GM Powertrain stremlines streamlines inspection

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Dec 3, 2001

A bid to review labour-intensive processes, GM Powertrain decided to investigate the creation of gauging stations along manufacturing lines.

A bid to review labour-intensive processes, GM Powertrain decided to investigate the creation of gauging stations along manufacturing lines.

These, it was felt, would eliminate the handling required to off load parts to a central gauging station.

GM asked Applied Manufacturing Technologies to verify this concept and optimize the layout using IGRIP.

"Working with GM Powertrain, we agreed that the solution would be found in 3D-workcell simulation.

It allows us to determine the optimal setup in a virtual representation," said Rohit A Khanolkar, senior simulation engineer, Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) in Orion, Michigan.

"Utilizing IGRIP for this project, provided our engineering team with the capability to generate 3D simulations and to translate models created in other commercially available packages," Khanolkar added.

IGRIP can assign motion to moving elements of a model, such as robots and tooling, providing collision-detection between those elements.

IGRIP also provides extensive programming capability to simulate controls logic, allowing elements within a workcell to interact.

The software has a library of standard workcell elements, such as commercially available robots and several percentiles of male and female models.

This library provides the user with the flexibility to model devices and tooling quickly and easily.

IGRIP also allows users to perform integration and testing of workcell components in the simulation environment, long before actual production.

This lead time means re-designs can occur when they are most cost effective.

For this project, the simulation validated that those operators from 5th percentile female human model to 95th percentile male human model are capable of performing the gauging tasks.

"Using IGRIP to validate this new gauging process helped GM to achieve an overall reduction in material handling by 60-80%," said Diana Wegner, manager GM Powertrain Manufacturing Validation Group.