TRAPO competence along the wheel production chain

Depalletizing

The finished wheels are delivered to the plant lying on EWPS pallets (European Wheel Pallet System). The standardized reusable packaging for wheels speeds up the flow of materials in the automotive industry and saves transport costs. In the first step, the protective lid is removed from the wheels and the interlayer film is removed. This film is collected, pressed in a channel baler and made available for recycling as a sought-after raw material.

Transport and control

The exact position of the wheels is determined by a scanning system, which transfers the position data to the robot. In addition, a comparison is made to determine whether the pallet fed for depalletizing is the correct format. This is a prerequisite for ruling out damage to the system on the one hand and clarifying whether the correct product is present on the other. Grippers pick up the wheels and place them on the conveyor belt. There the clear identification takes place – is the wheel really the right one?

Design recognition

In the design recognition, the height and diameter of the wheel are recorded. In addition, the bolt circle diameter and the styling of the wheel are determined. By measuring the offset and hub fit, each wheel can be clearly identified and assigned. During a manual and visual inspection, the worker also checks the wheel for transport damage. If there are any defects, the wheel is rejected. If it is scratched, it is passed on for reworking.

Applying the hub cap / packing

The inspected wheels are transported to the manual hubcap applicating station. Finally, the wheels including the hubcaps are automatically placed individually into cartons via a gantry with clamping gripper. The cartons are erected and positioned beforehand and the lugs are fixed in place. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the design side is protected with foam foil, after which accessories are placed in the carton. Flyers, caps, screws and lids are added manually. This is followed by automatic closing and labeling of the cartons.

Shipping preparation

According to the customer’s specifications, the cartons are lifted into mesh baskets provided or, optionally, automatically palletized on a wooden pallet by robot handling, strapped with plastic straps or stretched.