Application Case of Stacking Detection in a Head Home Appliance Stamping Production Line in Wuxi (AtonmMDSC-1000B)

1、 Project Background

A leading home appliance enterprise in Wuxi (mainly engaged in core sheet metal parts for refrigerators and washing machines) has four high-speed stamping automation production lines, specializing in the production of refrigerator door panels, washing machine inner tubes, air conditioning bases and other components. With an annual output of over 8 million stamped parts, it is the core supply base for home appliance sheet metal in East China.

The production line adopts the mode of "robot feeding+continuous stamping+automatic transmission". The sheet metal is mainly 0.5-2.0mm galvanized and cold-rolled steel plates. Due to surface oil stains and electrostatic adsorption, there are frequent double/multiple sheet stacking problems: the stacked material enters the mold, causing blade breakage and cavity wear. The cost of single mold maintenance exceeds 120000 yuan, and the average annual mold damage rate is 18%; At the same time, stacking materials causes deformation and dimensional deviation of stamped parts, with a scrap rate of 4.2% and an average annual downtime of over 130 hours for inspection, seriously restricting production capacity and delivery efficiency.

The pneumatic and magnetic separation devices previously attempted had poor separation efficiency for thin materials (≤ 0.8mm) and a high rate of missed detections; Competitor detection sensors have weak anti-interference capabilities and frequently report false alarms in strong electromagnetic environments of punching machines, making them unable to adapt to high-speed punching cycles (20 times/minute). Therefore, there is an urgent need for a highly stable, high-precision, and easily integrated stacking detection solution.

2、 On site working conditions and core requirements

（1） On site working conditions

Production line type: 400T-800T continuous stamping automation line, robot automatic feeding

• Testing materials: galvanized sheet (0.5-1.5mm), cold-rolled steel sheet (0.8-2.0mm), sheet size 70-1500mm

Production cycle: 20 times/minute, 24-hour two shift operation

Installation space: Reserve 300 × 200mm installation space next to the conveyor belt at the feeding end, without complex structural modification space

（2） Core requirements

1. Accurate detection: compatible with magnetic/non-magnetic materials, accurately identifying single and double sheets of 0.5-2.0mm metal sheets

2. High speed response: The response time should be fast, matching a stamping cycle of 20 times per minute

3. Easy integration: No need to modify the production line structure, installation and debugging can be completed within 2 hours, supporting PLC linkage

3、 Solution: AtormMDSC-1000BMetal double detector

（1） Product selection

Based on the on-site working conditions and requirements, AtonmMDSC-1000B was ultimately selectedMetal single and double detectorThis model is a universal model for the home appliance stamping industry, using electromagnetic induction detection principle, all metal shell anti-interference, suitable for various metal materials and thicknesses, high cost-effectiveness, fully matching customer production line needs.

（2） Scheme architecture

Adopting a minimalist deployment mode of "host+shooting probe" without changing the original mechanical structure of the production line:

1. Host installation: Fixed in the front-end control cabinet of the production line, with a distance of ≤ 5m from the probe, and easy wiring

2. Probe installation: Adopting a telescopic installation structure, a pair of opposing probes are mounted on the telescopic device and installed next to the detection table; After the sheet material is placed on the detection table, the expansion device pushes the sensor to move accurately to the detection position, aligns with the detection area of the sheet material to complete the detection. After the detection is completed, the expansion device drives the sensor to automatically retract, which does not affect the subsequent sheet material conveying and feeding process

3. Signal linkage: The host is connected to the production line PLC through an I/O interface, and the detection data is synchronized to the MES system, achieving full process automation of "detection linkage alarm recording"

（3） Testing process

1. The robot grabs single/stacked sheets and places them on the conveyor belt

2. After placing the sheet material on the testing platform, the expansion device pushes itMDSC-1000BThe shooting probe extends to the detection position, and the equipment analyzes the thickness and stacking status of the board through electromagnetic induction. After the detection is completed, the probe is automatically retracted by the telescopic device

3. Single sheet qualified: PLC receives the "single sheet signal", the conveyor belt transports the sheet to the stamping process, and normal production occurs

4. Stacking abnormality: The host recognizes double/multiple sheets within 0.1 seconds and immediately sends an abnormal signal to the PLC, triggering linkage:

The robot urgently stops feeding and returns to the safe position

The sound and light alarm is activated, and there is an abnormal prompt on site

5. After manually cleaning the stack, press the reset button and the system will resume normal detection without the need to restart the production line

（4） Core advantages of the product (adapted to this project)

Wide range detection: supports iron/stainless steel (0.05-4.5mm) and aluminum (0.1-10mm), covering the full range of 0.5-2.0mm plates in this project

Strong anti-interference design: dedicated anti-interference circuit, all metal shell, resistant to strong electromagnetic, vibration, and oil pollution interference of punching machines, without false alarms

• High sensitivity probe: Accurately identify 0.5mm thin material stacking, with no missed or false detections, far exceeding competitors

• Convenient integration: plug and play, complete installation and debugging in 2 hours, no need to modify the production line

4、 Application effect

• Stacking missed detection rate: 0%

Mold damage rate: reduced from 18% to 0.8%, reducing mold repair costs by 86%

• Scrap rate: reduced from 4.2% to 0.3%, reducing monthly scrap losses by approximately 98000 yuan

• Shutdown duration: reduced from 130 hours/year to 18 hours/year, increasing production capacity by approximately 12%

5、 Customer reviews

The AtonmMDSC-1000B stacking detector completely solves the stacking pain points of our stamping production line! The equipment installation is simple, there is no need to change the production line, and after debugging, there is almost no need to worry. Now there are fewer mold failures, fewer waste products, and the production line runs more smoothly. It helped us save a lot of money in a year, and the cost-effectiveness is particularly high

——Head of Stamping Workshop at a Leading Home Appliance Enterprise in Wuxi

VI. Summary

This project has completely solved the core problems of mold damage, high scrap rate, and frequent downtime caused by stacking materials in the stamping production line of top household appliances in Wuxi by deploying the AtonmMDSC-1000B metal double detector, which has the advantages of minimalist integration, precise detection, and strong anti-interference. It has achieved multiple values of cost reduction, efficiency improvement, quality improvement, and easy management. This solution is suitable for the home appliance industry and can be quickly replicated and promoted to various sheet metal stamping scenarios such as refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, kitchen appliances, etc. It provides the best cost-effective solution for mold protection and quality control of automation production lines in home appliance enterprises.