THE CHALLENGE
A contract to automate a cowl top assembly system was won by Automated System Services Ltd of Southampton. All electrical design, installation, commissioning and robot programming was sub-contracted to Crown Control Systems.
THE SOLUTION
- The project involved electrical integration of a new robot cell into an existing machine’s control system without interrupting ongoing production. The stages of the project were:
- Study the existing system, formulate design proposal for new cell
- Design electrical hardware system on the EPlan electrical CAD system
- Prepare PLC system (IPC 620-30 in this instance) for the additional programs without impacting on existing process.
- Prepare and develop Kawasaki robot program on a test cell supplied by Ford Motor Company.
- Purchase installation materials (cables, safety relays, input and output cards).
- Install electrical equipment and connection cables in co-operation with mechanical installation team.
- Power up robot, test safety.
- Power up PLC cards, test inputs and outputs
- Install robot program, test communication with PLC.
- Develop robot program, fine tune movement paths, test sequencing.
- Commission automatic operation of the robot cell.
- Fine tune cell to achieve required production cycle time.
- Modify weld parameters and spot weld positions to achieve required production quality.
- Hand over to Production.
- Train operators and maintenance personnel how to run and maintain the robot cell.
THE RESULT
The project demonstrated Crown’s project management, PLC software design, electrical hardware design, robot programming and electrical installation capabilities to great effect.