Drives & Controls Magazine February 2023

38 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING February 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Alfa revs up to produce its new Tonale SUV C omau, the robotics and automation supplier owned by the Stellantis group, has designed and built a flexible body-in-white (BIW) manufacturing system for Alfa Romeo’s new Tonale mid-sized SUV. The project involved building, retooling and deploying 20 state-of- the-art manufacturing lines. The combination of new and enhanced lines are designed to allow the car-maker to assemble the Tonale in a randommix of up to four different versions including versions with both hybrid and traditional engine architectures. The scalable systemwill also allow Alfa to produce multiple brands on the same line, while offering the scope to expand production in the future if necessary. Tasked with building five completely new lines and retooling 15 existing lines to accommodate the Tonale, Comau deployed the production lines rapidly, despite multiple challenges. The SUV chassis is much larger than the compact car for which the line was originally designed, and Comau had to make the necessary changes without sacrificing production of either vehicle. Through simultaneous engineering, it implemented a transformation strategy that allowed it to execute the retooling operation in parallel with existing activities, applying a philosophy that it calls“zero loss launch”. Engineers worked on the lines during plant downtime to minimise any impact on production. The complete system includes 468 welding robots, 148 of which are entirely new and 320 of which have been moved from existing lines. To ensure the required quality and throughput, Comau used advanced simulation tools during the development. As part a lean manufacturing approach, the automated and semi-automated production line is based on a proprietary technology nicknamed“butterfly”because of its agility and its use of upside-down robots. This set-up allows Alfa Romeo to change or modify vehicle models by adjusting the robot tooling – without having to re-arrange the robots themselves. As well as protecting the scalability of the initial investment, this approach will allow newmodels to be introduced in the future for a fraction of the initial cost. As well as allowing Alfa Romeo to perform the complex bodyshop processes with extreme precision, the new line assembles the entire BIW fully from start to finish. With the aid of three vision systems for automated picking and positioning of pieces, the robots weld, fasten and perform other activities, including spreading semi-structural adhesive on parts, and performing plasma cutting during end-of- line activities. The process involves around 2,800 welding spots for each vehicle. Comau says that the new line will deliver substantial savings for Alfa Romeo in terms of time, long-term costs and production efficiencies. Moreover, because the line is fully modular and has been built around standard products combined in an expandable design framework, the car-maker will be able to expand its manufacturing operations rapidly, with limited impact on existing production. “To join forces with a prestigious brand such as Alfa Romeo is an incredible opportunity to develop cutting-edge technologies,”says Comau CEO, Pietro Gorlier.“We are proud to see the tangible results of Comau’s field-proven expertise within the collaboration between two Italian examples of excellence.” Comau’s chief of engineering, Andrew Lloyd, adds that the new line will deliver“an unprecedented level of flexibility. This innovative approach to implementing brand- new technologies and retooling existing lines and equipment is a direct result of our commitment to offer increasingly scalable and sustainable solutions, helping our customers better meet their objectives today as well as tomorrow.” n Alfa Romeo has commissioned a body-in-white production line for its new Tonale SUV that gives it the flexibility to produce other models on the same line. The project involved building five new lines, as well as retooling 15 existing lines. It is using 468 welding robots – 320 of which were existing machines that have been repurposed. The new Tonale body-in-white production line uses a proprietary technology known as“butterfly”because of its agility and its use of inverted robots.