What problem is addressed by the Industry 4.0 solution from ARGO-HYTOS?

16 Baden-Württemberg flagship projects were honored on 22nd May for the production of the future by Allianz Industry 4.0, including ARGO-HYTOS. For more information click here.

What problem is addressed by the Industry 4.0 solution from ARGO-HYTOS?
By parameterizable software programming as well as self-equipping, communicating parts of analgesic components, the customer's request for individual solutions as well as the trend towards smaller delivery lot sizes can be met with simultaneously high cost pressure. An operator-oriented interface concept, online monitoring integrated in plant control and automatic control processes enable high process security for both operators and customers.

Through the use of networked components, “production systems 4.0” are being developed in the company's own plant construction, with which ARGO-HYTOS has been pursuing the "ZERO SET-UP TIME" concept for several years.

Which Industry 4.0 solution was implemented?
For the welding of plastic parts, the "Laser Cube 4.0", was commissioned at the Kraichtal works, which is used for the production of highly integrated plastic system and plastic tank solutions in small quantities.
Within the Laser Cubes 4.0 there is a fully automatic rack-lift system, which provides the laser after scanning the material code independently, the appropriate supporting fixture and fully automatically pneumatically and electrically produces the media supply. Subsequently, the device is ready for manual placement of materials to be welded and the equipment for the automatic welding process.
The flexible structure of the system consists of interconnected core components that communicate with each other directly and partly via a machine control. The operator-oriented interface concept allows direct access to the parameters of the system components. An online monitoring integrated in the system control measures the temperature within the melt on the component and independently regulates in case of deviations, e.g. caused by material variations, within defined intervention limits, whereby an optimal welding result is guaranteed at maximum welding speed.
The laser head mounted on a medium-heavy industrial robot moves freely in space and can therefore even weld complex geometries in different welding levels.

The connection of the "Production Systems 4.0" to the existing MES system for recording the machine and operating data is "state of the art" at ARGO-HYTOS.
In addition to recording the operating states of the systems, this system is also used to report logistical errors (for example, wrong part, wrong quantity, KANBAN empty): thus, external disturbances which could potentially lead to a plant shutdown can be eliminated in advance.

What advantages are there compared to the conventional approach?

• Smaller quantities of customer-specific highly integrated plastic system and plastic tank solutions can be economically produced
• Maximum output flexibility regardless of component geometry
• Targeted tuning of system functions

What use does the customer have?
By networking of plant / plant components, parameterizable programming and in-process control, a highly flexible laser welding system was developed on "high-volume level", which realizes high quality at low costs for actually low demand.