The operator loads parts into a rotary table which indexs to a Cognex camera inspection station, then to a laser welding station and then for a leak test. Finally the first VS6577G robot off loads to a buffer station, this buffer allows the two halfs of the machine run at there optimisies the cycle time. The 2nd VS6577G robot is used to load and unload the test pallet.

Finally the HS robot is used to load and unload the test station.

An Omron PLC is used to track the data of passes and fails. Cognex cameras are used to read the barcodes.

The production rate for assembling and testing air bag sensors for the automotive industry has been greatly increased by 4 and 6-axis robots supplied by AA Robotics. Altec Engineering has built a new manufacturing and testing machine for TRW Automotive, the cognitive safety systems manufacturer. The machine uses two VS-6577G-B and one HS-45452G DENSO robots from AA Robotics to handle parts of the process undertaken previously by hand or mechanical pick and place units.

TRW Automotive manager Aidan Barber considers the investment in robotics to be well worth the cost.  “We’re beginning to see the real benefits of having a flexible process with much faster production rates, which in turn brings us considerable cost savings,” he says.

Nick Batey, Technical Director of Altec Engineering says: “The small footprint of the robot and the 3D CAD models made the design of the machine easier than it would have been using other traditional methods. Having this sort of capability shortens lead times and the amount of setup and commissioning time necessary to install the machine.”