It should come as no surprise that the very company who pioneered the use of the assembly line is yet again making advancements around a hundred year later. Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, located on 130th Street and Torrence Avenue, was the recent recipient of new laser inspection technology to improve overall quality on vehicle construction. This technology, which Ford has spent over 100 million dollars developing, aims to lower the already miniscule margin of error in assembly. Eventually this inspection equipment will be released across 17 of Ford’s assembly plants.
Robotic arms have been installed to measure each model and find imperfections, specifically in the area of noise control. It can be a matter of only one tenth of a millimeter which can offset the difference between a completely sealed cabin and one with slight noise variation from air blowing over the car’s frame. Until the release of this new machinery, Ford has trusted this responsibility to the potentially weary eyes of human operators. The computerized scanners are designed to evaluate 500 different key points on a new car and determine whether they have been properly installed.
Hoods, doors, and sunroofs are all amongst the areas targeted by the inspection process. The technology, which is based on laser light waves, monitors the area in question, records the data, and then projects an illustration so that operators can double check the placement. In the event of more defect patterns being discovered, this system will automatically notify workers down the line. With the flexibility to measure many different models thanks to the adjustable arm technology, Ford plans to save time and energy.
Ford’s present investment in improving overall vehicle quality through inspection comes just after fellow auto-manufacturer Volkswagen spent nearly 81 million on a comparable laser inspection system created by German colleague Trumpf. Since the recession, many OEM’s have slowed production but this recent upswing in technology investments may well be signaling a bit of relief from the storm.
Although more and more machines are popping up in plants, Ford says that domestic manufacturing workers need not be worried about robots taking jobs from hard working humans. Wes Sherwood, a spokesperson for the esteemed car creator, remarked “We’re not interested in replacing workers.” While the automated measuring systems and final product inspection are only running at 95 percent and 20 percent capacity respectfully, each is expected to reach maximum potential later in the month.
Ford has also activated this technology in two other plants in Michigan and Saarlouis, Germany.