ATM's PulseStaker lends a hand to the new Nissan Almera

Citation

(2000), "ATM's PulseStaker lends a hand to the new Nissan Almera", Assembly Automation, Vol. 20 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2000.03320daf.005

ATM's PulseStaker lends a hand to the new Nissan Almera

ATM's PulseStaker lends a hand to the new Nissan Almera

Keyword: ATM, Nissan

ATM Automation's groundbreaking PulseStaker (see Plate 4) is being used to assemble the centre console on the recently revamped Nissan Almera. Sunderland-based injection moulding company Magna Kansei is using ATM's stand alone multi point PulseStaker to ensure fast, precise welding of components to the polypropylene centre console.

Aimed primarily at high efficiency assembly processes such as the computer, electronics and automotive industries, PulseStaker is used for plastic reforming, a process commonly known as heat staking. It can be used to join various materials to plastic parts, such as metal shims to computer housings, plastic buttons to plastic dashboard panels and printed circuit boards to plastic housings.

Plate 4 The ATM PulseStaker

At Magna Kansei, the heat staking process comprises five steps: the console is loaded onto a table which slides under the heatstaker; the head descends, performs the heatstaking process and retracts. The table then slides out and the console is unloaded, leaving the jig ready for the next cycle. A total of 17 stakes are involved in each cycle – 13 for the PVC rubber gaiter which shrouds the handbrake, and four for the mild steel ashtray bracket.

Prior to the start of production, ATM installed and tested the PulseStaker unit, which now plays a pivotal role in the production of around 2,500 consoles per week for the Nissan Almera. Indeed, so successful has the operation been that Magna Kansei is now looking to extend the use of PulseStaker to other applications.

For further information: Robert Hopper, ATM Automation. Tel: +44 (0) 116 227 3607.