Use case: System solution for automated control cabinet assembly
For over 65 years, the Hager Group has been shaping the German electrical industry with sustainable products and solutions. As a leading provider of electrotechnical installations, Hager is a partner for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Its portfolio ranges from energy distribution, management, and monitoring to cable management, intelligent building control, and security technology.
Economic efficiency and the limits of manual assembly
To position oneself strategically and sustainably in the B2B environment, in addition to product quality, functionality, and design, an efficient production process and a functioning supply chain are crucial. Fluctuating results, time-consuming work steps, and an overall inefficient use of resources are just some of the criteria that have a detrimental effect in manual mass production but are difficult to forgive in an industrial setting.
Hager faced precisely this challenge in its control cabinet production. The assembly of the modular components, in particular, is a process that is hardly economically feasible to perform manually at the required batch sizes due to the numerous different parts and screw connections. Hager already had a semi-automated workstation, which was to be replaced by an automated solution as part of the project. Therefore, they sought a partner with experience in special-purpose machine construction who could automate the diverse processes of control cabinet assembly for industrial-scale production.
DEPRAG as an expert in special machine construction and automation
With its many years of experience in automation, DEPRAG designed a turnkey system solution, making it the perfect partner for this project. In addition to custom-made assemblies, many standard components from our screwdriving and feeding technology were also used.
- Two independently controllable screw function modules offer the necessary flexibility and ensure a short cycle time.
- The AST12 sequence control ensures the smooth running of the screwing process.
- The eacy feed vibratory bowl feeder handles the automated provision of the connecting elements.
Economical and flexible at the same time: One system for all variants
The result is a customized plug-in system with intuitive operation for assembling 85 different components. While the operator manually selects the control cabinet variant to be screwed together, the assembly plan specific to that variant is displayed in the next step. The various configurations of rail types, cover supports, and other components result in a total of 85 different variants, all of which can be screwed together using the same system. After assembly, the fully automated screwing process begins. Thanks to the two integrated screwing function modules, the screwing machine achieves an extremely short cycle time. Furthermore, the assembly of the next component can begin simultaneously during the ongoing screwing process to prevent machine downtime.
Automation for the future
The new production line represents an important step for Hager towards future-proof production. With its expertise and know-how, DEPRAG was able to develop a solution that is both economical and offers the necessary flexibility for Hager's diverse product range. Even though there were no specific quality issues previously, the new production line enables a significantly enhanced control mechanism, thus ensuring additional process reliability. A system for 85 components made by DEPRAG – the partner for special-purpose machine construction in screw assembly.
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