In the recent years, the number of new vehicle models and variants being launched in the market has risen tremendously to cater to the growing customer demands and retain a competitive edge. This need puts tremendous pressure on the auto company’s production ecosystem.
One of the biggest challenges in today’s automotive production environment is the incorporation of multiple vehicles at the same plant in much higher densities than in the past. Since the demand for new vehicles is increasing every year, OEMs are adding new models and variants by increasing the production capacity of their existing plant.
Driven by the need to increase production capacity and shorten cycle time, manufacturers in numerous industries are taking advantage of various automation technologies. One of these automation technologies is Robotics. Automakers and automotive related industries particularly implement greater use of robots in their BIW assembly line, as their assembly lines are quite complex. Robots automate the production of various components and simplify most of the tasks on assembly line.
Consequently, to successfully apply robotics technology in BIW assembly line, there lay a stronger need for effective analysis and design tools. Robotic simulation is one of the digital manufacturing techniques that help to visualize entire robotic work cells and sort out any problems before investing in costly equipment.
Robotic simulation is widely utilized in the automotive industry as their BIW assembly line involves multiple robots, tooling fixtures, humans, etc. that needs to be validated and optimized prior to system build to ensure that it will yield the desired results. Cost savings, safety and user interaction are some of the advantages that makes robotic simulation a valuable tool in the manufacturing industry.
Why Robotic simulation?
Robotic simulation is a technique of building a model of a real or proposed robotic workcell so that the robot’s behavior may be studied. It aims at visualizing and optimizing the performance of a robot in a manufacturing cell, and can help in validating layouts, cycle time estimates, balance multi robot lines, optimize floor space, and check tooling and fixture designs. Everything from cycle time to robot reach to tool validation is performed in simulation. Robotic simulation:
- Accelerates new product introduction (NPI)
- Ensures a working process
- Provides tremendous scope for optimization
- Facilitates collaboration amongst design, digital manufacturing engineers, and shop floor
- Eliminates costly mistakes
- Saves time
About BIW assembly line
Product BOM of the BIW skeleton consists of more than thousands components, which can be broadly divided in four major groups –
- Underbody assembly (assembly of motor compartment, front/rear floor, rear compartment, rocker)
- Closures (sub assemblies of doors, decklid, hood , fenders)
- Inner framing (assembly of bodyside inner, roof bow, shelf, rear-end)
- Outer framing (assembly of body side outer, roof, motor rail extension)
All these major components of vehicle body are assembled through robotic operations like material handling, geo spot welding, respot welding, arc welding, nut/ stud welding, clinching, dispensing, pedestal operations, vision system, hemming, tabbing etc.
Essential capabilities of Robotic Simulation in BIW assembly
The core activities of robotic simulation in BIW assembly are:
- Validate and optimize the Process
- Validate and optimize the Tools
- Validate and optimize Plant Layout
With multiple vehicle models being produced in same facility, the layout has to be configured using optimal floor space. In a Brownfield plant, robot work envelope layouts are developed considering the space constrictions and movement limitations as any physical modification in the plant can interrupt the ongoing production resulting in high wastage of time and money. The plant layout group alone cannot analyze suitable locations of plant BOM. Through effective collaboration between the robotic simulation and plant layout teams, they determine an optimal location of plant BOM.
Software used
Currently, there are number of commercial software available on the market. Some of the robotic simulation software’s used by major auto OEMs across the world are DELMIA D5 (IGRIP), DELMIA V5, Tecnomatix- Robcad & Tecnomatix process simulate.
Major Deliverables from robotic simulation
- Offline programming (OLP)
- Realistic robot cycle time
- Robot mounting sheet
- Simulation movie files
- Layout file
Summary
The demand for automated robotic work cells is growing exponentially to meet the OEM targets and requirements. Robotic simulation plays a key role in automotive BIW assembly line to ensure a working and an optimized process with reduced cost and time to manufacture, and in ensuring the inclusion of the production of a new vehicle or variant on the existing assembly line without disrupting the current production.