CenterLine (Windsor) - 3DEXPERIENCE platform case study

John-Paul Girard, robotics simulation leader at CenterLine (Windsor) Limited, says: "Becoming a leading supplier of automated assembly solutions for major automotive, aerospace and defense OEMs, when 50 years ago we started out as a two-man tool and die shop, requires perseverance and innovative solutions. Our customers come to us when they have a difficult problem and need a creative solution. They value the reliability of our equipment and our service delivery."

As business pressures increased, CenterLine's customers began to request systems that would lower costs, improve cycle times and reduce time to market. When a new production unit involving a series of machines and robots needs to be installed, positioning each element and optimising the use of floor space can be a long and complicated process. This is why CenterLine employs digital simulation to test different shop floor layouts before deciding on the optimal choice for the customer in terms of production needs and space requirements.

Girard says: "We can arrange robots, tooling fixtures, and various weld equipment in a digital environment and present our proposal to the customer before bolting anything to the floor. We can place machinery and humans in this virtual environment as well and see how they all interact once production gets underway. If modifications need to be made for safety reasons, to avoid interferences or to make better use of available space, we can verify everything in the digital environment first."

CenterLine chose Dassault Systèmes' (3DS) 3DEXPERIENCE platform based on V6 architecture, including DELMIA for digital manufacturing to design production line layouts for its customers. Girard says: "Physically installing a production unit is time consuming. When errors are detected because robots are too close together or workers are not ergonomically positioned, it forces us to redo the installation, which can drive up costs and delay the customer's production startup."

Luciano Mancini, robotics simulation specialist at CenterLine (Windsor) Limited, adds: "Simulation ensures that everything will function correctly prior to physical installation. It also enhances our service offering because we can propose larger and more complex installations."

The V6 advantage

DELMIA V6 has a comprehensive set of features to digitally model and simulate different production situations and robotic tasks. Mancini says: "For example, DELMIA's Arc Welding solution enables our programmers to automatically generate collision-free arc welding tool paths in minutes and to simulate the process prior to installation. It enables us to optimise the use of space as well as man-machine resources and eliminates the inefficiencies of a trial-and-error approach."

Another advantage is when design changes occur. Mancini says: "When a CAD model of a welded part is modified, DELMIA automatically updates the weld trajectories because they are fully associated with the geometry. We avoid having to manually regenerate the paths since DELMIA does it for us. This application is really a cut above the rest."

As a long-time DELMIA V5 customer, CenterLine transitioned to V6 because of new functionality and its intuitive easy-to use interface. This update, supported by Dassault Systèmes business partner Aventec, also removed many manual processes and created a more seamless transition of simulation data to and from Girard and Mancini's Robotics Simulation department.

Mancini says: "In addition to its arc welding function, another important enhancement is the Spot Welding solution. As a welding gun manufacturer, DELMIA's 2D gun sectioning feature really stood out for us. We can provide our gun design division with feedback of interferences or suggested design improvements based on simulated welding scenarios. And with DELMIA's auto tool search feature, designers can choose from a library of possible gun solutions, which we expect, based on our preliminary studies, will generate productivity gains in robot cell design and simulation."

With DELMIA Mechanical Device Builder, CenterLine can define all the mechanical devices it would need in a downstream manufacturing situation, from clamps to robots and other process-related equipment. Once engineers verify that a device satisfies a robot's work envelope requirements such as tool reach and trajectory, they can store it in a resource catalogue for future use by programmers or simulation technicians who need to define and validate their manufacturing plans. Mancini notes: "What impresses me is the single-button approach, whereby the user is provided with an immersive tool bar that allows them to define and simulate a multitude of complex mechanical devices with relative ease. It streamlines the procedure for the user and we can expect a 10 to 15 per cent productivity gain thanks to device building alone."

DELMIA Robotics also provides an enhanced collaborative work environment that enables the user to break down complex work cells into manageable segments, thereby allowing multiple technicians to work on the larger cell simultaneously. Girard says: "Recently, we successfully managed to process an 80-robot line in different phases. Upon completion of the individual segments, DELMIA enabled us to combine the work cells into a complete line simulation, which allowed us to identify any line level bottleneck areas."

Continuous improvement path

Girard believes simulation technology from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will enable his company to take its customer engagement to the next level by providing customers with on-time and on-cost business value that makes a difference in the competitive world of manufacturing. With DELMIA V6, CenterLine is on a continuous improvement path that is producing results.

Girard says: "Over the last five years, our manufacturing capability has increased significantly. In the past, we would process approximately 60 robots a year, but this year alone we are processing well over 250 robots. This would not be possible without the use of a virtual manufacturing solution. DELMIA makes managing the resulting complexity of so many robots easier. It also helps us innovate and solve the difficult problems. That's why our customers come to us."

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