Challenge
An engine manufacturer needed to determine ways to improve their first time yield. Too many defective engines were making it all the way to end-of-line hot testing. In some cases, severe defects resulted in irreparable engines and costly waste. If the manufacturer could detect defects earlier in the process it would reduce the required repair time for each defective engine and would also minimize waste resulting from severe defects. During end of line testing one of the most detrimental defects was severely defective crankshafts. One primary focus area during the assembly process involved excessive damage to short-blocks caused by crank-shaft defects that were not being detected until later in the assembly process. When more severe defects were not identified prior to end-of-line testing, many engines were experiencing warranty claims as a result of overheating engines. Upon analysis of the failed engines, the root cause was determined to be missing bearings in the short block. The missing bearings caused improper oil distribution which starved certain sections of the engine and caused the engine to overheat. The resulting negative customer satisfaction and costly warranty repairs were damaging the reputation and bottom line for this manufacturer. As a result they decided to examine options for improved quality testing. In order to achieve this objective, they looked to detect and fix defects as early as possible in the production process.
Download our complete application note to learn how Sciemetric's solution for short block crank torque to turn testing helped this customer.
