AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (December 14, 2015) – ABB Robotics received the Global Powertrain Manufacturing Excellence award from the Ford Motor Company at the Ford Powertrain Manufacturing global supplier summit in Dearborn, Michigan on October 28, 2015. The award recognized ABB’s Flexible Cylinder Head Assembly (FCHA) system for bringing superior technical innovation and global supply solutions to improve investment efficiency at Ford.

The FCHA system is the result of the joint development effort between Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering and ABB Robotics Powertrain Robot Systems. ABB began developing the FCHA technology in 2008 for a formal design competition that Ford Motor Company initiated to develop a more flexible and cost effective system to assemble cylinder heads at its engine manufacturing facilities. After reviewing designs from six participating manufacturers, Ford selected two to work with further. Following a second development phase and a subsequent review in 2010, Ford selected ABB as a sole development partner for this technology.

For the last five years the ABB Research and Development (R&D) team at the Auburn Hills, Michigan facility has collaborated with the Ford Powertrain Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (AME) group to refine the technology. In 2014, when the development had progressed to the stage where it satisfactorily addressed the necessary challenges, ABB won a competitive bid to deliver four complete FCHA systems. The first is currently being launched at the Ford Cleveland engine plant, with additional systems soon bound for Lima, Ohio; Essex, Ontario, Canada; and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The ABB FCHA design improves upon traditional serial assembly systems by allowing multiple cylinder head architectures to be assembled simultaneously, without the need for time consuming and production halting changeovers. The innovative technology provides a modular and flexible platform based on parallel processing, minimizing, and in many instances eliminating, the use of dedicated stations. This incorporates redundancy for critical operations, and allows production volumes to be easily adjusted as required.

“Collaborating with Ford on this project has been very rewarding. Nobody else has this technology,” said Isaac Zolotarev, R&D manager, ABB Robotics. “With a very competitive initial investment, we can provide a system that reduces tooling costs and the time required to launch new architectures, while improving product quality and reducing the system footprint. It is a very significant accomplishment in cost effective flexibility and performance.”

A complete FCHA system features 15 ABB robots, comprised of four different medium and high payload 6-axis models. Certain modules within the system can be integrated into existing, traditional cylinder head assembly stations, such as installation of plugs, sealer dispensing, valvetrain assembly and test.

Additional FCHA system features include:

• Force and distance monitoring for valve assembly and key up processes prevents damage of delicate components;
• Integrated key up checks at point of assembly;
• Loctite/sealer dispensing with a single nozzle for any size holes;
• Integrated quality checks throughout the assembly process.

Ford has designated the system as an internal Bill of Process (BOP), establishing it as the new design standard for all cylinder head assembly lines installed at Ford engine manufacturing systems.

The technologies and methods utilized within the FCHA system are adaptable across a wide spectrum of applications and products, opening up potential for the design components to be applied to a wide variety of alternative uses and industries.
ABB and Ford have filed at the Unites States Patent and Trademark Office and other patent offices a joint patent application for the FCHA system. The US application is published as US 2015/0240744 A1.

ABB, the world’s leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $52 million to boost the flexibility and efficiency of Changan Ford Automobile Co., Ltd.’s new production facility in Harbin, China. The robots will be used to make Ford’s new Focus model. ABB will provide robots including the IRB 6700 and IRB 7600 for Changan Ford’s new highly-automated “Body in White” welding production line. Included in the order is ABB’s GateFramer car body framing positioning system, capable of producing up to six vehicle models on the same line, with just 18 seconds needed to switch to a different model.

ABB robots at the new Changan Ford plant will bolster the carmaker’s flexible manufacturing allowing it to respond swiftly to changing consumer sentiment and demand while simultaneously reducing investment costs compared to traditional production lines. ABB has worked with Changan Ford since 2007, with ABB robots producing the joint venture’s Ford Mondeos at manufacturing plants in Chongqing. “Changan Ford and ABB have a longstanding relationship, and we are pleased to see ABB’s solid reputation for providing outstanding and reliable technology and excellent project management capabilities gain customer recognition once again,” said Pekka Tiitinen, president of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. “Improving industrial productivity is one of the major drivers of ABB’s business growth under the ‘Next Level’ strategy. ABB’s flexible, intelligent manufacturing technologies help customers effectively reduce their investment costs and enhance their productivity and respond to the market needs in a timely fashion.”

The IRB 6700 robot family, a new generation of large industrial robots, was introduced to the market in 2013. More robust and 15% more energy efficient than its predecessor, its maintenance has been simplified, making it the highest performing robot for the lowest total cost of ownership in the 150-300 kg class. ABB also will provide Changan Ford with comprehensive and advanced Body-in-White solutions, including a flexible car body conveying system and laser welding system, as well as the robotic Roller Hemming system which is used for the production of the vehicles’ four doors and roof. ABB’s industrial robot technologies cover the entire automobile production process, including stamping, Body in White, painting, and powertrains.

Automobile customers include international automakers such as BMW, Honda, Volvo and Great Wall Automobile. ABB Robotics is a leading supplier of industrial robots – also providing robot software, peripheral equipment, modular manufacturing cells and service for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletizing and machine tending. Key markets include automotive plastics, metal fabrication, foundry, e lectronics, machine tools, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. A strong solutions focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. ABB has installed more than 250,000 robots worldwide.

A growing relationship with Italian automotive supplier Faustinelli s.r.l. leads to a new service agreement and a robot package with Integrated Vision, providing key advantages such as more flexibility, faster setup time and easier handling. Mild weather and well-drained soil makes the northern Italian region surrounding the city of Rovato perfect for cultivating grapes and winemaking. In this area companies ranging from small- to medium-sized are mostly involved in the food and beverage and engineering industries. With its workforce of 30 employees, Faustinelli fits the area well, specializing in precision machining of mechanical parts for water pumps and steering produced for the automotive industry.

The company’s relationship with ABB Robotics harkens back to 2010-2012 when two robotized cells were equipped with an IRB 1600 and an IRB 2600 for picking and placing of machining tools. Shortly thereafter, a Robot Care service agreement was signed with ABB Robotics. In 2014, pleased with the service of the Italian Service Team, Faustinelli ordered two reconditioned robots: an IRB 1400 and an IRB 1600 with Integrated Vision. Impressed with the resulting added flexibility and lower setup time, yet another reconditioned IRB 1600 with Integrated Vision was ordered at year’s end.

“Integrated Vision ensures full flexibility,” says Dr. Diego Scarsi, Managing Director, Faustinelli s.r.l. “Just one click, and the robot park can start again with a new part.”

Faustinelli’s Chief Technologist Stefano Zani adds that the new feature has dramatically shortened system setup time. “Integrated Vision lets me create a new job 50% faster than before. Being integrated with RobotStudio, I no longer need to use two programs to setup a new robot operation. Thanks to ABB’s advanced algorithms, no special measures and/or corrections are needed when creating the job. Everything is designed to be quick, easy and efficient, which translates into increased quality and productivity.”

From humble beginnings with just one Robot Care service agreement to a full-fledged product and service package, ABB Robotics’ relationship with Faustinelli highlights how service is truly scalable—and hints at a strong relationship into the future.

Summary of service agreement benefits:
Peace of mind with ABB keeping the robots running
High productivity
Fewer unplanned stops
Longer life due to world-class maintenance
Fixed costs

Summary of Integrated Vision benefits:
Increased flexibility
Shortened setup time
Ease of use while integrated with RobotStudio

(Photo: ABB)