Freightliner selects NI LabView and PXI hardware for truck assembly
-- Test & Measurement World, 8/1/2007 10:42:00 AM
North American heavy-duty truck manufacturer Freightliner has chosen National Instruments’ LabView software and PXI-based hardware to replace a VMEbus-based proprietary system for verifying electrical assembly on its new line of heavy-duty trucks. Using NI tools, Freightliner engineers integrated electrical test, machine vision, and physical measurements into a system that not only ensures the high quality of vehicles, but also instructs operators on the correct assembly process.
Freightliner chose Wineman Technology, a specialty machine designer and National Instruments Alliance Partner, to create the test systems to meet Freightliner’s requirements. The platform’s ability to deliver on flexibility and performance, as well as be more cost-effective than the previous system, made it a natural choice for this application. Along with electrical and physical measurements, the new solution includes a machine vision system for inspecting fuse box assembly. This system features industry-standard cameras that were built into a custom fixture and coupled with software written in LabView.
The new test systems Wineman Technology is building for the plant include all new cockpit and cab testers capable of reading multiple signal types across 512 discrete wires that users can connect directly to the assemblies. By integrating LabView software and PXI hardware with proprietary PROVEtech software from Mercedes-Benz Technology, the three-way partnership between Freightliner, Wineman, and Mercedes-Benz produced a system capable of guiding the operator through each step of the process required to validate all electrical signals that could have been assembled incorrectly or damaged during the assembly process.
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