Problem:

• The same automotive component was being placed in the same orientation in 2 different welding cells

• Cycle time was nearly double what it would have been if all welds were completed in one cell

• Mirror image parts could not be made in tandem, requiring lengthy switchover times between production batches

• This cell merge was the bottleneck for future factory cell efficiency updates

Role:

• The third co-op student assigned this task after the previous 2 terms' students did not come to a viable solution

• Took the design from scratch to engineering drawings

Constraints:

• New tooling must not interfere with either weld process

• Repurpose existing tooling

• Save material cost where possible

• Successfully merged two factory cells through new tooling design and procedural updates

• Saved $100,000/year through labour reallocation

• Nearly 2x station efficiency

• Saved >$8,000 in material cost on weld plate through the implementation of a multi-material insulated design

• Minimized part handling in production

Design Process:

• Designed tooling to be compatible with both mirror images of the part

• Added another lower welding electrode without causing an interference

• Adding movement to the entire tooling plate through pneumatic cylinders, enabling weld alignment without requiring an additional spot welder

Manufacturing Considerations:

• Instead of creating an entire plate from copper, copper was only added underneath the lower welding electrodes

  • Copper portion is nested in an insulated layer and within a cheaper aluminum plate

My first large engineering project showed me how to work with what I was given to minimize costs and maintain functionality. While also giving me the confidence to see that I could figure out problems others could not, even on my first co-op term.