MODULAR MANUFACTURING FACILITY AND METHOD

• US 20110209321A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comau LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Comau Incorporated (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Reid, David, Red, Daisy, Kilibarda, Velibor
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 5/02 Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial purposes, e.g. for power-plants or factories buildings forming part of cooling plants E04H5/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49815 Disassembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5124 with means to feed work intermittently from one tool station to another
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5196 Multiple station with conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53 Means to assemble or disassemble
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/534 Multiple station assembly or disassembly apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53539 including work conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53543 including transporting track
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53548 and work carrying vehicle

Abstract

A modular manufacturing facility and method of construction includes a plurality of service and equipment modules which are readily sized and oriented to be packaged, shipped to a desired location, assembled and connected to local resources to form a fully operational assembly or build facility substantially or wholly independent of any resident building structure at the selected site.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a modular manufacturing facility for use in the manufacture and assembly of vehicles or devices in a predetermined remote location, the method comprising the steps of:

determining the content and number of modular assembly stations needed to build the desired capacity of a predetermined type of device;

selecting a plurality of modular service devices suitable to supply the modular assembly stations with the necessary resources and support the build capacity;

transporting the modular assembly stations and the selected modular devices to the desired facility location;

assembling the selected respective modular assembly stations and modular service devices on the substantially continuous support surface to form at least a portion of a first device or vehicle assembly line; and

removeably and operably connecting the selected modular service devices to respective resident facility location or portable resources forming an operational assembly facility.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of erecting or improving an exterior shell to shield an interior of the shell housing one or more of the modular assembly stations and service modules from the elements.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of erecting a shell comprises erecting a roof with at least one downstanding wall to at least partially enclose the interior.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of improving an exterior shell further comprises the step of modifying an existing exterior shell to better suit the build of the first predetermined type of device or vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

repurposing the respective modular service devices to build at least a second predetermined type of device or vehicle at at least a second desired location, the at least second desired location being geographically distant from the first desired location.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein repurposing further comprises the steps of:

disconnecting the respective modular service devices from the resident facility or portable modular resource;

transporting the respective modular service devices to the second desired facility location; and

operably installing and connecting the respective modular service devices to form at least a portion of a second device or vehicle assembly line forming an operational assembly facility.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least second predetermined type of device or vehicle and the at least second desired facility location respectively comprises a plurality of different predetermined types of devices or vehicles in a plurality of respective different geographic locations.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a plurality of modular service devices further comprises selecting at least one of a portable power source, a portable vehicle conveyor, a portable tooling scaffolding, a portable electrical substation module, a portable welding water cooling module, a portable pressurized pneumatic supply module, a portable heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) module or a portable personnel office module.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying the scale of the build capacity of the first predetermined device or vehicle in the operation assembly facility.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

selectively increasing or decreasing the number of modular assembly stations and modular service devices to change the build capacity of the operational assembly facility.

11. A modular reusable manufacturing structure for use in manufacturing and assembling automotive vehicles, the manufacturing structure comprising:

a substantially continuous support surface;

a plurality of modular assembly stations selectively positioned about the support surface;

a portable modular conveyor supported by the support surface adapted for moving a partially built device through at least some of the modular assembly stations along an assembly line; and

a plurality of portable service modules temporarily connected to and supported by the support surface, the service modules are selectively positioned in one or more of modular assembly stations proximate to the assembly line, the service modules respectively operable to provide resources to operate the manufacturing structure.

12. The manufacturing structure of claim 11 further comprising:

an exterior shell having an upper portion positioned vertically above and defining a ceiling for at least some of the assembly bays.

13. The manufacturing structure of claim 12 wherein the shell upper portion further comprises a structural truss having a vertical height of less than about three (3) feet.

14. The manufacturing structure of claim 12 wherein the exterior shell further includes a plurality of exterior walls extending vertically downward from the upper portion at least substantially enclosing an interior of the manufacturing structure from environmental elements.

15. The manufacturing structure of claim 11 wherein the plurality of portable service modules comprises at least one of an portable electrical substation module, a portable welding water cooling module, a portable pressurized pneumatic supply module, a portable heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) module, a portable power source or a portable personnel office module.

16. The manufacturing structure of claim 11 wherein each of the portable modules are integrally formed as commercial shipping containers for shipment to selected locations throughout the world.

17. The manufacturing structure of claim 11 further comprising portable modular tooling scaffolding positioned in at least some of the modular assembly stations adjacent the assembly line, the scaffolding vertically supported solely by the support surface and providing a base to connect tooling usable along the assembly line.

18. The manufacturing structure of claim 11 wherein the partially built device is a passenger vehicle body-in-white (BIW) structure.

19. A modular reusable manufacturing structure for use in manufacturing and assembling automotive vehicles in a predetermined remote location, the manufacturing structure comprising:

means for determining the content and number of modular assembly stations needed to build the desired capacity of a predetermined type of device;

means for selecting a plurality of modular service devices suitable to supply the modular assembly stations with the necessary resources and support the build capacity;

means for transporting the modular assembly stations and the selected modular devices to the desired facility location;

means for assembling the selected respective modular assembly stations and modular service devices on the substantially continuous support surface to form at least a portion of a first device or vehicle assembly line; and

means for removeably and operably connecting the selected modular service devices to respective resident facility location or portable resources forming an operational assembly facility.