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Handling of brake linings
 
Starting point / Task definition
 

At BBA Friction, requirements for higher productivity and better working conditions provided the impetus to automate the handling of brake pads. Although the individual parts are not particularly heavy, each employee had to lift material weighing a total of about six tons per shift. This frequently led to health problems. BBA Friction researched the market intensively to find a robust system which would stand up to a tough industrial environment.
 
 
Implementation / Solution
 
Handling of brake linings
Handling of brake linings

A solution was found that included six KUKA robots. The parts, which are aligned in a single row, are picked up by four IR 363/30s, each equipped with a magnetic strip, and placed on workpiece carriers. Before this, the robots use a guide strip to measure their stack depth, thus determining whether the layer in question is free. Otherwise faults could occur downstream. The robots also handle the empty carriers; two grippers are installed on the end-effectors for this purpose. The plastic workpiece carriers, which measure 800 x 1200 mm, are stacked up to 15 high on pallets. Once one of these transport units is complete, it is brought by a pallet truck to a KR 125 installed on the other side of the aisle. This robot is fed by a roller conveyor equipped with six buffer positions which can compensate for fluctuations in production. Unlike the IR 363/30, the KR 125 always picks up a complete layer (six rows) of brake pads from the workpiece carrier and places them on a conveyor belt. Each row contains from six to twelve parts, depending on their size. The shape of the workpiece carriers places the brake pads in an inclined position, thus defining a constant distance between the rows. The robot transfers this spacing to the conveyor belt leading to the powder-coating chamber and the baking oven. The KR 125’s magnetic gripper is equipped with six milled magnetic strips, which compensate for any deviations from the approximately 20 different brake pad designs. The variations in handling resulting from this large number of different parts are controlled by software programs which cause the robot to vary its arm position depending on the design of the brake pad. The gripper itself, which the KR 125 also uses to stack the empty carriers on a pallet, remains fixed. The second KR 125 stands ready to remove the brake pads after powder coating and to place them once again on workpiece carriers.
 
 
System components / Scope of supply
 

  • Four KUKA KR 363/30 and two KUKA KR 125 robots
  • PC-based KUKA robot controllers, including control panel with Windows interface
  • Magnetic grippers developed especially for this application
  • Robot programming
  • Transfer systems
  • Participation in design of the workpiece carriers
  • Safeguards
  • Test set-up for verification of system functions at an early stage
  • Commissioning

Supplied by KUKA system partner Koch-Industrieanlagen GmbH, Dernbach near Dierdorf, Germany.

 
 
Results / Success
 

  • High flexibility

    Each of the KUKA robots in use here handles 30,000 brake pads per shift. In addition, the robots, which are equipped with magnetic grippers, are very flexible, since they can pick up some twenty different-sized parts without changing tools.


  • High availability

    Thanks to a comprehensive after-sales concept with guaranteed 24-hour service, the robots achieve an availability of nearly 100%.


  • Simpler quality control

    The automatic processes also make quality control simpler; instead of lying one on top of another in the racks, the parts are now lined up in workpiece carriers, which also helps to keep them tidy.


  • Rapid payback

    The payback period for the robots is at most one and a half years.


  • Production capacity in reserve


    The robots have no problem keeping up with the pace set by the painting systems. Since they only have to work at about 60% of their capacity, they are ideally equipped for increased production in the future.

 
 
 
 
 
Number of report
 
R 146
 
Industry
 
Automotive suppliers
 
Application
 
Handling, loading and unloading
Measuring, testing and inspection
Packaging and order picking
Other handling operations
 
Product
 
Robots
High payloads (80-270 kg)
Controller
KR C (Robot Controller)
 
Customer
 
BBA Friction GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany
 
Further information
 
Video
 

 
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