"You are no longer just suppliers to us, but a key partner."

 

This is what the client said during the handover.

Based on our long-term cooperation with the development departments and testers of the Brose Kopřivnice assembly plant, we were approached directly by the Brose headquarters in Coburg (DE) to cooperate on the development and manufacture of a new automated testing line for seat assemblies.

The customer's development team prepared the technical concept for the tester, and our designers and specialists subsequently applied it to a new product line.

How Does the Automated Testing Line Work?

Simulation of Real Operating Conditions

As part of the assembly process, the seat assemblies are gradually placed onto transport pallets (shuttles), which are smoothly conveyed into the testing line via a Bosch Rexroth TS2 conveyor system. Here, the products are automatically distributed among 4 separate testing stations based on their current occupancy.

In each tester, the electric drives are automatically connected, and the first phase of the functional test is performed without load. Subsequently, the seat is loaded by a robot with a force corresponding to a weight of up to 200 kg, while acoustic sensors are simultaneously applied to it. The robot thus simulates the real load of a passenger sitting in a car, making it possible to verify the functionality, mechanical durability, and acoustic properties of the seat assembly under conditions close to actual operation.

After loading, a test sequence is automatically initiated, during which the seat moves within defined limit positions. Throughout the entire movement, noise is continuously measured, based on which the quality of the manufactured part is evaluated. Every single piece without exception undergoes testing, and all measured data is automatically stored and uploaded to the traceability system, ensuring full traceability and a high standard of production quality.

A labeling robot is located at the end of the conveyor system to apply a customer label to the parts that passed the testing without any defects. A single line operator removes the finished pieces and passes them on for shipping.

Flexible Automated Testing Line for Different Product Types

The testing line is designed as a fully automated and versatile technology that can flexibly adapt to different types of products. The system autonomously selects the appropriate testing tools and, if necessary, automatically adjusts the position of the acoustic sensors as well as the application of the customer label according to the specific product variant.

Throughout the project, we cooperated closely with the technical support of the customer's development center, thanks to which we gained a wealth of new technical experience and know-how. Given the high added value of automated testing and the results achieved, the customer plans to utilize this proven concept for other upcoming projects as well.