CASE
Flexible assembly system for connectors
A flexible, robot-based assembly system from Robotec Solutions enables efficient 24/7 production at Fischer Connectors, including quality testing of several thousand different connectors. At the batch end, the changeover time of less than three minutes guarantees maximum flexibility and minimum downtime for the robot cell.
The challenge
Fischer Connectors develops and builds connectors for the most demanding applications. The globally active company, headquartered in Saint-Prex near Lausanne, has thousands of different products in its range and also develops customer-specific connection solutions.
In order to achieve an increase in production with growing variety and consistent quality, new assembly machines were required that not only offer maximum precision and reliability, but also allow fast, flexible changeovers. The systems at Fischer Connectors are retooled up to five times a day
The solution
After analyzing the complex requirements, we developed a customized state-of-the-art robot cell. The new robot-based assembly system has its own Robotec feeders and vision systems with seven machine vision cameras, while high-precision linear axes ensure maximum accuracy.
The changeover takes less than 3 minutes - just a few simple steps are all it takes. New connector types can be taught in by the operators themselves via an intuitive, wizard-guided human-machine interface (HMI).
"The first robot cell made it possible to assemble over 6,000 different connectors. We were so impressed by this performance that we now have five cells running 24/7."
The project
The system is one of the most complex solutions we have ever realized. It took 12 months from development to the start of production. The Robotec team on board included Kevin Bossard (project management, design), Simon Rüdiger (software programming) and Livio Stocker (on-site installation, commissioning).
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