让您的机器做更多

什么是灵活的装配线？我将其定义为今天可以处理各种产品的产品，并且明天可以轻松更改以处理新产品。

流程，机器，输送，数据获取和信息分析都可以灵活。重要的是要注意，组装线设计的灵活性不需要完全撕裂。每个现有的车站都应挑战更多，而一个好的起点是测试和检查设备。要开始，请考虑通过灵活的硬件，软件和控件来使机器可以使机器做得更多。

To illustrate what I mean by assembly line flexibility, consider that, for many years, automotive exhaust suppliers had unique machines for welding, dimensional gaging, leak testing, and weld repair. With each new model year, all of their systems had to be scrapped or heavily modified to accommodate new parts. But today, they’ve consolidated machine functions and implemented a docking station architecture that has saved them millions of dollars in production costs. This approach can reap benefits for every industry.

For example, if an exhaust part failed its leak test years ago, it was moved to a separate weld repair station. Today, this test machine not only tests for leaks, it includes ergonomic rollover automation for spot welding. Automotive exhaust suppliers have also consolidated testing of right and left part versions and other previously separate end-of-line operations.

所以,在你更换一个行尾测试机器, evaluate whether or not its functionality should be absorbed into another machine.

Another example of assembly line flexibility can be found in the docking station architecture, which isolates part-specific functions to a moveable fixture. It’s widely used in automotive build, and is gaining adoption in other industries.

上面的“排气系统”图像显示了带有对接站的排气系统尺寸尺寸。该码头包含PLC，条形码读取器，PIN踩踏器以及与其测量操作通用的所有组件。轮式固定装置包含特定于独特排气部件的所有元素。将固定装置推入码头，并附有数据和电源快速连接，并准备好操作。

Using this station, when the automotive model year changes only the fixtures are changed, not the entire machine.

我们已将对接电台架构用于许多其他优质机器，包括直升机动力总成测试。这是一种在多个行业中具有广泛适用性的方法。

在让发动机制造商来找我们需要自动检查的要求之后，又有另一个灵活的装配线示例。该领域的灵活性对于该制造商至关重要，因为根据全球市场需求，产品类型和数量迅速变化。

The associated vision inspection system (shown in the image display above) was designed to measure multiple parameters that had been manually or partially automated in the past. As you can see, the machine itself is relatively simple. By choosing to house most of the complexity in software and controls, they’ve achieved flexibility to inspect dozens of new engine variants, many of which were not planned into the original inspection system design.

As can be seen from the examples shown here, when making inspection machines do more, it’s worth demanding that software and controls contribute.

罗德·埃默里（Rod Emery）是运营副总裁RedViking, an engineering and manufacturing company. RedViking is headquartered in Plymouth, Mich., with offices in Raleigh, NC and Corpus Christi, Texas, supporting customers worldwide. RedViking is a member of theControl System Integrators Association。访问RedViking’s profile on The Industrial Exchange。