automotive extra

shank knurls of the RIVTAC tack. An important condition for this method is sufficient stiffness of the joining parts so that they can resist the penetration impulse of the tack without major deformation. High-strength materials and mul- tiple-layer joints can also be joined without loss of performance – providing particularly good strength characteristics. On the rear end of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate, RIVTAC is used to join alu- minium rear floor and rear frame. The RIVTAC automation system allows fully automatic tack setting. It is perfectly suitable for large-scale production and offers highest flexibility during production planning. A robot fixes the rear end in a fixture inside the manufacturing cell. The setting tool is extend- ed by the positioning unit until there is contact with the component. Then, joining is triggered. The RIVTAC tacks are supplied from a spiral magazine – about 80 tacks per Saloon and about 60 tacks per Estate. The method can also be perfectly combined with adhesion technology. The high speed at which the tack penetrates the materials avoids that the adhesive disperses uncontrollably. The online process monitoring evaluates the joining process and visualises the data on the screen. RIVTAC is also used for: the new Mercedes- Benz C-Class Cabriolet, the Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. ■ By Annette Löwen Böllhoff Group www.boellhoff.com Webseite Image: © Daimler AG Image: © Böllhoff RIVTAC Automation – the fully automatic system with process monitoring Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon 43 e motion for mobile worlds VOIT Automotive is an international system supplier for the automotive industry and employs approximately 1,600 people worldwide. The techno- logy company with family tradition develops & produces high-precision customized aluminum die-casting products with ready-processed, functional surfaces along with ready- made castings, modules and com- ponents using punching, drawing, roll-bending and hot forming technology. The benefits as a full-service provider are ranging from engineering and tooling, large-scale production, sur- face treatment, component assembly and functional testing to logistics. In more than 250 car models and 45 brands is VOIT technology inside. Over 140 million parts are built-in in the world’s most popular cars such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Ford, Opel, Chrysler, Jaguar, Landrover... in functional areas such as engines, fuel supply, power train, exhaust system, chassis and body. With view on the mobile worlds of tomorrow, VOIT Automotive presents itself as technology leader, develop- ment partner and reliable manufactu- rer with asked for services, including future markets such as lightweight design, efficiency, comfort & safety and powertrain. V O I T Automotive GmbH Saarbrücker Str. 2 I 66386 St. Ingbert Tel.: +49 (0)6894-909-0 I www.voit.de