The Italian excellences in the field of automation and automotive are confirmed as a point of reference also for foreign giants. The Turin Comau has in fact developed and implemented an automated e-drive assembly line for Geely Automobile Holdings, the Chinese auto giant that has installed the new production chain at its plant in Ningbo (China). In particular, this automated line deals with the complete assembly of electric motors, gearboxes and inverters. Designed in close collaboration with the Geely team, the complete line uses a flexible automated manufacturing system to assemble permanent magnet rotors, gearboxes and electronic transmissions, as well as for quality control and automated testing. This innovative solution increases the plant automation rate from 40% to 80%, while providing a full capacity production capacity of 120,000 units per year.
Comau, with over 45 years of experience in powertrain assembly, has used the best technologies and process innovations to achieve Geely’s high-volume production goals. By using multiple robots to install the rotors, the automated line provides positioning and guidance with 3D vision, automatic high speed magnet insertion, automated rotor injection, automatic double deck balancing, magnetization and more. The e-drive line also includes an advanced three-in-one assembly mode as well as the stator case, the thermal sleeve, the static and dynamic motor test, the automatic feeding and pressing of the bearings, the automatic feeding and tightening of bolts, measurement and automatic selection of seals. Since the beginning of the collaboration, Comau has dedicated significant resources to the project, including 20 engineers who completed the design phase in just 4 months. The team dedicated to the realization of the project also faced the challenges due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the product optimization changes, delivering the line in just over 12 months. Thanks to the rapid and targeted response to customer needs that emerged after delivery, production began at the end of 2021.
“Thanks to our collaboration with Comau, we have developed solutions that make our production process more agile and efficient”, explained the Vice President of Geely Veremt, Sun Yongjing. “In addition, the automated lines will help ensure that our new products continue to have the same level of quality and excellence that determines the success of the Zeekr brand – the holding company of the Geely Group, ed – worldwide”. The success of this project represents a further guarantee for the production of Geely’s all-electric vehicles. Furthermore, it has allowed Comau to strengthen its expertise in the design and construction of automated e-drive production lines, which will also be useful for the realization of future projects.
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