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3

- Chetan

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INTRODUCTION

High volume production falls under mass and flow production

categories.

As volume increases we must have some strategy in production

method so as to reduce high cost and manufacture lead time. Thisgive rise to use ofAUTOMATION PROCESS.

An Automated flow line is production system that comprises a set of

machines (or workstation) and material/work handling device which

are linked together so as to perform operation and move from onemachine to the other.

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BMW Z-4 is produced in three different

places ;

1. Landshut, Germany produces special

Crank case of engine.

2. Munich, Germany produces Engine and

assembles it.

3. Spartanburg Country, USA where all Z-4

car body part are manufactured and

assembledIn Spartanburg, three main units are

there

1. Body Shop

2. Paint shop

3. Assembly part

BMW thought it is necessary to automate the process in production, use

sensory robots integrated circuit technology and to transfer the car machine

part from one unit to other and within each unit they automated it so as to

reduce Time, Cost, labor work mainly to increase Quality.

Spartanburg, USA BMW

factory layout

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Spot welding required in Z-4 car in performed by Automated

programmed Robots.

It also performs the operations like paint the car, assembly, holding

high temperature body parts etc

Special type of robot called Hovercraft designed and patend by

BMW, use to lift the 20kg exhaust pipe and assemble in car body.

Robots

performing

Spot welding Hovercraft

robot

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BUFFER STORAGE

A Buffer refers to a zone in flow lines where some parts after

processing are temporarily stored before they are moved to next

station for processing.

In BMW Z4 car engine main part are temporarily stored (buffer

storage) in Munich, German plant until Crank case of engine is

manufactured and arrived from Landshut (German).

In Spartanburg country, USA car parts like windows, steering,

chassis all are separately manufactured and stored in buffer

storage until Engine unit arrives from Landshut (German).

Buffer between work stations

Work-

Station

1

Work-

Station

2

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Engine buffer storage

Car Body part buffer storage

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WORK PART TRANSPORT

Asynchronous Transport Method ; This is a method in which work part is loaded at work cells

while the conveyor system waits till the operation iscompleted at each work cell.

The conveyor moves to the next cell, only after completionof operation time requirements at each work cell.

This method is flexible & suited, so it is used in BMW Z4Engine transfer line in Spartanburg plant.

Its used to assembly body operation of car and also in paintshop.

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WORKPART MECHANISM

In Spartanburg plant special type of workpart mechanism is

used which is combination of linear and rotary mechanism

BMW call it as Tilt and Wear

Work part is conveyed from one station to the other and also

used to index at equal angularpositions according to

requirement along 360 degree.

It is used assembly of Car parts so workers will have ease of

access to all parts of car.

It also have Automated Walking Beam Transfer System andBelt Drive Conveyer mechanism in transfer line of car.

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Man working in tilt and

wearmechanism toassemble the car part

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Walking beam mechanism Belt conveyerlinear mechanism

The mechanism called as stick shift

used in transferring line of car body part Geneva wheel mechanism used in

engine assembly unit.

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