Automotive OEMs in Alabama, such as Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, and Mazda-Toyota, now have the capacity to produce 1.3 million vehicles every year. Global Tier 1 automotive parts suppliers and automation Integrators have taken root in Alabama to support these OEMs.
An Integrator located in South Carolina specializes in designing and constructing smart modular machines. Efficient use of manufacturing floor space is crucial for Tier 1 automotive parts suppliers when quoting new welded assemblies. High-density flexible robotic weld cells help achieve this by requiring less floor space. This Integrator’s smart modular robotic cells are built on a metal base frame where all the automation is installed on the base frame, which reduces the footprint, installation time, and commissioning time. To minimize the footprint, they are designed with smaller agile robots, typically 80-100kg payload vs. the traditional 165kg payload robot.
A key component in these high-density cells is the CenterLine FlexGun™ Ultra X weld gun, designed for high-density manufacturing. Note that the majority of these Ultra weld guns are under 70kg. The compact X gun design moves the center of gravity closer to the robot’s wrist, and the higher gun ratio generates greater tip force. The rear mounting axis is aligned with the weld tips, so it’s easier to teach weld positions. Agile 80-100kg robots with the FlexGun™ Ultra X weld gun have shown 5-10% improvement in the robot spot welding speed. High-density cells consisting of a two-station rotary table and two Fanuc 1000iB/100og payload robots typically require 29% less floor space.
CenterLine’s Account Manager in Alabama, Stuart Rogers, works closely with this South Carolina Integrator to get the part and holding fixture design and the specifications for our Applications Team to design the FlexGun™ Ultra X, verifying the weld gun access and the sport weld process requirements. After the Integrator ships the cell to its customer, CenterLine’s local team provides service, training, and spare parts.
The Automotive industry is very demanding due to the cost of lost production. CenterLine is proud to be a valued member of the local manufacturing community, providing products and services to support world-class global OEMs and their supplier partners.
