Automating Equipment towards Industry 4.0: A New Concept for a Transfer System of Lengthy and Low-Stiffness Products for Automobiles

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Abstract
Several products with a high length/section ratio and with a relatively low stiffness are used in the automotive industry, causing several problems because of a lack of stiffness. One of the examples where this occurs is in the production of Bowden cables, where automation has played a very important role in the flexibility of processes and product quality. Within this product family, conduits, one of the components of Bowden cables, have proven to be one of the points of continuous improvement. Currently, the production process for this type of component is done in a fully automated way, which proves the importance of automation. However, the need to manufacture different references means that the equipment used needs to be characterized by its high flexibility. This work aims to develop a new transfer system for conduit preparation machines, which are focused on increasing the range of references possible to manufacture without affecting the quality and productivity of the equipment. Thus, a new concept of conduit transport has been successfully developed, able to deal with lengthy conduits without lacking quality or experiencing breakdowns of the equipment. The concept used to overcome this problem can be extended to other equipment with similar problems, even in the manufacturing of other kind of products.

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