Design, construction and engineering
Electrical designing
Electronics development
Software development
Switch cabinet construction
Testing facilities
Automatic assembly machines
Complete production lines
Switch assemblies
STAHL Automation Technology
STAHL Automation Technology develops special solu-tions for assembly, manufacture and testing.
Our product and project portfolio encompasses the entire range of automation and testing technology; from simple tools and robot-supported manufacturing installations all the way to completely automatic electronic testing systems.
As a provider of system solutions, we offer complete pro-ject management, development, construction, assembly and commissioning from one source.
In this way we can guarantee flexible solutions, knowled-geable contact persons available any time, short transit and reaction times, as well as first-class service. With our devices and complete solutions, we help our customers manufacture and test their products with the highest degree of quality and economy.
Our customers include automobile manufacturers, au-tomobile industry subcontractors, medical technology, contract manufacturers, as well as producers of industrial and consumer goods.
STAHL Automation Technology
STAHL Automation Technology was founded in 1986 by Dipl. Ing. (FH) Ingo Stahl as a consulting engineering firm for testing and control technology. From the beginning, the company has been involved in electrical designing, switch cabinet construction, and the development of electronics and software.
Since the founding of our own design and construction department in 1998, all development areas for our pro-jects are available under one roof.
We have been able to continuously expand our customer base with innovative devices and systems, as well as our outstanding service. From the beginning, our systems have been in use around the world, so that our company is very internationally oriented today.
The STAHL assembly technology department was created in 2001 by the acquisition of a company which assembled automobile switches. Besides switches for aftermarket requirements, we produce sub-assemblies today for current series as well as series parts which our customers deliver directly to the respective manufacturer. Both STAHL automation technology and the STAHL assembly technology department have been certified according to DIN ISO 9001:2000 since March, 2007.
Engineering
Our team of experienced engineers and technicians with their are-as of expertise in mechanical design and construction, electrical designing, electronics and software development ensure efficient product development.
Mechanical design and construction
For mechanical design and construction of devices and systems, we rely on modern CAD workstations with 3D CAD Software SolidEdge from Siemens, with which we can read-in and process data from all common data formats.
Since we have our own construction facility, we are able to deve-lop the mechanics completely in our own company.
For complex production lines, for which we deliver individual sta-tions or cells, we work hand-in-hand with the design and const-ruction departments of our partners and customers to achieve the best possible overall results.
Electrical designing
At our EPlan supported CAD workstations, our electrical designers create the groundwork for reliable wiring, and timely and quick commissioning as well as proper electrical documentation. For optimal planning of switch cabinets, testing technology and the system wiring, our electrical designers work closely with elect-ronics development and our construction department.
A well-thought-out electrical installation and the intelligent placing of components which are sensitive to interference is decisive for smooth functioning and safe operation.
Software development
PC softwareFor our testing systems, we use almost exclusively industrial PCs. After two decades of developing software, we have an extensive library of software with the widest possible range of applications and interfaces for bus systems, devices and third-party-software. We installed the first PC based testing equipment for steering column switches in 1989. The test stand was in use for more than 10 years and tested the quality of about 10,000,000 switches.
SPS software
We normally use SPS control systems to control manufacturing facilities without their own production data management. We use devices from Siemens (S7-200, S7-300) or Beckhoff (BC series, CXseries) as standard controls.
If production data is collected or if the system communicates with other machines or devices (PC systems, CNC machines, robots, ...), we network the controls using bus systems.
Robot software and applications
Typically, the robot applications we realise are used for mounting components, screwing tasks as well as the loading and unloading of CNC machining centres.
When using Scara or 6 axis robots, we generally work with the systems from the Adept company, which we program with Adept-Desktop.
REFERENCE PROJECTS
Test stand for door control
Rotary table
Station 1: Manual mounting and removal Station 2: Checking the functioning of
power windows
Station 3: Checking the “Fold-in mirrors” function and door locks
Station 4: Checking the mirror adjusting switch functions
Tests
• Model version
• Functional testing in all switching positions
• Testing current consumption (lighting, quiescent current) • Turn-off time / cut-off current
• Over and undervoltage shut off
• Resistance measurement over switch contacts
• Frequency and pulse-width modulation of the PWM signal • Load stability in the limit range
Marking
Manual gluing of a label Control
Industrial PC Production location Germany
Stations of the assembly line
• Pre-assembly of the housing upper parts with shielding plate and hot riveting • Pre-assembly of the buttons and hot riveting • Complete assembly using clips
• Screwing of the switch in the cover
Rotary table with four stations Station 1: Mounting / removal
Station 2: Analogue short circuit test, testing of the resistance coded switching functions, checking of the coded resistance and measurement of the lighting currents
Station 3: Checking of the lighting colour, brightness and button symbols Station 4: Reserve
Marking
Manual gluing of one / two labels Control Industrial PC with subordinated SPS Production location Czech Republic
REFERENCE PROJECTS
Rotary table with eight stations Station 1: Manual mounting and removal Station 2: Reserve
Station 3: Preliminary examination Station 4: Leak test
Station 5: Characteristic curve check Station 6: Gauging the contacting pins
for straightness Station 7: Marking Station 8: Reserve
Tests
• Checking the coil inductance • Checking the coil resistance • Test of high voltage • Leak test
• Measuring the plunger paths
• Recording of the current path characteristic curve in the supply and return flow
Marking Needle scriber Control Industrial PC with subordinated SPS Production location USA
REFERENCE PROJECTS
Stations of the assembly line
• Pressing in optical fibres in the switch housing • Assembly of the springs and locking wedges with subsequent check of actuation
• Lubrication of the locking contour
• Insertion of the circuit board in the base plate and clipping with the housing
• Mounting the optical fibre in the button • Clipping of button (vacuum head) and housing. • Pressing release after optical measuring of the locking wedge
Preliminary examination
• Gauging the contacting pin for straightness • Surface feel test
• Lighting check (day and night design)
Function test after successful preliminary examination • Recording of the force angle characteristic curve • Evaluation of maximum force, force progression, probe travel, switching angle, switching hysteresis, switch-over times and chatter
• Determination of the contact resistances • Measurement of the lighting currents
Marking
Manual gluing of a label Control
Industrial PC Production location Czech republic
REFERENCE PROJECTS
We produce serial parts in our own devices and machines or in those provided by customers.
For changing assemblies or mountings, flexible robot cells can be quickly and economically retooled with the respective exchange holders and tools.
If no manufacturing devices are available, we will manu-facture them in our own company, whereby the costs can also be allocated to the piece costs.
In many cases, we manufacture parts from our pre-serial production jobs well after our customers actually have started serial production.
STAHL Assembly Technology
Serial production
Assembly of ball tracks for locking curves in toggle and rotary switches
STAHL Assembly Technology
The aftermarket production of automobile switches we acquired comprises nearly 400 product variants which are delivered to more than 40 final customers.
Some of the switches we produce have not been produ-ced in series for more than 40 years.
The manufacture is often done on auxiliary devices, since there are no automated systems available or the original devices have been taken out of service.
Because of the sometimes difficult technical construc-tions and the wide range of varieties, only very reliable employees with many years of experience work in our final assembly.
The sizes of the lots being produced varies, depen-ding on the model, between 20 and as many as several thousand pieces.
STAHL Automation Technology Ludwigshafener Str. 29 78333 Stockach Germany Phone +49 (0) 7771 / 8 79 78 - 0 Fax +49 (0) 7771 / 8 79 78 - 890
