Steel Stud Assembly Robot

Our client was looking for a robotic solution to improve throughput and product quality for their noise isolating steel wall studs. These consisted of two steel studs with blocks of double-sided adhesive foam joining them together, and strips of single-sided adhesive foam on top of the joints.

They previously had a manual assembly machine for this product, however the client wanted process improvements, including safety. The system consists of a Fanuc LR Mate 200iD/7L Robot, and custom designed end of arm tool with foam block and foam strip handling capabilities. The system also consists of a carriage that processes and presents foam blocks and strips to the robot that moves on a 7th-Axis linear rail system, and the necessary control systems.

 

Operators fill and load a magazine with recipe-specific foam blocks and load a roll of recipe-specific foam strips on the carriage. Next, operators load studs onto the adjustable clamping stations. Operators then start the robot on the side of the machine that they have loaded the studs into. The robot will start by placing foam blocks in all the necessary positions between the studs, with the carriage and robot moving along the length of the studs. After all the foam blocks are placed, the adjustable table clamps will compress the studs together to sandwich the foam blocks between the studs. Once clamped, the robot will move back along the length of the studs while placing foam strips over where it previously placed the foam blocks.

 

After the robot has completed the stud assembly process in one bay, and the operator has unloaded completed assemblies and loaded new studs in the other bay, the operator exchanges the foam block magazine for a full magazine and starts the robot working on assembling the new studs in the loaded bay.

For maximum throughput, operators can alternate between both bays, unloading/loading one while the robot assembles in the other. This allows for continuous workflow between the robot and operator. The system is also capable of assembling multiple SoundGuard profile types and sizes, with all change-out parts being toolless and easy to swap.