Case Study - Header LP (11)

Electric water pump assembly line at 14 ppm with Flexibowl® 500 for the automotive sector

Case Study: Electric water pump assembly line

Our Partner

SAMAC develops customized automation solutions for the assembly and testing of products across a wide range of industries. Its systems are designed to improve productivity, quality, and safety while meeting each customer's specific requirements. The goal is to optimize production processes and reduce repetitive tasks.

The Challenge

Challenge – Flexible Connector Handling
  1. Managing the automated assembly of an automotive electric pump, as consisting of components that require high positioning and orientation accuracy.
  2. Integrating complex operation such as plasma treatment, dispensing, sealing, welding, and functional testing, into a single production process while maintaining the highest quality standards.
  3. Ensuring reliability, traceability, and production flexibility, while minimizing operator intervention and preparing the system for future expansions and higher levels of automation.

The Solution

  1. An automated assembly line integrated with a 6-axis KUKA robot, for picking, assembly, and testing operations.
  2. FlexiBowl® 500 singulates and orients components through a combination of vibration pulses and rotating movements, eliminating the need for dedicated tooling.
  3. The vision system identifies the position and orientation of each component and provides coordinates to the robot, ensuring correct assembly of every part.
    4. .

The Benefits

  1. Consistent precision and quality: the vision system and KUKA robot ensure the correct orientation and assembly of each component, maintaining high quality standards and reducing errors.
  2. Fully integrated process: assembly, plasma treatment, dispensing, welding, and functional testing are managed within a single automated line, optimizing production flow.
  3. High productivity: the system achieves a cycle time of 14 ppm, with the potential to reach 8 seconds through future upgrades.
  4. Flexibility and readiness for full automation: the line is designed to accommodate future automatic loading systems and process similar products with even higher productivity, protecting the investment over the long term.
Download the full text