Assembly line drives in the automotive industry

This case study describes the online condition monitoring of production-critical assembly line drives in the plant of a major UK car manufacturer.

The assembly line conveyor system transports the cars on platforms through the various stages of assembly. The drives operate in very short time cycles, where they start, then clang to a stop every 6-8 seconds. The very short data acquisition window and mechanical disturbances required some optimization to find the best measurement setup for these drives. The system uses post triggers, a relatively high Fmax, and short measuring times to manage these complicating factors.

The assembly line drives are monitored with the Intellinova Compact online system, measuring vibration and shock pulse levels using HD technology. A proximity switch ensures accurate speed, which is essential for SPM HD measurements.

The motors run at 2300 RPM and the output of the helical bevel gearboxes runs between 6 and 18 RPM.

An unplanned stop caused by an equipment failure on the assembly line drive units would cause a loss of production of 35-45 cars per hour.

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Case Study
Filename/description Language Size Modified
CS_024B_Automotive_assembly_line_drives_UK.pdf English (United Kingdom) 3 MB 2/24/2020
Condition monitoring of assembly line drives in car plant by John Loane.

Solutions for the automotive industry

SPM offers efficient condition monitoring solutions for the automotive industry, enabling high-level availability in the production lines.

Intellinova Family

The Intellinova online systems combine HD measurement technologies with high-performance digital hardware to ensure the earliest possible warning of deteriorating mechanical condition.

HD Technologies

Condition monitoring with High Definition (HD) technologies provides extremely long pre-warning times, thus maximizing the planning horizon for maintenance and repairs.