Automatic assembly of automotive engines

John Brown Automation Limited are established leaders in the design and manufacture of automatic assembly and test systems. In early 1987 the company obtained an order from a central European car manufacturer for a flexible assembly system to manufacture saloon car power units. The system described manufactures both cylinder head assemblies and engine block units. The two major subassemblies are then integrated by use of a gantry to form a complete automotive engine. The facility is capable of manufacturing almost a ¹/₄ million engines per year with an average cycle time of 45 seconds per unit. The control system uses a distributed strategy combined with electronic tagging. This enables the apparently very complex problem of product scheduling and unit recording to be reduced to practical proportions. Individual automatic stations and line central control units are interconnected via a local area network, and so are linked to an MIS. The facility is organised in three major parts: a cylinder head line which assembles and tests the complete cylinder head; an engine block assembly line, which after partial assembly of the block, integrates it with the required cylinder head, and then allows operators to complete the dress of the entire engine; and an overhead gantry