- The old automobile line survey should also coverWorkpiece, process, space, structure, energy, control and safetySeven categories of conditions.
- The critical dimensions are not just pick and place points;Dynamic envelope of fixture and workpiece, movement range of machine door and tooling。
- When adjacent to robots, conveyor lines, or welding machines, check in advance.Status interfaces, emergency stop boundaries and construction permits。
- Unconfirmed concealment conditions must be includedTo be verified list, cannot be satisfied by default during the program phase.
Old production lines in automobile factories often have a stable cycle time, and tooling, conveyor lines, robots, guardrails and personnel passages are closely connected to each other. The purpose of on-site confirmation before adding a Pneumatic Industrial Manipulator is not to collect a bunch of photos, but to form a "current status baseline" that can support selection, design, construction and acceptance. Missing any critical boundary can turn into rework during installation.
01Workpiece conditions: first clarify what to move
- All vehicle models or part models, as well as future planned compatible ranges.
- Weight, dimensions, tolerances, center of gravity and worst combinations.
- Positions where clamping, vacuum gripping, inner support or lifting are allowed, as well as areas where no pressure or no marking is allowed.
- Incoming material posture, placement deviation, packaging or material frame form.
- Whether there is oil, water, dust, protective film or curvature changes on the surface of the finished product.
You can't just provide "maximum weight". Doors, seats, battery trays and tires with the same weight have completely different centers of gravity, stress points and handling actions, as well as different end tooling units and equipment loads.
02Process conditions: Complete description of one cycle
Record the picking position, clamping direction, lifting height, moving path, whether to flip, discharge reference, release conditions and return position. The automotive workstation should also indicate when the machine door, positioning pins, clamps, lift tables, turntables, conveyor line pallets and robots will move.
The cycle time should be measured for a complete cycle, and the output of each shift, working frequency, continuous operation time and frequency of model change should be recorded. If there will be temporary detours, waiting or secondary adjustments, these should also be recorded truthfully. These are often the real problems that need to be solved during the retrofit.
03Spatial conditions: measure dynamic envelope rather than open space size
The plane dimensions include at least the coordinates of the pick-and-place point, equipment shape, columns, walls, guardrails, material racks, personnel passages and forklift routes; the height direction includes the pick-and-place height, obstacle clearance height, top steel beams, bridges, air ducts, lighting, sprinklers and door opening ranges.
For large automobile parts, the outer contour of the workpiece and the fixture must be calculated together. A tunnel that can be passed unloaded can be completely different with doors, a roof or a battery tray. It is recommended to establish sweep envelopes in different postures and reserve space for maintenance and abnormal evacuation.
04Structural conditions: Who will bear the load on the ground or on the top?
| Mounting Configuration | Need confirmation | Common information |
|---|---|---|
| Column type | Concrete thickness, strength, cracks, steel bars, trenches and underground pipelines | Civil engineering drawings, detection results, basic review |
| Overhead-mounted | Beam and column sections, materials, connection nodes, existing loads and vibrations | Steel structure drawings, structural calculations or review opinions |
| Rail-mounted | Multiple lifting points, end stops, track levels and maintenance access | Lifting point layout, track and bracket plan |
| Mobile | Ground level, slope, joints, load-bearing and fixed positions | Moving route and position inspection requirements |
Structural bearing capacity should be reviewed by competent personnel. The forces and installation conditions given by the equipment supplier are inputs for structural review and are not equivalent to confirmation of the bearing capacity of the factory building or foundation.
05compressed-air supply, power supply and pipeline conditions
- compressed-air supply:Access points, dynamic pressure, available flow, pipe diameter, filter drying, drainage and other large gas consumers.
- Power supply:Voltage, capacity, grounding, power interruption locations, as well as vacuum pump, sensor, identification and control system requirements.
- Pipeline:Fixing, bending, range of motion and wear protection for hoses, cables and energy chains.
- Environment:Influences such as temperature, dust, welding slag, oil mist, cleaning fluid, strong light, magnetic field and noise.
06Adjacent equipment and control interfaces
List the robots, welding machines, presses, conveyor lines, lifting tables, turntables, positioning fixtures and safety doors that have a temporal relationship with the work station. Make it clear who provides statuses such as "Pickup allowed", "Putout allowed", "Workpiece in place", "Clamp exited", etc., and how the system remains safe when communication is interrupted or signals are conflicting.
If the manipulator is completely operated manually, adjacent automatic equipment cannot be ignored. When the sweeping area of manual assist equipment intersects with the robot or workpiece action area, risks need to be controlled through layout, limit, timing or isolation means.
07Construction and production organization conditions
- Downtime windows, night shift or weekend construction schedules available.
- Fire, height, lifting, drilling and temporary electrical permissions.
- Construction area isolation, material move-in routes and lifting conditions.
- Underground pipeline identification, dust and chip protection, and completion cleaning.
- Release manager and first article confirmation process for production resumption after installation.
08Old automobile line site survey form
| Category | information that must be obtained | output evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Workpiece | Model, weight, dimensions, center of gravity, contact area | Parameter table and sample photos |
| process | Complete motion sequence, cycle time, changeovers, and abnormal conditions | Flowchart or video |
| Layout | Plans, elevations, dynamic envelopes and channels | Current status drawing with reference dimensions |
| structure | Foundation or steel structure conditions | Drawings, inspection or review records |
| energy | Gas, Electricity, Vacuum and Dynamic Capabilities | Interface points and measurement records |
| control | Neighboring equipment status and interlocking boundaries | Interface List and Timing Diagram |
| safe | Passage, emergency stop, isolation and abnormal handling | Risk review record |
| installation work | Line shutdown, permitting, move-in and resumption of production | Construction window and responsibility list |
After completing this list of site conditions, equipment loads, installation methods, fixture plans and project boundaries can be written into the technical agreement. For old automobile lines, spending more time in the early stage to test clearly is usually more valuable than temporarily changing the structure during the installation stage.