In the current booming automotive manufacturing industry, production efficiency and product quality have become the key factors for enterprises to stand out in the fierce market competition. A certain automotive parts manufacturing enterprise specializes in the production of automotive steering wheel connecting rods. To meet the growing market demand and enhance its own competitiveness, it decided to introduce an automated production line to achieve full - process automated operations from automatic raw material feeding, to necking, dot - marking, and finally finished product unloading.
Automatic Feeding System: An advanced vibrating bowl feeding device is adopted, which can orderly arrange and transport raw material pipes of different specifications. The vibrating bowl precisely controls the vibration frequency to ensure that the pipes are sent into the conveying track one by one. Then, a robotic arm accurately grabs the pipes according to the preset program and places them at the processing position of the subsequent necking process. This feeding system is equipped with an automatic detection function, which can monitor the supply of raw materials in real - time. When the inventory is insufficient, it will promptly issue an alarm to ensure the continuous operation of the production line. At the same time, in view of possible dimensional deviations of raw materials, the system is equipped with an automatic calibration mechanism, which can fine - tune the position of the pipes during the grabbing process to improve feeding accuracy. For example, the patent "An Automatic Feeding Tooling for Steering Wheel Steel Rings" applied by Zhangjiagang Jiuqiang Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has a similar technical idea to the automatic feeding system in this case. It improves feeding efficiency and positioning accuracy through automated devices, providing a technical feasibility reference for this case.
Necking Process: The necking equipment is one of the core links of the production line. It adopts a hydraulic - driven method and is equipped with high - precision molds. When the pipe is sent to the necking station, the mold quickly closes and applies uniform pressure to the end of the pipe, causing it to be necked and formed according to the design requirements. The equipment can precisely adjust parameters such as necking pressure, stroke, and speed through a programmable logic controller (PLC) to meet the necking process requirements of steering wheel connecting rods for different vehicle models. To ensure the stability of necking quality, this process is also integrated with an on - line detection system. Laser measurement technology is used to monitor the necking size in real - time. Once a deviation exceeds the allowable range, the system will immediately automatically adjust the equipment parameters or stop the production line for manual intervention.
Dot - Marking Process: The dot - marking device follows the necking process closely and is used to mark identification points or codes at specific positions on the necked connecting rod for subsequent product traceability and quality control. The dot - marking uses a high - energy laser beam, which can clearly and precisely make permanent marks on the surface of the connecting rod without damaging it. The dot - marking system is interconnected with the control system of the production line. It can automatically generate corresponding identification content according to production batches, product models, and other information, and ensure that the dot - marking positions on each connecting rod are consistent. In this way, the enterprise can quickly and accurately trace the production process, raw material sources, and quality inspection data of products, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of quality traceability.
Unloading System: After the necking and dot - marking processes, the finished steering wheel connecting rods are removed from the processing station by the automatic unloading device and classified and collected. The unloading device also uses a robotic arm to complete the grabbing action and places the finished products in bins or trays of different specifications for subsequent packaging and transportation. During the unloading process, the system will conduct a final appearance inspection on the finished products, reject products with obvious defects, and ensure the quality of products leaving the factory. At the same time, the unloading system has a counting function, which can count the production quantity in real - time and feedback the data to the production management system, facilitating the enterprise to master the production progress.
Significant Increase in Production Efficiency: Before the automated production line was put into use, manual operations were required to complete the processes of feeding, necking, dot - marking, and unloading. It took a long time to produce each steering wheel connecting rod, and the production rhythm was unstable due to factors such as manual fatigue. After the introduction of the production line, each process is closely connected and operates continuously, significantly improving production efficiency. For example, originally only [X] connecting rods could be produced per hour, but now [X + ΔX] connecting rods can be produced per hour, and the production capacity has increased by [ΔX / X * 100%], effectively meeting the market demand for product quantity. This is similar to the principle when Ford Motor introduced the assembly line in 1913, which greatly shortened the assembly time of the Model T and significantly improved production efficiency. Through the reasonable division and parallel operation of processes, the production speed was greatly increased.
Remarkable Improvement in Product Quality: On the automated production line, the operations of each process are completed by precise equipment and control systems, reducing quality fluctuations caused by human factors. The accuracy of necking size is strictly controlled, and the dot - marking position is accurate without error, greatly improving the appearance quality of products. The defective rate of products has decreased from the original [Y%] to [Y - ΔY%], reducing the production cost of the enterprise. At the same time, it has improved the competitiveness of products in the market and won more customer trust and orders for the enterprise.
Cost Reduction: On the one hand, the increase in production efficiency leads to an increase in output per unit time, reducing the fixed costs (such as equipment depreciation, site rental, etc.) allocated to each product. On the other hand, the improvement in product quality reduces the costs of rework and scrapping caused by defective products. In addition, the automated production line reduces the dependence on labor and reduces labor cost expenditures. Overall, the overall production cost of the enterprise has been effectively controlled, and the profit margin has been further expanded.
Improvement in Production Environment and Labor Intensity: The operation of the automated production line reduces the working hours of workers in harsh environments (such as high temperature and high noise) and reduces labor intensity. Workers are liberated from cumbersome and repetitive physical labor and turn to engage in more technical - content work such as equipment monitoring and maintenance, improving workers' job satisfaction and career development space, which helps the enterprise attract and retain talents.
The successful implementation of the automatic feeding, necking, dot - marking, and unloading production line for automotive steering wheel connecting rods in this case provides valuable experience for the production upgrade of automotive parts manufacturing enterprises. When introducing an automated production line, enterprises need to fully combine their own product characteristics and process requirements, carefully design the processes and parameters of each process, and ensure the smooth collaborative operation of equipment. At the same time, attention should be paid to the training of employees to enable them to master the operation and maintenance skills of new equipment proficiently. Looking to the future, with the continuous progress of technology, such as the in - depth application of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and other technologies in the automotive manufacturing industry, the production line of automotive steering wheel connecting rods is expected to achieve a higher level of intelligence, such as self - diagnosis and predictive maintenance of equipment, and real - time optimization of the production process, further enhancing the production efficiency and competitiveness of enterprises.
Full production line show:
