Four KUKA robotic welding cells for re-engineered manufacturing area at Rover Swindon

Citation

(1998), "Four KUKA robotic welding cells for re-engineered manufacturing area at Rover Swindon", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925caf.003

Four KUKA robotic welding cells for re-engineered manufacturing area at Rover Swindon

Four KUKA robotic welding cells for re-engineered manufacturing area at Rover Swindon

Keywords KUKA, Robots, Rover, Welding

A complete manufacturing area, where RH and LH frame complete side assemblies are built up for the Rover 400 series of vehicles, has been re-engineered to combine both manual and robotic welding techniques.

From an in-depth study of the ergonomics in the original manufacturing methods the team, comprising engineers from Rover and KUKA Welding Systems, has achieved major improvements by reducing the manual handling of heavy assemblies and improving the consistency of welding with far fewer rejects.

Final cell in the re-engineered frame complete side assembly manufacturing area at Rover Swindon plant

The latest KUKA KR 125 robots have been used for the project with one robot centrally located in each of the four cells, driven by a PC based KR C1 controller. The KUKA KCP control panel on each cell provides the operator with advanced technology for programming the robots for individual functions.

Manual spot welding starts the manufacturing sequence at OP10 with separate set ups for RH and LH parts.

The components are then placed onto a slatted conveyor feeding into identical robotic cells. In these the robot, fitted with a gripper unit, picks a component from the input conveyor and presents it to a pedestal spot welder where some 42 spot welds are made in a 90 second sequence.

The welded component is then placed onto a belt type conveyor for removal from the cell and transfer to a manual welding station Ops 40 and 50.

From the second station the built-up RH and LH assemblies are manually loaded into rocking fixtures within the robotic cell forming OP 60.

A KR 125 robot fitted with an ARO spot welding gun and controlled to weld six different derivatives is central to this cell. It welds RH and LH assemblies located in rocking fixtures on either side of the cell and completes a sequence of 20-22 spots on each assembly.

The weld sequence is started by the operator striking a button. This initiates the closing of a rising screen guard. The central control system senses whether or not there is an assembly in a fixture and drives the robot through the appropriate weld sequence.

On completion of these welds the robot returns to a home position for tip dressing. The rocking table moves back to the vertical position and a gantry style unloader lifts the assembly from the fixture traverses to one side of the cell where it is deposited onto a belt type exit conveyor leading to manual weld stations 70, 75 and 80.

At OP 80 the assembly is adjacent to the load station of the final KUKA robotic weld cell known as OP 90 where the last sequence of 24 spot welds is completed.

In this cell also, a KR 125 KUKA robot, fitted with spot weld equipment, is centrally located to service RH and LH assemblies. These assemblies are manually loaded into rocking fixtures and within the sequence are tilted towards the robot for ease of weld access.

After welding, each fixture returns to the vertical position for a gantry style unloader to lift the assembly and traverse it out of the cell along a three-stage conveyor system for a final CO₂ weld before off-loading onto pallets.

This compact manufacturing area was revamped and re-engineered over two standard plant shut downs. It has greatly improved the working environment for the operators and has made a major impact on the consistent quality of weld achieved in a much quicker manufacturing sequence.

For further information contact KUKA Welding Systems + Robot Limited, Hereward Rise, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8AN. Tel: 0121 585 0800.