Ford Develops Robots with Lasers for Panel Fitment

Ford has developed robots with lasers for eyes and suction cups for hands to help assemble the new Ford Escape at the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky. The robots place body panels, the instrument panel and the windshield on the cars. 

These robots have laser-aided cameras that allow each panel to be placed precisely. It keeps each Escape at a high standard of quality. The cameras can provide exact gaps between the panels and replicate those gaps every time. The robots provide benefits like tighter door panels that reduce wind noise while driving. 

“The ability of the machines to register any difference in each vehicle on the line improves our quality by providing a custom-like build,” said Ford engineer Thomas Burns.

Other robots at the Louisville plant work with Ford employees to help build the cars. They reduce the exertion levels of the workers and improve their accuracy. Ford also uses 88 robots to paint its cars using less paint than a human worker. Ford has 700 robots performing different fuctions at its Louisville factory.