Case Study | Atonm Metal Double-Sheet Detector Applied in Automotive Steel-Aluminum Hybrid Line Retrofit

Project Background

In modern automotive manufacturing, the use of steel-aluminum hybrid materials is increasing, especially for lightweight design. On hybrid production lines, overlapping sheets can cause equipment damage, production delays and nonconforming products. To prevent failures and quality risks caused by overlapping, double-sheet detection is essential. Introducing double-sheet detectors ensures each material piece is correct, improving production efficiency and product quality.

Production Conditions

- Line materials:

  - Minimum sheet size: 400mm x 450mm

  - Maximum sheet size: 4m x 5m

   Sheet thickness range: 0.6mm - 2.5mm

- Line system:

  - Upper-level controller: Siemens PLC

  - Communication requirements: Prefer devices with PN bus support

Solution

Metal Double-Sheet Detector MDSC-9000S (contact) + MDSC-1200C (through-beam) metal double-sheet detectors

This solution installs metal double-sheet detectors at critical positions to monitor robot feeding in real time, quickly identifying and handling potential stacked-sheet issues to reduce equipment damage and production delays. Details of the solution follow.

Recommended equipment:

1 Contact one-to-two single-sensor MDSC-9000S

- Installation: mounted at the robot gripper before feeding, with one controller and two sensors monitoring different positions on the same sheet.

- Features:

  - One-to-two contact design, one main unit with 2 sensors

  - Built-in storage for 200 sheet parameter sets to avoid repeated learning and simplify operation

  - Unified detection for magnetic and non-magnetic materials (steel and aluminum), suitable for various thicknesses (0.2-4.0mm)

- Supports multiple communication protocols including Profinet and RS-485 for seamless integration

- Supports ERP/MES direct remote process data interaction

2 Communication-version through-beam MDSC-1200C

- Installation: through-beam sensors installed above and below the conveyor for secondary stacked-sheet detection.

- Features:

- Through-beam detection with high sensitivity, accurately identifying various metal thicknesses (0.1-8mm)

- Unified detection for magnetic and non-magnetic materials, suitable for steel-aluminum hybrid lines

- Supports RS-485 communication for integration with existing production management systems

- Supports ERP/MES direct remote process data interaction

Application Effects

By implementing the solution on an automotive steel-aluminum hybrid line, the customer achieved:

- Dual-stage stacked-sheet detection: checks at the robot gripper and on the conveyor, providing redundancy to secure the process.

- Improved production efficiency: rapid detection and handling reduce downtime and increase throughput.

- System compatibility: good integration with Siemens PLC ensures stable operation.

- Reduced risk: accurate detection prevents equipment damage and lowers maintenance costs.

- Process optimization: integrating double-sheet detectors improves automation and reduces manual intervention.

- Real-time data interaction: supports ERP/MES remote updates for better decision making

Atonm metal double-sheet detector solutions meet technical requirements and lay a solid foundation for future line upgrades. Contact Atonm for professional stacked-sheet detection solutions to improve your line efficiency and safety.