Corrosion protection by robot

Another advantage is that the wax only needs to be applied in minimal quantities for complete corrosion prevention - even compared to other robot-guided spraying processes. The economical dosing means that neither wax run-off from the cavities nor wax carry-over can occur, which can result in considerable cleaning effort in the production line.

Building block of sustainable vehicle production

The configuration of the system solution - from industrial robots and wax dosing to measuring and safety technology - is tailored to the individual requirements of the vehicles and the add-on parts to be sealed. It is then integrated into the production environment as a turnkey solution in accordance with the standards and specifications of the respective customer. Polyplan's AirLess and AirMix application technologies guarantee cycle time, material and energy-efficient sealing of corrosion-prone areas that are often difficult to access. This means that cavity preservation with robot-guided systems from Polyplan meets all the requirements for sustainable production in the automotive industry.

The cavity preservation systems from Polyplan Polyurethane Machines, a Pepperl+Fuchs Group company, ensure reliable corrosion prevention for car doors and hatches. In contrast to the manual application of anti-corrosion waxes or the flooding of add-on parts in wax baths, Polyplan's cavity sealing systems are able to carry out the processes with high availability and continuous documentability. The protective wax is applied sparingly and in a targeted manner exclusively to the points and areas to be protected - with the lowest possible wax and energy consumption compared to other common robot-guided spraying processes. Weighing the dispensing quantity and measuring the dispensing jet ensure high process reliability and resource efficiency at the same time.

High precision, minimal quantities, emission-free

Polyplan's automatic complete systems for the corrosion prevention of vehicle add-on parts basically consist of an industrial robot from a well-known manufacturer, a specially developed robot hose package, a wax dispenser with wax jet dosing valve and an application lance with integrated application nozzle and laser sensor for position correction. If no central wax supply is available, an optional container station with drum feed can be used to ensure a constant supply of tempered and homogenized preservative wax to the application technology.

Before application of the cavity sealant begins, a laser sensor measures the 3D position of the add-on part to ensure precise and collision-free path control of the robot to the spot welds and seams to be sealed. Before and after each application, the tool zero point is checked and tracked and the nozzle position and orientation are measured. Depending on the desired application pattern, the orientation of the wax jet is now checked for spray-air-free, spot-precise AirLess application or - for full-surface wetting using the patented AirMix process - the geometry of the spray cone is checked. This makes it possible to detect impurities on the nozzle and ensure a precisely targeted wax jet. It is possible to switch between the two methods while the process is running, and they can also be infinitely varied in terms of discharge quantity and switched on and off without dripping. In the wax dispenser, a self-calibrating scale determines the dispensing quantity with high accuracy and records the target, measured and weighed quantity at different dispensing rates. The robot then inserts the application lance with the application nozzle into the add-on part with high precision and applies wax to the desired points and areas. For example, the wax can be applied from a distance of 500 mm with a precision of ±1 mm. This only requires a minimal amount of around 1 g/m seam length, meaning that high-quality, long-term corrosion prevention is achieved with extremely low wax consumption. As no aerosols are released during application, there is no need for time-consuming and cost-intensive extraction, which is reflected not only in cost savings but also in shorter cycle times.

Cost-efficient processes, future-proof system technology

No waste of material thanks to efficient application processes, no expensive tool replacement when changing the application strategy, no contamination in the production environment due to overspray and wax carryover, no extraction of aerosols, no complex system maintenance - Polyplan's robot-guided systems for the corrosion prevention of vehicle doors and hatches guarantee cost-efficient processes in every respect. In Polyplan's in-house robot laboratory and process technology center, applications and possible system concepts can be tested for feasibility at an early stage, for example with regard to application strategies or the suitability of certain preservation media. After completion, each system is set up at Polyplan for joint pre-commissioning with the customer before delivery. This largely eliminates project risks and ensures short installation and commissioning times at the final installation site. In operation, the system solutions are characterized by a high level of investment and future security due to their sustainability, scalability and easy adaptability to new types of attachments. In general, they are also suitable for other tasks in which small quantities of liquid media are to be applied with high precision.

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Martin Achter, CTO Polyplan Polyurethane Machines / am

Polyplan polyurethane machines, http://www.polyplangmbh.de