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Starting point / Task definition |
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| At the BMW AG plant in Regensburg, Germany, 860 BMW 3 Series cars are assembled per day and placed in intermediate storage in a high-bay warehouse. Until recently it was necessary to manually identify each vehicle and attach assembly orders to it before storage. In order to optimize the application of these labels to the painted bodies with regard to quality and cost-effectiveness, BMW was seeking an automated solution. | |
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Implementation / Solution |
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 | | Various assembly applications from the automotive industry - Automated labeling of vehicles |
It was in this context that two systems for automated vehicle labeling were created, in which KUKA KR 125 robots stick labels with great sensitivity to painted, and thus delicate, car bodies. Since no system of this kind was available on the market, BMW first commissioned KUKA to carry out a feasibility study. The results of this study eventually led to a “green light” for the project. The system was integrated into the production process without interruptions.
The sequence begins with the controller using a scanner to read in the vehicle data of the relevant body. Then a sheet is printed out in DIN A3 format, which is attached to the freshly-painted skin of the vehicle by the respective robot using four strips of adhesive tape. In the first system, which is installed upstream of the warehouse, the KR 125 attaches to the hood a label containing information for inventory management. In the second station, which comes after the bodies are retrieved from the warehouse, the other robot attaches a sheet with customer data; for the touring model on the side and for the sedan on the rear end.
The top priority is gentle handling. This places particularly high demands on the gripper of the robot, since it is essential not to create any dents or scratches on the skin of the vehicle during while attaching the label. The gripper picks up the sheet of paper with the aid of an underpressure suction device and attaches it sensitively using a specially-designed mechanism for rolling on the assembly orders. The robot is quick enough to accomplish its task within the time period defined by the cycle time of the cell less the peripheral sequences. | |
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System components / Scope of supply |
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Per system:
- KUKA KR 125 robot
- Gripper
- PC-based KUKA robot controller, including control panel with Windows interface
- High-performance laser printer
- Paper transfer system
- Adhesive tape unit
- Robot programming
- Commissioning
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Results / Success |
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- Extremely flexible
The six-axis KR 125s are extremely flexible, since unlike linear units they can respond quickly and easily to frequent changes in vehicle models.
- Minimized error rate
Unambiguous identification of vehicles and the automatic attachment of the labels enabled BMW to minimize its error rate.
- High cost-effectiveness
The cost-effectiveness of this concept is apparent just from the short payback period: BMW expects that this will be two years with regard to the entire capital investment.
- High endurance
The KR 125s operate in three shifts, five days a week, and for an additional nine hours on Saturdays.
- High availability
The availability of the robots is very high: nearly 100 percent. This also applies to the overall availability of the cells, including their periphery, which is 99 percent in each case.
- Simple operator control
Simple operator control is important for the efficiency of the system. KUKA has made working with the controller much easier by equipping the Control Panel of the PC-based robot controller with a familiar Windows human/machine interface. | |
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| Further information |
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| Video |
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