Projects

For our customer, we have completed the manufacturing of a new machine for the production of geosynthetic sheets, sometimes called Geocell, that have increasingly become a material of choice for construction companies. Deimos has acquired significant expertise in this field, as the current machine is the third generation of automated appliances to have undergone dynamic development (to find out more, click here and here). While the two previous generations delivered solid performance, we have added a number of improvements. The device now offers maximum variability, enabling the production of foils of almost any pitch, with a total foil length of up to 3,600 millimeters with a possibility for future modifications for even longer foils. 

The device has an output of 90 foils per hour. The ultrasonic welding system delivered by Swiss manufacturer Telsonic is one of the best in the industry. Due to a number of other smart solutions, we have significantly increased the stability of the production process as well as the quality of the final product. The machine also boasts an improved performance.

Current machine generation is flexible for different distances between welds and also for different foil length so it's ready to suit demand for many producers with different geocell parameters. 

In just three weeks of factory-wide shutdown in the TZ Billet Mill (part of the Třinecké železárny - Moravia Steel Group), the employees of Deimos (who did anything but rest) performed a major overhaul of the Callow C200, an ingot-machining appliance that reduces cold ingots into semi-finished products that are then used for further processing. It is in fact similar to a huge lathe. Our task was to completely rebuild the ingot feeder, which was significantly worn out and unreliable. The feeder module has been replaced by a new, more robust solution. With the help from massive ABB servomotors and a hydraulic system, the feeder pushes metal pieces weighing many tons through the entire machining process. The delivery involved replacement of the control unit, including the operator’s switchboard as well as the introduction of brand new software. The project was completed in September 2011 - two years after launching the preparatory work and one year after the contract was signed. The 24-month period was topped off with an extreme three-week work marathon on the premises of the mill.     

Owing to its expertise and proven track record of testing projects, Deimos was awarded a Pierburg contract. The interesting thing is that Pierburg continues producing the AGR exhaust system that was initially manufactured in a Visteon plant (here and here) with machines made by our company. Cleaned and packaged components are delivered to the plant where they become part of a larger whole with the help of a DSM screwdriver system. The assembly quality has to be double-checked with an overpressure test that takes place at a workstation also supplied by Deimos.

While the assembly and mounting are performed by an operator, the DSM screwdriver is a highly intelligent tool that monitors the number of moves, the number of screws as well as their position and of course measures the time, thus ensuring the ideal tightness of the screw. The assembled part is then tested by the operator fastening and then pressurizing it. The assessment unit analyzes sensor data and decides whether the assembled part does not leak. In this stage, Deimos software is used that has been developed for testing and assessment procedures. The process is controlled by the PLC Siemens Simatic 300 control unit.

For Visteon, Deimos has manufactured a number of tools that are applied within various stages of EGR exhaust production. Within the actual manufacturing process, this particular workstation follows another Deimos-produced workstation that is involved in exhaust testing by checking the sealing quality. Subsequently, the products must be cleaned on the inside (with a strong current of air) as well as on the outside, followed by packaging (in order to prevent any impurities from soiling the product) and relevant labeling. Then the components are moved to another plant where they are assembled using various machines (with some of them again manufactured by Deimos).

A reel does not seem like much, but this particular one is used for reeling cables and its central piece is produced by gluing two different parts together. Servisbal placed an order for the device and, while we eventually managed to put the line into a full operation with the current output of one reel every 12 seconds, its final fine-tuning was an arduous process. The line manages the production of reels of various widths (depending how many meters of cables they are to hold) and can accommodate requests for advertising text to be placed on it, as the gluing method guarantees that the parts will be precisely matched.

The actual gluing process is performed by a Robatech aggregate that places hot glue on the extremities of reels at the end of each cycle, i.e. five times a minute. Both parts are then pushed together with force to guarantee a seal of sufficient strength. The reels subsequently move on to the next production operation.    

While Deimos usually produces machines that use very high pressure as the testing method, this time the client wished to verify the functionality, output and parameters of rebuilt air-conditioning compressors in different modes, also identifying their noise and vibration levels. This not-so-large device is literally packed with various electronics, with fine-tuning and synchronization of individual sensors and units having proven the greatest challenge. The Valeo plant in Poland now features a workstation that is capable of readily measuring the main parameters of compressor performance through activity simulation in order to reject faulty products.

The components of the machine include smart sensors produced by National Instruments as well as the highly effective LabView environment for data assessment. Also, this product uses Deimos software for test devices, which is another addition to the company’s track record of successful solutions. 

Visteon, a traditional business partner of Deimos, has placed an order for two machines for fast riveting. While the speed is the main parameter, the accuracy and quality remain equally important.