Innovative System Concept: One Line – Any Part

Automotive supplier Promotech produces up to 10 million housings for airbag sensors every year. It was time to replace two existing production lines with a pioneering production system integrating manufacturing, testing, and palletizing of the housings. One requirement stood out: The multifunctional system with five Stäubli SCARA robots had to be convertible to an extremely wide range of parts in the shortest time possible.

Promotech is a well-established, technologically advanced company with around 225 employees, specializing in the fully automated production of highly precise contact components and sensor housings. The company also offers conceptual support to its customers regarding feasibility, manufacturing processes, material selection, and more. AutoLab Next Automation GmbH is part of the Promotech Group.

The advantages of having two companies within the same group, each with expertise in complementary disciplines such as mechanical engineering and software, are evident in the new airbag sensor production system, which was digitally designed and simulated using Stäubli Robotics Suite. The SRS simulation results led to significant time savings during system design, helped prevent errors, provided reliable cycle-time forecasts, and greatly simplified commissioning.

Thanks to its highly modular design, AI-assisted inspection processes, and wide range of expansion options, the multifunctional production system redefines flexibility. “With the ‘One Line - Any Part’ approach, we can take the production of complex injection-molded components to a new level and manufacture 70 to 80 percent of our product portfolio with a single system,” says Promotech Managing Director Michael Benninger.

Five high-precision Stäubli SCARA robots handle parts across the three system modules: manufacturing, testing, and palletizing. A TS2-60 picks up the metal contacts from the stamping line and transfers them to an intermediate storage area, while a large TS2-100 four-axis robot loads the injection molding machine. A second TS2-100 SCARA removes the molded parts from the machine and places them on the transfer system feeding the directly connected inspection cell. A fourth Stäubli SCARA robot, the TS2-80, positions the housings on workpiece carriers that transport them through the inspection cell. There, the process includes electrical tests, a mechanical length measurement, and three AI-assisted camera-based inspections, before a fifth Stäubli SCARA transfers the parts to palletizing.

The entire system is designed for maximum flexibility. Michael Benninger explains: “We designed the system so that even doubling quantities could be implemented quickly. All stations are generously sized, and if required, we can easily install a second stamping line along with an additional handling robot – done.” This is where the highly modular approach truly pays off.

The same applies to the testing cell, as Thomas Benninger, Managing Director of AutoLab, explains: “For end-of-line testing, we rely on AI-assisted detection of complex inspection characteristics. Our AI solutions enable optical inspections that were previously unthinkable. Today, we can carry out two-thirds of inspections using camera-based systems.” The key advantage: switching to another product variant is done digitally with just a few mouse clicks.

This leaves the question of why Promotech relies exclusively on Stäubli robots today. Michael Benninger provides the answer: 

““We have extensive robotics experience with other manufacturers as well. The fact that we have relied exclusively on Stäubli for many years is due in part to the robots’ superior JCS drive technology. In terms of precision, dynamics, and availability, these machines are unbeatable – exactly what we need for continuous 24/7 operation. And we have also had very good experiences with Stäubli support. It simply fits – as we say in Austria.”