How a Sensor Manufacturer Hit 97% Productivity In Repetitive Production – Hassle Free!

Brimind is an Italian manufacturer of high-precision pressure and temperature sensors for the automotive industry.

As a certified Tier 1 supplier, they must meet strict IATF 16949 standards. Translation? Every sensor has to be consistent, accurate, and flawless.

That’s tough to guarantee with human-only assembly, especially when productivity fluctuates, and even minor errors mean scrap.

Brimind identified two machine-tending tasks better suited for robotics, but they still needed to maintain human presence and activity… Which is a job for cobots, of course!

So they brought in two ABB GoFa collaborative robots to handle sensor assembly and prep for testing. The result? Better quality, higher speed, and a line that basically runs itself.

Why The Need To Automate?

Before cobots, Brimind’s production line was mostly manual. Operators were assembling the electronics and mechanical body of the sensor before sending it off for testing.

But small parts and tight tolerances?

It only takes a few minor mistakes to cause production issues.

To top it off, they had to improve the production consistency. Human productivity goes up and down, and unlike robots, humans can make mistakes.

Choosing The Solution… What Drove Them To Cobots?

Birmind already used robotics for assembly, but this time they needed something… More flexible. More modular.

Since their parts can require reprogramming, they needed a robotic system that can quickly be readjusted to fit the needs of another sensor part. So, traditional robotics wasn’t the best choice. 

The production processes they wanted to automate were already separated into modular stations with their own subprocesses. So, cobots could easily be included as an “add-on” to their respective stations, without hard changes or modifications of safety barriers required by traditional robotics.

“By introducing automation using collaborative robots, we maintained this modularity because there is no need for the huge protective barriers to separate the existing stations or disturb the link between those three stations and the rest of the line,” said Leo.

ABB’s GoFa collaborative robots were up to the task. 

Brimind installed two GoFas, one to assemble the electronics and the body of the part before moving it to the second station, where the second GoFa secures the assembly and moves it for leak testing.

Each part is handled with care and consistency, every time. No skipped steps or fatigue.

Easy Deployment And Quick Results

Brimind handled the cobot setup themselves, with support from ABB when needed. The cobots were running in no time, requiring only real-time adjustments where necessary.

Their manual sensor assembly achieved an OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of close to 90%. Not bad, but in the automotive industry, they benefit greatly from raising that number.

At first, Brimind hoped to achieve 95% productivity.

However, ABB’s GoFa cobots helped them shoot over and land at 97% ! 

They also:

• Reduced scrap

• Improved process repeatability

• Freed up operators for more valuable work

• Gained flexibility for future lines and product variants

The cobots’ easy programming and flexibility help them use their abilities wherever necessary, with minimal effort.

“With just a button I can move the robot to a new position or change its configuration just with my hand rather than by moving it with the controller. This means that we can limit the stoppage time when we need to reprogram the robot,” Bini adds.

Learn more about Brimind's success with ABB cobots below:

• Sensor manufacturer uses ABB cobots to boost quality and increase productivity up to 97 percent | News center

• ABB’s GoFa high agility & handling increase productivity and boosts quality at Brimind

Enjoy your week!

The Cobot Spotlight Team