Jaguar benefits from advanced robot-based sealing system from ABB

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has transformed traditional car body seam sealing, soundproofing and under body sealing operations at the Jaguar assembly plant in Castle Bromwich, by installing a fully automated six-axis robot-based facility.

The investment by Jaguar Cars Limited represents a move away from intensive manual labour-based operations to a robot-based system incorporating eight ABB industrial robots.

Installation began in February 2005 and the facility, which has a throughput of 43 vehicles per hour, has been in full operation since June 2005. The facility is fully automated with no operator intervention during normal operating conditions and has a high percentage of ‘no-touch’, which means that minimal post operation remedial sealing activities are required, as is normally the case with traditional automated sealing operations.

Commenting on the impact of the automated seam sealing and sound deadener facility, ABB senior project manager Robert Low says: “The automation of seam sealing and associated operations is a major investment in the Castle Bromwich plant, and a significant and timely step forward in optimising the efficiency of the Jaguar paint sealing process. The investment has helped establish consistently high levels of quality while almost eliminating what was a labour intensive and unpleasant job.”