Smart Factory - Assembly line for airbag gas generators with Java

As part of the Line 2000 project of TRW Airbag Systems, a new generation of software was developed as a 100% Pure Java application for the assembly of gas generators, which includes the following core components:

• Control of the assembly line
• Communication module for Simatic S7
• Documentation system for the process parameters
• Statistical process control SPC
• Availability monitoring of all components
• Line editor for configuring the assembly line
• Product editor for configuring the different product variants
• Order management

Based on the line configuration, the individual products to be manufactured are configured and defined with the corresponding processes. In a further step, the corresponding production parameters (measured values, fuel quantity, etc.) are added to these products and thus different variants are stored as master data. To define the order, all you need to do is select the product from the master data library and specify the quantity to be produced. Up to four different products can be manufactured simultaneously on one assembly line.

The very short cycle times (approx. 3-5 seconds) place high demands on the safety, availability and quality of the entire software. For this reason, the software and hardware components required to operate the assembly system are designed redundantly so that production can be maintained in the event of a failure.

A major advantage of the Line 2000 concept is the line editor, which can be used to map every type of line with its corresponding components (modules, material feeds, stations, measuring devices, packaging stations, etc.) in terms of control and process technology.

More than 20 assembly lines will be put into operation with this new generation of software over the next few years.