How to keep up with the pace of change in automotive quality control?

Written by Metrologic Group

In today’s fast-paced automotive industry, flexibility is no longer optional, it’s essential. With rapid changes in market demands, evolving trade regulations, and technological advancements, manufacturers need to respond swiftly to remain competitive.

A crucial factor in achieving this agility is the adoption of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) for the quality control of new parts.

1/ A growing need for agility in the fast-moving automotive industry

The automotive sector is grappling with major challenges, including the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), the development of advanced materials, increasingly complex components, and shifting consumer preferences.  As manufacturers contend with integrating new battery technologies and lightweight materials, the ability to adapt quickly becomes crucial.

FMS provides the infrastructure to support this flexibility, allowing production lines to adjust to new components with minimal downtime.

Unlike traditional, rigid manufacturing systems that require costly reconfiguring and retraining, FMS allows automotive manufacturers to reprogram systems quickly and respond to market demands. In this environment of constant change, manufacturers who can pivot without costly disruptions are better positioned to succeed.

But flexibility alone is not enough, this adaptability must be coupled with rigorous quality control to ensure that every change in production maintains the highest standards. It’s here that the integration of advanced inspection technologies within FMS becomes crucial.

2/ How can adopting a Flexible Manufacturing System for 3D inspection help make the transition easier?

Before adopting FMS, a manufacturer relying on traditional twin-arm CMMs with touch probes might struggle to access the features of complex new parts requested by the customer. This often requires the measured part to be repositioned, leading to longer cycle times and increased operational costs.

With FMS, these challenges are mitigated by robotic systems equipped with optical 3D sensors.

The robots can be programmed to inspect the hard-to-reach areas of the new part and measure complex geometries, and quickly reprogram workflows to accommodate new or different parts.

With optical 3D sensors, these systems ensure that every component meets the highest quality standards. Together, robots and 3D sensors seamlessly automate quality control throughout production, enhancing efficiency and reducing the risk of human error.

To maintain this balance of flexibility and precision, advanced control systems powered by metrology software and a digital twin are indispensable in an FMS setup.

3/ How to choose the right 3D metrology software to boost flexibility?

Metrology software is a key element of the FMS. It not only coordinates the real-time actions of robots and 3D sensors, but also simulates all robot trajectories off-line within the digital twin of the inspection environment. This digital twin allows manufacturers to simulate and optimize the inspection processes without disrupting ongoing operations.

Imagine a manufacturing plant without a digital twin. When a new part is introduced for inspection, robotic technicians are called in to manually create the new robotic trajectories directly within the robot’s teach pendant and controller, a time-consuming process. For example, the manual creation of 300 robot positions during an inspection can take several days.

In contrast, with the digital twin, the quality engineer can simulate and optimize different possible inspection paths, enabling a smooth transition to new parts to be measured without stopping production. It takes just a few seconds to generate 300 optimized, collision-free robot positions with a simulation program. By modelling the entire off-line inspection environment, measurement preparation is optimized even before it is deployed, for any new part.

This capability is vital in the FMS field, where speed and quality are essential.

By offering both offline simulation capabilities and real-time control, metrology software enables manufacturers to plan effectively and execute with precision. The digital twin enables the simulation key factors like robot movement and 3D sensor constraints.  For example, maintaining the correct distance from parts and staying within the tracking devices’ field of view. This simulation helps identify potential issues early, allowing manufacturers to address them before the system goes live.

This integration of offline simulation and real-time control increases production efficiency, delivering a significant competitive advantage for automotive manufacturers.

Flexibility, the key to driving future success for the automotive industry

The need for Flexible Manufacturing Systems in the automotive industry is clearer than ever. As market demands, technologies, and trade regulations evolve, manufacturers must be able to adapt swiftly without sacrificing precision or quality. By integrating robotics and 3D sensors controlled by advanced metrology software, FMS enables manufacturers to maintain agility and ensure the highest standards of production.

In this rapidly changing landscape, choosing the right FMS is critical to staying competitive and driving future success.