Measurement of gaps and flushes in vehicle assembly - VWAE

The use case will focus on car alignment, which translates into ensuring the correct gaps and flushes values throughout the production process. The gap refers to the horizontal distance between the panels being measured, while the flush is related to the alignment of the two surfaces. The gap and flush measurements are carried out at several stages along the production line, to inspect the fitting and alignment between two surfaces, for instance to check the alignment of the tailgate or the correct assembly of the rear lights.

The main objective of the VWAE use case is to correlate and predict process faults and thus allowing real time interventions in order to prevent the generation of defects related to gap and flush and their propagation to down-stream processes. Equipping the operators in the final assembly with measurement systems able to automatically collect data and analysing the data with those coming from the earlier automatic measurement stations of the body shop area, will allow a better control of the whole production process, by adapting the final assembly stations based on the complete set of data collected in previous processing stations. This will increase efficiency and reduce re-work by avoiding re-alignment operations, saving therefore time and reducing costs and waste.