Reducing time and increasing quality: a core objective of many companies.
This drive for improvement is rooted in corporate strategy and manifests across different tiers of the business structure. In the case of production departments, the assembly process, given its repetitive and constant nature, is often a crucial point for enhancing effectiveness and efficiency.
We encountered this scenario while working alongside an electric motor manufacturing company. The nature of their business involves producing various types of electric motors for industrial use, ranging from single-phase to three-phase, standard to self-braking.
The assembly process of shields and flanges involves fastening four bolts in a repetitive and consistent manner: same application, same bolt, same torque. This uniformity provided an excellent opportunity to reduce time while simultaneously improving quality. A multi-spindle system consists of several screwdrivers integrated into a single assembly and allows for simultaneously tightening multiple screws. The operator holds its handles and maneuvers it as if it were one large tool, with the difference that multiple fastening operations are completed at once.
While the time advantage is evident, the quality benefit emerges when considering the coupling of the two parts of the electric motor. When we clamp a plate to another element, it naturally tilts due to the pressure. When we proceed to screw in another bolt, stress is exerted on the first one. Moreover, the tightening torque cannot remain constant due to the different conditions under which individual tightenings occur.
By performing the operations simultaneously, this stress is eliminated, and the torque remains uniform.
While the application, bolts, and torque are consistent, the shape of the electric motor can vary: shafts can have different lengths, some short and others very long. To make the multi-spindle system compatible with any motor, its lower plate was designed with a central hole to accommodate longer shafts. This customization has made the multi-spindle system universal and applicable to all the different types of electric motors produced by the company. Not to mention that when inserted into the hole, the shaft acts as a guide, providing additional support during the fastening process.
The system houses 4 PLUTO10CA/FN2, the automation model of our current-controlled PLUTO screwdriver, equipped with a flange and compensator. The torque, ranging from 1.5 to 10 Nm, is directly set in the EDU2AE/HPRO control units.
A PLC panel positioned at the center of the control panel collects and processes the results of the tightening operations and provides a single signal for the completion of the fastening process, instead of four individual feedback signals from each control unit. If the overall process was unsuccessful, a quick glance at the individual units will reveal which operation has failed.
Overall, a clever way to save time and speed up operations.
Would you also like to reduce time and simultaneously enhance the quality of your production line?
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Featured products: PLUTO10CA/FN2
Control units: EDU2AE/HPRO