CAR MANUFACTURING FROM INITIAL TO FINAL STAGE

RAW MATERIAL:
 Although the bulk of an automobile is virgin steel, petroleum-based products (plastics and
vinyl’s) have come to represent an increasingly large percentage of automotive components.
 The light-weight materials derived from petroleum have helped to lighten some models by as
much as thirty percent.
 As the price of fossil fuels continues to rise, the preference for lighter, more fuel efficient
vehicles will become more pronounced.

DESIGN :
 Introducing a new model of automobile generally takes three to five years from inception to
assembly. Ideas for new models are developed to respond to unmet pubic needs and preferences
 With the help of computer-aided design equipment, designers develop basic concept drawings
that help them visualize the proposed vehicle's appearance
 Only after all models have been reviewed and accepted are tool designers permitted to begin
building the tools that will manufacture the component parts of the new model.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS:

COMPONENTS:
 The automobile assembly plant represents only the final phase in the process of manufacturing
an automobile, for it is here that the components supplied by more than 4,000 outside suppliers,
including company-owned parts suppliers, are brought together for assembly, usually by truck or
railroad.
 Those parts that will be used in the chassis are delivered to one area, while those that will
comprise the body are unloaded at another.

CHASSIS:
 The typical car or truck is constructed from the ground up (and out). The frame forms the base
on which the body rests and from which all subsequent assembly components follow. The frame is
placed on the assembly line and clamped to the conveyer to prevent shifting as it moves down the line.
 From here the automobile frame moves to component assembly areas where complete front
and rear suspensions, gas tanks, rear axles and drive shafts, gear boxes, steering box components,
wheel drums, and braking systems are sequentially installed.
 An off-line operation at this stage of production mates the vehicle's engine with its
transmission. Workers use robotic arms to install these heavy components inside the engine
compartment of the frame

 On automobile assembly lines, much of the work is now done by robots rather than humans. In
the first stages of automobile manufacture, robots weld the floor pan pieces together and assist worker
in placing components such as the suspension onto the chassis.

BODY:
 Generally, the floor pan is the largest body component to which a multitude of panels and
braces will subsequently be either welded or bolted.
 As it moves down the assembly line, held in place by clamping fixtures, the shell of the vehicle
is built. First, the left and right quarter panels are robotically disengaged from pre-staged shipping
containers and placed onto the floor pan, where they are stabilized with positioning fixtures and
welded.
 Moreover, robots can also tolerate the smoke, weld flashes, and gases created during this phase
of production.
 As the body moves from the isolated weld area of the assembly line, subsequent body
components including fully assembled doors, deck lids, hood panel, fenders, trunk lid, and bumper
reinforcements are installed.
 Although robots help workers place these components onto the body shell, the workers provide
the proper fit for most of the bolt-on functional parts using pneumatically assisted too

PAINT:
 Prior to painting, the body must pass through a rigorous inspection process, the body in
white operation. The shell of the vehicle passes through a brightly lit white room where it is fully
wiped down by visual inspectors using cloths soaked in hi-light oil.
 Under the lights, this oil allows inspectors to see any defects in the sheet metal body panels.
Dings, dents, and any other defects are repaired right on the line by skilled body repairmen.
 As the shell exits the cleaning station it goes through a drying booth and then through an
undercoat dip—an electrostatically charged bath of undercoat paint (called the E-coat) that covers
every nook and cranny of the body shell, both inside and out, with primer.

 This coat acts as a substrate surface to which the top coat of colored paint adheres.
  After the E-coat bath, the shell is again dried in a booth as it proceeds on to the final paint
operation.
 In most automobile assembly plants today, vehicle bodies are spray-painted by robots that have
been programmed to apply the exact amounts of paint to just the right areas for just the right length of
time.
 Considerable research and programming has gone into the dynamics of robotic painting in
order to ensure the fine "wet" finishes we have come to expect. Our robotic painters have come a long
way since Ford's first Model Ts, which were painted by hand with a brush.

 The body is built up on a separate assembly line from the chassis. Robots once again perform
most of the welding on the various panels, but human workers are necessary to bolt the parts together.
During welding, component pieces are held securely in a jig while welding operations are performed.
Once the body shell is complete, it is attached to an overhead conveyor for the painting process. The
multi-step painting process entails inspection, cleaning, undercoat (electrostatically applied) dipping,
drying, topcoat spraying,andbaking.

INTERIOR ASSEMBLY:
 The painted shell proceeds through the interior assembly area where workers assemble all of
the instrumentation and wiring systems, dash panels, interior lights, seats, door and trim panels,
headliners, radios, speakers, all glass except the automobile windshield, steering column and wheel,
body weatherstrips, vinyl tops, brake and gas pedals, carpeting, and front and rear bumper fascias.
 Next, robots equipped with suction cups remove the windshield from a shipping container,
apply a bead of urethane sealer to the perimeter of the glass, and then place it into the body windshield
frame. Robots also pick seats and trim panels and transport them to the vehicle for the ease and
efficiency of the assembly operator. After passing through this section the shell is given a water test to
ensure the proper fit of door panels, glass, and weatherstripping. It is now ready to mate with the
chassis.
MATE:
 The chassis assembly conveyor and the body shell conveyor meet at this stage of production.
As the chassis passes the body conveyor the shell is robotically lifted from its conveyor fixtures and
placed onto the car frame. Assembly workers, some at ground level and some in work pits beneath the
conveyor, bolt the car body to the frame. Once the mating takes place the automobile proceeds down
the line to receive final trim components, battery, tires, anti-freeze, and gasoline.
 The vehicle can now be started. From here it is driven to a checkpoint off the line, where its
engine is audited, its lights and horn checked, its tires balanced, and its charging system examined.
Any defects discovered at this stage require that the car be taken to a central repair area, usually
located near the end of the line. A crew of skilled trouble-shooters at this stage analyze and repair all
problems. When the vehicle passes final audit it is given a price label and driven to a staging lot where
it will await shipment to its destination.

QUALITY CONTROL:
 All of the components that go into the automobile are produced at other sites. This means the
thousands of component pieces that comprise the car must be manufactured, tested, packaged, and
shipped to the assembly plants, often on the same day they will be used. This requires no small amount
of planning.
 To accomplish it, most automobile manufacturers require outside parts vendors to subject their
component parts to rigorous testing and inspection audits similar to those used by the assembly plants.
In this way the assembly plants can anticipate that the products arriving at their receiving docks
are Statistical Process Control (SPC) approved and free from defects.
 Once the component parts of the automobile begin to be assembled at the automotive factory,
production control specialists can follow the progress of each embryonic automobile by means of
its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), assigned at the start of the production line.
 In many of the more advanced assembly plants a small radio frequency transponder is attached
to the chassis and floor pan. This sending unit carries the VIN information and monitors its progress
along the assembly process.
 Knowing what operations the vehicle has been through, where it is going, and when it should
arrive at the next assembly station gives production management personnel the ability to electronically
control the manufacturing sequence.
 Throughout the assembly process quality audit stations keep track of vital information
concerning the integrity of various functional components of the vehicle.
 This idea comes from a change in quality control ideology over the years. Formerly, quality
control was seen as a final inspection process that sought to discover defects only after the vehicle was
built. In contrast, today quality is seen as a process built right into the design of the vehicle as well as
the assembly process.
 In this way assembly operators can stop the conveyor if workers find a defect. Corrections can
then be made, or supplies checked to determine whether an entire batch of components is bad. Vehicle
recalls are costly and manufacturers do everything possible to ensure the integrity of their product
before it is shipped to the customer.
 After the vehicle is assembled a validation process is conducted at the end of the assembly line
to verify quality audits from the various inspection points throughout the assembly process.
 This final audit tests for properly fitting panels; dynamics; squeaks and rattles; functioning
electrical components; and engine, chassis, and wheel alignment. In many assembly plants vehicles are
periodically pulled from the audit line and given full functional tests. All efforts today are put forth to
ensure that quality and reliability are built into the assembled product.
LAUNCH:
 After performing market research, developing a marketing theme, and defining the price of the
car, the car will be produced for car dealerships and private dealers to sell to the public.