Man and machine combine to improve product testing at Meritor LVS

Citation

(2000), "Man and machine combine to improve product testing at Meritor LVS", Assembly Automation, Vol. 20 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2000.03320baf.008

Man and machine combine to improve product testing at Meritor LVS

Man and machine combine to improve product testing at Meritor LVS

Keywords: Modular Industries, Car

Birmingham-based sunroof manufacturer Meritor LVS are combining the benefits of both man and machine to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of automotive sunroof testing (see Plate 9).

With each sunroof tested following production to ensure smooth operation, the company has taken a practical view to testing, using a sensible combination of manual labour and automation from Modular Automation.

As sunroofs are large, fragile and have a complex operation, totally automated test systems often encounter difficulties in handling and positioning. For this reason, Modular Automation used automation only for the actuation procedures and recommended the use of manual labour for careful loading and set up.

Plate 9Man and machine combine to improve product testing at Meritor

The system, which will be installed in Frankfurt, Germany, will test both manual and automatic roofs. Firstly, an operator takes a completed assembly from the final assembly cell, locates it in the correct position on the test machine. The machine then operates the roof to mimic its service in the vehicle. When doing so it measures every operation to ensure that it is within specification.

For manual roofs, an electric motor drives the winding handle while sensors measure the torque required and the distance travelled. The system also checks the operation of the wind deflector and the sunblind.

For automatic roofs the operator first connects the built-in motor to the test machine through electrical connections. The machine then performs a test and measures the current drawn to confirm correct operation.

After the test is complete, the system automatically prints the test data on a label and attaches it to the sunroof. The system is simpler than a fully automatic alternative and runs as an addition to the manual assembly line installed by Modular Automation in 1994.

For more information, please contact: Matthew Bythell, Marketing Manager, Modular Industries Limited on Tel: +44 (0) 121 766 7979 or E-mail: bythell@modular.co.uk