Dresspacks on Spot-Welding Robots in Vehicle Construction

Flexible and reliable in use: triflex® R reduces downtime in assembly line

For spot-welding robots used in vehicle construction, downtime was dramatically reduced by implementing a triflex® R dresspack. The complex motion geometry combined with 550 welding points per part previously caused frequent cable failures. Each failure would not only stop the robot, but the entire assembly line.

By following every movement precisely, the triflex® R system safely guides and protects the cables. As a result, cable failures have been completely eliminated.

Profile

What was needed: triflex R robot dresspacks
Requirements: 550 welding points per body part demand the most difficult movements from the robots, so an exceptionally flexible and reliable permanent solution was sought.
Industry: automotive production
Success for the customer: the new cable management solution handles even the most demanding movements with ease and guides all cables safely; there has not been a single failure since its implementation, saving the customer time and money.

Learn More about triflex® R

Problem

In this semi-automated automotive industry assembly line, Fanuc S430i-W robots are used for welding work on car bodies. Two such spot-welding robots are used at one station to process the car body. However, with 550 welding points per body part, the most difficult movements are demanded of the robots, which require the highest flexibility in application.

In the past, this led to many cable ruptures, which must be avoided at all costs. At this particularly important station within the assembly line, even one minute of robot failure can lead to the failure of the entire assembly line. In order to avoid high costs and down time, a new maintenance-free and trouble-free cable solution was therefore sought.

Solution

The company VE Commercial Vehicles opted for a triflex R dresspack due to the high requirements for the movements of the robot arms. This system has been in use on the assembly line since 2008 and safely guides and protects the robots' cables. It has been specifically developed for demanding multi-axis robots and easily handles complex rotating and pivoting movements in 3D applications. triflex R combines high tensile force absorption with high flexibility, which allows a twist of approx. ± 10° per chain link in the longitudinal axis. A defined bend radius ensures particularly long service lives for all guided cables and hoses.
And the change has paid off for the customer: since the use of the triflex R, there have been no more failures, which saves valuable time and costs in operation. The investment could be paid off after only a short time.