Abstract
The structure of car seats is becoming increasingly complex, with mixing of wire conformation and plastic injection. The plastic over-molding process implies some labor, which can be reduced if novel solutions are applied in this manufacturing area. The handling of the wires used in car seats is the main problem identified in the process, wasting time both in the feeding and in the extraction of the molds used in the wire over-molding process. However, these machines are usually extremely compact and the free space around them is too short. In classic molding injection machines, there are just two half-molds, the female, and the male. In the over-molding process of wires used in car seats, three half-molds are used in order to increase the cycle time. Thus, to solve this problem, the classic robotic solutions are not appliable due to lack of space and elevated cost. This work describes the development of an automated solution able to handle the wires in both the feeding and the extracting phases of the production cycle, avoiding the traditional labor costs associated with this type of machine. Departing from an industrial need, the developed novel solution is described in detail and can be successfully adapted to other situations of low added-value products where it is needed to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the product. The system developed uses mechanical and pneumatic solutions which, combined, can be used to solve the identified problem, occupying a restricted space and requiring a small budget. This solution can be translated into guidelines that will allow the analysis of situations where the same system can be applied.
Highlights
The automotive industry is a precursor to numerous technologies, since one of its main pillars is innovation
Moreira et al [8] developed a flexible system for the assembly of several types of Bowden cables of the same family, allowing the manufacturing cycle time to be shortened, but mainly eliminating the intermediate stocks existing between the different operations
The novelty of this work was to provide a flexible set of devices to operate in plastic injection over-molding machines, that were different from the conventional robotics associated with injection machines, that were low-cost, and that would be able to be installed as an update for already-existing machines, increasing the productivity and competitiveness of products with very low added-value and occupying just part of the restrict space between injection machines
Summary
The automotive industry is a precursor to numerous technologies, since one of its main pillars is innovation. The equipment must be increasingly flexible, contributing in this way to the minimization of setup times, which can have a significant impact on the dimensioning of the batches to be produced, affecting the competitiveness of the product [5]. Costa et al [2] developed a new equipment concept for the assembly of shafts for driving car windshield wipers that, through various mechanical devices and some flexible automation, allowed quality and reproducibility problems detected in previously designed equipment to be solved, guaranteeing parts that were completely acceptable. Moreira et al [8] developed a flexible system for the assembly of several types of Bowden cables of the same family, allowing the manufacturing cycle time to be shortened, but mainly eliminating the intermediate stocks existing between the different operations. Costa et al [9], based on a product identical to that used in the work of
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