Assembly made easier thanks to hardware and software

Today’s manufacturing industry requires a great deal of flexibility. New products are constantly being developed with multiple variants, which greatly increases the complexity of assembly operations.

Some questions that may be helpful to consider:

• What happens when variants are added or removed?
• What about a single assembly line producing multiple product types, each with a number of unique variations?
• How easily can assembly tools and equipment be moved or redeployed to accommodate these changes?

The traditional corded assembly tool system consists of a controller, cable and the tool itself. In high-volume assembly applications, any given tool on the assembly line is usually dedicated to a single operation.

When the volume of products variations coming down the line becomes too demanding on a single tool, this would typically require an additional tool and system to be deployed in the station.

With the Power Focus 6000, one controller can handle multiple wireless tools, each performing its own tightening operation simultaneously on a single controller thanks to our proprietary Virtual Station concept.

Hidden costs uncovered

Let’s consider the actual cost of an additional system. Besides the capital expenditure for the tool, controller and cabling, there are some “hidden” integration costs that are not always considered up front. This can include:

-Labor to physically mount the controller hardware near the assembly line

-Making electrical and network connections

-Manually configuring the system to perform the desired operation.

Among other items.

Atlas Copco is here to help make the rebalancing process simpler and more efficient, using our complete package of tightening system hardware and software. Using the Power Focus 6000, one controller can handle multiple wireless tools, each performing its own tightening operation simultaneously on a single controller thanks to our proprietary Virtual Station concept.

“What does this mean for me?”

This means less physical hardware required to operate the tooling, and versatility to operate connected wireless tools in multiple locations. Virtual Stations can significantly decrease installation demand and save cost in case a tool ever needs to be added or redeployed elsewhere.

What about configuration updates when assembly requirements change? Remote programming via the embedded Power Focus 6000 controller HMI has you covered, giving control over all tools on the network without ever touching the system.

For more advanced management of settings and software versions, ToolsTalk 2 software features offline programming and a user-managed configuration library, allowing changes to be made quickly and efficiently with the press of a button, from anywhere on the plant network.

Want to learn more about what Atlas Copco can do for your balance of hardware and software in assembly? Questions about the Power Focus 6000? Contact us today for a demonstration.