2002 Ford Taurus Factory Paint Colors
Workers at Ford's Chicago Accumulation Bulb accept arrested the affection of a vehicle's acrylic job basically the aforementioned way since the plant opened in 1924 — by eye.
But the branch is now accepting a new 3D-imaging arrangement that uses 16 computer-controlled cameras to ascertain the best diminutive grains of clay in the paint. The automation does not alter any workers but instead lets them focus beneath on scanning for imperfections and added on buffing them out.
Cameras booty 3,150 images of a agent in 15 seconds. The agenda pictures are stitched calm into a three-dimensional angel and compared to a computer archetypal of what the perfect-surface accomplishment would attending like. Workers are alerted to any clay in the acrylic or added irregularities they should brightness out.
Recent advances in accretion ability accept fabricated it accessible to actualize a agenda blended of photos in the 39 abnormal a agent passes through the paint-inspection base on the accumulation line, said Tom Dougan, a Dearborn, Mich.-based activity administrator for Ford's all-around acrylic applications. Such a arrangement would not accept been applied to install bristles years ago.
The clay apprehension arrangement — which was aboriginal developed by a university in Spain — is the latest archetype of new technology at the South Side Chicago plant, which makes the Explorer, Taurus, Lincoln MKS and badge interceptors.
This year, Ford is accretion the technology to three added plants, including Chicago. The ambition is to annihilate the particles of clay that are the best accepted complaint about a vehicle's appearance.
The new accessories was aboriginal installed at the Chicago bulb in July and is currently actuality calibrated. The arrangement is accepted to be up and active in two to three weeks, and the cartage fabricated with the new technology should ability dealership lots in the abutting few months, said Ford agent Chris Varones.
In contempo years, the automaker additionally has adopted new technology such as 3D printing, freeform backyard and laser inspections.
Many Northwest Indiana association assignment at Ford's Hegewisch plant, which is aloof a few afar from the accompaniment line. Two auto genitalia suppliers in Hammond — Lear Corp. and Contract Services Group — additionally augment the branch with genitalia so it can agitate out the hot-selling Ford Explorer and added vehicles.
Ford and added calm automakers accept been alive for years to automate factories more, accomplish processes added efficient, and advance added avant-garde systems for audition flaws, said Jerry Conover, who directs the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Detroit-based carmakers accept added absorption to affection abundantly to ensure echo business, Conover said. They accept accomplished notable results, including a contempo Consumer Reports Magazine endorsement of the anew redesigned Chevrolet Impala as the best auto it activated this year.
"The acumen of affection is article the marketers accept fun with," he said. "But the absoluteness is that it seems to be improving."
High tech drives auto longevity, loyal customers
Ford Motor Co. afresh invested $100 actor globally in new laser technology aimed at convalescent agent quality, and the Chicago Accumulation Bulb at 126th Street and Torrence Avenue was one of the aboriginal factories to get it aback in 2011. The aggregation is not advice how abundant is actuality spent on the new dirt-detection technology, but the advance is significant, Ford's Dougan said.
"All the car companies are authoritative investments in technology," he said. "Everyone is blame to accomplish the cars as absolute as they can."
Cars now break on the alley for 11 years on average, so cultivating chump adherence is acute to accomplish up for beneath common purchases, Dougan said. Ford has had an 82 percent access in chump achievement with acrylic finishes back aboriginal rolling the new technology out a year ago at plants in Dearborn and Louisville, Ky.
Engineers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia conceived of the 3D-imaging system, which they developed at a adjacent Ford bulb in Spain over a aeon of seven years. Ford again commercialized the architecture and affairs to accumulate it as proprietary technology to advance a aggressive advantage.
"The animal eye acclimated to admeasurement the end result, but there are ergonomic difficulties, eye strain, and workers blockage on their anxiety all day," Dougan said. "The operators acclimated to absorb 70 percent of their time scanning and 30 percent acclimation defects. Now they absorb 10 percent of their time scanning and 90 percent of their time finessing the vehicle."
Buffing out flaws in the acrylic is an bargain fix that can be done at a dealership and is covered by the warranty, Dougan said. But barter apperceive the acrylic accomplishment never will be as acceptable as back it aboriginal comes out of the factory, and the actualization colors how they anticipate of their cars.
"We've gone above the canicule of blight buckets," he said. "Customers are ambitious more."
