Assembling control arms for one of America’s most popular car manufacturers is a challenge at many levels for ZF at its Lapeer, MI, plant. The assembly process includes precision machining a cast aluminum control arm, fixturing the arm multiple times, and installing a multicomponent ball joint, a hydrobracket and a bushing in the arm.
After this, the assembled components are tested for both location and function. Cycle time is only 10 seconds, meaning ZF must perform precise assembly at a high production rate.