Vehicles

Welding

History

Year
Line
Processing technologies
In-house machine-making
Final processes
Small sub-assembly processes
1937
Hand operation by fixed jigs until 1961
Manual operation until 1961
 
1955
 
 
From 1955:
Portable spot welders
 
1957
 
 
Jig welders
 
1962
Loop line
 
 
 
1964
 
 
Welding presses
 
1965
 
Off-line welding (high-speed automatic welding)
 
 
1970
Gate line (with continuous conveyor)
 
 
 
1971
 
 
Robots introduced
 
Automated parts loading (for under body, side members and main body [M/B])
1972
Machine-back line (with shuttle transfer)
 
 
 
1974
 
 
 
Making of in-house door hemming machines commenced
1975
 
 
 
Making of in-house roof multi-welders commenced
1976
 
 
Arc brazing
 
1979
 
 
 
High-precision main body line
High-precision door line
1981
 
In-line robots (multi-robots)
Mass introduction of robots (weld spots, sealer, thin sheet arc robots)
 
1982
 
 
Automated fitting
 
Body automatic measurement
1985
Flexible Body Line (FBL) introduced ( Expanded to all plants by 1997)
 
 
FBL (for main body tacking)
1986
 
 
CAE for robots
 
1987
Small truck joint production with VW
 
CAROTT I(high-function robot off-line teaching system)
Flexible stud welder (FSW) for underbody developed
Space-saving robot developed
Caelum system introduced
1988
 
General purpose door line (by linear transfer)
Off-line (in-house) teaching task
Full-scale support for overseas projects
Moving-coil-type pre-cure process
Electropneumatic proportional valve for weld gun pressure control
Robot gun with transformer
1989
Body line AGV system
 
Roll spot welding
 
Technical solution for thick-coated galvanized steel sheets achieved
On-line measuring robot
1990
General purpose automatic measuring machine (CMM)
Unmanned hood and luggage line
YAG Laser piercing robot
 
General purpose middle sub-assembly line (for cowl, apron and member)
"Development of Pre-cure technology" paper presented at 23rd ISATA
1991
Integrated flexible weld/assembly system for automobile bodies developed and applied
Full integrated structure for side member outer
 
 
Automatic fitting, brazing and finishing line
1992
 
FBL side member line (for integrated side member outer panel)
 
Immediate startup due to all people involved working together at the spot (at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) vehicle plant)
1993
 
 
Aluminum spot welding
 
YAG laser applied to aluminum
Caulking process (robot system) for bonding aluminum with steel
1994
 
Hand-pushing ski-bar method (side member assembly line)
Mohican-type roof
 
Full direct-coupled structure for rear-member and wheel house
Sandwich steel sheets (for room partition)
Bonded material (for side member outer integrated panel)
1995
FBL master machine (in Motomachi PE building)
 
Energy saving of cooling water pump
 
Electric servo gun
1996
Simple Global Body Line (GBL) established in Vietnam
 
Prototype vehicle assembled in Motomachi PE building (verifying process and equipment planning)
 
1997
Inside datum M/B jig (for Prius)
Mixed flow sub-line for small-volume and multiple sub-assemblies (for Prius)
Vectron portable measuring equipment (for accurate measuring)
 
Induction hardening process for body parts
Power source for thin sheet arc welding developed
Glass beads in hemming adhesives introduced
1998
New production system (first GBL machine) constructed
General purpose line for front side members
Digital Factory operation commenced
 
General purpose line for under middle sub-assembly
Datum changeover system developed
Scalar-type robot (for sub-assembly inter-process transfer)
Process-specific small robot developed
YAG laser welding (for trough process)
High-speed transfer system (robot) developed
 
Digitalization of production preparation (establishing CAE analysis technology)
1999
 
Small spatter-tolerant laser torch (for trough process)
Body simultaneous engineering (SE) study commenced by Body Equipment Certification Section
 
2000
First overseas application of GBL (at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky [TMMK])
Integrated structure for rear door inner panel with bonded material
Body shop training center (Skill Dojo) established
 
Motomachi Aluminum Center (TAC) established
Activities for ultra-short-term production preparation
Digital structural requirement system
Unified robot teach pendant developed
Electric portable gun and electric stationary spot welder developed
2001
 
 
Digital check manual established (by digital engineering [DE])
 
Manufacture of all aluminum body achieved (at TAC)
2002
 
 
Drop lift (DL) robot developed
 
Use of 100-kg-class, high-strength steel
2003
In-line measuring equipment
Aluminum hoods and aluminum back doors
Adhesion structure for wheel house arch
 
Decoration DE examination area established
Generalized equipment for III-zone developed (for roof process)
Lightweight and compact servo gun developed
2004
 
Generalized door line developed (at Motomachi Plant)
Outer shape fitting process for shell sub-assembly (at Motomachi Plant)
 
CAE for SE tasks introduced (for spot distortion, rigidity analysis of front end, etc.)
2005
M/B and engine compartment line mark second round of innovation at Toyota Motor Kyushu (TMK)
 
Lightweight portable gun made of aluminum developed
 
Simultaneous world production preparation for global Camry
Quality traceability system established
2006
 
Generalized hood line developed
Laser welding for door openings
 
Cable-less robot unit developed
2007
 
 
Vision-correction material-handling technology developed
 
4WS-AGV developed
Mass-placement-type slim robot developed
2008
TMK's No.1 M/B line adopts multi-spot welding
 
In-line monitoring of nugget diameter
 
1B line underbody (U/B) process at TMMK innovated
2009
Plant 1/2 (half-sizing) activities commenced
 
U/B line without middle sub-assembly developed
 
Generalized 3-zone further developed
Generalized and simple M/B transfer system developed
Centralized data base (SCoPE) for production preparation data
2010
 
Activities for body process parts logistics commenced
 
 
Environmental activities (aiming for zero abnormalities and complaints and reduced CO2)
Notes:
FBL (Flexible Body Line); FBL, which, in principle, can simultaneously produce any number of body types, made possible the practical mixed production of four body types, while the previous body line could only handle two or three types at a time. The introduction of FBL commenced in 1985 and continued until 1995.
GBL (Global Body Line); GBL was developed for small-volume and multi-body-type production; it centers on the simplification of equipment, including inner datum applications and the introduction of servo guns, allowing the number of datum pads to be remarkably reduced. Introduction commenced in 1996.

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