PHD, Inc.

Clamps are used in robotic MIG welding cells on an automotive line to hold vehicle frame stampings together during the welding process.

An automotive customer was using its own in-house equipment to clamp the parts for welding; however, the equipment was not meeting the customer's needs in the areas of force and robustness in the challenging welding environment. If the customer were to source the parts externally, on-time delivery would be essential to its tight production schedule. Also, special jaws and mounting surfaces would be required to interface with the customer's existing tooling.

PHD's Custom Solutions engineers collaborated with the automotive company to fully understand the design and performance requirements of the application. It was determined that PHD's standard PFC Clamp's proven technology would meet the customer's force and durability requirements, so the engineers modified the standard clamp to enable interfacing with the customer's existing tooling. Also, PHD's standard production lead times allowed for deliveries that met the customer's tight schedule.

Results

High-Force, Long-Life Actuator That Seamlessly Integrates with Customer's Existing Tooling

PHD's custom clamp meets the customer's force requirements and interfaces with its existing tooling, eliminating the need for design adjustments to the application. The customer has increased its production and uptime due to the durability of the actuator and PHD's quick delivery.