Robots in Automotive Industry: A real help

Ford has integrated collaborative robots into the Fiesta assembly line at its Cologne plant. They are working hand-in-hand with the human personnel, and assisting them by carrying out the difficult overhead installation of shock absorbers.

Collaborative lightweight robots from Kuka have been operating for some time at the Ford plant in Cologne. The LBR Iiwa robots help install high-performance shock absorbers in the Ford Fiesta – a task that proved very difficult using conventional automation solutions. Previously, the staff on the line had to carry out ergonomically challenging, high-tech work in a fast-moving environment by purely manual means.
“The Fiesta production facility in Cologne is the first Ford plant in the world to employ this innovative technology,” reports Karl Anton, Director Vehicle Operations of Ford Europe. Previously, the staff on the shock absorber assembly line had to perform manual tasks overhead. “The overhead working was not the only difficulty. The staff had to hold a pneumatic bolting tool and the shock absorber in their hand simultaneously, additionally supporting the weight of both. The new system has eliminated the overhead working and the weight-bearing, so it is a major ergonomic enhancement for the staff,” explains René Zimmermann, Manufacturing Engineering Manager on Ford’s final assembly line in Cologne.

Sensitive robotic arm

The collaborative lightweight robot features state-of-the-art sensor technology, and has no edges. The articulation movement sensors on the LBR Iiwa immediately detect any contact, causing it to reduce the force and velocity of its motion. That means – in contrast to previous automated systems – it needs neither guards nor additional safety coverings.
Today, all the employee at the workstation has to do is position the bolts and the shock absorber on the system – effectively placing it in the robot’s “hand”. A light touch gives the robot the signal to start working. If working with a robot without collaborative capabilities, the employee would first have had to move out of the safety zone around the robot and activate the start signal from a control panel, which would be much more time-consuming. By contrast, the robotic arm of the LBR Iiwa reacts directly, first retracting a short way, and then checking by a built-in camera that the shock absorber is correctly positioned. The employee can thus stay within the operating space of the arm the whole time. If everything is in the right place, the robot automatically moves towards the wheel housing. There the employee checks the position again and gives the signal to start bolting.
At this point at the latest, it becomes clear that a conventional industrial robot cannot be used for the task, because the employee has to position the button directly adjacent to the robot’s arm in order to check the position. With a non-­collaborative robot, the risk that the employee might be injured by a movement of the robot would be much too great, meaning the safety systems would bring the robot to a complete stop. So the task could no longer be performed on the running production line.

“The LBR Iiwa is sensitive, compliant, safe, precise and flexible, and is equipped with mechanical systems and drive technology for industrial operation.”
Jakob Berghofer, Product Manager LBR Iiwa & Sunrise.OS, KUKA Roboter

Physical stress reduced

The new collaborative robots operate in both production systems at the Cologne automotive plant. “The Ford final assembly line currently has four of the lightweight robots working on shock absorber assembly. The feedback from the staff at the workstations so far has been highly positive. Their physical stress has been greatly reduced as a result,” Zimmermann reports. “On these lines we have successfully integrated the lightweight robots into our existing vehicle production. At present we are investigating additional possibilities for the use of collaborative systems. The key to any decision, though, is that the ergonomics and workflows should be improved as well as enhancing efficiency,” Anton concludes.

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