ATJ Automotive GmbH has been a manufacturer of stainless steel sports exhaust systems for passenger cars since 1992. Many manual operations have already been automated, but when it comes to sanding the weld seams on the tailpipe, the so-called "tulip", there has been no solution until now. This is a crucial work step that has a significant impact on quality. Formed tube whose inner and outer edges have to be ground. The increase in the number of pieces made automation attractive. An urgently needed short "cycle time" for the ordered quantity and the quality required by the customer could not be achieved with conventional manual work. So, together with FerRobotics and a system integrator, a robot-assisted sanding system was developed.

It would not work without the Active Compliant Technology from FerRobotics. ATJ previously used a force/torque sensor, but it was too rigid and too slow, so the cobot produced a poor sanding pattern or kept stopping. Overall, ATJ was able to significantly speed up the process by switching to automated belt grinding technology with ACT and reduced non-productive time. Cycle time is less than one minute instead of the previous 4-5 minutes of manual labor. And manufacturing capacity is now less dependent on the availability of individual employees. Another positive effect of the use of robots is the reduced consumption of abrasives. Due to the real constant contact force during automated grinding, significantly less consumable material is required than with manual grinding.