Simbiosis × Daikin - Robotic quality control
Daikin leak-testing line双龍
Two KUKA robots, one job: catch the leak before it leaves the factory. The brazed joints on air-conditioner outdoor units are tested with helium detectors, contact-free and with 100% coverage, so a bad joint is caught while it is still on the line.
Results - in figures
Leaks are now caught in the factory, not in the field: service and return risk reduced
100% joint coverage on every unit, with consistent, operator-independent testing
Cycle time halved with both arms scanning simultaneously
Contact-free measurement: test-related pipe damage eliminated
A missed brazed joint is a cost that blows up in the field: if a refrigerant leak isn’t caught in the factory, it is caught at the customer’s, with service calls, returns and reputation on the line. Manual sniffer checks are slow, depend on the operator and never test two units the same way. In this cell, two KUKA robots travel between three stations on a 7th-axis rail we designed ourselves. Each model’s brazed joints are taught on a golden unit; a 3D camera scans every incoming unit and all joint coordinates are adapted to that unit from the measured offsets, so the risk of collision is eliminated. The two arms work simultaneously: the helium detector probes come down to each brazed joint with millimetre precision, without touching the pipes. If a leak is found, the joint is marked on the unit’s 3D model. Which station, which joint, which robot, what time: every unit on the line leaves a recorded trail.
01 - Challenge
The challenges
The starting point: what was slowing the line down, putting it at risk or keeping its data in the dark?
- 01Challenge
The service and reputation cost of a leak found in the field, at the customer’s
- 02Challenge
Manual sniffer checks: slow, operator-dependent and inconsistent
- 03Challenge
No two units sit in the jig exactly alike, so fixed-coordinate automation hits a pipe or misses the joint
- 04Challenge
Testing a range of 55+ models in a single cell without re-teaching
02 - Solution
Our solutions
Our answer: mechanics, controls and software, built by one team.
- 01Solution
Golden-unit calibration: each model’s joint coordinates are defined in space once
- 02Solution
The 3D camera measures the offsets on every unit and the robot adapts all its moves to that unit
- 03Solution
Two robots on one carriage serve three stations on a custom-designed 7th-axis rail
- 04Solution
Sealed test booths with controlled air circulation for reliable helium testing
- 05Solution
A database record with the unit ID, the leak point, the robot that found it and a timestamp
03 - Result
The results
The difference measured on the line, and seen by the customer every day.
- 01Result
Leaks are now caught in the factory, not in the field: service and return risk reduced
- 02Result
100% joint coverage on every unit, with consistent, operator-independent testing
- 03Result
Cycle time halved with both arms scanning simultaneously
- 04Result
Contact-free measurement: test-related pipe damage eliminated
- 05Result
A 3D-marked leak record for every unit, and quality analytics by model
04 - System
Project highlights
- 100% brazed-joint coverage on every unit
- Two KUKAs in parallel: cycle time halved
- Contact-free testing: the pipes are never touched, zero risk of damage
- Automatic compensation of unit offsets with a 3D camera
- Automatic recognition of 55+ models (4 base product types)
- Leak point marked on the 3D model, with full traceability
Technologies used
Related service
The service we provided on this project
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