ATS Delivers Semi-automated Production Line for a Car Components Manufacturer

Purpose

• Upgrade automation system for customer’s production line
• The plant produced 70 different car variants.
• The semi-automated system had 29 independent stations and 2 conveyors equipped with 30 control PCs and 2 servers.

Project Scope

• Design, development, assembly and remote/on-site support of production line.
• Production processes for assembly of components in different steps and stages
• Semi-automated system for testing and calibration of semi-finished and final products

Solution Approach

• Line database server for shop-floor data collection to manage traceability, BOM, resources and materials, recipe management, work instructions, reporting on Andon screens and intranet, etc.
• Traceability feature was realized using the Manufacturing Execution System.
• Individual stations were controlled by industrial PCs leveraging the LabVIEW platform.
• Each station had its own internal network to be able to communicate with peripherals like digital or analogue inputs and outputs, controlled resources, cameras, scanners, etc.

Systems & Tools

• Mitsubishi SCARA robots
• Honeywell Barcode scanner
• Montrac conveyor systems
• Database and reporting- Microsoft SQL
• Industrial Control PCs and servers (MS Windows + LabVIEW)
• Cameras and camera sensors