Body shop robots are fitted with a combined total of over 600 welding tongs.
If the tongs ever need replacing unexpectedly, it costs significant time and money.
Moreover, many of the robots are difficult to access, so dismantling and replacing their tongs can take hours.
Until now, the condition of tongs has been monitored by eye, by a member of the production team.
But in recent months, the maintenance specialists at Plant Munich have been fitting sensors to all the tongs to measure friction levels three times per shift and report any abnormalities.
The data they produce is constantly evaluated by software, allowing potential machine failures to be predicted.
Martin Hilt, Innovation and Digitalisation Officer at Plant Munich, explains: “Because we have the sensors and collect their data in a cloud, we can now monitor round-the-clock whether any maintenance work is needed.
So, we can plan any replacements better and potentially schedule them for a production break.”
