Assembly in Action: Pallets Facilitate Engine Buildup
Engines for a number of DaimlerChrysler vehicles are built on special pallets provided by Peak Industries Inc. (Dearborn, MI). The pallets can be adapted to accommodate four different engines.
Each pallet is located on a base plate, which is mounted on a turntable for 360-degree rotation to provide accessibility for operators on the assembly line. There are five risers on the base plate. Two manual flip-in fingers on top of each riser either pick up locating points on the engine or pick up resting points. In production, the pallets move down the line on a heavy-duty chain conveyor. Operators add various components to the engine block along the way.