SECTOR: CAR COMPONENTS
APPLICATION : assembly and dispatch
PROBLEM:
The realization of a high-output factory for the simultaneous assembly of different models of car seats which must be flexible and capable therefore of handling lots of different sizes and of effecting rapid changes in production thus optimizing production.

Specifications:
  • variability in assembly times for different seat models with a maximum ratio of 1:2;
  • production scheduling within 48 hours prior to start up corresponding to the car assembly schedule issued by the customer;
  • automatic seat loading and unloading from the assembly line to the articulated trucks and from these to the automobile plant;
  • reduction of unloading times and of the time necessary for seats to enter the car production line.
 

 
ANSWER :
The proposed solution foresees the use of System 32000 overhead P & F conveyor for the ready-made fabric and a System E8 monorail for the assembly kit set up and for the feed of the seat assembly line. The carousel carriers have been planned with two shelves: one for the pallet on which the seats have to be placed and dispatched and the other for the components necessary for assembly.

An automatic unloading device transfers the carriers onto the two twin assembly lines using System 08 conveyors.

The pallet supporting the finished seats is then sent to the auxiliary line, always using System 08 conveyors, for the recycling and the reordering of the seats depending on the dispatch schedule.

At the end of each line there is a false truck body on three levels with three mechanized lines at each level: the first level is for the automatic accumulation and unloading of empty pallets, while pallets with the assembled seats are loaded onto the remaining two levels. Identical false truck bodies have been installed on the automobile plant assembly line.
The articulated trucks used for the transfer of the seats have been fitted with three mechanized lines on two levels within the body to allow for the automatic loading and unloading system.
The software solution makes possible both establishment of the assembly schedule, thus optimizing times, and dispatch organisation so that the different seat models are loaded in reverse car production line order.