Client Background
Window and glazed panel manufacturer
Project Challenge
Sealant was being applied by hand around large glazed panels. The bead varied in size, stopped and restarted where the operator repositioned, and material consumption was well above the calculated bead volume.
Customer Pain Points
- Bead size varying with operator speed and fatigue
- Joins and thin spots where the operator repositioned
- Sealant consumption above the calculated volume
- Large panels that no standard sealing table would accept
- Seal related returns that could not be traced to a cause
Our Solution
What We Built
A CNC gantry machine carrying the applicator over the panel on a programmed path, with material delivery coordinated with path speed so the bead section holds through corners. The table and gantry were sized to the customer's largest panel format rather than to a standard size, and each format is stored as a program selected at the HMI. The photograph shows a large glazed panel on the machine bed.
Manufacturing Process
How the Machine Was Built
Panel range and material study
Panel formats, bead specification and sealant material recorded from the customer's production.
Table and gantry sizing
Sized to the largest panel and the available floor space.
Design
Mechanical, delivery, control and safety design carried out together.
Build
Manufactured and assembled at the Vaughan facility.
Bead proving
Programs created for the customer formats and bead proved on their material.
Installation
Installed and handed over with recipe training.
Supply Chain Coordination
Sourcing and Build
Pump, applicator and delivery control are selected against the viscosity and cure behaviour of the customer's sealant. Table and support contact surfaces are specified non marking for finished glass.
Quality Control
Checked Before Shipment
- Axis positional accuracy measured across the full table and recorded
- Bead applied on customer panels and checked for continuity and size
- Corner behaviour checked specifically
- Recipe recall verified for every stored panel format
- Safety functions verified before shipment
Final Result
What the Machine Does Now
The bead is continuous, the section holds through corners, and a panel format change is an operator selection at the HMI. The largest panels are produced on the machine rather than being pushed back to hand work.
Customer Benefit
Why It Mattered
A seal whose quality comes from a program rather than from how the operator's day is going, and material used at the rate the bead specification calls for.
Customer identity, panel formats and consumption figures are not published. Technical discussion is available on request.
Related
Equipment Used
CNC Assembly Machines
CNC Silicon Window Machines
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CNC Silicon Dispensing Machine
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CNC Custom Automation Equipment
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Questions
About This Project
Can you tell us who the customer was?
Customer identity, panel formats and consumption figures are not published. Technical discussion is available on request.
Could you build the same machine for us?
Not identically, and that is the point. The machine was designed around one customer's part, rate and floor space. The same approach applied to your part produces a different machine.
How long did the project take?
Project duration depends on scope and the build schedule at the time. We are happy to give you a realistic schedule for your own requirement once the scope is defined.
What was proved before the machine shipped?
The checks listed in the quality control section of this page, run at the Vaughan facility. Customer witnessed try out before shipment can be arranged.
How do we start a similar project?
Email [email protected] with the part drawing, the operation and the rate. That is enough for a concept and a defined scope.
Talk to an engineer
Have a Similar Operation
Send the part and describe the step. We will tell you what the same approach would look like applied to your line.