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SearchThe project, designed in Spain, will assemble and test DC/DC converters for electric vehicles. The company expects to manufacture the line in around 40 weeks and has set cycle-time and efficiency targets that have yet to be achieved.
Airtificial has announced a $6.4 million contract with a leading U.S. supplier to design and manufacture an automated assembly and testing line. The turnkey installation will be delivered to a plant in Michigan, in the Detroit automotive hub, and designed in Spain.
The equipment will be dedicated to manufacturing and validating DC/DC converters, devices that adapt the voltage from the high-voltage battery to the levels required by the vehicle’s electrical and electronic systems. Airtificial estimates that manufacturing the line will take around 40 weeks.
The installation will bring together the equivalent of 15 robotic arms and automate several stages of the process: plasma surface treatment, the application of thermal materials and sealants, encapsulation of electronic components, printed circuit board assembly, and automatic screwdriving. Before completing each unit, it will conduct leak tests and high-voltage electrical tests to check the components’ insulation and operation.
The company has set a cycle time of 36 seconds per unit and a target of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of 85%. These are design targets announced for the project, not production results already achieved. OEE combines factors such as line availability, speed, and the quality of the units manufactured.
The line will be able to produce variants for the European and North American markets. The transfer of parts between stations will rely on pallets and specialized tooling; in addition, RFID and QR codes will make it possible to record the progress and manufacturing parameters of each unit. This information will be integrated with the plant’s manufacturing execution system, or MES, to facilitate process traceability.
The contract is the second international automotive technology operation announced by Airtificial in approximately one week, following another project intended for India. The company places both agreements within the geographical expansion of the solutions offered by its Intelligent Robots division.
Chief Executive Officer Guillermo Fernández de Peñaranda said the operations reflect, in the company’s view, the reception of its technological capabilities in international industrial markets. He also linked geographical diversification and the selection of higher value-added projects to the group’s transformation. These are statements about the company’s strategy and assessment, not an independent measure of future results.
The announced amount is the contract value: on its own, it does not make it possible to determine when revenue will be recognized, when payment will be received, or what margin or profit will be associated with it. Similarly, the production schedules and parameters announced describe forecasts and project targets, not results already achieved.
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