Assembly mal with in-process control and assurance

A solution for efficient and zero-defect assembly

A zero-defect development process is essential in many products because these products contribute to our safety. Safety hammers are a good example. Using a safety hammer, you can quickly escape from a car in case of an emergency, for instance in the water. It is a life-saving device.

Essential: a zero-defect process

A renowned company in the automotive branch, manufacturer of this type of safety hammers, approached SSEB with the following question:

How can we guarantee the efficient and zero-defect assembly of our safety hammers?

This customer’s safety hammers consist of a number of parts. The handle is made of two parts that require assembly. Before assembly, a blade must be placed in between. This blade may be used to cut seatbelts, for instance if you are in the water, and is an essential part of the safety hammer.

When this customer approached SSEB, the process described above was done manually, including assembling the parts and checking if the blade was included. In theory, is was therefore possible that the safety hammer was assembled without the blade. SSEB developed a (semi)automatic process that not only improved efficiency, but also prevents assembly without the blade.

Assembly tooling with in-process inspection

We developed an assemblage tool featuring in-process inspection and assurance. The tool ensures the parts are pressed together correctly and checks if a blade is present.

The presence of the blade is checked by means of a sensor. If the sensor discovers that a blade is absent, a red light comes on. The tool handle is secured, preventing assembly of the two handle parts. In short: it is impossible to assemble a safety hammer if the essential blade is missing.

3D printed die

The die in which the parts are placed is 3D printed, because of the 3D shape of the hammer. An added advantage is that we can supply a new die fast, if necessary. This could be the case when the product design changes. The assembly tool was commissioned in August 2018 to the satisfaction of the customer.

Want to read more about our projects? Click here.