Automated sidelite assembly, courtesy of Premier Automation

Automated Sidelite Assembly Premier Automation, A FANUC Authorized System Integrator has designed and built an assembly system for vehicle side windows or sidelites. Car windows are made of laminated glass, which prevents the glass from breaking into large, sharp pieces in the event of a crash. The sidelite consists of two glass panels with a vinyl sheet between them to minimize shattering. Operators feed stacks of vinyl sheets up to 12” tall into the cell via a conveyor. A robot peels single sheets of vinyl off of the stack and places them onto a second conveyor. A second robot equipped with FANUC iRVision uses a camera to locate and pick each sheet from the conveyor. Glass panels are simultaneously fed into the cell one-at-a-time by operators on a separate conveyor system. After their exact locations are determined by a vision system, a third robot picks and transfers the panels to a movable assembly stand above the outfeed conveyor. After the first glass panel is placed onto the assembly stand, the second robot precisely places a vinyl sheet on top of the panel. The third robot then places a second glass panel on top of the vinyl sheet, sandwiching it between the two panels. The assembly process must be completed in under 12 seconds and the placement of the panels has to be exact, otherwise the assembled sidelite would have to be scrapped. Vision systems allow for precise sheet and panel pick and placement, virtually eliminating scrapped assemblies. From Concept to Completion – Wherever You Need a Partner, Contact Premier Automation