Robotics

The modules installed in the high-voltage battery must be electrically connected to each other, and the connectors must be applied accurately to avoid damage.

The upper part of the housing must be screwed to the lower part of the housing. To do this, the sensor must detect the position of the screw holes in the housing top.

This process requires millimetre precision so that no spreading or smearing occurs when dispensing lubricants. Lubricant must be accurately applied in sufficient quantity to guarantee proper functioning. If too much lubricant is dispensed, malfunctions will occur.

In order for the robot gripper to be able to insert the components into the lower part of the housing, contactless position detection of the housing bottom part is necessary. 

Components for the production process are supplied in load carriers.  The challenge is to position the load carriers as precisely as possible, as this is imperative for a stable, robot-aided handling process. 

High precision is of utmost importance during the application of lubricant. However slight irregularities may occasionally occur, which can compromise the production process. It is therefore important to detect potential errors at an early stage.

Once packed, the end products must be stacked on transport pallets. However, the position of the boxes can fluctuate as they arrive, and their density on the conveyor belt can also change due to different cycle times.

In electronics manufacturing, processes often require the handling of very delicate or particularly small components. When placing a control chip, as in this example, no gripper errors may occur, as damage must be avoided under all circumstances.

The battery modules must be screwed into the lower part of the housing. The screw holes are usually located under mechanical devices, which in turn have an opening. The sensor is to be used to detect the position of the screw holes underneath.

In order to close the battery pack, the housing top must be removed from a material container using a gantry or articulated-arm robot. To do this, it is first necessary to determine the position of the component in the container without contact.

The base of a battery pack is the housing bottom part, which is first removed from a material container by a gantry or articulated-arm robot. For his purpose, it is necessary to determine the position of the component without contact.

Several components, such as battery modules, are installed in a battery pack. To remove the individual battery modules, their position in the material container must be determined without contact. 

Driverless transport systems (AGV) or automated guided vehicles (AGV) enable flexible design of logistics processes. In order for the AGV to pick up the load carrier at the right place and then set it down, it must be provided with a trigger signal using an optical sensor. The sensor should detect the load carrier at a specific position in the flow rack.

Leak testing is one of the last production steps of a battery pack. So-called sniffer lances must be precisely guided to specific positions for the gas check.

In addition to materials being fed in universal load carriers, high flexibility can be achieved by using a bulk storage bin with a vibrating feeder arrangement. This is particularly suited to transporting small parts, such as mechanical components either plastic or metal.

When screwing the outer casing of the cordless screwdriver together, several parameters must be observed – from the order of the screws to the different tightening torque for the individual screws. The varied positions at which the parts are fed complicates the process step even further.

The flexible use of mobile robots is an attractive solution for machine tending processes. Yet this flexibility can cause robot positions to be comparatively imprecise.

Throughout the production process, a large quantity of data is generated that has to be monitored and checked. The operator must be able to consult, manage and evaluate this data easily in order to identify and implement any necessary modifications to the process.