Multi-AxisTest System Automotive

The automotive industry places particularly high demands on test systems – especially when it comes to safety-relevant components. For a German automotive manufacturer, ALFATEC has implemented a multi-axis test rig precisely tailored to the customer’s complex requirements – with maximum flexibility, durability, and process reliability.

Practical application – tailored to the automotive industry

Road safety is one of the most important and cost-intensive research areas in the automotive industry. In airbag tests of new prototypes, state-of-the-art technology and concentrated know-how from various departments are used. To determine how airbags and humans behave in a potential impact, highly precise, reproducible and flexible test mechanisms are needed. The construction of the lifting and positioning device must reliably withstand the tons of dynamic force generated during airbag deployment and remain precisely in position.

Test procedure in detail

The test vehicle is maneuvered via the guide rails of the three-axis test rig and fixed in place for testing. An arm on the tower’s vertical carriage supports the dummy. Using remote control and a distance measuring system, the device is guided through the side window into the vehicle interior. Using sensors, the system is aligned with the dummy with millimeter precision. During ignition and subsequent contact of the dummy with the airbag, the supporting arm of the handling system must remain absolutely rigid.

Maximum precision in confined spaces thanks to customized handling systems

To ensure the significance of the test results, the device must not yield and must maintain an accuracy of 0.1 millimeters in every repetition. The entire test station must be built on an area the size of a double garage. Maximum travel distances are required to reach various positions with the dummy mounted on the arm. The limited height of the room poses an additional challenge to the spatial conditions.

Multi-axis test system – Maximum precision in confined space

With the help of an underfloor construction, part of the technology is recessed into the ground. This allowed the tight installation space to be fully utilized. The use of recirculating ball bearing guides enables extremely precise, linear motion. To additionally stiffen the moving parts of the system before a test shot, pneumatic clamping elements tighten on the guides.