Vehicles
Welding
History
Year
|
Line
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Processing technologies
|
In-house machine-making
|
|
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Final processes
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Small sub-assembly processes
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1937
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Hand operation by fixed jigs until 1961
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Manual operation until 1961
|
|
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1955
|
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From 1955:
Portable spot welders |
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1957
|
|
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Jig welders
|
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1962
|
Loop line
|
|
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1964
|
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Welding presses
|
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1965
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Off-line welding (high-speed automatic welding)
|
|
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1970
|
Gate line (with continuous conveyor)
|
|
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1971
|
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Robots introduced
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Automated parts loading (for under body, side members and main body [M/B])
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1972
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Machine-back line (with shuttle transfer)
|
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1974
|
|
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Making of in-house door hemming machines commenced
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1975
|
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Making of in-house roof multi-welders commenced
|
1976
|
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Arc brazing
|
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1979
|
|
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High-precision main body line
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High-precision door line
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1981
|
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In-line robots (multi-robots)
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Mass introduction of robots (weld spots, sealer, thin sheet arc robots)
|
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1982
|
|
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Automated fitting
|
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Body automatic measurement
|
||||
1985
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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
|
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1988
|
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General purpose door line (by linear transfer)
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Off-line (in-house) teaching task
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Full-scale support for overseas projects
|
Moving-coil-type pre-cure process
|
Electropneumatic proportional valve for weld gun pressure control
|
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Robot gun with transformer
|
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1989
|
Body line AGV system
|
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Roll spot welding
|
|
Technical solution for thick-coated galvanized steel sheets achieved
|
||||
On-line measuring robot
|
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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
|
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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
|
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1992
|
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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
|
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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)
|
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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
|
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1998
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New production system (first GBL machine) constructed
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General purpose line for front side members
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Digital Factory operation commenced
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General purpose line for under middle sub-assembly
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Datum changeover system developed
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Scalar-type robot (for sub-assembly inter-process transfer)
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Process-specific small robot developed
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YAG laser welding (for trough process)
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High-speed transfer system (robot) developed
|
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Digitalization of production preparation (establishing CAE analysis technology)
|
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1999
|
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Small spatter-tolerant laser torch (for trough process)
|
Body simultaneous engineering (SE) study commenced by Body Equipment Certification Section
|
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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
|
|
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Digital check manual established (by digital engineering [DE])
|
|
Manufacture of all aluminum body achieved (at TAC)
|
||||
2002
|
|
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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)
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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
|
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Generalized hood line developed
|
Laser welding for door openings
|
|
Cable-less robot unit developed
|
||||
2007
|
|
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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.