Analysis and Design of Slow Build Studies During Sheet Metal Assembly Validations

Several manufacturers are adopting six sigma programs in efforts to reduce stamping variation. This requires the crucial step of establishing dimensional relationships for the stamping dimensional outputs that become key process inputs to the assembly process. This paper describes a methodology used to determine the root cause of dimensional changes in a front door assembly. Among the key findings in this study are the importance of understanding the effects of the datum-locating scheme and the significant influence of assembly processing variables, rather than stamping variability, on the final door assembly dimensional quality.