The production process consists of steps as follows:
- Insertion of parts by the operator into the insertion fixtures
- Automatic product identification - reading the DMC code of the pump body
- Assembling the parts – transferring the cover to the pump body using vacuum clamping
- Surface treatment for glue application using a plasma discharge
- Application of glue
- Curing the glue using a UV lamp
- Output inspection – camera inspection of the quality of the connection and leak test
Based on the customer's request we chose a Siemens S7-1500 plc system and a Siemens TP900 comfort control panel, mounted on a turning arm, to control the station. Software development in the Siemens TIA environment is maximally efficient.
As a lower frame of the station we used a steel weldment. This ensures the rigidity of the entire device as well as significantly better damping of vibrations from the production process in comparison with frames made of aluminum profiles.
The upper frame of the station is assembled from aluminum profiles. For easy access to the work area, there are service doors on both sides and back of the workplace which are secured by electronic locks with RFID coding of the actuator.
For a transfer of the product between the individual steps of the assembly procedure we chose a rotary table from Weiss. In the front of the workplace there is a place for manual loading of products into the machine. The site is secured with an optical barrier. We measure the run-up time after the barrier has been broken with a calibrated device from the hhb company.
We decided to use the SCARA robot TS2-60 from Staubli to transfer the lid to the pump body. In addition, thanks to the combined tool, the robot also ensures the subsequent treatment of the surface for the application of glue using a plasma discharge. We used the Atmospheric PlazmaTEC-X plasma surface pretreatment system from Tantec.
The customer uses reliable systems from the Scheugenpflug company for dispensing glue. In our case we chose the single-composite dosing piston dispenser DOS P016. Dosing head is firmly placed at the station. We used a second robot TX2-60 from the Staubli company for application of the glue. The robot takes the product from the fixture and positions it under the nozzle of the dosing device. Easy synchronization of the robot's movements and the glue dispensing speed make the whole process very smooth.
We used the Delolux 20 system including the Delolux control box to cure the glue. Thanks to the analog signal this system enables easy adjustment of the desired lighting intensity during the process.
Output inspection of finished product is performed at the last station. We used the FH camera system from Omron for visual inspection. It was not possible to use commonly available detectors for the leak test, so we developed our own leak measurement system in cooperation with the customer. We used a vacuum generator and a high-precision contact sensor of the GT2 series from the Keyence company.
We delivered the station to the satisfied customer 23 weeks after signing the order.