Development and Implementation of a Serial Production Cyber-Physical System: A Closed Quality Loop for Transportable Positioning Devices in an Automotive Body-in-White Process

For automotive manufacturers, one of the biggest technological challenges is producing different variants on the same production line. At the body-in-white shop at the Magna complete vehicle plant in Graz, this is achieved using transportable positioning devices. They serve as part carriers and adapters between different products, while geometrically aligning them throughout the process. Geometrical deviations in these devices can negatively impact product quality throughout the vehicle assembly value chain. This paper presents the development and implementation of components for a patented closed quality loop that mitigates the effects of deviating positioning devices in real time. Challenges and insights gained from the brownfield implementation into serial production are discussed. Four key modules for automating quality control processes are introduced, providing a basis for future research on cyber-physical systems aimed at achieving zero-defect manufacturing: integrated capture of process and product data, automated analytics, automated decision-making and autonomous process intervention.