Learning skills : robotics technology in automotive powertrain assembly

The past 40 years have seen industrial robots establish their superiority over humans in most areas of manufacturing requiring endurance or repeatability. One important application domain, however, has so far lagged behind the industry’s expectations: mechanical assembly. As fast, precise and dependable as they are, traditional industrial robots just don’t seem able to perform certain assembly operations as well as a skilled human worker. A task as simple as screwing a light bulb into a lamp socket shows why. Applying the right amount of force and turning the bulb at just the right time, at exactly the right angle, is something a human does intuitively. How can a robot be programmed to do this? For robots to successfully emulate humans on an assembly line, they need to have force-sensing capability and exhibit compliance. They must be able to direct forces and moments in a controlled way, and react to contact information. New robot force control technology from ABB shows how.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EFFICIENCY AND OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOMOTIVE POWERTRAIN ARCHITECTURES THROUGH CHASSIS DYNAMOMETER TESTING

The thesis "COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EFFICIENCY AND OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOMOTIVE POWERTRAIN ARCHITECTURES THROUGH CHASSIS DYNAMOMETER TESTING" was completed through a collaborative partnership between Michigan Technological University and Argonne National Laboratory under a contractual agreement titled "Advanced Vehicle Characterization at Argonne National Laboratory". The goal of this project was to investigate, understand and document the performance and operational strategy of several modern passenger vehicles of various architectures. The vehicles were chosen to represent several popular engine and transmission architectures and were instrumented to allow for data collection to facilitate comparative analysis. In order to ensure repeatability and reliability during testing, each vehicle was tested over a series of identical drive cycles in a controlled environment utilizing a vehicle chassis dynamometer. Where possible, instrumentation was preserved between vehicles to ensure robust data collection. The efficiency and fuel economy performance of the vehicles was studied. In addition, the powertrain utilization strategies, significant energy loss sources, tailpipe emissions, combustion characteristics, and cold start behavior were also explored in detail. It was concluded that each vehicle realizes different strengths and suffers from different limitations in the course of their attempts to maximize efficiency and fuel economy. In addition, it was observed that each vehicle regardless of architecture exhibits significant energy losses and difficulties in cold start operation that can be further improved with advancing technology. It is clear that advanced engine technologies and driveline technologies are complimentary aspects of vehicle design that must be utilized together for best efficiency improvements. Finally, it was concluded that advanced technology vehicles do not come without associated cost; the complexity of the powertrains and lifecycle costs must be considered to understand the full impact of advanced vehicle technology.

Technology strategy : findings from adoption and adaptation of Japanese manufacturing management (JMM) to ASEAN and Australasian automotive manufacturers

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the appropriateness of “Japanese Manufacturing Management” (JMM) strategies in the Asian, ASEAN and Australasian automotive sectors. Secondly, the study assessed JMM as a prompt, effective and efficient global manufacturing management practice for automotive manufacturing companies to learn; benchmark for best practice; acquire product and process innovation, and enhance their capabilities and capacities. In this study, the philosophies, systems and tools that have been adopted in various automotive manufacturing assembly plants and their tier 1 suppliers in the three Regions were examined. A number of top to middle managers in these companies were located in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Viet Nam, and Australia and were interviewed by using a qualitative methodology. The results confirmed that the six pillars of JMM (culture change, quality at shop floor, consensus, incremental continual improvement, benchmarking, and backward-forward integration) are key enablers to success in adopting JMM in both automotive and other manufacturing sectors in the three Regions. The analysis and on-site interviews identified a number of recommendations that were validated by the automotive manufacturing company’s managers as the most functional JMM strategies.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) – A case study of repetitive measures

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a highly integral methodology in product development, starting from the concept development phase, with the aim of improving manufacturing productivity and maintaining product quality. While Design for Assembly (DFA) is focusing on elimination or combination of parts with other components (Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight, 2002), which in most cases relates to performing a function and manufacture operation in a simpler way, DFM is following a more holistic approach. During DFM, the considerable background work required for the conceptual phase is compensated for by a shortening of later development phases. Current DFM projects normally apply an iterative step-by-step approach and eventually transfer to the developer team. Although DFM has been a well established methodology for about 30 years, a Fraunhofer IAO study from 2009 found that DFM was still one of the key challenges of the German Manufacturing Industry. A new, knowledge based approach to DFM, eliminating steps of DFM, was introduced in Paul and Al-Dirini (2009). The concept focuses on a concurrent engineering process between the manufacturing engineering and product development systems, while current product realization cycles depend on a rigorous back-and-forth examine-and-correct approach so as to ensure compatibility of any proposed design to the DFM rules and guidelines adopted by the company. The key to achieving reductions is to incorporate DFM considerations into the early stages of the design process. A case study for DFM application in an automotive powertrain engineering environment is presented. It is argued that a DFM database needs to be interfaced to the CAD/CAM software, which will restrict designers to the DFM criteria. Consequently, a notable reduction of development cycles can be achieved. The case study is following the hypothesis that current DFM methods do not improve product design in a manner claimed by the DFM method. The critical case was to identify DFA/DFM recommendations or program actions with repeated appearance in different sources. Repetitive DFM measures are identified, analyzed and it is shown how a modified DFM process can mitigate a non-fully integrated DFM approach.

An analysis of stage performance in automotive turbocharger centrifugal compressors

As the concept of engine downsizing becomes ever more integrated into automotive powertrain development strategies, so too does the pressure on turbocharger manufacturers to deliver improvements in map width and a reduction in the mass flow rate at which compressor surge occurs. A consequence of this development is the increasing importance of recirculating flows, both in the impeller inlet and outlet domains, on stage performance.
The current study seeks to evaluate the impact of the inclusion of impeller inlet recirculation on a meanline centrifugal compressor design tool. Using a combination of extensive test data, single passage CFD predictions, and 1-D analysis it is demonstrated how the addition of inlet recirculation modelling impacts upon stage performance close to the surge line. It is also demonstrated that, in its current configuration, the accuracy of the 1-D model prediction diminishes significantly with increasing blade tip speed.
Having ascertained that the existing model requires further work, an evaluation of the vaneless diffuser modelling method currently employed within the existing 1-D model is undertaken. The comparison of the predicted static pressure recovery coefficient with test data demonstrated the inherent inadequacies in the resulting prediction, in terms of both magnitude and variation with flow rate. A simplified alternative method based on an equivalent friction coefficient is also presented that, with further development, could provide a significantly improved stage performance prediction.

The effect of clamping sequence on dimensional variability in sheet metal assembly

Finite element (FE) modelling techniques have become a popular tool for exploring welding and clamping sequence dependence in sheet metal assemblies. In the current paper, the dimensional variability associated with different assembly clamping sequences is investigated with a FE contact modelling approach implemented in the commercial code Abaqus. A simplified channel section assembly consisting of a top hat and bottom plate is the case study investigated. Expected variation modes of bow and twist were used to simulate key variability sources in the main structural component under investigation; the top hat of the channel section. It was found that final assembly variability can change considerably depending on clamp sequence selection. It was also found that different clamp sequences can control particular modes of variation better than others, and that there is not one particular clamping sequence that is the best for containing all variation modes. An adaptable assembly process is therefore suggested, where given the shape of input components the best available clamping sequence is selected. Comparison of the performance of the proposed adaptable clamping sequence to traditional fixed clamping sequences shows improvements for the dimensional control of variability in non-rigid components. While introducing such a method in production would require inspection of each component being assembled and investigation of the alternative clamping sequences, given access to fast and detailed dimensional inspection technology such as optical coordinate measuring machines (OCMM's), the approach shows promise for future application.

Modelo de flexibilidade de manufatura em processos de submontagem

Through observation of production process of a Vale do Paraiba’s automobile industry, one can encounter in need of improvement related to large uncertainties and variations in the production environment, a fact that inspired the search for solutions that can respond quickly to these changes. This way, the paper describes the development of a flexible manufacturing model, which aims to optimize the process in an automotive sub-assembly industry of the Paraíba Valley. The main objective is to propose a method to promote viable alternatives to easing the assembly of parallel sub performed the assembly of cars. For the construction of the model was necessary to explore concepts of flexible manufacturing and making the data presented in literature, which were vital to ensure the development of the method. The concepts discussed are usually presented at an undergraduate degree in Engineering. Data compiled by the model are able to serve as a strategic benchmark for decision making by managers. Featuring alternative response variables and uncertainties of the organizational environment, a fact that facilitates the management of human resources and productive

Interactive simulation of flexible parts

Computer simulations play an ever growing role for the development of automotive products. Assembly simulation, as well as many other processes, are used systematically even before the first physical prototype of a vehicle is built in order to check whether particular components can be assembled easily or whether another part is in the way. Usually, this kind of simulation is limited to rigid bodies. However, a vehicle contains a multitude of flexible parts of various types: cables, hoses, carpets, seat surfaces, insulations, weatherstrips... Since most of the problems using these simulations concern one-dimensional components and since an intuitive tool for cable routing is still needed, we have chosen to concentrate on this category, which includes cables, hoses and wiring harnesses. In this thesis, we present a system for simulating one dimensional flexible parts such as cables or hoses. The modeling of bending and torsion follows the Cosserat model. For this purpose we use a generalized spring-mass system and describe its configuration by a carefully chosen set of coordinates. Gravity and contact forces as well as the forces responsible for length conservation are expressed in Cartesian coordinates. But bending and torsion effects can be dealt with more effectively by using quaternions to represent the orientation of the segments joining two neighboring mass points. This augmented system allows an easy formulation of all interactions with the best appropriate coordinate type and yields a strongly banded Hessian matrix. An energy minimizing process accounts for a solution exempt from the oscillations that are typical of spring-mass systems. The use of integral forces, similar to an integral controller, allows to enforce exactly the constraints. The whole system is numerically stable and can be solved at interactive frame rates. It is integrated in the DaimlerChrysler in-house Virtual Reality Software veo for use in applications such as cable routing and assembly simulation and has been well received by users. Parts of this work have been published at the ACM Solid and Physical Modeling Conference 2006 and have been selected for the special issue of the Computer-Aided-Design Journal to the conference.

PNEUMATIC POWERTRAIN FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE

A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, a compressed air tank, a heat exchanger to heat the compressed air, and an air motor driven by the heated air and connected to at least one wheel. A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, a compressed air tank, and an air motor driven by the compressed air and connected to a wheel. The vehicle also has a ventilation system for the passenger compartment, a heat exchanger, and a restrictive solenoid valve for directing ventilation system air to the heat exchanger. A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, an aluminum compressed air tank, a carbon filament reinforced plastic layer over the tank, a fiberglass and aramid-fiber layer over the carbon filament reinforced plastic layer, and an air motor driven by the compressed air and connected to at least one wheel.

Pneumatic powertrain for an automotive vehicle

A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, a compressed air tank, a heat exchanger to heat the compressed air, and an air motor driven by the heated air and connected to at least one wheel. A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, a compressed air tank, and an air motor driven by the compressed air and connected to a wheel. The vehicle also has a ventilation system for the passenger compartment, a heat exchanger, and a restrictive solenoid valve for directing ventilation system air to the heat exchanger. A pneumatic vehicle is provided with a chassis, wheels, an aluminum compressed air tank, a carbon filament reinforced plastic layer over the tank, a fiberglass and aramid-fiber layer over the carbon filament reinforced plastic layer, and an air motor driven by the compressed air and connected to at least one wheel.

Automotive manufacturing processes. Volume V - manufacturing processes and equipment for the mass production and assembly of motor vehicles. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Automotive tape recorder. Volume 3. Assembly, inspection and pre-calibration. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Reverse engineering and finite element analysis of a 3-wheeler automotive structure

Auto rickshaws (3-wheelers) are the most sought after transport among the urban and rural poor in India. The assembly of the vehicle involves assemblies of several major components. The L-angle is the component that connects the front panel with the vehicle floor. Current L-angle part has been observed to experience permanent deformation failure over period of time. This paper studies the effect of the addition of stiffeners on the L-angle to increase the strength of the component. A physical model of the L-angle was reversed engineered and modelled in CAD before static loading analysis were carried out on the model using finite element analysis. The modified L-angle fitted with stiffeners was shown to be able to withstand more load compare to previous design.

Extended liaison as an interface between product and process model in assembly

This paper describes the use of liaison to better integrate product model and assembly process model so as to enable sharing of design and assembly process information in a common integrated form and reason about them. Liaison can be viewed as a set, usually a pair, of features in proximity with which process information can be associated. A liaison is defined as a set of geometric entities on the parts being assembled and relations between these geometric entities. Liaisons have been defined for riveting, welding, bolt fastening, screw fastening, adhesive bonding (gluing) and blind fastening processes. The liaison captures process specific information through attributes associated with it. The attributes are associated with process details at varying levels of abstraction. A data structure for liaison has been developed to cluster the attributes of the liaison based on the level of abstraction. As information about the liaisons is not explicitly available in either the part model or the assembly model, algorithms have been developed for extracting liaisons from the assembly model. The use of liaison is proposed to enable both the construction of process model as the product model is fleshed out, as well as maintaining integrity of both product and process models as the inevitable changes happen to both design and the manufacturing environment during the product lifecycle. Results from aerospace and automotive domains have been provided to illustrate and validate the use of liaisons. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.