Automotive and EV lines don't leave much slack. Cycle time is fixed, outages are short, and a robot that drifts out of position shows up as rework downstream. TS Controls programs, commissions, and supports KUKA, FANUC, and ABB robots in automotive and EV plants, along with the Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLC that runs the cell. We're based in Anderson, South Carolina, in the middle of the Southeast auto corridor, and we work on-site nationwide.
Applications
- Body-in-white. Spot weld, sealer, and material handling in multi-robot body cells
- Hemming and roller hemming cells. Path programming and touchup for closures
- Press shop. Press tending and part transfer
- Multi-robot cells. Interference zones, handshakes, and cycle balancing between robots and the PLC
- Vision-guided work. Flexible picks and guided paths where fixtures can't hold every part the same way
- Model-year and new-part changeovers. New paths and positions added without breaking what already runs
- EV production lines. Robot programming and cell support for high-rate EV body and assembly work
KUKA, FANUC, and ABB
| Brand | Tools and languages we work in |
|---|---|
| KUKA | WorkVisual, KRL |
| FANUC | ROBOGUIDE (offline programming and simulation), teach pendant programming |
| ABB | RobotStudio, RAPID |
Many plants run more than one brand, sometimes in the same building. We work across all three, so you don't need a separate contractor for each.
Offline programming before the outage
Outage time is the scarcest resource on an auto line. Where the cell data allows, we map the cell, the robots, and the fixtures graphically and simulate the program offline before anyone climbs the cage. That moves path development, reach checks, and interference checks out of the outage and into the week before. On-site time then goes to touchup, I/O checkout, and proving the cycle.
What helps us program offline:
- Cell layouts and fixture models (CAD), if available
- Robot models, controller generation, and software options
- Current robot backups
- The sequence and the PLC handshake signals
- Cycle-time targets
One team for the robot and the PLC
A lot of cell problems live at the boundary: the robot is waiting on the PLC, the PLC is waiting on the robot, and each vendor points at the other. We program both sides: KUKA, FANUC, and ABB robots, and Siemens (TIA Portal, S7-1500) or Allen-Bradley (ControlLogix, Studio 5000) cell logic, plus the safety and network layers in between (PROFINET, EtherNet/IP). One team owns the handshake.
End-of-arm tooling
We design and build end-of-arm tooling in-house or modify what you have: weld guns, spray, grinders, grippers, vacuum, and magnets. Tooling and robot program are developed together, so the TCP, payload data, and paths match the hardware that's actually on the robot.
Fewer weld and robot touchups: Industry 5.0
Weld cells drift, and touchups eat maintenance time. Our Industry 5.0 work uses adaptive machine-based learning to keep weld cells in spec without manual touchups. The prototype is live on KUKA with Siemens TIA Portal, and Allen-Bradley, FANUC, and ABB are in expansion. If you run KUKA weld cells on Siemens controls and want to discuss a pilot, ask us. See Industry 5.0 adaptive robot learning.
How a robot job works
- Describe the cell. Robots, fixtures, the motion or change you need, and the outage window. Attach layouts, drawings, and backups.
- Evaluation. We review the data and, where needed, see the cell on-site first.
- Offline work. Programs developed and simulated before the outage where possible.
- On-site. Touchup, I/O checkout, cycle proving, and safety verification with your team.
- Handover. Updated backups, notes, and a cell your maintenance team can support.
Where we work
From Anderson, SC we support automotive, EV, and aerospace plants across the Upstate, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, and we travel nationwide. Plants we've supported include BMW Plant 10, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Tesla, and Volvo.
New customers: Send us a written, like-for-like quote from another integrator and we'll beat the labor price by 15% on your first purchase order. Excludes emergency line-down work, time-and-materials jobs, materials, and change orders. Final price confirmed in writing by TS Controls. Robot down on the line? Call (864) 526-7779, 24/7.