Automation in the automotive industry

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.

The quantity of screws required for battery pack assembly is stored in a bunker feed system  and fed from there to the screwing systems accordingly. For smooth production, it is important that misaligned screws are detected by the sensor and only those in the correct position are fed to the screwing system.

In automobile production, different vehicle variants are manufactured on one and the same production line. In order to ensure that the correct type of 
tank nozzle has been installed in the correct vehicle, a vision sensor should carry out a type check.

In automated automobile production, it is important to check whether the correct fuel hoses and clamps have been installed. The components are to be checked with the aid of a vision sensor.

In automobile manufacturing, the switches on the dashboard vary depending on the vehicle model.
To ensure that the correct switches have been installed in the correct vehicle, a vision sensor should carry out a type check.

In modern production facilities, where traceability and quality control are essential, reading OCR and DMC codes on components plays a key role. These codes are used not only for identification, but also to ensure complete traceability of products and components throughout complex manufacturing processes. A reliable vision system must not only recognize OCR and DMC codes, but also compare them against each other.

The labeling of the battery pack requires the manual application of safety and identification stickers. Incorrect or inaccurately positioned labels could lead to misinterpretation or misuse of the battery pack, necessitating label verification.

On many PCBs, thermal paste ensures optimal heat transfer between electronic components and a heat sink. Incorrect application of thermal paste can lead to damage to the components. To prevent this risk, a camera should check the thermal paste for presence, position and correct geometry.

The quantity of screws required for battery pack assembly is stored in a bunker feed system and fed from there to the screwing systems individually. For subsequent control of the correct position of the screws , they must be detected at a specific position in the feed system in order to provide a trigger signal.

For further processing, stacked housing parts must be removed from a material container and placed in the correct position. This requires determining the current stack height in order to use it to align the robot gripper, including the cameras mounted on it, at the correct working distance for determining the position.

In modern manufacturing, the need for seamless component traceability (Track-and-Trace) continues to grow. Data Matrix Codes (DMCs) have emerged as one of the most reliable methods for identification and traceability. The goal is to scan the Data Matrix Code on each component, guaranteeing precise product processing and flawless serial number management.

Every day, countless packages are shipped around the world. To ensure each one can be tracked reliably, shipping labels must be read accurately, often containing barcodes, QR codes, or DataMatrix codes. A vision sensor is used to automatically identify and decode these labels. However, proper setup is required before the sensor can perform this task effectively, and this setup process is often the first obstacle.

A large number of screws are processed during the assembly of a battery pack. Bunker feed systems are used to stock these screws. In order to avoid an interruption in production, it is important to be informed in good time that screws need to be replenished.

In car door seal production seals of various lengths must be handled with precision. To ensure correct placement, each seal is guided along a conveyor belt. During transport, the end of the seal must be detected so the conveyor can stop at the exact position for the next step. An optical sensor is required to identify the end of the seal in continuous operation and send a signal to the conveyor belt to stop at the correct position. Once the seal is correctly positioned, it can move on to the next production step.

Each component installed in a battery pack usually has a directly marked code on it. Before the components are installed in the housing bottom part, this code must be read out and transmitted to the higher-level control system for subsequent tracking.

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. 

Regardless of whether the wiring is automated or manual, it is necessary to check the connector latches. Improperly latched connectors can trigger a subsequent defect and cannot be corrected due to the battery pack design.

During assembly, it is frequently necessary to align two metal sheets as close as possible in the joining process in order to guarantee a good weld seam. The aim of the application is to determine the gap between two metal sheets and to transfer the measured value to the control system. 

Painting is an important step in automobile production, which not only fulfills aesthetic but also functional aspects. In this step, the body of the vehicle is coated with paint. An important part of the overall process is the position control of the various body parts after drying with the help of an optical sensor. To do this, all car body components such as the bonnet, trunk lid, and doors must be closed in order to move on to the next step, the assembly.

Inside the battery pack there are wiring harnesses which need to be fixed with fastening clips. Failure to engage the clamps correctly can result in damage to the cables or rattling noises during subsequent driving operation.

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. 

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 the automotive industry, it is often necessary to automate the movement of large objects, such as sheet metal, for car body construction. The precise detection of the X and Y position of the component using a vision sensor is critical to ensure a precise gripping process for the robot.

In automotive manufacturing, small fasteners secure components, such as attaching the door side trim to a car door. Missing fasteners can cause parts to loosen, so it’s essential to confirm that all are present and in place before assembly.

The protection of external electrical connections and coolant lines requires the manual application of protective caps. Without protective caps, accidental contact with high-voltage connections or damage as well as contamination may occur, so their presence must be monitored.

When assembling vehicles, sheet metal parts and / or plastic parts must be connected to one another. These are often assembled with clips which the parts are screwed or plugged together.

Vehicle windows must be identified during production and mounting processes to avoid mix-ups with similar windows. The aim of the application is that a window is clearly identified by means of a DOT code.

In production, components, e.g. sheet metal parts, must be identified. During assembly processes, there is a risk of mixing up similar components. The identification of an incorrect part after installation can have costly consequences

In production, components must be identified. There is a risk of confusion between similar components during assembly. High costs can be incurred if the wrong component is identified after installation.

In order to guarantee the traceability of the components installed in a battery pack, the codes on the delivery notes attached to the transport boxes are read with a sensor. The contents can consist of one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional data matrix codes or plain text.

Almost every electrical component has plug connections with pins. During production, these pins can be bent or incorrectly positioned due to various influences, such as mechanical stress. This can lead to damage to the component. Therefore, careful inspection of the pins for early detection of possible damage is important.

Utilizing robotic assistance, AGVs can be automatically refueled or recharged. The robot will dock the charging system or fuel port to the AGV, streamlining the process.

A robot is tasked with performing various processing steps on a battery pack, which is transported into the processing cell by an AGV

After determining the position of the housing top in the material carrier, the component is placed on the housing bottom part.

A robot is tasked with picking components from a flexible feeding platform. The position of the objects may vary. A vision sensor can identify and relay the exact position of the part to the robot.

2D vision-guided robotics with integrated distance measurement for removing body parts from load carriers.

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.