Gear Production
Issue link: http://gear.epubxp.com/i/155418
F E AT U R E Patrick Seitz, Felsomat vice president, has another take on the importance of a highly effcient gear production system: "When you go from a fveto a 10-speed transmission, the number of gears is not just doubled; it's more than that. So to keep up with the number of gears you need, cycle time is becoming more crucial. So we're reducing that by minimizing the idle time of the machines." Ford's High-Tech Gear Analysis Ford Motor Co., at its Sterling Axle Plant in Sterling Heights, MI, where it produces the axle gears and axles for the F-series pickups, is deploying what it claims to be the frst photogrammetric pattern reader (PPR) for the inspection of axle gears. "PPR technology is the next evolution in quality control for our commercial trucks," says David Gravel, an engineer in Ford's advanced manufacturing group. "While traditional inspections of our axle gears ensure we're delivering dependable, tough trucks to our customers, this new technology allows us to conduct our inspections faster, and at a level of detail the human eye just cannot discern." What's more, the curvature of the hypoid gears used on the rear axle ring and pinion doesn't allow inspectors to see both sides of a gear with a standard two-dimensional image. The process starts by spraying the axle gear with a marking compound evenly across its face. Next, the gear is rolled to create the contact or mesh pattern. Infrared lighting and line-scan cameras are then deployed to check the physical characteristics of each gear tooth. In all, 9,000 two-dimensional images measuring 1024 by 1 pixels are stitched together to create a three-dimensional image of the gear. This allows a precise understanding of the location of each tooth on the gear. Since the system was deployed, two to fve parts out of 1,000 inspected with PPR are typically scrapped as they fall outside of the required tolerances. The system was developed with Ford by Automated Vision (automatedvision.com) and ATM Automation (atmautomation.com). According to Ford, it plans to install more systems like this in its axle manufacturing plants around the world. 14—GEAR Production Supplement Gear problems can lead to noise and/or axle problems, neither acceptable for the 2013 Ford F-150, so advanced technology is being used by the automaker at the Sterling Axle Plant in Michigan to assure the highest levels of tooth consistency, orientation and quality. Axle gear in station for analysis by a photogrammetric pattern reader that uses 9,000 two-dimensional images to create a three-dimensional model of the gear. This is the station in the Ford Sterling Axle Plant in Michigan where the axle gears that are used in the F-Series trucks undergo 3D mapping to assure quality.