assembly line
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008
assembly line manufacturing technique in which a product is carried by some form of mechanized conveyor among stations at which the various operations necessary to its assembly are performed. It is used to assemble quickly large numbers of a uniform product. Henry Ford is often credited with establishing the first assembly line for his Model T. So long as an assembly line's output is high, the cost per unit is relatively low. It is somewhat inflexible, however, as it must be designed and installed for a particular product. Also, the operations on the product usually must be performed in a sequence that is strictly ordered. A malfunction or shortage of parts that shuts down a single assembly station necessitates shutdown of the entire line. Traditional assembly lines had come under criticism from those concerned with their effects on workers, but industrial robots now perform many of the repetitive tasks. Recent variations on the assembly-line process, such as teams of workers responsible for multiple steps, have increased productivity and employee interest.
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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research
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The man behind the moving assembly line: Henry Ford took the praise, but Charles Sorensen did the work. (Assembly Then & Now).
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New technology accelerates arrival of pieces and parts to assembly line.
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Advancing robotics: in Florida Institute of Technology's Robotics laboratory, faculty and students plan to make older assembly-line robots obsolete.(Florida Institute of Technology)
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Mass producing quantities of one. (Rheko International Group; assembly line manufacturing)
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Incorporating physical demand criteria into assembly line balancing.
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 "Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)")
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Franzen school students work on scrumptious assembly line.(News)
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 5/23/2001; Kmitch, Justin; 298 words
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Productivity climbs 30 to 50% with connected-flow line. (conveyorized assembly line at Reliance Electric Co.'s plant in Bogart, Georgia)
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