Automotive Manufacturing Solutions

Efficiency

Bihler systems support your company’s initiatives toward operational and energy efficiency. Find your company saving:

Time: Our systems enable expedient automotive assembly line automation so you can manufacture more equipment and hit higher quotas. Some of our machines are capable of manufacturing up to 250 parts per minute.

Equipment: When you implement revolutionary manufacturing solutions into your production process, you can utilize more raw materials thanks to our flexible mapping system. Save money on your materials by wasting as little of them as possible.

The environment: We manufacture our machines with environmental safety in mind. Along with conserving resources, these systems are environmentally sustainable and deliver a high return on investment.

Safety

Many drivers prioritize purchasing vehicles that keep them safe on the road. Our production systems help you manufacture reliable cars that transport people to their destinations and protect them in the event of a collision. For example:

Our BIMERIC modular system constructs Electronic Stability Program (ESP) coils to keep drivers in control and headrest brackets to prevent whiplash in an accident.

A custom BZ processing center can manufacture battery terminal clamps to secure the vehicle’s wiring system.

These parts require precise manufacturing to ensure maximum safety, and our machines’ output is calibrated to your exact specifications.

Customizability

Every automotive manufacturer has varying needs for their production process, and we aim to accommodate those requirements. Develop a system tailored to your company with Bihler’s customizable machines and modules. Set yourself apart in the automotive industry with complete solutions for sheet metal forming, stamping and assembly. Then, enhance them further by adding modules for thread forming, screw insertion, pressing and other processes.

Bihler Machine-Made Automotive Parts

Coil Assembly for Electronic Stability Program (ESP)

The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) detects an impending instability of a vehicle. It intervenes instantly, ensuring that the vehicle remains easier to control for the driver and does not start skidding. Similar to an ABS system, the ESP system also operates using valves which must be controlled precisely and reliably.

This is ensured by the coil assembly that can be efficiently manufactured on a BIMERIC servo production and assembly system – from feeding all the components to the finished products on pallets. The cycle time is 1.5 seconds per component. The retooling from one version to another is completed in mere minutes.

Head Restraint Tubes

In the event of a collision, head restraints ensure that the heads of the vehicle’s occupants are not flung backward. The correct adjustment of the head restraint is particularly important. It must be adjusted so that its top edge is level with the crown of the head. The height is adjusted using the tubes of the head restraint. These tubes are manufactured to perfection with different lengths, notches and angles on a BIMERIC BM 4500 servo production and assembly system – at a speed of 40 parts per minute and monitored by numerous integrated inspection stations.

The manufacturing process includes the feeding of the tube parts, the inspection of the tube lengths, weld seam recognition and the alignment of the different parts. This is followed by cutting and stamping at the various stations, laser marking, the radial riveting of the pipe end, and the bending process. During these operations, the system’s 44 NC axes guarantee that it is possible to switch between variants in a period of 15 to 60 minutes.

Head Restraint Adjustment Mechanisms

The correct height adjustment of head restraints is crucial for safety. This is done by pulling the restraint out from the seat until its top edge is at the same height as the top of the passenger’s head. The two shafts of the head restraint have notches at regular intervals. These engage with detent mechanisms in the back of the seat, where they are kept at the correct height with locking bars.

These metal parts are successfully produced on a GRM 80E stamping and forming machine – at an output rate of 100 units per minute. In day-to-day practice, the benefits of the compact manufacturing system lie in the easy accessibility of the tools and the optimum arrangement of the bending dies in the linear tool. Each bend can be set separately, and the various processing steps are clearly assigned. This ensures ultra-precise components and very long tool service life.

Battery Terminal Clamps

The car’s engine relies on a battery to power the starter motor as well as components like the engine control unit, fuel injection system, ignition coil or glow plugs. It also keeps things like the clock, radio and hazard warning lights powered when the engine is not running. The power passes from the battery’s terminals, through battery terminal clamps, to the vehicle’s wiring system.

Terminal clamps like this are made in a modular BZ processing center. Its open design places almost no constraints on how processing units needed in a manufacturing process can be integrated. The high-quality precision battery terminal clamps require a range of steps (specifically, punching, bending, stamping, assembly and feeding) to be performed on a single system. The output rate runs to around 150 parts per minute. The BZ processing center combines this kind of high processing speed with exceptional precision while minimizing offcut and scrap.

Cylindrical Plain Bearing Bushes

Whether in agricultural machinery, domestic appliances or industrial systems: Wherever two surfaces move relative to one another, plain bearings are used. The most frequent type is the cylindrical plain bearing bush, which allows even parts subject to heavy loads to rotate relative to one another with only a minimum of friction and wear.

The best values are achieved when bearings are made from sintered material, that is to say metal powder compacted in to the required shape under high pressure. Their pores can be filled with lubricant which is then released in response to load. In addition, solid lubricants can be introduced in the perforated inside of the bushes to further increase the functioning, service life and freedom from maintenance of the plain bearings.

Cylindrical plain bearing bushes made from composite sintered material as in the model shown here can be produced perfectly using the BIMERIC BM 3000 servo production and assembly system. The process includes various steps, including the cutting, bending and calibration of the sintered strip. The bush can be manufactured with or without flange – at output rates of up to 80 parts per minute. This performance capability, coupled with outstanding parts quality and low parts costs, makes the BIMERIC BM 3000 the ideal production solution for plain bearings.

Explore Automotive Manufacturing Consulting Today

Bihler’s automotive manufacturing equipment has enhanced and innovated new solutions worldwide in some of the world’s top automotive plants. Our systems continue to impress because we offer in-house support services that ensure each system receives regular maintenance and delivers optimal performance. Our customers have access to our consultation services to learn more about how our systems work and how they can develop personalized apps and guidelines to develop and automate anything they need for their operations.

Whether you’re new to Bihler solutions or have utilized our systems for years, our consultation experts can offer new insights, allowing your company to improve production efficiencies and precision further. If you have any questions or plan to schedule your systems consultation, contact us today.

Automotive Manufacturing Solutions