Just in time to IZB: RAMPF Group offers an integrated solution for new Golf 6

Foams made of casting resins protect particularly sensitive components in cars, for instance, the doors in the Golf 6. The RAMPF Group have convinced car manufacturers and suppliers with a new, very light sealing foam. The ingenious thing is that the application technology and automation also come from RAMPF. The concept "Material and machine from one source" saves users time and above all money.

Door modul of the new Golf 6

Ready-sealed door module

Heart of the mixing and dispensing cell: The MS-C mixing head

Custom-made round storage system

High quality at low manufacturing cost - this requirement is irrefutably essential in the motor industry. For this reason, the RAMPF Group from Grafenberg relies on an integrated solution in the new Golf 6. Altogether three of the six companies in the group are involved - RAMPF Casting Resins, RAMPF Dispensing Technology and RAMPF Automation. They supply the two-component PU sealing foam, developed especially for the Golf 6, with the matching application technology. With success: Starting October 2008, the DR-CNC mixing and dispensing cell with a round storage system will produce a door assembly carrier with polyurethane seal about every twelve seconds. In numbers, this means about 1.5 million parts annually. The system is installed at the company Wirthwein AG, where the injection moulded plastic parts are manufactured and foamed directly on behalf of the Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH. The finished sealed door modules are then delivered to Brose "just in time".

Process reliability is the highest priority

The procedure seems complex, however, it underlines at the same time what is important -process reliability. "We have a high degree of capacity utilization in our factories. We cannot afford losses or disharmony in production. This is why we buy our sealing foam and machines from the same supplier. That saves time and money", describes Hartmut Herrmann, Project Manager at Wirthwein AG. 

Hydrophobic sealing foam saves material costs

But not only efficient organization of the processes lowers manufacturing costs, as a glance at the project details shows. The new sealing foam material RAKU-PUR 32-5022 is characterized by low water absorption and a high degree of seal, but it also possesses a high mechanical strength with a low specific gravity. "As the sealing foam is very light-weight, the user saves approximately 20 percent of starting materials compared to other commercial foams", remarks Stefan Siegers, Sales and Marketing Director at RAMPF Casting Resins. The product is already showing a high demand. It is also planned to be used in the Volvo models C30 and C40, in the Porsche Cayenne as well as in the successor of the VW Touareg. Furthermore, Stefan Siegers reckons that the sealing foam is also suitable for stainless steel sinks. The first successful tests have already been completed.

Ceramic synchronised valve technology increases service life by ten percent

The heart of the DR-CNC mixing and dispensing cell is the MS-C mixing system. It is equipped with a particularly low-maintenance ceramic synchronised valve technology. This increases the service life of the installation by about ten percent. Components with complex geometries, such as the door module, are foamed within approximately twelve seconds and can be installed after about 30 minutes. The FIPFG-procedure (abbreviation from the English ‘formed-in-place foam gasket’) will be used. It is one of the common application technologies used at RAMPF Dispensing Technology. The company has been using the technology in particular for the application of PU foams since 1980. The seals, which are applied on the spot - also called in-situ applied seals -, are convincing above all in that they

» have excellent sealing characteristics
» bond to many different substrates
» permit a high degree of automation in industrial manufacturing
» have no seams

The result is an exactly fitting application with no waste and with a low rejection ratio. In this procedure, seals – actually the initial liquid or paste-like sealing material - are applied directly into the groove of the component, using a precise three-axial-coordinate robot. "This technology is really unbeatable in mass production. There is no alternative, as far as we are concerned", stresses Hartmut Storz, Sales and Marketing Director at RAMPF Dispensing Technology.
A further strength of the plant is its user-friendly operating interface. Users can monitor and manage all processes from a graphic PC interface. Parameters can be changed remotely, sources of error can be identified quickly, which again leads to a time-saving. The complete documentation is essential for quality management.

Integrated round storage system rounds off the efficiency

A further component contributes to the increase in efficiency: the sophisticated automation concept. A conveyer system, custom-made for the project, directs parts to the mixing system and transports them into the round storage system. Round storage systems with integrated loading and discharging handling are a speciality of RAMPF Automation. In the past six years, the specialists have constructed various round storage systems as spiral conveyors (components are directed through the storage system) or as cyclic storage systems (parts enter and are removed according to the FIFO principle). The devices developed by RAMPF Automation can accept four different components, which the operator preselects simply by pushing a button. With this system, Wirthwein has the flexibility to produce sorted or sets of all parts of a vehicle.
 

Press release Sealing door moduls for Golf 6