Pneumatics support helps with welding machines

As part of a pro-active role with Garrandale Systems, SMC Pneumatics had significant input on important detail engineering issues during the development of some modular automatic welding equipment

The development of a range of specialist machines, including modular concept automatic welding equipment by Garrandale Systems has been crucial for the company's increased penetration of the automobile exhaust manufacturing industry.

The modular concept of Garrandale's machine designs, plus the strength and commitment of the company's supplier team partnerships, especially with SMC Pneumatics, is a crucial factor in gaining important contracts against strong competition.

As part of its pro-active role with Garrandale, SMC had significant input on some very important detail engineering issues during the development of the welding systems.

Now, through the success of the now proven welding system and associated tooling as supplied by Garrandale to exhaust manufacturer Arvin Meritor of Blackpool for the efficient production of a new Jaguar car exhaust, the Derby company is gaining further success.

It has secured a further order to supply Arvin Meritor with further machines, which include a flat and punch press and an additional single torch welding machine and two twin station, twin torch welding systems.

Each of the machines have a compact footprint that enables efficient floor space usage and there are a number of important design features that permit inter-changeability and provide Arvin Meritor with maximum flexibility and long-term cost-effectiveness for a wide range of potential future requirements.

The welding machines locate, contain and rotate the components of the exhaust systems to be assembled whilst the welding torch is manipulated to produce a quality weld.

One of the key elements in Garrandale realising the tooling concept is the fine control, adjustment and absolute precision of the SMC pressure regulators at low air pressures - in this case cylinders from SMC's CDG range as used on a special lifting table that is a major feature of the welding systems.

This feature ensures balancing of the component weight and most importantly for the operator, ease of handling parts whilst loading and locating them.

The demands on the CDG pressure regulators are such that a drop in pressure of just 5psi would lose the critical balance between the two parts and the quality and integrity of the welded joint would be lost and correct manual manipulation would not be possible.

Once fully located in to the machines' tooling, the components are securely held during the welding operation by increasing the pressure on the SMC cylinders.

Other SMC products within these welding systems that perform crucial control operations include MK cylinders for exhaust component clamping and the manipulation of the welding torches is achieved via CRB actuators and the SY range of control valves.

Control for the assembled component eject systems is applied by SMC's CRB rotary actuators.

Garrandale's engineering team has a long-term commitment to SMC Pneumatics, since SMC's entry into the UK market 18 years ago.

It is this commitment, reflected in SMC's continuous improvement policies and close customer support that enabled Garrandale to persuade Arvin Meritor to change the specification it had laid down for the welding systems it sought, to allow for SMC Pneumatics products to be used.

As Garrandale director Malcolm Harper explained, the over-riding objective for Arvin Meritor with the automatic welding machines was for maximum efficiency and reliability to accelerate factory throughput in an intensely competitive environment.

"The competitive pressures in the automotive OEM market are such that Arvin had to ensure fast order turn-round and completely reliable Just-In-Time deliveries.

On a project such as that at Jaguar, where Arvin Meritor had to bid to supply exhaust systems for a new model that was being developed for launch within a few months, Garrandale had to demonstrate its capabilities.

We had to prove our ability to deliver a system that fulfilled every objective within rigorous criteria, together with proof of compliance against stringent measures," he said.

"We realised that we had to provide a complete turn-key solution with full engineering back-up as components suppliers such as Arvin Meritor cannot run the slightest risk of on-line downtime.

We had to have complete faith in our own suppliers, especially those providing such vital components as SMC.

In addition, it gave Arvin Meritor great confidence for them to know we had such a long history of dealing with the largest pneumatics supplier in the world that had the largest range of proven products and a vast national network of engineering expertise and spare parts support with continuous technical advice," emphasised Malcolm Harper.

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