The highest possible output on the smallest possible footprint
Recently Faurecia asked AWL to develop and build a welding cell for the catalytic converter, which is a major part in the emission control of motor engines in various vehicles.
Long-term relationship
AWL has been providing numerous welding cells to one of the leading automotive equipment suppliers in the world for over 15 years. With over 200 production facilities across 32 counties Faurecia employs more than 62,000 people and is active in the fields of Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors.
High levels of complexity
Although the cell looks quite simple, the complexity is high. Not only did Faurecia limit the floor space for the welding cell to 2600 x 3750 mm, we were also required to incorporate several processes in one cell. In order to realize this we designed a special spot-welding gun that was able to spot weld, poke weld and was also able to act as a gripper for the automated unloading (auto-eject function).
As the cell is so compact there isn’t a lot of room to store a robot, let alone multiple functionalities. To achieve the desired requirements we looked for a robot that was slim, but able to handle the tasks at hand. Therefore we turned to Fanuc. Their R20001B/210F robot is perfect for the job. With hollow drive shafts for the wrist motors, the J3 arm is very slim for easy access into narrow spaces.
How it works
By using this robot and designing a smart welding head, AWL was able to meet the requirements of the floor space and realize a cycle time of 69 seconds. In this time the operator places the exhaust with all three heat protection shields in the fixture, which itself is placed on an index table. As the table turns 180°, 24 welds are welded to ensure the permanent connection of all heat protection shields on the exhaust. As the part is placed directly on the engine exhaust outlet inside the motor compartment, little space is available. Therefore AWL integrated deformation of welded sleeves to an angle of 85° for free clearance. The gripper, which is also part of the welding head takes the product out of the fixture and places it on the transportation belt.
Protection
The operator is protected by a roll door, which opens and closes at each cycle. Since a part of the heat protection shields is an insulation mat consisting in hazardous fibres, a complete fibre extraction system, including filter unit, is placed underneath the operator tooling area to evacuate all lose fibres.
Dual Check Safety
Together with our production plant in Czech Republic we designed and constructed the cell. A special feature in the machine is Fanuc’s Dual Check Safety (DSC) system. This software function uses dual inputs and dual CPUs to eliminate the need for safety relays. Therefore system costs and installation time can be reduced while improving the reliability of the robot systems. In addition, Safety zones, manual feed and maintenance stations can be designed with safe electronics replacing limit switches and zone switches.
Quick installation
After the construction of the cell, AWL performed a smooth pre-production series at the plant. The cell was commissioned at the premises of Faurecia within only three days, which showed the customer the competence of our installation team. Training the operators took only another two days.