|
HOW TESLA BUILDS CARS
It’s one of the most famous car factories
in the world.
At Tesla’s manufacturing plant in
Fremont, California - rolled-up aluminum
transforms into fully assembled cars in
just 48 hours.
The vehicles begin to take shape in the
stamping center where the metal sheets
are unrolled and cut so they can be turned
into
doors, hoods, trunks, and other parts.
The machine that presses them into
various forms operates with extreme
precision. Look at how the robot arm
narrowly escapes being crushed.
The parts are then placed on a conveyor
belt in video provided by CleanTechnica.
Workers inspect every component - in this
case, side panels - before sending them off
for storage inside a massive warehouse.
Next stop is the body shop -
where robots weld them together to form
the car’s skeleton.
5,000 welds are required for the Model 3,
Tesla’s first affordable vehicle.
The body line is far more automated than
those being used to make the Model S or
the Model X.
Unlike those two vehicles, the Model 3 is
meant to be manufactured on a mass scale
as it attracts a broader clientele.
Tesla’s methods of production can change
on the fly. A few years ago, when the
company struggled to build cars quickly,
it determined that some 300 welds were
not necessary and reprogrammed the
robots to eliminate them to save time.
Time is precious when you plan to
produce 20 million cars a year by 2030.
After the welding is complete, the cars
head off to get painted.
The electric car company uploaded this
video - a humorous video - of a paint
applicator that resembles a cow’s udder.
Next comes the main attraction: the
general assembly.
All of the major components of the
vehicle including the battery pack are
joined together - known as a “marriage”.
Marriage is the hardest part.
As the saying goes: If you're going
through hell, keep going.
Elon Musk described the entire assembly
process as “production hell” a few years
ago when Tesla struggled to build its cars
fast enough.
It even set up an additional assembly line
under a big white tent in the factory’s
parking lot to push out more Model 3s.
“Big” doesn’t properly describe the size
of the tent. It was larger than two football
fields.
Tesla blamed the delays on bottlenecks in
the Gigafactory in Nevada where it makes
its batteries.
But in an interview with CBS’s Gayle
King, Musk explained there were also
issues here at Fremont.
Elon, part of the thing I heard about the
Model 3 is that there’s too many robots.
That maybe...yah, yah, I agree. You think
so, too? Yah.
That maybe you need more people in here
working. We do. In some cases, the robots
actually slowed the production. Yes, they
did.
We had this crazy, complex network of
conveyor belts and it was not working, so
we got rid of that whole thing.
Musk spent a lot of time in the factory,
including sleeping there overnight to try
to solve the problems. I talked about his
work ethic in my previous video.
Tesla managed to pull through that
difficult period by striking a better
balance between the number of robots it
uses and the number of human hands that
help.
A good example of that balance is a few
blocks from the main factory where Tesla
makes seats.
Fine fingers are essential in the production
of car seats.
Pulling the synthetic material over the
foam of a chair, making it fit properly,
stretching it out, getting rid of the
wrinkles.
Most automakers outsource seat-making
and Tesla used to do the same.
But when a contractor had trouble
building seats for the Model X, Tesla
decided to move that entire operation in-
house.
Machines do have a big role to play as
well, especially when the seats are ready
for final assembly. Even here Tesla is
focused on saving time.
This tube feed bolts to the robots so they
don’t have to physically pick them up.
An airgun shoots them through the
vacuum tube as illustrated by
CleanTechnica and shaves off about a
second or so.
Every second counts.
Once the seats are ready, they’re fitted
into the car.
And after the Teslas receive their wheels
and tires, they roll off the assembly line.
Designing one of the most advanced and
efficient automotive factories in the world
is insanely difficult.
And now - Tesla is replicating it in its
factories in Berlin and Shanghai.
Inevitably helping to bring an end to fossil
fuel vehicles.
The world is certainly moving in that
direction.
At the same time, another aspect of our
world is changing.
More people are working from home and
protecting your data online is as crucial as
ever.
Did you know that not all websites use
https? The s stands for secure.
If you’re visiting a site without it – the
data you send and receive could be stolen
by cybercriminals or other third parties.
Same goes for using some mobile apps.
NordVPN encrypts your data so no one
can spy on you.
My sponsor can also help you access
blocked websites because it changes your
IP address.
Like the time I was able to buy a bottle of
Tesla Tequila even though it’s region-
locked to the US.
The tequila has now arrived.
NordVPN has a huge discount on their
two-year plan right now with an
additional month free by using my promo
code: newsthink.
INFINITY PODCASTS:
https://t.me/Podcast_English_listening
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: | 
