Mexican Media Brands
Ford Advancing Manufacturing
To assure that the company maintains its capabilities, relevance and leading-edge know-how in manufacturing, Ford has spent $45-million on its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Redford Township, Michigan, just west of Detroit.
#robotics
.jpg;width=70;height=70;mode=crop)
Share
To assure that the company maintains its capabilities, relevance and leading-edge know-how in manufacturing, Ford has spent $45-million on its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Redford Township, Michigan, just west of Detroit.
As Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of Global Operations explains, “More than 100 years ago, Ford created the moving assembly line, forever changing how vehicles would be mass produced. Today, we are reinventing tomorrow’s assembly line, tapping technologies once only dreamed of on the big screen, to increase our manufacturing efficiency and quality.”
3D printing at Ford
Hollywood has nothing on Redford when it comes to advanced technology, because the Advanced Manufacturing Center, staffed by some 100 manufacturing experts, includes 23 3D printers (units that print with materials ranging from sand to nylon, units that are producing actual production parts, like two that are going to be used on the Shelby Mustang GT500 [Ford has 90 3D printers in total; the Ranger that is being manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant uses five different 3D printed tools; the Raptor being built for China has a 3D printed interior part]); it is developing augmented and virtual reality (VR) systems at the site that allow Ford team members globally to collaborate on the development of manufacturing workstations; people at the Advanced Manufacturing Center are working with collaborative robots (cobots) to determine the best use of the technology in Ford factories (presently there are more than 100 cobots located in 24 Ford plants around the world).
VR in action at Ford
According to Ford, it leads North American automakers in manufacturing capacity utilization. The Advanced Manufacturing Center is dedicated to developing the ways and means that this competitive manufacturing edge can be sharpened even more.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Mustang Changes for 2018
On Tuesday Ford unveiled—using the social media channels of actor Dwayne Johnson (this has got to unnerve some of the auto buff book editors)—the 2018 Mustang, which has undergone some modifications: under the hood (the 3.7-liter V6 is giving way to a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four, and a 10-speed automatic is available), on the dash (a 12-inch, all-digital LCD screen is available for the dashboard), at the tires (12 wheel choices), on the chassis (MagneRide damper technology is being offered with the Mustang Performance Package), and on the exterior (three new paint colors). And while on the subject of the exterior, there are some notable changes—a lower, remodeled hood, repositioned hood vents, new upper and lower front grilles, LED front lights, revised LED taillamps, new rear bumper and fascia.
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
-
Engineering the 2019 Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee, which was launched in its current manifestation as a model year 2014 vehicle, and which has just undergone a major refresh for MY 2019, is nothing if not a solid success.
