An automated measuring station we built for a Tier automotive supplier's engine component, running inside a closed-loop cell with no one touching the part.
The cell
Parts enter the enclosed cell as blanks and go through two Fanuc Robodrill machines, then are blown off to remove chips and coolant. A Fanuc LR200i robot loads them into the air gaging stations. The measuring computer communicates over Ethernet and Profibus with the Siemens controller, which sends it the serial number read from a data matrix on each part. Every measurement is stored against that serial number.
What it measures
- Six measuring stations
- Five stations measure diameters with tolerances from ±0.007 mm to ±0.012 mm
- One station measures perpendicularity using four circuits of cross-channeled air, calculated from the four readings
How it runs
After each station the gage reports pass or fail to the PLC. If three parts in a row fail the same measurement, the system stops. A monitor outside the cage shows every measurement and the SPC in real time. The masters are made in the form of the part, so the robot handles mastering automatically too.
The cycle is 45 seconds per part. After gaging, parts go through a washer, are oiled and placed into shipping containers, all without a human hand touching them.
Read more about automation and air gaging.