Application of Solidot I/O Products in Automotive Airbag Production Line

As a core component of passive safety systems, automotive airbags impose extremely high requirements on the synchronization of pneumatic actuators and the reliability of on‑site signal acquisition during manufacturing. In this context, distributed valve islands and I/O modules are becoming the mainstream choice for automation control in airbag production lines. This case study takes us into a real automotive airbag production line to see how Solidot’s C3 Series valve islands and IOL7A Series IO‑Link bus I/O modules contribute to the process.

Solidot Products Used in This Case

C3 Series Valve Island

IOL7A-PN01B-8A

(IO‑Link Master)

IOL7A-1600B-M12

(16‑channel Digital Input IO‑Link Hub)

I. Equipment Introduction
The automotive airbag production line consists of an automatic loading unit, a multi‑station turntable, an assembly press‑fit unit, an ignition test unit, an online inspection unit, and an automatic sorting mechanism, covering the entire process from parts supply to product quality qualification.

II. Solidot Solution
The line adopts a hybrid layout of line‑type and turntable sections. Actuators are distributed along the line, and the pneumatic piping is long, demanding high flexibility and fast response from pneumatic components. Additionally, real‑time signals such as cylinder positions must be collected to confirm whether actuation is completed.

To address these requirements, the solution uses C3 Series valve islands, deployed distributedly at each pneumatic station via PROFINET to drive actuators locally, greatly simplifying pneumatic piping and cable layouts. For signal acquisition, one IOL7A-1600B-M12 connects to magnetic switches on cylinders to collect extension and retraction position feedback in real time; another is deployed at the loading station to detect incoming parts on the conveyor and determine whether a part is in position for gripping. Signals from both slaves are aggregated via the IOL7A-PN01B-8A master and then uploaded to the PLC.

III. System Architecture
Control Layer: Siemens S7‑1500 PLC as the core controller, responsible for overall line logic scheduling and cycle coordination.
Network Layer: Both the C3 Series valve islands and the IOL7A-PN01B-8A are connected to the PLC via PROFINET and distributed across stations.
Field Execution Layer: C3 Series valve islands are installed near pneumatic sources to drive actuators; IOL7A-1600B-M12 units are installed near selected cylinders and the loading station, with signals aggregated and uploaded through the master.

IV. Application Results

V. Solidot C3 Series Valve Island and IOL7A Series IO‑Link Bus I/O Modules
C3 Valve Island: Supports up to 24 double‑solenoid configurations with IP65 protection; features plug‑in valve design for quick maintenance; solenoid valve life >50 million cycles; supports online firmware upgrades.
IOL7A Series IO‑Link Bus I/O Modules: Designed per IO‑Link V1.1.3, metal housing, IP67 protection; covers digital and analog types, good compatibility, supports cascading; equipped with LED status indicators and channel‑level protection and diagnostics.