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 French Concept, Inclusive Mobility, Nissan Frontier, and More
French conceptual mobility vehicles, VW addresses mobility for the disabled, a look at the 2022 Nissan Frontier, MINI surveys people about EVs, engineering the Sportster S engine, Honda’s avatar robot, and a driver shortage addressed
-
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.
-
Cylinder Coating for Improved Performance
Generally, when OEMs produce aluminum engine blocks (aluminum rather than cast iron because cast iron weighs like cast iron), they insert sleeves into the piston bores—cast iron sleeves.