TracTive Suspension verifies with a Datalogic solution

TracTive Suspension
TracTive Suspension has been active in the field of suspension technology for decades. By deliberately seeking a good balance between employees with years of experience and the younger generation, the company often produces unique solutions: know-how coupled with fresh, innovative ideas.
No two days are the same; one day is spent tuning racing cars or motorbikes on the track and the next day is spent on R&D work.

One day in March last year, a big name in the car and motorbike industry, BMW, came to TracTive Suspension with a challenging issue.

Issue
TracTive Suspension has been producing components for BMW for many years. The client had imposed a stricter requirement for a specific part: the part must demonstrably contain two drops of Loctite*. By the time Automator came on the scene, TracTive Suspension had already tested a number of options without any success. The question to Sander van der Valk, Sales Engineer at Automator, is: do you have a solution that enables us to guarantee the customer that the required amount of Loctite has actually been applied to each component?

Solution
Sander immediately started playing around with different options and came up with an application that works. Sander explains: “Using two Datalogic P17 cameras and special lighting, it is possible to accurately detect whether Loctite is present on the part. By setting up the cameras in such a way that they can distinguish the colour difference on the component before and after Loctite has been applied, a guaranteed check is carried out.”

Foolproof
Before both drops are applied, the component is clamped in the workstation. The component can only continue being assembled after the cameras have detected both drops of Loctite. Because the component cannot be further processed without the cameras' approval, the application is completely foolproof.

Wide-ranging reporting capabilities
The great thing is that, thanks to the cameras' extensive software capabilities, it is possible to produce detailed reports for the customer. Sander explains: “This is an indispensable function due to the manufacturers' ever-increasing requirements for reproducibility in the production of components.”

Watch the 40-second video showing the application via this link.

Extra fact
Nice extra fact: the working method whereby years of experience were coupled with new insights was also used in this situation. It was one of the trainees who was working at TracTive Suspension at the time that worked out the design drawings for the system. In this case, as in others, it was this combination that made the project such a success!

Automating a control?
Are you also looking for a way to automate a control in your production process? Sander or one of his colleagues would be happy to discuss the options with you!

Pick up the phone and call +31 (0)10 415 64 00 or send an email to info@automator.nl and explain your situation.

* Loctite is a special metal adhesive that retains the clamp tension, so that connections that are mechanically "secured" do not loosen due to vibration, thermal expansion and/or an incorrect tightening torque.