Assignment # 1

Material and Manufacturing Process

By Malik Naveed Akhter DE34-12-750 MTS-B

Submitted to Dr. Khuram Kamal

Car Manufacturing Process

Pressing;
This is the basic process of car manufacturing. Raw Material i.e. simple sheet of metal is converted to desired shape by means of high power hydraulic press. Doors and base frame are manufactured via this process. The machines for pressing have high dimensional accuracy and higher production rate. The Process is based on property of metal that it can undergo Plastic Deformation. Hydraulic press exerts a very high pressure on metal sheet which causes it to deform beyond the elastic limit, thus the deformation by the stress is permanent and shape of sheet metal is converted to required design of the auto vehicle. Raw material is not necessarily the metal sheet but it can also be a metal block of any shape. First of all bending occurs. Force is applied to a sheet metal to deform it and produce curvatures of the surface. Bending is generally produces simple curved surfaces instead of complex ones. A mechanically operated press drives (any mechanism can be used but hydraulic is often used) a punch against sheet metal,

forcing it into a die pressure just enough to bypass elastic limit of that metal and produce a permanent change in the metal's shape. Pressure counts, If not enough pressure is applied, the metal returns to its original shape because of high elasticity of metals. If too much is applied, it simply cracks and breaks. When the raw metal is bent to required shape, it is then forced into a dye which has various cuts and curves to form the basic structure of a car.

Welding;
Welding is a manufacturing process used to join different materials. It differ from other processes like casting, forming, machining, etc., because these are used to form a single component while in welding process these single components are assembled to form a complex configuration. Welding is done by the used of specialized robotic welding machines, which have high accuracy. There are various types of automotive welding such as: Laser Welding Gas Welding Arc Welding Mostly Laser and Arc welding is used but in some delicate parts, Gas welding is also used. Welding permanent joins two or more parts together. Parts to be joined are heated to a certain point at which they melt and fuse together. The molten parts cool down quickly, producing a permanent bond. Special care is taken so that the atmospheric impurities like Carbon, Oxygen would not combine with the metal when it is melted because it will leave the joint week and thus compromising the safety of car. Precision in Welding process is a must thing because this is a permanent change. Removing defects of Welding is very laborious task. So, welding process is given much importance to avoid any inconvenience and wastage of time because the whole production line will be interrupted on detection of a single welding defect.

Car welding in Process

Paint Shop;
The painting process is a post vehicle assembly process. This assembly is not final, in fact the doors, trunk door and bonnet and the fuel lid are fitted and car is now set for painting. The purpose of painting process is to give attractive appearances to the vehicle and provide the protective layer against corrosion and other defects which can occur due to atmospheric conditions. Car painting is combination of layers of color, base coat, and finishing coat which is protective in nature. The whole process is basically sanding, priming and painting. The setup requires the optimal adjustment of variety of different constraints such as temperature, humidity, consistence of the lacquer itself, etc. The paints and coatings industry is made up of many different types of operations, ranging from original equipment manufacturers that run highly automated, closely monitored automatic systems to custom shops performing contract work with manually operated equipment. Paint process is mostly the spray paint. Paint is also ionized so that it may adhere equally to all parts of the metallic body. Robotic Machinery is used for exactness in painting process. Painting gives attractiveness and beauty to the product so careful painting is necessary. Special refractive light technique is used to point out any defect in paint or any dents in the structure. If a defect is found, it is removed immediately by a skilled technician. If all is set, the bonnet, doors and trunk door are disassembled in order to easily access all the internal areas and set the vehicle ready for Assembling.

Pre-Painting Assembly

Vehicle Painting in progress

Assembly;
After painting is complete, the body which has been fully manufactured is now fitted with the parts that actually make the vehicle go, i.e. the Engine, Gear System, drive train, Electrical systems, Interior etc. The main parts are to add the wheels and axles and meshing it up with the drive train. Gear system is connected to engine and to the axle to transfer engine power to the wheels. Braking system is installed and Electrical Systems and Sensors are installed which govern the whole internal systems of the car such as power steering, ABS Braking, SelfStartup, Keyless Entry System and in some cases Convertible System, GPS, etc. Air conditioning unit, Fluid flow mechanisms, Fuel Tanks, Electric Generator and other necessary components are added which increase reliability and comfort level of an automobile. Safety Components like Seatbelts and airbags are installed and tested. Finally the windscreens and interior decorative parts are installed.

These parts are installed in the last because they might get damaged or lose their decorative power because of any mishap or mishandling.

Different parts being assembled

Inspection;
Quality carries extreme importance. When everything is done car has to undergo a thorough final inspection. If even a little bit of a fault is found, car is sent back to remove that fault. Then the vehicle is send for test drive and is tested on belts which test the Vehicle Equilibrium, the Power Steering testing, wheel alignment, engine torque, RPM limiters and other faults such as nonlinear acceleration at constant fuel feed, etc. Finally car is driven by a professional test driver who drives the car and checks its performance before it is handed over to the owner.

Vehicle being inspected for Performance Defects

References:

Videos by BMW and TOYOTA INDUS vehicle manufacturing industries. Picture Courtesy; http://images.google.com http://eurpeonmotornews.com http://caradvice.com http://youtube.com http://howstuffworks.com