A diesel engine manufacturer faced persistent quality issues with its outsourced pre-assembly process for camshafts and cam housings. Contaminants such as debris and misalignment defects led to higher failure rates, jeopardizing performance and product lifespan. Given the precision required, where deviations of just thousandths of an inch could compromise the entire camshaft assembly, the company decided to bring the camshaft pre-assembly in-house to take greater control.
The manufacturer turned to ACS for this project based on their longstanding relationship built through years of successful controls projects. ACS’ track record of delivering reliable industrial conveyor solutions for them made ACS a trusted partner for their first joint automation project.
The new camshaft assembly system needed to:
The manufacturer aimed to achieve superior quality while optimizing its costs and efficiency.
ACS delivered two identical seven-station conveyor systems designed to improve quality, precision, and efficiency in the camshaft pre-assembly process. Each conveyor line has on- and off-loading stations, the camshaft assembly station, and two buffer stations on either side of the assembly station.
When a unit enters the assembly station, ACS-designed actuators lock the pallet in place. To address the client’s stringent quality requirements, ACS engineered and fabricated custom tooling and poka-yoke (error-proofing) mechanisms that ensure strict camshaft alignment during the assembly process. These fixtures minimize the risk of defects in the camshaft assembly.
The ACS engineers also designed specialized handles and tooling to eliminate the risk of damaging critical bearing surfaces. These tools, made from high-molecular-weight plastics, also reduced the potential for contamination. To address ergonomic issues, the ACS engineers iterated through handle designs to meet the client’s strict ergonomic guidelines and minimize strain on operators without compromising assembly accuracy.
To support the client’s quality and warranty tracking requirements, ACS integrated barcode scanning technology and PLC software with the manufacturer’s proprietary MES. Barcode scanners collect data on the camshafts at critical points on the conveyor, which are transmitted to the manufacturing execution system via the company’s server. The real-time tracking facilitates automated quality verification, ensuring that each camshaft assembly meets specifications before progressing through production.
The ACS design uses the four buffer stations in the industrial convey solutions system to align with the manufacturer’s takt time requirements while allowing operational flexibility. Each of the buffer zones features independently controlled motorized rollers and proximity sensors, enabling controlled queuing and movement of the pallets and seamless transitions between stations to maintain production flow without bottlenecks.
ACS delivered a robust, fully integrated conveyor system that has operated with exceptional reliability, without maintenance issues or production delays.
By performing pre-assembly internally, the manufacturer has gained direct control over quality, eliminating defects from third-party processes. The system’s automation—featuring custom tooling for precise assembly, barcode tracking, and MES integration with their manufacturing execution system—ensures accurate, efficient assembly while enabling full warranty and quality assurance traceability. With two parallel conveyor lines optimizing throughput, the ACS solution meets takt time requirements and maintains production efficiency.
ACS’ turnkey approach, from design to installation, has provided the engine manufacturer with a dependable, long-term solution that improves its operational stability and control while being adaptable to future needs in its camshaft assembly processes and manufacturing execution system utilization.