WO2000068117A1 - Portable assembly line - Google Patents

Portable assembly line Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000068117A1
WO2000068117A1 PCT/US2000/012013 US0012013W WO0068117A1 WO 2000068117 A1 WO2000068117 A1 WO 2000068117A1 US 0012013 W US0012013 W US 0012013W WO 0068117 A1 WO0068117 A1 WO 0068117A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
assembly line
trailer
assembly
stock
racks
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/012013
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Stephen St. Angelo, Jr.
Randall R. Sobocienski
Original Assignee
General Motors Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Motors Corporation filed Critical General Motors Corporation
Priority to AU46946/00A priority Critical patent/AU4694600A/en
Publication of WO2000068117A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000068117A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
    • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
    • B62D65/10—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components the sub-units or components being engines, clutches or transmissions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
    • B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
    • B60P3/14—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a workshop for servicing, for maintenance, or for carrying workmen during work
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04—BUILDING
    • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
    • E04H5/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial or agricultural purposes
    • E04H5/02—Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial purposes, e.g. for power-plants or factories

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a portable assembly line and more particularly, to an assembly line for large scale products such as automobile assemblies or subassemblies that is readily transported and assembled with a minimum of prior infrastructure preparation.
  • Vehicle assembly plants are immense in size, cost, complexity and take a long period of time to plan for and construct. As market conditions indicate that an assembly plant is warranted in a particular locale, the process is set in motion to provide one. By the time the plant is completed and vehicle production has commenced, many years will have passed and the local atmosphere that originally supported the plans may have changed drastically. Often, over-capacity abounds in certain locales while undesirable costs are incurred to supply the demands of other markets from a distance. When it is desirable to rapidly provide assembly facilities, or when it is desirable to relocate assembly facilities, the inertia of the facility stands as a deterrent. Accordingly, a need exists for a production facility that is readily constructed, disassembled and transported.
  • the present invention aims at reducing the lead-time and cost required to provide an assembly facility.
  • an assembly line is provided as a portable complex so that the entire facility is readily constructed, disassembled and transported.
  • a plurality of mobile trailers are arranged in an associative relationship with one another so that the trailers define an enclosure housing an assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly.
  • aportable assembly line system includes a modular building defining an enclosure that houses an assembly line that conveys an automotive product through various stages of assembly wherein the assembly line is readily constructed and disassembled and so that the assembly line, including the modular building is movable from locale to locale to rapidly serve changing market requirements.
  • the mobile trailer and modular building portable assembly systems are used singularly, together, or with a conventional fixed building assembly plant either in combination or individually, to provide various adaptive subassembly /assembly schemes that are readily converted to other uses at that locale or at a distant locale.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a mobile trailer arrangement.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a mobile trailer based wheel/tire assembly line used in association with a general vehicle assembly plant.
  • Figure 3 is an elevation view of the assembly facility of Figure 2.
  • Figure 4 is an elevation view of a mobile trailer assembly facility.
  • FIG. 5 is a detail view of the electrical connection system of the mobile trailer assembly facility of Figure 4.
  • Figure 6 is a plan view of a mobile support trailer.
  • Figure 7 is an elevation view of the mobile support trailer of Figure 6.
  • Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement.
  • Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement in association with a fixed building general vehicle assembly plant.
  • Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of a mobile trailer used as a material handling facility in combination with an assembly facility.
  • FIG. 1 illustrated in Figure 1 is a portable assembly line facility 10 with an engine assembly line conveyor 11 provided in a ten trailer mobile trailer arrangement including interconnected trailers 14-23.
  • Trailers 14, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 house the conveyor 11, which extends through openings in the trailers large enough for product advancement and personnel traffic.
  • the conveyor is of a conventional type such as powered unitary or rail, portable skillet or gravity assist overhead rail, although the specific type used is not critical.
  • the assembly scheme is of a typical "engine dress" type that is conducted prior to assembly of the engine within a vehicle.
  • Another similar assembly process that is suited to a mobile trailer application is door build.
  • the engine dress process is carried out in the sequence shown.
  • the trailers that house the conveyor are also the principle workspace for the operators who wield assembly aids such as tools and manipulators. Where additional space is required, an adjacent trailer, such as trailer 21, provides an opening, for example clearance is provided generally in the area 26 behind operator 25.
  • suitable, such as in place of trailers 18 and 23 standard shipping containers without wheels are used in place of trailers.
  • the trailers 14, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 are supplemented with trailers 15, 16, 20 and 21 to provide the basic assembly facility.
  • Trailers 15, 16, 20, and 21 provide additional floor space and serve material handling needs as the receiving and holding site for containers of components parts used in the assembly process.
  • containers 27 and 28 are provided near operator 29, so that the parts may be removed from the containers either directly by the operator, by ancillary personnel, or through the use of assistance tooling so that the components can be added to the assembly.
  • Delivery trailers are used to bring components to the assembly site and support trailers are parked nearby or optionally, can be integrated with the assembly trailers.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a hybrid assembly facility 40 with a mobile trailer based wheel/tire assembly line 41 used in association with a general vehicle assembly plant 42 housing the main line, that is either of a modular portable building or a fixed foundation building type.
  • the tire/wheel assembly line 43 is provided in a T-shaped configuration and is primarily housed in trailers 44-48, which are provided in various lengths as space requirements dictate. The process is carried out in the sequence shown.
  • the completed assembly exits trailer 48 and continues on into the adjacent building 42 where it is carried to the vehicle assembly line (not illustrated).
  • the assemblies leaving line 41 can be supplied as variants, in the exact sequence required by the receiving assembly process.
  • the trailers 44-48 are supplemented by the trailers 49-52 adding floor space for use in the assembly process as needed.
  • FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the assembly facility of Figure 2.
  • the portable nature of the facility is clearly visible.
  • Ancillary jacks/leveling devices of a conventional type are used to level the trailers as needed.
  • Figure 4 shows the electrical communication system 55 connected between the individual trailers of a portable assembly line facility. To coordinate the processes carried out in the individual trailers electric power and communication signals are centrally supplied and distributed throughout the complex. Quick-connect devices 56 and 57 as shown in Figure 5 are used to facilitate set-up and disassembly.
  • FIG 6 is a plan view of a mobile support trailer 60 showing use adapted to various production support needs.
  • the support trailer is shown as an independent unit, although it is readily adaptable to integration into the assembly unit.
  • Figure 7 illustrates the mobile nature of this facility.
  • Figure 8 illustrates an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement.
  • the modular building 65 is of a commonly known type that employs re-usable structural components joined together to provide a supportive framework for a covering that encloses the unit.
  • Building 65 contains an assembly line 67 and is complete with shipping and receiving docks 68 and 69, respectively and with support areas so that the assembly process is self sufficient. In the present embodiment the assembly process illustrated is that of an engine dress line, but the invention is readily adaptable to the assembly of other products.
  • Figure 9 illustrates a variant of the engine assembly line shown in Figure 8, housed in a portable building 70 provided in association with a fixed building general vehicle assembly plant 71.
  • This illustration is demonstrative of the flexibility provided by the present invention wherein the subject assembly line including the building, can be readily constructed, used as long as needed, readily disassembled, and transported to a different location for use elsewhere, or so that a completely different process may be brought into the same position adjacent the plant 71.
  • Figure 10 illustrates a mobile trailer 74 used as a stock receiving facility in combination with an assembly facility 75 that is any one of another mobile trailer, a portable modular building or a fixed building.
  • the mobile trailer is located adjacent the assembly facility 75 at a location that is very close to a given operation that uses a supply of component parts or that delivers a finished product from the assembly line.
  • a carrier 76 is located in the mobile trailer 74 so that an operator in facility 75 can load or unload components/assemblies. In the case of unloading components, the operator, optionally with the assistance of mechanization, takes a component and adds it to the product being assembled until the carrier 76 is empty.
  • the operator In the case of loading assemblies, the operator, optionally with the assistance of mechanization, removes an assembly from the assembly line and loads it onto the carrier, 76.
  • the side 78 of mobile trailer 74 has openings for accessing the carriers therein.
  • the tractor/trailer combination 79 is shown delivering a set of five carriers to the mobile trailer 74.
  • the side 80 of mobile trailer 74 includes openings that permit receipt of the carriers from the tractor/trailer 79.
  • the tractor /trailer 81 is shown removing a prior set of carriers that previously resided in mobile trailer 74.
  • the entire trailer 74 is hauled away and another trailer such as trailer 79 is parked in its place. So that full part carriers are accessed.
  • the present invention provides an enclosed assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly including a plurality of operations wherein components are introduced into the enclosure and added to the assembly at a first location.
  • the enclosed assembly line system is capable of being readily disassembled, transported and reassembled so that the same assembly system is provided at a second location remote from the first location.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Automatic Assembly (AREA)

Abstract

An enclosure (10) is portable, reusable and houses an assembly line (11) that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly including a plurality of operations wherein components are introduced into the enclosure (10) and added to the assembly at a first location. The assembly system is capable of being readily disassembled, transported and reassembled so that the assembly system is provided at a second location remote from the first location.

Description

PORTABLE ASSEMBLY LINE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a portable assembly line and more particularly, to an assembly line for large scale products such as automobile assemblies or subassemblies that is readily transported and assembled with a minimum of prior infrastructure preparation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Vehicle assembly plants are immense in size, cost, complexity and take a long period of time to plan for and construct. As market conditions indicate that an assembly plant is warranted in a particular locale, the process is set in motion to provide one. By the time the plant is completed and vehicle production has commenced, many years will have passed and the local atmosphere that originally supported the plans may have changed drastically. Often, over-capacity abounds in certain locales while undesirable costs are incurred to supply the demands of other markets from a distance. When it is desirable to rapidly provide assembly facilities, or when it is desirable to relocate assembly facilities, the inertia of the facility stands as a deterrent. Accordingly, a need exists for a production facility that is readily constructed, disassembled and transported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at reducing the lead-time and cost required to provide an assembly facility. In achieving this goal an assembly line is provided as a portable complex so that the entire facility is readily constructed, disassembled and transported. According to a first preferred aspect of the invention, a plurality of mobile trailers are arranged in an associative relationship with one another so that the trailers define an enclosure housing an assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly. According to another preferred aspect of the invention, aportable assembly line system includes a modular building defining an enclosure that houses an assembly line that conveys an automotive product through various stages of assembly wherein the assembly line is readily constructed and disassembled and so that the assembly line, including the modular building is movable from locale to locale to rapidly serve changing market requirements. The mobile trailer and modular building portable assembly systems are used singularly, together, or with a conventional fixed building assembly plant either in combination or individually, to provide various adaptive subassembly /assembly schemes that are readily converted to other uses at that locale or at a distant locale.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a mobile trailer arrangement.
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a mobile trailer based wheel/tire assembly line used in association with a general vehicle assembly plant.
Figure 3 is an elevation view of the assembly facility of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an elevation view of a mobile trailer assembly facility.
Figure 5 is a detail view of the electrical connection system of the mobile trailer assembly facility of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a mobile support trailer. Figure 7 is an elevation view of the mobile support trailer of Figure 6. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement.
Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement in association with a fixed building general vehicle assembly plant.
Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of a mobile trailer used as a material handling facility in combination with an assembly facility.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following embodiments of the invention are used to illustrate the inventive elements and are described within the context of certain assembly operations, not meant to limit the types of operations that may be carried out in a portable assembly line facility that is intended to be universally applicable. Referring to the drawings, illustrated in Figure 1 is a portable assembly line facility 10 with an engine assembly line conveyor 11 provided in a ten trailer mobile trailer arrangement including interconnected trailers 14-23. Trailers 14, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 house the conveyor 11, which extends through openings in the trailers large enough for product advancement and personnel traffic. The conveyor is of a conventional type such as powered unitary or rail, portable skillet or gravity assist overhead rail, although the specific type used is not critical. The assembly scheme is of a typical "engine dress" type that is conducted prior to assembly of the engine within a vehicle. Another similar assembly process that is suited to a mobile trailer application is door build. The engine dress process is carried out in the sequence shown. The trailers that house the conveyor are also the principle workspace for the operators who wield assembly aids such as tools and manipulators. Where additional space is required, an adjacent trailer, such as trailer 21, provides an opening, for example clearance is provided generally in the area 26 behind operator 25. Optionally, where suitable, such as in place of trailers 18 and 23, standard shipping containers without wheels are used in place of trailers. The trailers 14, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 are supplemented with trailers 15, 16, 20 and 21 to provide the basic assembly facility. Trailers 15, 16, 20, and 21 provide additional floor space and serve material handling needs as the receiving and holding site for containers of components parts used in the assembly process. For example, containers 27 and 28 are provided near operator 29, so that the parts may be removed from the containers either directly by the operator, by ancillary personnel, or through the use of assistance tooling so that the components can be added to the assembly. Delivery trailers are used to bring components to the assembly site and support trailers are parked nearby or optionally, can be integrated with the assembly trailers.
Figure 2 illustrates a hybrid assembly facility 40 with a mobile trailer based wheel/tire assembly line 41 used in association with a general vehicle assembly plant 42 housing the main line, that is either of a modular portable building or a fixed foundation building type. The tire/wheel assembly line 43 is provided in a T-shaped configuration and is primarily housed in trailers 44-48, which are provided in various lengths as space requirements dictate. The process is carried out in the sequence shown. The completed assembly exits trailer 48 and continues on into the adjacent building 42 where it is carried to the vehicle assembly line (not illustrated). The assemblies leaving line 41 can be supplied as variants, in the exact sequence required by the receiving assembly process. The trailers 44-48 are supplemented by the trailers 49-52 adding floor space for use in the assembly process as needed. This illustration is demonstrative of the flexibility provided by the present invention wherein the subject assembly line (which should be thought of generically as any type of assembly process), can be readily constructed, used as long as needed, readily disassembled and transported to a different location for use elsewhere, or so that a completely different process may be brought into the same position adjacent the building Figure 3 is an elevation view of the assembly facility of Figure 2. The portable nature of the facility is clearly visible. When the trailers will remain on site for extended periods of time, the wheels can be completely removed until needed for transport of the assembly line. Ancillary jacks/leveling devices of a conventional type are used to level the trailers as needed.
Figure 4 shows the electrical communication system 55 connected between the individual trailers of a portable assembly line facility. To coordinate the processes carried out in the individual trailers electric power and communication signals are centrally supplied and distributed throughout the complex. Quick-connect devices 56 and 57 as shown in Figure 5 are used to facilitate set-up and disassembly.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a mobile support trailer 60 showing use adapted to various production support needs. This demonstrates that the portable assembly line is optionally constructed as a stand-alone facility without a need to utilize the resources of a parent facility. The support trailer is shown as an independent unit, although it is readily adaptable to integration into the assembly unit. Figure 7 illustrates the mobile nature of this facility. Figure 8 illustrates an engine assembly line provided in a modular building arrangement. The modular building 65 is of a commonly known type that employs re-usable structural components joined together to provide a supportive framework for a covering that encloses the unit. Building 65 contains an assembly line 67 and is complete with shipping and receiving docks 68 and 69, respectively and with support areas so that the assembly process is self sufficient. In the present embodiment the assembly process illustrated is that of an engine dress line, but the invention is readily adaptable to the assembly of other products.
Figure 9 illustrates a variant of the engine assembly line shown in Figure 8, housed in a portable building 70 provided in association with a fixed building general vehicle assembly plant 71. The dressed powertrain product leaving the assembly line 72 in building 70, continues on into plant 71 for assembly into a vehicle. This illustration is demonstrative of the flexibility provided by the present invention wherein the subject assembly line including the building, can be readily constructed, used as long as needed, readily disassembled, and transported to a different location for use elsewhere, or so that a completely different process may be brought into the same position adjacent the plant 71.
Figure 10 illustrates a mobile trailer 74 used as a stock receiving facility in combination with an assembly facility 75 that is any one of another mobile trailer, a portable modular building or a fixed building. The mobile trailer is located adjacent the assembly facility 75 at a location that is very close to a given operation that uses a supply of component parts or that delivers a finished product from the assembly line. A carrier 76 is located in the mobile trailer 74 so that an operator in facility 75 can load or unload components/assemblies. In the case of unloading components, the operator, optionally with the assistance of mechanization, takes a component and adds it to the product being assembled until the carrier 76 is empty. In the case of loading assemblies, the operator, optionally with the assistance of mechanization, removes an assembly from the assembly line and loads it onto the carrier, 76. The side 78 of mobile trailer 74 has openings for accessing the carriers therein. The tractor/trailer combination 79 is shown delivering a set of five carriers to the mobile trailer 74. The side 80 of mobile trailer 74 includes openings that permit receipt of the carriers from the tractor/trailer 79. The tractor /trailer 81 is shown removing a prior set of carriers that previously resided in mobile trailer 74. Optionally, the entire trailer 74 is hauled away and another trailer such as trailer 79 is parked in its place. So that full part carriers are accessed.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an enclosed assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly including a plurality of operations wherein components are introduced into the enclosure and added to the assembly at a first location. The enclosed assembly line system is capable of being readily disassembled, transported and reassembled so that the same assembly system is provided at a second location remote from the first location.

Claims

1. An assembly line system comprising: a plurality of mobile trailers arranged in an associative relationship to one another so that the trailers define an enclosure housing an assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly.
2. An assembly line system according to claim 1 wherein the assembly line defines a continuous loop through the trailers.
3. An assembly line system according to claim 2 wherein the assembly line includes an overhead conveyor that runs through the trailers and extends from trailer to trailer through a juncture between each adjacent pair of trailers.
4. An assembly line system according to claim 1 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
5. An assembly line system according to claim 4 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
6. An assembly line system according to claim 1 wherein a shipping container is used in place of at least one of the trailers.
7. An assembly line system according to claim 6 wherein the assembly line includes a conveyor that runs through the trailers and extends from trailer to trailer through a juncture between each adjacent pair of trailers.
8. An assembly line system according to claim 6 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
9. An assembly line system according to claim 8 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
10. An assembly line system according to claim 1 wherein the assembly line is T-shaped.
11. An assembly line system according to claim 10 wherein the assembly line includes a conveyor that runs through the trailers and extends from trailer to trailer through a juncture between each adjacent pair of trailers.
12. An assembly line system according to claim 11 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
13. An assembly line system according to claim 12 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
14. A portable assembly line system comprising: a modular building defining an enclosure housing an assembly line that conveys an automotive product through various stages of assembly wherein the assembly line is readily constructed and disassembled and so that the assembly line, including the modular building is movable from locale to locale to rapidly serve changing market requirements.
15. An assembly line system according to claim 14 wherein the assembly line defines a continuous loop through the modular building.
16. An assembly line system according to claim 15 wherein the assembly line includes an overhead conveyor that runs completely within the modular building.
17. An assembly line system according to claim 16 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
18. An assembly line system according to claim 17 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
19. An assembly line system according to claim 14 wherein the assembly line is substantially linear.
20. An assembly line system according to claim 19 wherein the assembly line includes a conveyor that runs completely within the modular building.
21. An assembly line system according to claim 19 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
22. An assembly line system according to claim 21 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
23. An assembly line system according to claim 14 wherein the assembly line is T-shaped.
24. An assembly line system according to claim 23 wherein the assembly line includes a conveyor that runs completely within the modular building.
25. An assembly line system according to claim 23 further comprising a stock trailer wherein the assembly line does not pass through the stock trailer and wherein subassemblies for assembly to the product are introduced to the assembly line through the stock trailer.
26. An assembly line system according to claim 25 wherein the subassemblies are carried by racks and wherein the racks are delivered to the stock trailers by a delivery trailer so that the racks are transferred from the delivery trailer to the stock trailer wherein an operator accesses the racks while they are in the stock trailer and transfers the subassemblies to the product being conveyed by the assembly line.
27. An assembly line system comprising: a plurality of mobile trailers arranged in an associative relationship to one another so that the trailers define an enclosure housing an assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly wherein utilities are provided to the assembly line in the various trailers through quick- connect couplings so that assembly operations carried out in the various trailers are coordinated.
28. An assembly system comprising: an enclosure that is portable and reusable and that houses an assembly line that is capable of conveying a product through various stages of assembly including a plurality of operations wherein components are introduced into the enclosure and added to the assembly at a first location and wherein the assembly system is capable of being readily disassembled, transported and reassembled so that the assembly system is provided at a second location remote from the first location.
PCT/US2000/012013 1999-05-10 2000-05-03 Portable assembly line WO2000068117A1 (en)

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US13335199P 1999-05-10 1999-05-10
US60/133,351 1999-05-10

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US7815036B2 (en) 2008-05-09 2010-10-19 Caterpillar Inc Modular manufacturing chain including a position tracking device and method of operation therefor
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US20110209321A1 (en) * 2010-01-07 2011-09-01 Comau, Inc. Modular manufacturing facility and method
US8086341B2 (en) 2008-05-09 2011-12-27 Caterpillar Inc. Control system and method for a modular manufacturing chain
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US8191481B2 (en) 2008-05-09 2012-06-05 Caterpillar Inc. Friction drive material handling system including composite beam and method of operating same
US8196731B2 (en) 2008-05-09 2012-06-12 Caterpillar Inc. Modular manufacturing chain including a reverse transport direction and method of operation therefor
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US10131388B2 (en) 2014-12-15 2018-11-20 Comau Llc Modular vehicle assembly system and method
US10384873B2 (en) 2016-05-06 2019-08-20 Comau Llc Inverted carrier lift device system and method
FR3094384A1 (en) * 2019-03-25 2020-10-02 Alstom Transport Technologies Installation for manufacturing a vehicle, in particular a railway vehicle, set of containers and method of mounting such a set of containers for obtaining such a manufacturing facility
US11420853B2 (en) 2019-10-03 2022-08-23 Comau Llc Assembly material logistics system and methods
US11905114B2 (en) 2020-06-08 2024-02-20 Comau Llc Assembly material logistics system and methods

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