A robotised cellular sealing system has been developed for sealing three gaskets onto an electronic control module.

Changes in the economy and uncertainty in some markets change how manufacturers view the capital equipment purchase decision. lean manufacturing practices and cellular plant layouts produce these trends in plant design : * Manufacturers are using smaller, less expensive machines. * Existing machines are sometimes rebuilt or reprogrammed.

* Flexible tooling instead of dedicated tooling enables part changes without capital expenditure.

* Higher volumes can be ramped up by adding machines as needed instead of purchasing larger machines with production capabilities not required.

* Prototyping is accomplished quickly without disrupting current production.

Kern-Liebers recently developed this cellular approach to dispensing for a Tier I electronics supplier.

The connectors in the electronic control module are sealed with three gaskets to protect against dust and moisture.

The gaskets, three millimeters wide and two millimeters thick, are made of single-component silicone.

A KUKA KR 3 robot was chosen for this highly compact system due to its small dimensions and was teamed with the Kern-Liebers DG-M01 modular dispensing system.

The robot controller is linked directly to the Kern-Liebers DG-M01 PLC system.

All dispensing and robotic parameters are entered directly and monitored continuously using a single teach pendant.

A ceramic sealing nozzle makes the system practically wear-free and eliminates the need for cleaning shots during operation.

The double-sliding shuttle table is loaded and unloaded manually.

The UV curing oven is just one meter long and cures the gaskets in only two minutes.

The system was designed by Kern-Liebers USA Dispensing Technology, built in Schramberg, Germany, and commissioned in just one day at the customer's plant in Mexico.

The DG-M01, because of its modular design and control integration capability, simplified the system design process.

Programming the robot to act as the dispensing arm of the DG-M01 was accomplished quickly and accurately.

Streamlining these design considerations reduces the payback time of the system and builds in flexibility to ease any future changes in part design or sealing material.

As the program ramps up, additional dispensing cells can be added.

Model changes are accomplished by changing programs which is not difficult since the Kern-Liebers DG-M01 holds up to 99 programs in memory.