Product Design-Ford Motor Company

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Brief Overview

• Founded on June 16th 1903 by Henry Ford

-One of the few auto companies to survive the great depression

-Created the assembly line

• Fordism

"the theory of Henry Ford stating the production efficiency is dependent on successful assembly line methods"

Hanyi He

Stephen Oakie

Nadine Michael

Zhaoqing Xu

Principles of Assembly

Principle. 1

Principle. 2

Principle. 3

Place the tools and the men in the sequence of the operation so that each component part shall travel the least possible distance while in the process of finishing

Use work slides or some other form of carrier so that a workman completes his operation, he drops the part always be the most convenient place to his hand – and if possible have gravity carry the part to the next workman for this operation

Use sliding assembly lines by which the parts to be asｓeｍbled and delivered at convenient distances

Continuous Process

Mass Process

Batch Process

Job Shop

Project

Computer-aided design (CAD)

-Use of computer graphics to design new products

Product Design

2D CAD

3D CAD

1.Idea Development

The 3D system creates mathematical surface models that can be rotated on a screen for evaluation from various angels and perspectives

• Using an electronic pen on a pressure-sensitive pad
• This offers an array of drafting techniques from thin pencil lines to airbrushing

• First understanding the customer, who they are, how they live and what they want in a vehicle
• Then began with around 700 different sketches which they select some themes to make it to the next process
• They refine these chosen themes with Photoshop so they become more realistic
• From these themes Three themes are chosen (Theme A, Theme B, Theme C)

2.Product Screening

• Theme A, B and C are shown to senior management in full size clay models
• These clay models are life size and mimic the sketches
• They are a good use for surfacing and proportions can be touched and painted
• The first two steps take about 2 years

3.Preliminary Design and Testing

• Fiberglass model
• Final step to see how it reacts to different environments and lightening
• This takes another year
• This model is then digitialized and they then make another model out of fiberglass that looks like the end product
• Another 20 weeks
• This model has functioning headlights, and tail lights and feels like a car but isn’t drivable
• Cars are then put through crash testing where its front and side impact is tested, as well as the roof strength

4. Final Design

The functioning model of the final fiberglass model with safety modifications

Facility Layout

2015 Mustang GT

• Ford uses a Product Layout structure
• Continuous operations
• Workers placed at individual work stations
• Each worker performs a specified task and sends it down the line to the next task (sequence of events)
• When all the tasks are done you'll see brand new ready-to-drive cars rolling off the assembly line
• Efficient, but lacks ability to adapt to changes in demand (i.e. smaller cars -> new machine)

F3T

Ford Freedom Fabrication

Technology

• Ford Motor Company is developing a new form of manufacturing technology

-A unique, patented manufacturing process

• Through this process, a piece of sheet metal is clamped around its edges and formed into a 3D shape by two stylus-type tools working in unison on opposite sides of the sheet metal blank
• Benefits of F3T

-Low cost

-Fast delivery time

-More flexibility

• F3T has the potential to allow for greater personalization options, adding the ability for buyers to customize vehicle bodywork

Concurrent Engineering

• Multifunctional team approach to simultaneously design the product and the process
• Product development engineers, designers and product marketing teams work together to finalize a vehicle product