Car assembly is a long process that requires a dependable supply chain to carry out uninterrupted production on the assembly line. As the manufacturing process requires installation of numerous parts.
Hence, automotive manufacturers have dedicated shops or plants to cast out engines, manufacture components and carry out metal operations, including cutting, pressing, welding, polishing and painting.
The guide will focus on easy-to-follow steps on how a vehicle is assembled by understanding the key assembly processes.
Car Assembly
In a car assembly line, there are various workstations to install parts in sequence. The concept of assembly line is to speed up the manufacturing process as well as increase the efficiency and overall resulting output. The idea is not exclusive to automotive industries, as various manufacturing industries have adapted the concept of assembly lines.
Material and Components
Maintaining a proper supply chain is key to an efficient assembling plant. Automotive manufacturers do not completely rely on in-house production as they often purchase some parts from the vendors.
Of course, these components have to go through quality checks to match the provided dimensions, design and tolerance limit. This helps them save time and help them with the supply chain.
Manufacturing
A modern assembly line uses both robots and humans for manufacturing processes. Robots are increasingly used in automotive manufacturing as programmed bots tend to be precise and faster with fewer chances of human error.
Stamping
The first step to the car assembly is to convert the raw material into sheet metal for body parts. The automotive industry is often well connected with local steel industries and suppliers to access ferrous metal easily.
The metal sheets vary in thickness, they are pressed or rolled to the right thickness. This is followed up by stamping, which stamps the sheet into correct part for the vehicle, including door, hood, roof or fender.
Welding
Welding is the process of heating metal parts to create joints. The operation is usually done by robots as each part needs to be welded with precision and meet the quality requirements. Most modern assemblers use sensors to ensure installed parts have the right specifications.
Painting
Once the base structure is ready, the body is washed and sanded to remove debris, grime and dirt from the assembly process. The car frame is referred to as body in white (BIW) before it is processed for painting and installation of components.
The car body will go through multiple layers of coating, usually handled by robots. At the pre-treatment stage, the car is coated with an anti-corrosion layer. For instance, BMW uses a zinc phosphate layer to provide protection against corrosion. This is followed up with application of filler, finishing paint coat, polishing and inspection.
Assembly
The painted shell is now outfitted with components. The procedure for installation varies for each manufacturer. The interior assembly includes installation of wiring harness, control instruments, dash panels, seats, infotainment system, steering column, seats, upholstery, side and rear glasses followed up by front windshield.
The parts of the engine and transmission are assembled separately and outfitted into the car body along with tyres.
Inspection
Once the vehicle stands on its own tyre with operational engine, it goes under quality inspection and tests. Quality assurance is essential during the whole assembly line as a defected car can result in product recall, which is usually expensive.
FAQS
How long does it take to assemble a car?
The car assembly time fluctuates for each manufacturer. On average it can take around 17 to 18 hours to assemble a car. For some special manufacturers like Ferrari, the assembly time can take up to 3 months as even engine components are built by hand.
What is meant by CKD?
Completely Knocked Down (CKD) refers to the parts that are delivered at a destination for assembly. Car manufacturers often export CKD parts across the world to their official suppliers for car assembly. This way they can keep a track on the quality of essential components like the engine as part of the CKD while other components can be locally made in the foreign country.
Technological advancement means the number of components in car assemblies are increasing every year. Many manufacturers now rely on the precision of robots as they bring in numerous advantages, including increased efficiency, reduced wastage and manufacturing flexibility. All it takes is a programming routine to modify bots to do repeatable jobs without human error.
Robots in car assembly also protect workers from exposure to hazardous jobs like flash & fumes from welding and loud noises from stamping. Not to mention the risk of injuries and cuts from the given tasks.
Popular brands like BMW, Mercedes and Toyota have their own sets of procedures for the assembly line. Although the process of car assembly may vary, the core steps for welding, stamping and painting remain the same.
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Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blogs for more information on car parts, market trends and automotive technology.
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