System Integrator Reduces Commissioning with PC Control Platform

With ever-increasing electronics and networking, multiple types of drivetrains, material lightweighting and more to meet regulatory and market demands, an automotive renaissance is underway. Many carmakers are relying on automation upgrades to meet new challenges.

Portugal-basedSodeciadesigns automated assembly systems and increasingly uses PC-based control platforms to tackle the complexity of manufacturing in the automotive industry. With 32 manufacturing facilities around the world, the company makes manufacturing systems for chassis, powertrain and body-in-white (BIW) applications.

Sodecia relies on its全球技术与自动化中心（GTAC）in London, Ontario, to specify automation hardware, software and engineering support for the company’s manufacturing divisions. “Our current bread-and-butter product is our turnkey robotic weld cell solution,” says Brent Lekx-Toniolo, control system concept developer at Sodecia GTAC. “Each project is slightly different—based on unique application requirements—but the core machine technology remains the same.”

驾驶员座位上的基于PC的控制

自2008年以来，Sodecia GTAC集成小组一直依赖于基于PC的控制技术Beckhoff Automationfor its automotive projects.

“To date, Sodecia GTAC has built 49 manufacturing lines based on Beckhoff PC-based control, ranging anywhere from machines with a single robot to lines with over 20 articulated robots,” says Jon Bysma, controls specialist at Sodecia GTAC.

最近的汽车项目（比Sodecia GTAC进行的任何其他汽车）包括21KUKA各种尺寸的机器人，有效载荷能力为6-210千克（包括KR 210，KR 30和KR 6系列）。BIW组装线从各种各样的小型2枚压板和尺寸的小型组件开始，它们是斑点焊接的，电弧焊接的（螺柱），并用机器人盖章或密封。最终的子组件会自动卸载并转移到后续阶段。多个组件聚集在一起，形成整个成品组件的大部分。

At this point, the process splits into two identical product pipelines—creating redundancy and improving throughput. This section has left- and right-hand assemblies running down the same line, so the entire concept essentially has four pipelines.

The PC-based control system executes all sequencing for this assembly line, including fixture clamp/unclamp sequences, part detecting, error proofing, calling specific robots into fixtures, and necessary robot tasks. Sensors on set-down fixtures conduct comprehensive analysis and send data to the controller, ensuring that all fasteners are placed correctly on the assemblies. The controller also handles robot-to-robot interference detection, general production count and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) tracking, while managing overall fault detection and annunciation by acting as the human-machine interface (HMI) for the machine.

Quick commissioning

This capital project began with Sodecia completing a floor layout for the cell and robot training, while PLC programming started at about the same time. KUKA controllers administer the motion control for each of the 21 robots in the assembly area, but the entire welding cell is coordinated by TwinCAT PLC software running on a 15-inch panel PC.

Sodecia使用一系列软件库来加快整个机器人工作单元的编程，其中包括228个设备。Sodecia GTAC的首席控制工程师Rob Remillard说：“该软件的开发环境和Sodecia的模块化代码框架基于结构化的文本将工程时间缩短了很大的利润。”Sodecia可以在任何IEC 61131-3语言中开发代码部分，证明它们，然后部署代码实例进行评估。

EtherCAT networking handles all robotic communications, I/O and programmable safety functions via the safety I/O terminals. “With our modular machine design model, our safety configuration doesn’t change much,” Lekx-Toniolo says. “We simply remove sections we don’t need from the pre-built framework, but the underlying functionality remains the same.”

机器人装配线中的每个主要自动化组件都连接到双智能逻辑终端以及一系列数字输入和输出，以处理安全I/O的处理以及与其他安全设备的通信。安全功能包括电子挡板，机器监控和 /或功能以及脱钩器。

Automakers are leaning on integrators to make capital improvements seamless. “Sodecia has cut control system commissioning time by at least 50 percent using PC-based control,” says Mark Mierkalns, plant manager for Sodecia GTAC.

生产也正在大步前进。该特定项目的汽车制造商报告说，BIW装配线的平均周期时间不到50秒，每小时72个复杂的零件，每年最高355,000个零件。