist upskill operators

One other good thing about the appliance is that the operators have been relieved of manually unloading 18,000 elements a day.

“By utilizing collaborative robots, now we have managed to make sure that operators can commit their time to duties that add worth to the product, reminiscent of high quality points or course of enhancements,” famous Gómez. He added for this reason “the operators see the cobots as an additional device to do their work.”

All in all, SEAT has modified its perspective, permitting its group members to tackle future automation tasks in-house.

“Now, any automation venture is conditioned not solely by its contribution by way of profitability, but in addition as a result of it gives us with know-how that we didn’t have earlier than,” Gómez mentioned.

To sum up, the venture “is worthwhile, productiveness is greater, and high quality has been consolidated,” concluded Eduardo Fonseca. He mentioned the automation venture has gotten the approval of the SEAT group.

Editor’s word: This text was syndicated with permission from Common Robots’ weblog.