Manufacturing Systems Group
Jay Baron, director

The Manufacturing Systems Group’s program focuses on advanced manufacturing technologies, primarily in the automotive industry. Current emphasis is on vehicle development, manufacturing systems, and performance of car and light-truck bodies. Several ongoing activities are directed at optimizing the dimensional quality for vehicle bodies, while reducing manufacturing investment costs for tooling and engineering and compressing development lead-time. This group has been actively involved in new vehicle launches, providing hands-on support to manufacturing and quality engineers during process validation. This team continues to develop and apply functional build methods — a new philosophy for obtaining production approval for manufacturing processes.

Several advanced technologies have also been recently investigated for their performance impact, production readiness, and economic viability. Examples of these technologies include laser welding, weld-bond adhesives, tailor welded blanks for sheet metal, and rapid, low-cost tooling technologies for stamping dies. Investigations into these developing technologies can result in worldwide state-of-the art reports, economic assessment and cost/benefit studies, and production implementation assistance.

The Manufacturing Systems group works with automotive companies from around the world. Many technologies and experiences are not documented, necessitating cooperative benchmark studies, which can only be achieved through shared investigations. The American Iron and Steel Institute and various automotive companies routinely sponsor projects.