While the automotive industry is highly automated, huge opportunities remain for incremental growth. Collaborative robots are driving new efficiencies across the industry, in applications including machine loading, inspection, and assembly in the production of powertrain, electronics, and interiors.
Automotive & subcontractors
A complex, competitive, and demanding industry
The average vehicle has 1,800 sub-assemblies and over 30,000 individual parts, all of which must be delivered on time, in spec, to the highest quality standards. Key players in the automotive industry are constantly adapting to meet these standards. At the same time, they are up against constantly shifting product mixes, strict government regulations on vehicle safety and fuel efficiency, and price volatility in raw materials and finished goods. In recent years, the massive transition to electric vehicles (EVs) have also led to huge operational changes in manufacturers and tiers suppliers.
Cobot automation can help
Vehicle manufacturers through the tiers, in particular, face a wide range of challenges in today’s post-COVID environment. Labor shortages, interest rates that have almost doubled in 10 years, surging technology demands, and the transition to EVs are some of the main ones. The single unifying theme woven through every automotive challenge is change – the scope and pace of change in the industry is unprecedented. This is where collaborative automation from Universal Robots comes in. UR cobots are flexible yet powerful tools that can be deployed, reprogrammed, and re-deployed to meet fluctuations in the automotive industry head-on. We call this Rapid Deployment Robotics, and our automotive robots can be a key to the success of any supplier.
Learn more about automotive industrial automation with our brochure.
Case stories
Seat Componentes
Discover how cobots help SEAT Componentes automate the unloading of 18,000 machined gears each day.
Ford Motor Company
Learn how Ford uses UR10 cobots to automate engine assembly and QA tasks, improving production speed and accuracy.
Stellantis
Learn how Stellantis automates complex assembly and quality control tasks for the FIAT 500e.
Assembly
Collaborative robots in automotive manufacturing assist in demanding assembly tasks, increasing efficiencies, improving quality, and moving skilled operators out of repetitive and dangerous assignments.
See how Tier 2 Vitesco Technologies deployed multiple UR cobots to automate a complex assembly process.
Screw Driving
Throughout automotive manufacturing, car assembly robots automate screw driving and nut running tasks. With high repeatability and integrated force feedback, UR cobots maintain orientation and reduce quality failures.
See how Stellantis automated multiple final assembly tasks while improving worker safety and ergonomics.
Dispensing
Sealants, adhesives, foam-in-place gasketing and lubricants can all be dispensed with automotive robots. Cobots from UR offer simplified programming and precise path control, and they can be integrated with dispensing controllers. This makes deployment quick and easy and improves quality while reducing waste.
See how Ford Motor Company automated dispensing and quality inspection tasks on an existing engine assembly line.
Welding
UR cobots are at the center of almost every welding process: MIG/MAG, TIG, Laser, Ultrasonic, Spot and brazing, as well as plasma and oxy fuel cutting. Automotive robots eliminate all the repetitive welding pain points of being dull, dirty, and dangerous.
See how Tier 3 TW Stamping automated a manual ped spot welder, increasing productivity and freeing up a machine operator for higher value tasks.
Machine Tending
Machine tending remains the #1 application in robotics, and it’s no different in the automotive sector. Car factory robots can automate loading and unloading CNC machine tools, injection molders, assembly dial tables, press brakes, and other process machines for a full shift.
See how global Tier 1 Continental Automotive increased productivity and workplace safety.
Ensuring Quality
Delivering the performance and product life cycles that automotive customers demand requires a laser focus on quality. The average vehicle has approximately 30,000 individual parts, and complex sub-assemblies require flexible quality systems.
See how global Tier 1 GKN Driveline automated assembly and inspection processes to in a tight labor market, enabling the company to run 24/7.
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UR+ Ecosystem Products
The UR+ partner program continues to grow, and now includes over 470 tested, validated and compatible accessories, peripherals and application solutions for UR cobots. The following are just a few of the UR+ products in use in the automotive industry.
Robotiq Palletizers
Atlas Copco Nut Drivers
ATI Tool Changers
Cognex Vision Systems
DePrag Screw Drivers
Migatronic Welding Systems
New Scale Robotics Metrology Systems
Schunk Grippers
SICK Safety Scanners
Stoger Screw Drivers
Vention Modular Cells
Why Universal Robots?
Tried. Tested. Trusted.
Universal Robots has deployed over 90,000 cobots into every manufacturing industry. Companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 giants to local contract machine shops, are leveraging our 6th generation cobots to increase productivity and quality and improve job satisfaction for their manufacturing teams.
Flexible
UR cobots meet the demands for flexibility head-on with industry-leading ease-of-use, intuitive programming, and a powerful back-end for OEMs and developers to add value and meet specific needs. UR cobot-based systems generate ROI that is usually measured in months, not years.
Worker-safe, worker-friendly
Universal Robots has developed the most complete set of safety tools and functions in the industry. Our safety protocols can be configured to meet the varied safety requirements of your plant or facilities and your application risk assessment, letting your manufacturing team work safely side-by-side with UR cobots.
Get your automotive brochure
Want to know more about collaborative robots in the automotive industry?
Local Office
- Universal Robots USA, Inc
- 27175 Haggerty Road, Suite 160
- 48377 Novi, MI
Contact us: +1 844-462-6268
Contact us: + 1-844-GO-COBOT