Industrial automation has become a fundamental pillar to increase efficiency, improve quality and reduce costs in manufacturing processes. Within this context, synchronism allows automating operations of moving objects, which is why it plays a crucial role.
In industrial automation, synchronism refers to the precise coordination of moving components within a machine or line to perform processes or operations.
In production lines that involve manipulations on moving elements, synchronization becomes essential, as it makes it possible to work on the moving object as if it were static and, in this way, execute with precision actions such as placement of parts, screwing, primer applications, artificial vision inspections, etc.
We will explore below its importance, the difficulties it entails and the advantages it offers.
Difficulties when implementing a synchronism solution.
Achieving perfect synchronism in industrial automation can be challenging due to various difficulties it poses, including:
1. Complexity of operations: modern production lines perform complex operations that require accuracy. When the mobility of the object to be worked on is added to the equation, precision becomes a significant challenge that makes meticulous mechanical assembly and measurements essential to correct the working position and coordinate it with that of the object to be manipulated.
2. Flexibility: flexibility in production lines is essential to manufacture different part models and optimize processes and costs. This variable increases the complexity of the installation’s synchronization and requires integrating movements in the machine elements to adapt it to different geometries.
3. Integration of operations to be performed: the operations to be automated in industry are very diverse: placing a weatherstrip, a body, performing an artificial vision inspection, screwing the wheel on a vehicle, avoiding food waste in unexpected line stops… Different processes with heterogeneous requirements that require personalized configuration for exact tracking, and subsequent manipulation, of the moving element.
4. Unsupervised work: executing automation projects that work in continuous process without supervision and with synchronization is not simple either. The installation must be able to continue working even if ideal conditions are not met. Therefore, it requires a detailed approach to all scenarios and mechanics that adapt to any of the assumptions, avoiding line production stops and alerting of operations that could not be carried out.
Success case: synchronism and tracking in vehicle wheel installation.
And this is where the magic of automation comes into play and allows us to imagine and create a production process in which all factors converge in unison on a moving assembly line.
This is the case of the wheel installation project that we successfully developed for Volkswagen Group, in which numerous operations are integrated in the same station, adapting to different vehicle models on the moving production line and meeting cycle times.
In this synchronism and tracking solution, the accumulation of technologies stands out, including 3D artificial vision, which calculates the position and angle of the wheel hub holes to be able to place and screw it in motion, allowing totally precise accompaniment to the vehicle during its movement through the assembly line.
Thus, we managed to overcome the various difficulties that synchronism poses in this project such as:
- The precision and centering of the wheel in motion that presents a different orientation in each case.
- The position of the wheel, which presents different heights depending on the suspension of the vehicle model being assembled (with a deviation of one millimeter it would not be possible to screw the wheel) The difference in angles between the front and rear wheels produced by the line’s movement. (The robots place the wheel in a different position and angle on each vehicle).
- Adaptation to different equipment of the different vehicle models manufactured on the same line.
- The necessary simultaneous action of all robots, which must enter at the same time to place the wheel, to avoid body swaying and allow correct screwing.
Advantages of synchronism in industrial automation.
Despite the inherent difficulties, synchronism is essential in industrial automation and at Gurpea we are clear about the key benefits that this type of solutions provide both to our clients and to us as a company:
1. Performance optimization: synchronization in continuous production lines allows maximizing productivity by reducing downtime, minimizing bottlenecks and avoiding complete stop or accumulation systems, without renouncing established cycle times/speed.
2. Product quality: The execution of each process at the right time, within the production line and under the correct conditions, contributes to maintaining high quality standards in manufactured products.
3. Flexibility: An installation with movement synchronization that adapts to different models to be produced offers greater flexibility in the configuration and adaptation of the production line and thus satisfy changes in market demand, product characteristics and even production phases.
4. Safety: synchronous automation of operations eliminates work for operators in uncomfortable, repetitive or dangerous positions, helping to reduce the risk of workplace accidents and guaranteeing a safer work environment for employees
5. Improved competitiveness: in addition, synchronization offers a significant competitive advantage by allowing faster, more efficient and higher quality production.
6. Universal application: Synchronism is a universal solution applicable to any automated production process and any sector, adapting to diverse scenarios and complementary processes such as welding and tightening of weatherstrips in automotive, and product packaging in sectors such as food and pharmaceutical.
