Mexican Media Brands
Ford F-150 Factory Quiets Down
Dearborn plant
The plant in Dearborn, Mich., that produces Ford Motor Co.'s aluminum-intensive F-150 pickup truck is notably quieter than it was when it made all-steel trucks, the Detroit Free Press notes.
#aluminum
Share
Dearborn plant
The plant in Dearborn, Mich., that produces Ford Motor Co.'s aluminum-intensive F-150 pickup truck is notably quieter than it was when it made all-steel trucks, the Detroit Free Press notes.
That's because of the sharp drop in the amount of traditional welding operations. Instead, most body assembly work involves self-piercing rivets and adhesives handled by 500 next-generation robots.
The switch to aluminum also eliminates the shower of sparks typical when spot-welding steel, thus eliminating the need for fencing to shield workers. The result is a more open appearance for the body assembly area, the Free Press reports.
Ford spent $843 million to retool the Dearborn facility to make the new F-150, which goes on sale this month. The company is spending another $1.1 billion for a similar conversion of its second F-150 plant in Kansas City, Mo.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Propulsion, Security, Sustainability and more
MAHLE sees hybrids continuing, Dodge has software to protect SRT models, Jenson Button is developing vehicles at a race track in Arizona, Audi is using green aluminum, BMW is investing in green steel, Mercedes is reducing its production emissions footprint, Bentley builds its 200,000th, and Sonata N Line impressions
-
Jaguar Land Rover & the Globalization of Auto
If you want a sense of the nature of the global nature of this business, consider last week’s announcement from Jaguar Land Rover.
-
Creating a Low-Cost Chassis Architecture
The engineers at Zenos Cars have combined recycled carbon fiber, drinking straws and aluminum to create a chassis for a low-volume sports car.