Quality Drive Components
Ensure Long Term Reliability
In Automotive Assembly
T
here are few more
This requires a myriad of separate
Similarly accessories, parts and
demanding production
operations that have to be co-ordinated
subassemblies to be mounted onto the
environments than on
and choreographed, making sure that
vehicle bodies may be delivered to the
automotive assembly lines.
everything is colour matched, t hat the
appropriate workstation on separate
Often running 24/7, downtime has to be
model specification of each vehicle is
feeder conveyors that run at a speed
avoided at all costs. A stoppage on one
correct in terms of accessories, trim etc.
carefully synchronised to the main
machine in one part of the plant can bring
Further no part can ever be damaged
assembly conveyor.
production to a halt across the whole site.
or even marked. All of this has to be
The consequent costs can be staggering,
completed to a schedule that is accurate
while the loss of production and disruption
to the second - and that repeats itself
to schedules may take days or weeks
constantly with little or no room for error,
to recover from. Therefore the need for
delay or stoppage.
reliable plant and machinery on vehicle
manufacturing plants is paramount, and
it follows that every component in those
machines must be able to offer guaranteed
performance and long term reliability that
is world class. The purpose of the assembly
line is to take the basic bodies and add to
them all the parts and accessories, from
seats and doors to driver controls, trim,
boot and bonnet.
54
PECM Issue 22
The vehicle bodies are moved
along the assembly line from
station to station on slat conveyors,
hanging from special suspension
fixtures in overhead conveyors or
mounted on carts driven by friction
rollers with the assembly workers
riding alongside.
Tsubaki has a long history of supplying
conveyor and drive components for
automotive assembly lines that have
provided trouble-free operation for the full
duration of their specified operating life.
Tsubaki drive chain, for instance, is used
in conveyors, lifts, hoists and many other
machines. It is available in a number of
different ranges, including roller chain,
heavy duty chain and leaf chain, each
suited to different duties and different
working conditions.