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Ford F-150 Factory Quiets Down
Dearborn plant
The plant in Dearborn, Mich., that produces Ford Motor Co.'s aluminum-intensive F-150 pickup truck is notably quieter than it was when it made all-steel trucks, the Detroit Free Press notes.
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Dearborn plant
The plant in Dearborn, Mich., that produces Ford Motor Co.'s aluminum-intensive F-150 pickup truck is notably quieter than it was when it made all-steel trucks, the Detroit Free Press notes.
That's because of the sharp drop in the amount of traditional welding operations. Instead, most body assembly work involves self-piercing rivets and adhesives handled by 500 next-generation robots.
The switch to aluminum also eliminates the shower of sparks typical when spot-welding steel, thus eliminating the need for fencing to shield workers. The result is a more open appearance for the body assembly area, the Free Press reports.
Ford spent $843 million to retool the Dearborn facility to make the new F-150, which goes on sale this month. The company is spending another $1.1 billion for a similar conversion of its second F-150 plant in Kansas City, Mo.
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