CYCLE TIME OPTIMIZATION THROUGH VIRTUAL COMMISSIONING OF A PNEUMATIC CYLINDER IN THE GEARBOX PRESS FITTING STATION FOR AUTOMOTIVE ROBOTICS

This thesis aims to reduce the cycle time (CT) of an automotive gearbox press-fitting station through virtual commissioning. The F7 optical check process was modeled using Siemens TIA Portal V18 and Process Simulate to synchronize PLC logic with pneumatic motion. A Festo tandem cylinder and Keyence IV vision system were analyzed through calibrated timing data. Baseline CT (1.9 s) was dominated by two 500 ms stabilization timers. By optimization and Reducing timers to 300 ms and refining trigger logic cut CT by 0.4 s (≈25%) without hardware changes. Results show logic delays, not pneumatic limits, are the main bottleneck. The proposed method provides a repeatable digital workflow for efficient and reliable automation design