Robots Weld, Bond and Clip in the Automotive Supply Industry

They swing their arms, turn on their own axis, act overhead - all in precisely coordinated movements and positions. They assemble around 20 individual parts to create a complete product. 20 robots assemble a side member in the shortest possible time in a precisely synchronized interaction. Four of these components form the framework for a floor assembly, which in turn supports the battery in each of the new all-electric ID vehicles manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau.  

The distance that the side members have to travel to their installation location is not long. There are around 15 kilometers between the two locations. The starting point for the journey is the new plant of the international automotive supplier Meleghy Automotive in Reinsdorf on the A 72 near Zwickau, where series production has been running since February 2021. Here, a total of 80 robots weld, glue and clip the e-vehicle components in four lines according to precisely defined programs.

The automation experts from AKE Systemtechnik GmbH Reinsdorf developed the technical solution and got it up and running in close cooperation with the engineering staff at Meleghy Automotive. The fact that the order location is in the immediate vicinity is probably more of a coincidence. However, the fact that Meleghy Automotive and AKE are working together is not. The partnership between the two medium-sized, family-run companies Meleghy Automotive and AKE has existed for almost a decade. Among other things, AKE has already put similar plant technology to that in Reinsdorf into operation at the Meleghy Automotive plant in Gera in mid-2019. Among other things, side members for the VW ID.3 electric cars are also produced there on the basis of the automotive group's Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB).