ASSEMBLY LINE INTRODUCTION

http://www.rit.edu/rems

ASSEMBLY LINE OVERVIEW

What is it and who designs it? Examples The First Improvements How it works and different kinds Product Movement Toyota Production Systems

Engineering Lab

WHAT IS AN ASSEMBLY LINE?

An assembly line is a series of workstations along a connected system that moves materials

Parts are added to a product in an ordered manner to create a finished product

Industrial engineers design assembly lines based on product size and needs

EXAMPLES ??What are some examples of

assembly linesin your everyday world?

THE FIRST ASSEMBLY LINE

First assembly line was used by Ransom E. Olds in the late 1890’s

Made Oldsmobile cars

THE “IMPROVED” ASSEMBLY LINE Initially, it took 12.5 (cycle time) hours to

produce the Model T in 1909 Henry Ford improved the assembly line by

adding a conveyor system in 1913, reducing the time to 1.5 hours (cycle time)

In 1927, a Model T was produced every 24 seconds (throughput)

THEN AND NOW ASSEMBLY LINES

Then and Now

HOW AN ASSEMBLY LINE WORKS

People are assigned to one station

As the unfinished product moves past, pieces are added

The process continues until the assembly is complete

WET AND DRY ASSEMBLY LINES

Dry Wet (Steady State)

PRODUCT MOVEMENTON AN ASSEMBLY LINE

Products can be passed from station to station

in a variety of ways

Human power/gravity beltsConveyor beltsForklifts

ASSEMBLY LINE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI

CONSIDER THIS….

What went wrong with the assembly line?

BRAINSTORM….

What are the benefits of using an assembly line?