3

- CHANDAN
NAGARAJA
 INTRODUCTION
High volume production falls under mass and flow production
categories.

As volume increases we must have some strategy in production

method so as to reduce high cost and manufacture lead time. This
give rise to use of AUTOMATION PROCESS.

An Automated flow line is production system that comprises a set of

machines (or workstation) and material/work handling device which
are linked together so as to perform operation and move from one
machine to the other.
BMW Z-4 is produced in three different
places ;
1. Landshut, Germany produces special
Crank case of engine.

2. Munich, Germany produces Engine and

assembles it.

3. Spartanburg Country, USA where all Z-4

car body part are manufactured and
assembled
In Spartanburg, three main units are
there
1. Body Shop
2. Paint shop Spartanburg, USA BMW
3. Assembly part factory layout

BMW thought it is necessary to automate the process in production, use

sensory robots integrated circuit technology and to transfer the car machine
part from one unit to other and within each unit they automated it so as to
reduce Time, Cost, labor work mainly to increase Quality.
 Spot welding required in Z-4 car in performed by Automated
programmed Robots.

It also performs the operations like paint the car, assembly, holding
high temperature body parts etc

Special type of robot called Hovercraft designed and patend by

BMW, use to lift the 20kg exhaust pipe and assemble in car body.

Robots
performing
Spot welding Hovercraft
robot
 BUFFER STORAGE
A Buffer refers to a zone in flow lines where some parts after
processing are temporarily stored before they are moved to next
station for processing.

In BMW Z4 car engine main part are temporarily stored (buffer

storage) in Munich, German plant until Crank case of engine is
manufactured and arrived from Landshut (German).

In Spartanburg country, USA car parts like windows, steering,

chassis all are separately manufactured and stored in buffer
storage until Engine unit arrives from Landshut (German).

Work-
Work- Station
Station 2
1 Buffer between work stations
 Engine buffer storage

Car Body part buffer storage

 WORK PART TRANSPORT
Asynchronous Transport Method ;
This is a method in which work part is loaded at work cells
while the conveyor system waits till the operation is
completed at each work cell.
The conveyor moves to the next cell, only after completion
of operation time requirements at each work cell.
This method is flexible & suited, so it is used in BMW Z4
Engine transfer line in Spartanburg plant.
Its used to assembly body operation of car and also in paint
shop.
 WORKPART MECHANISM
In Spartanburg plant special type of workpart mechanism is
used which is combination of linear and rotary mechanism
BMW call it as Tilt and Wear
Work part is conveyed from one station to the other and also
used to index at equal angular positions according to
requirement along 360 degree.
It is used assembly of Car parts so workers will have ease of
access to all parts of car.
It also have Automated Walking Beam Transfer System and
Belt Drive Conveyer mechanism in transfer line of car.
Man working in tilt and
wear mechanism to
assemble the car part
 Walking beam mechanism Belt conveyerlinear mechanism

The mechanism called as stick shift

used in transferring line of car body part Geneva wheel mechanism used in
engine assembly unit.