APPLICATION AREAS

Customer request:

• In-depth quality control of manufactured parts at the end of the automated process
• Communication and data transfer with the internal SAP system
• Marking of every flawless part as standard in the automotive industry
• Comprehensive statistics of manufactured parts
• System verification before each shift

Defects that may occur:

• Damaged or broken pins that are required for attachment
• The presence of rubber sprays that prevent the correct fitting of the part
• Incorrectly inserted type of bar, mismatch with the manufactured recipe
• The color of the glass and the correctness of the mark on the glass stamp, also a discrepancy with the manufactured recipe
• The presence or the absence of an antenna according to the prescription
• Missing or covered with rubber screw nut

Challenges:

• The customer requested the implementation of a robotic line with a Vision System that will control the quality of windows in the production process. The project focuses on the design and implementation of this system, which will be used for detection and automatic inspection of parts. The goal is to ensure that all products meet the set quality standards, minimize the risk of defective products and improve the overall efficiency of the production process.

  For a production process that requires high precision and repeatability, the Vision System is a key tool to ensure the quality and reliability of the final products. In addition, it helps automate the inspection process, resulting in increased production speed and freeing up personnel for other important tasks.

  The Vision System is designed to identify various potential defects on windows, such as missing elements, incorrect labels, or other damages that could affect the quality of the final product.

Solution:
An automated robotic line for the quality inspection of automotive windows was established with the following components

The system consisted of the following components:

• Industrial computer
• Cameras: Cognex 
• End-of-arm tooling (EOAT)
• Lights: SVL pointlight, barlight 
• PLC
• Communication with PLC: S7 communication 

The main inspection is carried out using 3 cameras, the detection of the stamp and label is controlled by a separate camera located from the bottom of the part. A separate camera is also aimed at correcting the robot. The assembly is completed by a set of lights controlled by PLC, which serves the control of the conveyor belts.

The HMI is designed to allow the user to quickly and easily set up new recipes, browse the result archive, check the signals sent or received from the PLC and view the live image from the camera. At the same time, the system stores photos of each defect and records program logs in the database, which simplifies verification of the application's status.

The result:

• Cost saving for lengthy human inspection
• Increasing the detection of defects and subsequently possible (correctable errorsň
• adjustment in the production process
• Automation of output inspection
• Extensive statistics of produced parts
• Communication directly with SAP
• Quick adaptation to new products thanks to the programmability of robots