ACSYS laser system integrated into serial processes at Borbet within seven months
Borbet Leichtmetallräder GmbH (Hallenberg-Hesborn) refines alloy wheels in the premium segment using partial material removal that is accurate to the micrometer. To accomplish this, ACSYS Lasertechnik GmbH (Kornwestheim) has configured a laser system solution and adapted software that has been running in the fully automated production process at the parent plant since autumn of 2016. The cornerstone for this successful implementation was laid with a pilot project and is based on a cooperative partnership.
In just seven months – from the conclusion of the contract to the start of production (SOP) – ACSYS has expanded the standard BARRACUDA system to meet Borbet’s specific process requirements and tested it at ACSYS’s production and development center in Mittweida. “We appreciate the open, honest interaction with the ACSYS developers and engineers,” says Managing Director Peter W. Borbet, looking back on the constructive cooperation. “We were already familiar with the cooperative development work with ACSYS from our experience with the pilot project for this laser system. Support and service were smooth, too.” Since the end of 2012, Borbet has been lasering various wheel designs on a BARRACUDA-series ACSYS laser system. However, the equipping of the system with light alloy wheels is performed manually by an operator. “So it was not a question of who we wanted to work with to implement the new, fully automated process integration,” says Borbet.
Enhanced brand quality
Borbet offers more than 2,000 light alloy wheel design variants, some of which are developed in-house, from initial idea to manufacture. Whether the wheels are for winter or summer, for off-road vehicles or sports cars, their use will ultimately determine technical characteristics such as size, weight, bolt hole circle, and wheel loads. Borbet’s manufacturing process expertise (the company produces using almost 100% vertical manufacture range) is the basis for the Borbet creative design process. The specialists design wheels both for distribution partner collections and directly for carmakers (OEMs). The developers’ objective is always to continuously optimize the wheel in terms of safety, quality, and appearance by means of innovative manufacturing and fabrication processes. There is also another special feature: With such an emotional brand product, external appearance is a crucial sales criterion.
Surface treatments such as the application of base coat, high-gloss turning, matt or colored clear lacquer, and ceramic polishing give the wheels their very own “cut”. When there is partial paint or aluminum removal, the laser system uses the ExaPeel® process to apply logos, lettering, ornaments, and filigree patterns in various colors as a “design finish” before the final clear coat.
Exclusive marketing advantage
“We have been working on wheel individualization by means of laser processing for several years now and have made significant progress in close contact with the OEMs,” says Borbet. The commissioning of the pilot plant has resulted in Borbet submitting concrete design proposals to the OEMs since 2012 – something they can truly put their hands on. The process gives car manufacturers the opportunity to set themselves apart from the competition with an exclusive wheel design. Given binding orders resulting from the negotiations for more than 200,000 lasered wheel designs requiring just-in-time delivery to OEM production lines, Borbet decided in 2015 to implement an automated solution. There was something else motivating Borbet: “To this day, there aren’t that many offers for partial paint removal on light alloy wheels on the market. We saw this as an opportunity to stand out and give ourselves another unique selling proposition.”
Extravagance is based on perfection
A prerequisite for fully automated laser processing is the unique identification and pre-positioning of the wheel. The wheels are produced fully automatically and flexibly, meaning that they reach laser processing without being sorted according to size, type, or laser application. To solve this automation problem, SysCon-Vision GmbH (Mannheim) was brought on board. SysCon specializes in the recognition and realization of inspection tasks in automated production and in quality assurance that uses industrial image processing and laser measurement technology. SysCon has been working for Borbet since the 1990s. The new challenge was to make the different wheel shapes, designs, and sizes with logos or lettering flexible in series production – without deviations even in the micrometer range, because extravagance is based on perfection. The specifications therefore stipulated a number of parameters as indispensable requirements for the laser processing center: wheel type recognition, extremely high positioning accuracy, and precise design placement on the wheel surface in the micrometer range. The technical solution was developed jointly by ACSYS, Borbet, and SysCon. SysCon supplied hardware and software for wheel recognition and pre-positioning. The ACSYS software developers worked very closely with the SysCon specialists on the AC-LASER software interface for data transfer. The data is processed automatically.
Flexible and yet durable
Borbet opted for the BARRACUDA, an all-rounder for automated processing in series production which was familiar from the pilot project. With a spacious, easily accessible working area, the BARRACUDA offers plenty of room. It is equipped with a low-vibration, temperature-stable granite structure, interchangeable lenses, and the latest generation of fiber lasers. The SysCon DesignSweeper detects the wheel type, design, and position before the laser process, moves the wheel into a defined position, displays the data on a monitor, and transfers it to the laser system software. Roller conveyors then transport the pre-positioned wheel into the BARRACUDA’s laser chamber. For laser processing, a fully automatic rotary gripper system directs the wheel to the working position at an exact focal distance in front of the electrically swiveling galvo head. The galvob head also processes complicated 3D designs in a single operation. The system is equipped with the camera-supported Live Adjustment System (LAS) to display the planned design on the wheel surface. Borbet’s employees use the 3D assistant integrated into the AC-LASER software to simply upload and store the wheel CAD data in the laser system – no need for long setup times.
Successful cooperation continues
ACSYS and Borbet have broken new ground with this laser system specification: “We were able to gain a lot of valuable experience on this project,” recalls Borbet. “As it turned out, the difficulties encountered were minor issues that ACSYS dealt with after acceptance at the production and development center in Mittweida.” Since October 2016, the laser system has been running in a fully automated process at Borbet’s main plant. Borbet’s conclusion: “We are very satisfied with the ACSYS laser system and enthusiastic about the constructive cooperation. We are already planning the next ACSYS system at our production site in Saxony. Further laser system solutions from ACSYS at our other production facilities are already being discussed.”
BARRACUDA® Multi (basic system) |
x-axis about 800 mm |
y-axis about 550 mm |
z-axis about 400 mm |
Granite components for the axis system |
LAS HD |
electrical precision galvo swiveling |
PLD (pilot laser) |
LED workspace lighting |
Light beacon |
Automatic bulkhead |
Manual sliding door (front) |
Conveyor belt |
Gripping and rotating unit |
Press contact:
Thilo von Grafenstein, Head of Marketing, ACSYS Lasertechnik GmbH
Tel +49-7154-808-75-13
E-Mail: T.Grafenstein@acsys.de