Measuring Product Dimensions during Assembly

Sammanfattning: During the spring term of 2021 a thesis was carried out at Volvo Trucks GTO. Volvo Trucks is one of the largest and most successful actors in the automotive industry and delivers trucks all over the world. The company offers trucks that can be customized and adapted according to the customer wishes. Offering highly customizable trucks puts a lot of stresses on the system which requires that CAD-drawings, component documentation and all databases are synchronized and updated according to the changes done on the truck. It has been observed within the company that the actual dimensions of the trucks do not always coincide with the system dimensions. The deviations in dimensions of the truck causes problems during transports as the trucks either exceeds or fall under the system dimensions. The objective, having the above in mind, has been to achieve a better understanding of how different measurement techniques can be used as an automated system for industrial inspection. Using the system, the aim was to collect data to enable a root-cause analysis on the deviations. In the project, different sensors have been tested in order to identify a capable sensor for a future automated system. During the project it became apparent that the objective of using the sensor for collecting data could not be achieved. There were several factors that led to this conclusion. But mainly it was due to the lack of time, but also due to the difficulties faced when calibrating and programming the sensor to achieve reliable and accurate measurements. However, the struggle of trying to use the sensor provided a lot of knowledge and data which was considered to be of great value for Volvo. The collection of data and analysis was still accomplished, using a manual ruler stick which worked better than expected. Some pre stated factors and causes, and consequences were justified by the measurements and analyzation of data, while others were rejected. A recommendation for the one who will continue in the footsteps of this project, is that they should continue collecting data, both from measuring in Tuve and reports from carriers. The reports should also be improved and documented more carefully to make sure that important information is not being lost.