Reducing Cable Failure in the Automotive Industry

• What was needed: triflex® R robot dresspack with triflex RS universal retraction system module
• Requirements: A safe, flexible cable solution with a retraction system that prevents the cables from falling into the robot's working area; the solution should also be quick and easy to maintain
• Industry: Automotive production
• Success for the customer: There are now an average of only 7.5 incidents per week (down from 22); maintenance time fell from 55 hours per week to 7-11; the customer also benefits from a cable management solution that can be quickly maintained, saving additional time and cost

Jaguar Cars Limited needed a new cable guidance system for the automated industrial robots in a car factory.

The hoses containing the various power and signal cables were causing significant problems during operation by regularly falling into the robot's work area and blocking it. The hose was also damaging individual components when contacting sensitive panels. The cable guidance caused frequent downtime (527 failures within 25 weeks). An average of 22 faults and 55 minutes of maintenance work per week meant high costs in ongoing operations. If an incident also involved cable damage, all the plug connections had to be painstakingly removed and replaced. This further increased the maintenance cost.

Attempts to reprogram the robot's movements to prevent the cables from falling also failed. As the hose wore, it fell into various positions over time, leaving a completely new solution as the only option.

As an alternative to the cable hose, the project managers examined various solutions, finally leading to triflex R. The multi-axis cable management system was developed specifically for robotic applications.

Adding the triflex RS retraction system produced the perfect solution to the application's problems. The particularly compact universal module is mounted on the robot at existing fastening points and can also be used in tight installation spaces in combination with the triflex R dresspack. It ensures that power supply to the robot head is delivered reliably and without cable stress.

The retraction module allows the universal module to retract the cables with every movement, keeping the working area free. Downtime was reduced by two thirds (from an average of 55 malfunctions per week to 7.5). And instead of 55 minutes of maintenance per week, an average of only 7-11 minutes were required. Even if there is a major problem, maintenance is greatly simplified due to the modular triflex R design. The dresspack can be opened so that cables no longer have to be painstakingly removed at the ends for replacement.

The results were so satisfactory that the system is to be examined for use at other BIW plants.