As our cars continue to become more sophisticated, and with the plethora of personalisation options available to the individual buyer, levels of component checking and verification have never been greater. The latest hot air cold staking systems (HACS) incorporate a wide range of technologies to ensure that all components and options are validated prior to final assembly.
Designed to produce a range of interior component sub-assemblies such as door panels, knee rolls and glove boxes. the systems available from ATM are bristling with an array of sensors and also include machine vision, bar code scanning and screw driving systems, the company explains.
Two separate component fixtures are used to allow production of left hand and right hand versions of the components within the same machine cycle. The sequence begins with the operator scanning a bar code label attached to the component, verifying that the correct component is being loaded to the system. Once placed to the fixture, specialist colour and machine vision sensors are then used to check the trim colour combination and the trim material such as leather or cloth.
The system is now ready to begin the first of a series of assembly and verification tasks, which starts with the operator loading a number of metal retaining clips to the part. Having identified the presence of these first parts, the system then instructs the operator to load the next series of parts which include plastic retention clips, fabric straps and screws, which are each checked for turn count and torque as they are inserted.
With the loading and verification task completed successfully, the fixtures, which are mounted to a linear electrically driven indexing table, are then moved to the Heat Staking area within the machine.
The heat staking process, which takes approximately 18 seconds, is performed over a number of pre-determined points to secure the assembly and also encapsulate certain items such as the metal retention clips. Once completed, the fixtures are automatically indexed back to the operator who then attaches a unique Bar Code Label, printed at the machine at the end of the cycle, which is then scanned to verify that all aspects of the assembly process have been completed satisfactorily.
ATM has built and delivered a series of these systems to Tier 1 suppliers who produce component sub-assemblies for OEM's such as Jaguar/Land Rover, BMW Mini and Toyota.
