Qbox Evolution – The QFP solution for dimensional control in Baomarc

Company

The company, a primary supplier of the automotive sector, has implemented the cell that was designed and developed by QFP. The main necessity was to carry out the dimensional check of the frame that houses the battery case on electric cars. As known, the battery case is a component that must adhere to strict standards of flatness and position of a series of features in fixed positions.

Baomarc is an Italian company that operates as a supplier to the automotive sector for some of the major car manufacturers in the world. The company has three offices in Italy, including the development center of Chivasso, and 5 offices around the world, in France, Mexico, Brazil, Romania and China, thus becoming a global provider of solutions for the sector.
The company carries out numerous processes, from profiling to bending by stretching, from molding to extrusion and numerous finishing treatments, ranging from milling to heat treatments to anodizing and polishing.

Baomarc

Challenge

Baomarc asked QFP to implement a geometric and dimensional control solution to be performed on the frame that houses the battery pack of electric cars. It is an aluminum metal support welded and machined in a 5-axis machining center which must be fully compliant with strict flatness criteria and must have a series of holes (suitable for the passage of electrical cables and pipes to conduct the liquid coolant) in very precise locations. The solution developed by QFP had to check 100% of the batch at 24/7 rhythms to ensure maximum productivity and efficiency.

Solution

QFP has implemented a solution from the QBOX range in Baomarc, in this case the QBOX Evolution, an automated cell with a high level of customization that integrates laser sensors and anthropomorphic robotics and is located alongside the production line.

A bridge crane system prepared by the company is used to bring the components inside the cell that are arranged horizontally, in the car position, on supports made by QFP, in order to integrate better with the measurement process. The loading of the components in the measuring cell must therefore simulate in all respects the real assembly set-up. At the start of the measurement process, the laser sensor checks the geometry, flatness and dimensional conformity of the piece. During the simulated set-up phase, the natural bending of the components is also verified following the load of the batteries.

The laser blade, moved by the robot and referenced by the tracker, acquires the geometry and dimensions of the component, certifies the correct position of the holes and feautures, returning a cloud of points that highlights with chromatic images the non-conforming parts.

The information thus acquired is sent to the data processing center and is visible to the operator’s control terminal.

QBOX range in Baomarc

BENEFITS

Baomarc has experienced some advantages following the implementation of the QBOX Evolution cell which are summarized below.

Speed of execution.
The geometric and dimensional control with a laser scanning system is much faster and more efficient than that carried out with traditional probing systems. The acquisition speed is up to 7/8 times higher than that detected with contact systems. Furthermore, the laser blade allows you to manage complex geometries, which cannot be acquired otherwise.

Precision and accuracy.
The laser system acquires millions of points with each scan, with high accuracy. This allows to obtain not only a more complete and exhaustive dimensional information, but also with the right precision for the application.

Also effective on non-collaborative surfaces.
The laser technology used is also effective on surfaces with high reflectance, such as metal, which make up the frame and the spar, without requiring the prior preparation of the component with markers and opacifiers. This makes the preparation operations faster on the one hand, and also cheaper on the other, as it does not require the setting up of the scene or the treatment of the component, nor the specific intervention of an operator in this regard.

High productivity, fast ROI, more consistent statistics.
The solution developed by QFP made it possible to make the inspection and dimensional control phase much more productive. If with the contact systems previously used by the company only 2 battery cases were checked per shift, now the laser system guarantees the verification of 3 frames per hour, which is about 20 per shift. This allowed the company to amortize the investment in automation quickly. The resulting information also brings with it advantages from a statistical point of view used both for monitoring and for the subsequent adjustment of the process, based on a larger statistical sample, it allows faster decisions and more choices to be made. correct motivated by the remarkable solidity of the data.