More automation and greater added value from robot production

Our approach was to provide Diehl Aviation with comprehensive, sustainable availability of robot-aided processes. This meant taking a wider view of the client’s need for production-ready robot programs – a view that also took aspects like interdepartmental processes, jig and fixture construction, data standards and competency status issues into account. A higher degree of automation is contingent on a higher degree of digital maturity.

We assisted the Diehl Aviation team in standardizing their CAD data models in CATIA to improve cross-unit information processing.

A further milestone related to the calibration of the robot facilities. Diehl Aviation wanted to be able to test the robot programs in a virtual environment. Calibration was necessary to ensure maximum realism in simulation.

This established a foundation on which CENIT’s FASTSUITE Edition 2 software could demonstrate all its capabilities. Our digital factory application for simulation and offline programming of industrial robots and machines is based on a universal approach that suited Diehl Aviation’s needs perfectly.

Since FASTSUITE Edition 2 supports a wide range of manufacturing technologies, Diehl Aviation is now able to generate robot programs for laser welding of plastic components as well as the tool cleaning process. The CENIT team even expanded the software library to account for the unique requirements of surface cleaning.

Because FASTSUITE was developed to enable manufacturer-independent yet highly realistic robot simulation, Diehl Aviation also gained new flexibility with respect to the equipment used in its robot cells. Prior to handover to production, the aircraft supplier’s team can therefore use simulation to test, optimize and validate the robot programs for its cleaning facility and the 8-axis ABB robot devices.

These results promote the business goals Diehl Aviation wished to achieve with the project. Workflows have become more efficient and – particularly regarding the cleaning processes – a great deal faster. FASTSUITE fully supports adaptation to changing production requirements: To date, more than 340 robot programs have already been generated and validated virtually.

Plant downtime has also been reduced significantly, ensuring an increased level of automation and optimal return on investment in the robot facilities.