Product Description：

Automotive sunroof assembly manipulators are key equipment on automotive general assembly lines. Due to the large area, heavy weight (30-60kg), fragility, and unique installation location (center of the roof) of automotive sunroofs (especially panoramic sunroofs), manual installation is highly susceptible to workplace injuries or component damage.

Core Technology Structure:

A standard sunroof assembly robot system typically consists of three parts:

• Main Unit (Rigid Arm Structure): Because the robot needs to extend into the vehicle body or hover directly above it during installation, and due to the shifted center of gravity, a pneumatic rigid arm structure is usually used. This structure can withstand significant eccentric torque, ensuring the sunroof does not wobble during movement.
• End Gripper (Vacuum Gripper):
  a. Vacuum Suction Cups: Utilizes multi-point distributed vacuum suction cups (usually with a self-locking function to prevent the sunroof from falling due to accidental air supply interruption).

b. Floating Compensation Unit: Integrates a “floating device” into the gripper, allowing for millimeter-level displacement compensation during assembly, preventing damage to the glass                         edges from hard impacts.

• Balance Control System: Employs full-stroke zero-gravity balancing technology. Regardless of whether the robotic arm is loaded or not, the operator only needs to apply a force of less than 2 kg to freely lift, lower, or flip it.

Key Process Flow

Sunroof assembly typically follows these steps:

• Automatic Grabbing: The robot arm picks up the sunroof assembly from the material rack.
• Vision Alignment (Optional): An integrated 3D vision system identifies the relative position of the sunroof glass edge and the opening in the vehicle’s roof, automatically correcting any deviations.
• Adhesive Application: The robot arm moves the sunroof to the adhesive application station (or works in conjunction with an adhesive application robot) for precise adhesive application to the sunroof frame sealing strip.
• Posture Tilting: The sunroof is tilted from a horizontal position to a specific angle suitable for vehicle installation.
• Precise Insertion: The robot arm guides the sunroof into the opening in the vehicle’s roof, achieving initial positioning using locating pins.
• Assisted Tightening: Maintaining balance facilitates the worker’s tightening of bolts from inside the vehicle.

Industry Trends: Intelligent Upgrades

• Electric Servo Drive: More and more factories are shifting from “purely pneumatic” to “electric servo,” achieving more precise feel and automated docking through force sensors.
• Digital Twin Synchronization: Robotic arm operation data is uploaded to the MES system in real time, monitoring the installation pressure and positioning of each car sunroof.
• Flexible Fixtures: Adaptable to sunroofs of different car models on the same production line (such as small sunroofs in sedans and panoramic sunroofs in SUVs), the fixtures can automatically adjust the suction cup spacing.

Selection Recommendations

If you are planning a procurement or design solution, we recommend paying attention to the following parameters:

• Rated Load: It is recommended to allow for 1.5 times redundancy (e.g., for a 40kg sunroof, the selection should be 60-100kg).
• Working Radius: Needs to cover the material rack area to the center of the production line, typically between 2.5m and 4m.
• Installation methods: Common types include column-mounted (fixed to the ground) and suspended motorized (hung on a track and moved with the vehicle).