How do they know ?

elusiverunner · 18-02-2007, 12:07 PM

I expect most of the members here would think this is a dumb question. I have recently had a hankering to see how Ford manufacture cars - right from the beginning. There isn't much chance I will ever make it down to Broadmeadow to visit the plant or Ford Discover Centre.

As a car proceeds down the production line - how do the plant workers know what sort of car it will be, what sort of options it will have, colour it will be painted ?

Perhaps if there are any Ford plant workers on this site they may explain it to me

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**Full Noise** · 18-02-2007, 12:35 PM

The car is allocated a SIDO number. This number is the key to every part or option that the vehicle will receive.

montyv8 · 18-02-2007, 01:13 PM

theres a build sheet that accompanies the car on the line, with either barcodes or other codes that lets the workers know which bits to fit etc. well, thats what happens at holdens anyway

BLDNUT01 · 18-02-2007, 02:04 PM

we have a job card sheet that has all the basic info on it like model so we know what parts to put on then through body shop stop start at first during line trials to align all panels right and all the spot weld robots do what they are programed (very cool to watch) paint shop should be the same then on trim lines(1 - 5 plus they take the doors off and have door line where the build the doors up and put them back on at trim line 4) they leave a 1 car gap(60sec) on either side to change over tools and get parts ready.For the new model then its on to clam shell basically pick the car up from the four jacking pionts to about 6ft in the air so do all the under body parts

then while on clam it goes over sufffing carts where they raise the drive train up to the car and secure it, then it come down to fit wheels then on to flat top where we put the last bit on in engine bay and about 8 liters of fuel and it doesn,t matter what model comes they don,t build in batches or colours hope that helps

Smoked · 18-02-2007, 02:46 PM

^^^ Very hard to follow you. Your post needs a re-write.

elusiverunner · 18-02-2007, 06:08 PM

Thanks BLDNUT01 - I never really knew quite what went on or how complicated it was. So you are saying that the car can be any model, any colour, just one after the other and you know what to do. How do the paint robots change colour without it getting mixed together.

I really would like to get a tour of the plant. How do they distinguish an LTD or Fairlane as these are longer cars.

BLDNUT01 · 18-02-2007, 07:19 PM

from what i,ve heard about paint shop its one gun with about 11 paint lines hooked into it and the gun cleans itself after each colour and with LWB its the same as the SWB(falcon futura fairmont)for it has the name of the model on the SU9(job sheet that gets attached to the bonnet) they do a tour of the plant on the back of these buggy things plenty of schools come through but its quite quick