Produce safety valves faster

Automation Produce safety valves faster

2024-05-15 A guest post by Kuka Deutschland | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

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An automotive supplier produces battery burst discs that reduce pressure in batteries in case of thermal overheating. The production is demanding and high-paced - ideal for automation solutions.

The enormous increase in capacity in the production of vent valves at Benzing could only be achieved through an automation solution.(Image: Kuka) — The enormous increase in capacity in the production of vent valves at Benzing could only be achieved through an automation solution.
(Image: Kuka)

The trend towards electric vehicles would be sustainable, the people responsible at the medium-sized company Hugo Benzing GmbH & Co. KG in Korntal-Münchingen quickly recognized. The leading safety component manufacturer also knew that its know-how would be useful for building electric cars. So the safety experts started developing burst membranes and burst disks for e-mobility. The patented safety valves release pressure into the surrounding air when there is thermal overheating in the battery. By preventing a pressure increase in the battery, they ensure the safety of the electric car.

High safety requirements

To manufacture this vent valve, high safety requirements and continuous quality controls are necessary in the production process. The valve consists of three parts, which are assembled at Benzing in an automated production cell. "We initially built the parts by hand," reflects Managing Director Christian Benzing. But soon it was clear that demand for these vent valves from the automotive industry would skyrocket. "So we needed high quantities," says Benzing. The enormous increase in capacity could only be achieved through automation. In addition, the safety inspections of the individual parts could now be standardized according to defined, programmed processes and with the help of state-of-the-art technology. This is where the expertise of the mechanical engineer and automator, Wafios Tube Automation GmbH from Simonswald in the Black Forest, came into play.

Gallery

A challenge were the grippers on the robots: sensitive individual parts like the springs, can bend even if you just hold them too firmly in your hand.(Image: Kuka)

The decision-makers at the medium-sized company Hugo Benzing GmbH & Co. KG in Korntal-Münchingen quickly recognized that the trend towards electrically powered vehicles would be sustainable.(Image: Kuka)

The cells are mobile. Since each cell stands on three steel plates, its location can be easily changed.(Image: Kuka)

The patented safety valves release pressure to the ambient air in the event of thermal overheating in the battery.(Image: Kuka)

Gallery with 8 images

"The order for the first automation cell was placed in October 2019. The following year, it went into operation in Korntal," recalls Boris Kuehn, managing director of Wafios Tube Automation, about the beginnings. Since 2023, two largely identical cells have been in operation, producing a total of two million valves per year. In each unit, six Kuka robots work together. The KR Agilus assemble the vent valve from three individual parts - a carrier part, a spring and a closure part. The robots also swivel 360 degrees. The fact that they do not collide during the work processes is precisely calculated and programmed according to defined sequences. The key to this are transfer stations where the individual robots place and pick up the parts. Thus, the successive performance of pick-and-place activities ensures trouble-free operation in the cell.

The reason the automator chose Kuka robots for the Benzing contract has two reasons: on the one hand, Wafios Tube Automation has been a system partner of the Augsburg robot specialist since 2013, and on the other hand, Benzing had already relied on Kuka for other automation processes and had very good experiences. Many different processes run at a high cycle speed in the seven by five meter cell. This required a precise, fast and compact robot.

Mobile work platform

The choice fell on the very accurate KR Agilus, designed for top working speeds, in six-fold execution per cell. Besides the flexible robot, the entire system is also mobile in operation: It is not bound to a fixed location in the factory, but is located on three steel plates and can be completely moved within the shortest possible time. "For us, this was an important argument, because processes in production do indeed have to be adapted again and again. This mobile solution does not cause us any production downtime," Christian Benzing is pleased to say.

At Benzing, the safety valves are produced in a three-shift system. An employee first initiates the automated production process by introducing the carrier parts into the system via a palletizing system. There, the KR Agilus picks up a carrier part and hands it over to a light check, which is done by an image-processing camera. These cameras are an important part of the testing process. After the carrier part, the spring is fed in and is also measured before use. Finally, the closing part is added and is also checked. If a part is defective, the KR Agilus sorts it out - into a box specially provided for this purpose.

The machine operator can intervene at any time

Once all components have been inspected, the robots transfer them to the assembly station. "There they are welded by means of ultrasound, that is, by a high frequency," explains Dietmar Dengler, also Managing Director at Wafios Tube Automation. The vapors that form during this process are extracted to protect the employees. A robot now hands the welded parts over to the deburring station, which removes the remnants from welding. A further testing station is integrated here. If the finished part meets the requirements, it goes to a leak test, which is carried out in a helium booth. "If everything is okay, the part is then laser engraved and ready", says Dengler. The operator can also request individual parts for inspection during the process if he feels it is necessary. After all automated production steps have been completed, he removes the finished batch of safety valves.

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One challenge was the grippers with which the robots pick up and put down the sensitive individual parts. "The springs have six arms that can bend just by holding them too tightly," explains Dengler. But at Wafios Tube Automation, they are familiar with these requirements for gripping tools and have therefore developed them themselves for the assembly cell. The overriding control, with which the system including the six KR Agilus is operated via a panel, was also developed in-house and has been in use with customers for years. "The operator only programs the control, but does not need to have any robot knowledge," emphasizes Kühn.

Accepted by the workforce

The staff at Hugo Benzing GmbH & Co. KG respond well to automation. Thanks to the "robot colleagues", the employees have more resources for other activities in production. Particularly since manual production of the safety valves would not make sense due to the complexity of assembly, the many testing processes, and the significantly increased output. "In order to be the best supplier in this area, we need one hundred percent process control. We can only achieve this through automation," says Managing Director Benzing, pleased.