Connect intelligently and quickly
Clip automation for automotive engineering: 40 clips in less than 60 seconds
Although they are not visible, nothing inside a car or lorry can be connected without them. The clips are used in covers or panelling to fix high-quality visible parts to the body of a vehicle. “Although clip systems are among the tool-free fastening solutions,” says Antonio Caiazzo, our Robotics Department Manager at the Bremen site, “the assembly of the clips is often still done manually and is time-consuming and cumbersome.”
Our colleagues in Bremen have designed a system that not only assembles 40 clips in less than 60 seconds, but is also easy to operate and requires less production space than conventional systems. From the conceptual and offer phase through to commissioning, the digital twin was also used in this case. As a result, ranges, cycle times and safety layouts were simulated on an IT basis using smart robot technology. In addition, prototypes of the grippers were produced using additive manufacturing in the FDM 3D printing process.
Our customer is satisfied not only with the high availability of the system, but also with the fact that, thanks to its modular design, it can be used for future products too, and can be easily expanded or adapted.
Antonio Caiazzo, SCHULZ Systemtechnik
