How an Engine Foundry Improved Productivity and Quality 50%

Precision work in a harsh foundry

An engine crankcase foundry in Germany builds cylinder crankcases and related castings for passenger and commercial vehicle programs. Core packages stack water jackets, balance shafts, channel cores, pump cores, thermostat cores, wheel cores, crankcase cores, and sole cores into one precise assembly before casting.

Each package demanded deburring, drilling, partial assembly, screw fastening, washing, and inspection in heat, dust, and wash chemistry that punishes manual repetition. Volume targets and repeatability could not keep climbing without a fully automated assembly path sized for foundry duty.

Turntable cells and phased robot roles

The plant paired heavy-duty foundry robots with smaller arms in a compact turntable layout. Foundry-rated units pull complete core sets from the shooting machine onto rotating tables, then smaller arms deburr and assemble thermostat, pump, wheel, crankcase, jacket, crank, and sole cores with overhead, pedestal, and upright mounting to save floor space.

After partial assembly on the turntables, larger arms finish the package, move it through a stationary screw station, immerse it for an even wash with pivot and rotate motion, and present it for operator approval before racking wet packages for drying and high-bay storage.

• Remove full core sets from shooting machines onto turntables
• Deburr and assemble sub-assemblies with precision arms
• Fasten screws at a fixed station, then wash and drip dry
• Manual inspection gate before oven drying and warehouse putaway

Measured output and cost discipline

Published results attribute a fifty percent increase in both productivity and quality to the robot-based assembly system. Each installation assembles about four hundred core packages per shift while production costs fell significantly.

The foundry reports consistently high quality on assembled crankcase core packages, with automation carrying repetitive handling and process steps that previously strained manual crews in the same environment.

Lessons for US metal and automotive plants

Crankcase core assembly is a textbook case for machine tending robot rental, cobot rental for manufacturing adjacent to hot processes, and end of line automation when every package still needs wash and inspection gates.

Service Robot Co. did not run this German deployment. We are a vendor neutral commercial robot integrator for US businesses: select the right units across manufacturers, finance with robot rental monthly or lease purchase program options, map the cell, train staff, and back every unit with nationwide on-site dispatch and maintenance included service plans.