| A new three-station machine built by Peak Industries, Inc., Dearborn, Mich., automatically applies adhesive to automotive headliners. It incorporates a 6-axis ABB robot that is programmed to accommodate both standard and sunroof style headliners installed in four different car models.
The headliner is manually loaded at Station 1. After the operator clears the sensing field of a programmed laser safety screen detector, the headliner is transferred to Station 2 where the glue is applied. In Station 3 the headliner is presented to the operator who installs it in the vehicle.
At the start of the automatic cycle, photo sensors mounted around guides in Station 1 detect the headliner model type and assure proper location. These guides hold the headliner while a scissor table and shuttle system lift and carry the part into Station 2, lowering the headliner accurately within the fixture guides of this stations for the robotic application of the adhesive. With the headliner properly placed in Station 2, the shuttle system returns to Station 1 to await the next part.
Part sensors at Station 2 are used to detect the headliner style. A standard headliner signals application of six rows of adhesive by the robot. The headliner used with the sunroof option has one bead of glue applied.
After the robot has completed the adhesive application cycle, a second scissor table attached to the transfer shuttle raises to advance the glued part to Station 3 at the same time as a headliner is shuttled into Station 2. To keep the unload operator safely clear of the robot and shuttle mechanisms, Station 3 consists of a manual drawer-type mechanism that allows the operator to pull the glued headliner directly to his work station. Because the headliner is very light the entire drawer mechanism is very easy to maneuver. After the headliner is removed, the transfer mechanism is pushed back into the robotic work cell.
The drawer mechanism is automatically lowered to await the next glued part. The entire work cell is supervised with an Allen-Bradley Series 5-40 PLC, which in turn controls the ABB robot system, the Graco glue application hardware, as well as the transfer automation needed to move the headliner parts safely and reliably through the glue application process. The entire process is monitored with an Allen-Bradley PanelView video interface terminal, which displays system diagnostics for troubleshooting and provides the man-machine interface needed for process fine-tuning.
Peak Industries has been a supplier of custom automation, assembly tooling, special assembly machines and systems for the automotive and other manufacturing industries since 1966.
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