Milling robot for processing panels of electric busses

For the production of electric buses, wall panels are manufactured from composite material. The typical size of a panel is 3600 x 2500 mm.

After pressing a panel, the edges are machined, several holes are milled and drilled, and window openings are cut into the panels. Various operations must be carried out with a positional accuracy of ±0.5 mm. A complicating factor is the variation in dimensions and shapes of the pressed bus panels.

To bridge a period of approximately two years during which a fully automated high-volume line was being built, a temporary system was implemented to automate the mentioned processes. The following existing and available materials were used for the realization of this system:

- A Fanuc robot track with a length of about 12 meters
- A rack for fixing one (or two) bus walls
- A 2.2 kW spindle with a tool changer
- Dust extraction system

Tasks performed by EBtech:

- Electrically, pneumatically, and mechanically creating a stable system
- Integration of a measuring system for determining the position and dimensions of the panels to be milled
- Programming the entire production process
- Generating milling contours, manually and using RoboDK (based on STEP files)
- Programming a calibration method to compensate for robot inaccuracies
- Selecting and integrating a replacement spindle (to reduce downtime and costs)
- Training personnel, optimizing, and maintaining the system