System Stored Procedures System stored procedures are packaged with SQL Server. Many procedures are used to administer SQL Server, but some are utilities that can be profitablly used by developers. They are global, and can be called from any database application without their fully qualified name. (They are all owned by dbo.) . They are all stored in the Master database, and have the prefix sp_. This is a reason why it is considered unwise to name local stored procedures with the sp_ prefix. They can be read by viewing their properties in the Query Analyzer.

Catalog Procedures
Implements ODBC data dictionary functions and isolates ODBC applications from changes to underlying system tables.

Cursor Procedures
Implements cursor variable functionality.

Database Maintenance Plan Procedures
Used to set up core maintenance tasks necessary to ensure database performance.

Distributed Queries Procedures
Used to implement and manage Distributed Queries.

Full-Text Search Procedures
Used to implement and query full-text indexes.

Log Shipping Procedures
Used to configure and manage log shipping.

OLE Automation Procedures
Allows standard OLE automation objects to be used within a standard Transact-SQL batch.

Replication Procedures
Used to manage replication.

Security Procedures
Used to manage security.

SQL Mail Procedures
Used to perform e-mail operations from within SQL Server.

SQL Profiler Procedures
Used by SQL Profiler to monitor performance and activity.

SQL Server Agent Procedures
Used by SQL Server Agent to manage scheduled and event-driven activities.

System Procedures
Used for general maintenance of SQL Server.

Web Assistant Procedures
Used by the Web Assistant.

XML Procedures
Used for Extensible Markup Language (XML) text management.

General Extended Procedures
Provides an interface from SQL Server to external programs for various maintenance activities.

Introduction

Every day millions of people use cellular phones over radio links. With the increasing features, the mobile phone is gradually becoming a handheld computer. In the early 1980’s, when most of the mobile telephone system was analog, the inefficiency in managing the growing demands in a cost-effective manner led to the opening of the door for digital technology (Huynh & Nguyen, 2003). According to Margrave (n.d), “With the older analog-based cellular telephone systems such as the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and the Total Access Communication System (TACS)”, cellular fraud is extensive. It’s very simple for a radio hobbyist to tune in and hear cellular telephone conversations since without encryption, the voice and user data of the subscriber is sent to the network (Peng, 2000). Margrave (n.d) states that apart from this, cellular fraud can be committed by using complex equipment to receive the Electronic Serial Number so as to clone another mobile phone and place calls with that. To counteract the aforementioned cellular fraud and to make mobile phone traffic secure to a certain extent, GSM (Global System for Mobile communication or Group Special Mobile) is one of the many solutions now out there. According to GSM-tutorials, formed in 1982, GSM is a worldwide accepted standard for digital cellular communication. GSM operates in the 900MHz, 1800MHz, or 1900Mhz frequency bands by “digitizing and compressing data and then sending it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot.” GSM provides a secure and confidential method of communication.

Security provided by GSM

The limitation of security in cellular communication is a result of the fact that all cellular communication is sent over the air, which then gives rise to threats from eavesdroppers with suitable receivers. Keeping this in account, security controls were integrated into GSM to make the system as secure as public switched telephone networks. The security functions are:

1. Anonymity: It implies that it is not simple and easy to track the user of the system. According to Srinivas (2001), when a new GSM subscriber switches on his/her phone for the first time, its International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), i.e. real identity is used and a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) is issued to the subscriber, which from that time forward is always used. Use of this TMSI, prevents the recognition of a GSM user by the potential eavesdropper.

2. Authentication: It checks the identity of the holder of the smart card and then decides whether the mobile station is allowed on a particular network. The authentication by the network is done by a response and challenge method. A random 128-bit number (RAND) is generated by the network and sent to the mobile. The mobile uses this RAND as an input and through A3 algorithm using a secret key Ki (128 bits) assigned to that mobile, encrypts the RAND and sends the signed response (SRES-32 bits) back. Network performs the same SRES process and compares its value with the response it has received from the mobile so as to check whether the mobile really has the secret key (Margrave, n.d). Authentication becomes successful when the two values of SRES matches which enables the subscriber to join the network. Since every time a new random number is generated, eavesdroppers don’t get any relevant information by listening to the channel. (Srinivas, 2001)

3. User Data and Signalling Protection:
Srinivas (2001) states that to protect both user data and signalling, GSM uses a cipher key. After the authentication of the user, the A8 ciphering key generating algorithm (stored in the SIM card) is used. Taking the RAND and Ki as inputs, it results in the ciphering key Kc which is sent through. To encipher or decipher the data, this Kc (54 bits) is used with the A5 ciphering algorithm. This algorithm is contained within the hardware of the mobile phone so as to encrypt and decrypt the data while roaming.

US auto component manufacturers Pressac Inc has ordered a new high-speed assembly and test system from Modular Automation
Leading U.S auto component manufacturers Pressac Inc looks set to increase volume production of its horn-switches for new Toyota, Chevrolet and Pontiac cars with a new high-speed assembly and test system from Modular Automation. The machine, which is to be exported to Pressac’s Alabama plant, combines a high-accuracy indexing table with a tubular riveting process and comprehensive electrical test processes - and for the first time, two reclaimed robots from previous automation projects. Based around a 1.5m diameter indexing table, the process commences at a manual loading station where two electrical harnesses are placed into position.

Using colour sensors, the harnesses are colour-checked to ensure that they are of correct polarity.

The harnesses are then transported to the horn-switch membrane loading station, where the membranes arrive on conveyor-based pallets and are loaded to the indexing table by a four-axis Sony robot.

Once the membranes are in position between the harnesses, they are then transferred to the riveting stations.

Tiny 4mm rivets are bowl fed at each press station and are carefully lifted and positioned by a vacuum tool.

A large pneumatic press cylinder unit then presses the rivets through both the harness and membrane.

After the 2 riveting stations, the switches are then transferred to a fully automatic testing station, where the effort required to depress the switch is established in four different places.

The test information is recorded by a linked PC and each completed horn switch is identified by a barcode which is added using an inkjet printer at the offload position - as a second Sony robot removes the assembly from the index table and stacks it on a belt conveyor.

This information will be used by Pressac and its customers for long-term field diagnostics and statistical process control.

An interesting feature of the machine is that the 2 robots are second-hand units reclaimed from a redundant machine, demonstrating the long-term versatility and cost-effectiveness of robot solutions.

For maximum flexibility, the system has been designed to manufacture and test three product variants at a cycle time of approximately 5 seconds with minimal changeover requirements.

Says Project Manager Ian Rowland: ‘We are applying new riveting and testing processes to this machine which has already proved to be extremely accurate and can handle large components at high manufacturing levels.

It follows four similar projects for Pressac over the years but I think this will be our best machine yet in terms of productivity, accuracy and reliability.’

Opel production engineers at its International Technical Development Centre in Ruesselsheim, Germany are using 3D virtual realisation tools to assess a new car assembly plant layout.
Opel production engineers at its International Technical Development Centre (ITDC) in Ruesselsheim, Germany are using 3D virtual realisation tools to assess a DM1.5bn (GBP472m) car assembly facility. The plant is scheduled to come on line in 2002 to produce 270,000 cars/year. German journalists recently experienced a live ‘walk-through’ a virtually realised automotive plant.

They wore StereoGraphics’ ‘CrystalEyes’ stereoscopic eyewear.

Immersed in a realistic 3D virtual environment, the participants were able to assess the complexity of a digitised final assembly and body shell construction.

StereoGraphics says that it was the first time that an extremely complex final assembly area had been completely simulated.

Stereoscopic 3D layouts and computer simulations were able to display technical situations in a realistic way.

Opel’s engineers were able to display the potential effects of suggested alternatives for plant layout as soon as they were expressed.

A turnkey production line assembles all variations of rear axles and sets precisely their toe-in / camber angle settings at a Tier One supplier for a new mid-sized European automobile.
Delphi Automotive Systems has come to British plantmaker Cirrus Technologies with a particular challenge - to design, manufacture and install a turnkey production line to assemble rear axles and set precisely their toe-in / camber angle settings. Accordingly, in a US$ 2-1/4m project, the Delphi Ellesmere Port (UK) Module Assembly and SILS (Supply In Line Sequence) Centre has specified a Cirrus Technologies assembly line to enable them to manufacture rear axles for a major World OEM, General Motors. All necessary variations of axle will be produced for the launch of a new mid-sized European automobile, branded in the UK market as the latest model of the Vauxhall Vectra - which goes into production here at Vauxhall Motors in April 2002.

To summarize, the project includes a variety of systems with features enabling operators to fully assemble the rear axle including DC torque tooling systems and automatic pre-load and toe-in / camber angle setting machines.

Cirrus Technologies have implemented a full ‘No Fault Forward’ system to ensure that all the correct components are fitted prior to the axle being completed by the two automatic stations described above.

Axles will be built with their toe-in / camber angles set to exacting tolerances.

The equipment is designed to operate as a continuous industrial application, for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The axle production line, 23m (75ft) in overall length, consists of individual build stations, with each station operator being guided through the correct part selection and build process by visual display units and mimic screens.

Information is relayed to the operators following instruction on the axle variation and sequence required by the OEM, General Motors.

Designed to accommodate all possible variations of axle for the new Vauxhall Vectra, a palletized conveyor system records the build information relating to the individual axle, logs this information on a central computer control system and prompts either the operators or automatic stations to carry out tasks accordingly.

In more detail, from on-load at station 1, the axle assembly is initially constructed over seven manual build stations.

Here the operators are clearly instructed for the axle variant and build procedure.

The pre-load station 8 is completely automatic.

It reproduces the forces applied by the vehicle when on the road.

It then tightens all critical fastenings to complete the build stage.

Following this, the toe-in and camber angles of the wheel carriers are set to predefined angles depending on the type of axle variant.

The most complex station is station 9, again fully automatic, which raises the complete axle into view of a laser array.

The axle sits on a pallet which has been brought into the station on the conveyor and is raised up off the conveyor to be presented to the laser setting equipment.

These lasers accurately monitor the angle of the rotating wheel carrier assembly on the axle.

Meanwhile tooling automatically adjusts the toe-in and camber angles before locking and ensuring that they are within tolerance.

Multi-national Delphi Automotive Systems is the World’s largest automotive supplier (www.delphiauto.com).

Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA, Delphi’s three business sectors - Dynamics and Propulsion; Safety, Thermal and Electrical Architecture; and Electronics and Mobile Communication - provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs.

Delphi has approximately 195,000 employees and operates 199 wholly-owned manufacturing sites, 43 joint ventures, 53 customer centres and sales offices, and 32 technical centres in 43 countries.

Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo.

It is good news when the World’s largest automotive supplier recognizes your engineering excellence by choosing you against fierce international competition as its supplier-partner for such a mission-critical automotive assembly solution.

In fact, the rear axle assembly line for Delphi Automotive Systems adds to Cirrus Technologies’ increasing business with global automotive OEMs and Tier One suppliers.

With 110 employees, mostly skilled engineers working with state-of-the-art technology, Cirrus Technologies are a private and independent British company which has for 35 years been providing a rare combination of mechanical, electrical and electronic experience and expertise in designing, building and commissioning turnkey integrated test and assembly lines for automotive production.

Overall, the business offers four core automotive engineering competencies - rolling roads (whether for the end of the production line or as dynamometers both for laboratories and for motorsport constructors and tuners); electrical assembly testing; wheel-and-tyre assembly and inflation machines; and special-purpose, automated assembly lines to equip Tier One suppliers.

The turnkey packages from Cirrus Technologies take in project management; mechanical, electrical and electronic design; system and software design; networked systems; machining, welding and fabrication; installation and commissioning; and ongoing servicing and maintenance.

Cirrus Technologies pride themselves on offering the broadest possible spectrum of expertise and experience in-house: for every project they assemble a dedicated multi-disciplinary team drawn from six Groups - Business Development, Technical Support, Systems Engineering, Design, Manufacturing and Project Management.

Motoman Robotics (UK), Banbury, has appointed specialist motion control system builder, Micromech, based in Braintree, Essex, as systems integrator for articulated-arm robots.
Specialist motion control system builder, Micromech, based in Braintree, Essex, has been appointed a systems integrator by articulated-arm robot supplier, Motoman Robotics (UK), Banbury. Under the terms of the agreement, Motoman robots and controllers may be used by Micromech to automate its customer-tailored solutions, notably in the fields of handling, packaging and glueing. It will also apply the technology to laboratory, research, aerospace and pharmaceutical applications in which the company has a significant track record.

Micromech, which has ISO9002 quality approval, has expertise in multi-axis control and is a specialist in servo and stepping motor control applications.

The company is primarily active in positioning, speed control, special purpose machinery and automation.

Managing Director, Dave Gronland, stated, ‘The addition of Motoman robots to our product portfolio, together with a new agreement reached between Micromech and Parker Pneumatic in January 2002, places us in a strong position to expand the scope of the engineered solutions we offer to industry and manufacturing.’

Industrial Automation Limited (IAL) is the first UK Systems Integrator for 4- and 6-axis robots made by Denso Robotics, Japan.
Industrial Automation Limited (IAL) is the first UK Systems Integrator for Denso Robotics, Japan. Denso is a major player in the Robotics market. Over 20,000 Denso robots have been installed world-wide.

In Japan, a country committed to robots, Denso is the largest manufacturer and user of four and six-axis robots.

Denso Robotics is part of the Denso Corporation, one of the largest producers of automotive components in the world, employing over 80,000 people with turnover of GBP12 billion.

Thanks to their advanced technology and market position Denso will continue to strengthen their position in Europe.

Industrial Automation, with over 22 years of automation experience, is the ideal partner to ensure the UK benefits from the Denso product range.

The four-axis family can take a payload ranging from 5 to 20kg with the fastest cycle times in its class, ideal for manufacturing processes.

Clean room and dust and splash proof versions are available.

The six-axis family can take a payload ranging from 5 to 10kg, with overhead and additional external axis control.

Again clean room and dust and splash proof versions are available.

Denso robots are multi-tasking, fast, have superb reliability and a host of options, including vision systems and networking, to make it the ideal tool for a wide range of applications.

Industrial Automation Limited provides the complete turnkey installation, using its many years of experience in exacting environments, and tailoring the system to the specific customer requirement.

Industrial Automation Limited provides full UK technical and product support from its manufacturing base in Nottingham.

To achieve reliable, precise, automatic assembly for the medical device industry, a rotary synchronized indexer base machine can be fabricated in five formats to suit production
OKU Automatik has developed a major new tool for automatic assembly. The new CleanCell is another of the extremely successful modular building blocks used by OKU and others to achieve reliable, precise, automatic assembly. The CleanCell was developed especially for the Medical Device Industry.

The new CleanCell is a rotary synchronized indexer base machine that can be fabricated in five formats according to the desired assembly technique, speed, and precision required.

The main features of the CleanCell are: * Drive components are separated from assembly area.

* All components are made from stainless steel or rustproof material.

* Table surface is abrasion resistant coated aluminum.

* Complies with FDA requirements.

* High Performance: 120 cycles per minute, cam driven for accuracy.

* Number of stations possible: 8,12,16,24,32.

* Integrated Safety Guards.

* Laminar Flow units can be integrated with safety guard.

Regardless of the application, OKU has the solution.

The new CleanCell is another tool that can be utilized to achieve automation success.

OKU provides complete, fully integrated, turnkey assembly automation solutions.

For over 44 years OKU has been building robust, classically engineered products for a wide range of customers.

Much more than an integrator, OKU designs and builds most of the components used in its systems.

For precise, high volume assembly, you can rely on OKU’s experience to develop a custom solution for your product.

Automation and materials handling supplier Wittmann UK has renewed its accreditation to the ISO 9001:2000 quality assurance standard.
Automation and materials handling supplier Wittmann UK has renewed its accreditation to the ISO 9001:2000 quality assurance standard. Wittmann UK was one of the first UK companies to achieve the new international quality standard, launched in January 2001. The new accreditation will run for the next two years with mandatory further inspections and evaluations at twelve month intervals.

Barry Hill, Wittmann UK managing director says that ‘the new standard has assured our clients and competitors that our own-designed product, manufacturing and quality standards are guaranteed, and that we back those guarantees with audited and traceable management systems.’ Hill adds that ‘maintaining the new ISO 9001:2000 involves a considerable amount of continuous improvement and no little cost to ourselves.

It is however a required price to pay in order to remain a first tier supplier to manufacturing industry.

Modern companies can no longer rely on contacts and goodwill alone.

You need verifiable and provable systems.

QA qualified companies want to talk the same language with like-minded and like-qualified suppliers.’ Wittmann UK passed a fresh audit assessment to renew its qualification.

The company’s processes will now be reassessed annually - internally and by National Quality Assurance (NQA) - over the next two years.

Wittmann UK’s process of assessing its suppliers has yielded significant gains over the past 12 months.

Wittmann UK’s ISO 9001:2000 award is for ’sales, design, manufacture, installation and servicing of automation systems for the plastics and manufacturing industries.’ Much of it is streamlined around a simple slogan - ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’; one which is becoming more widely adopted in industry and which repeats for each process stage of the order until the order has been fulfilled to the customer’s satisfaction.

The new ISO 9001:2000 quality standard places a much greater emphasis on customer focus and employs techniques that view the organisation as a set of interacting processes.

The standard more easily allows the successfully-qualified company to develop, for example: continual improvement; consistent control; training; improved marketing; all leading to a possible reduction in insurance premiums.

Industry criticisms of the previous (1994) standard included: over-emphasis on documentation; no addressing of customer satisfaction; too many standards in the series, and duplication with other standards (eg ISO 14001).

Wittmann is one of the world’s leading producers of robots, automation and materials handling equipment for plastics and other manufacturing industries, with production plants in the USA as well as Austria, Hungary and the UK.

You have to hand it to Jaguar Cars - they have style - and when it comes to employing radical production technology, they have style there too, reports Mike Page.
You have to hand it to Jaguar Cars - they have style - and when it comes to employing radical production technology, they have style there too. No, I am not a Jaguar salesman, but I had been invited to tour the new production facilities for the aluminium-bodied XJ. The XJ is probably the first riveted and adhesively bonded all-aluminium monocoque bodied series fabricated car.

The only welds used are in the joints between the A and E pillars and roof and a number of drawn-arc stud welds.

Otherwise, the body assembly uses Henrob zinc and tin-coated self-piercing rivets and SCA Schnecker Betamate 4601 structural adhesive.

Planned production capacity for the XJ - or the X350 as the project is known at Castle Bromwich - is 30,000 - 35,000 units/year.

To achieve this, Jaguar Cars, a member of the Ford group of companies, has completed a new press shop and has completely stripped out and refurbished an existing assembly building.

Essentially, Jaguar Cars in the UK and Ford1s technical centre in Dearborn, Michigan, USA, had had to start from ’square one’.

Engineers had no historical forming and joining CAD database for the series production of aluminium Obody-in-white1 (BIW).

The company had used aluminium before in limited production cars, such as the XK180, built by Jaguar1s Special Vehicles Operation, in the 1990s.

The shape of that car demonstrated the possibilities of aluminium.

The company had also used bonded aluminium construction in its XJ220 supercar at the end of the 1980s.

The company1s first working of aluminium occurred in the beginning, with the aluminium paneled motorcycle sidecars in the Swallow Sidecar Company back in 1922.

Why riveting?

- Jaguar has chosen riveting because the XJ?

Ford1s technical centre in the USA had determined that electrical resistance spot welding would not provide the strength and fatigue resistance demanded by the XJ1s designers.

So the technical centre had performed extensive research and development in riveted and bonded aluminium assemblies.

The riveting systems have been developed jointly with self-piercing riveting systems manufacturer, Henrob (UK-01352 762555), a company invited in 1998 by Jaguar to become its technical partner.

Henrob has been involved in prototype build support of aluminium bodied vehicles in North America, materials development in Germany and production equipment trials in Spain.

The company has supplied systems for several automotive body-in-white (BIW) applications as well as light metal enclosures and class 8 truck cab assembly.

Henrob had successfully developed hydraulic and electric servo-motor self-piercing riveting systems, including automatic riveting head changer systems for robotic manipulation.

The design of the XJ involves a number of multi-layer sheet metal joints as well as riveting pressed sheet metal components and sub-assemblies to aluminium castings.

In all, on the XJ, there are 15 castings, 235 pressings, 29 extrusions (including an internal hydroformed extrusion) and 60 nut plates.

There are 3180 Henrob zinc and tin-plated steel self-piercing rivets and some 102m of SCA Schnecker Betamate 4601 structural adhesive used in the X350.

88 Kawasaki robots (UK 01925 713000) are used in the assembly lines.

New press shop - to produce the aluminium panel pressings for the XJ gave Jaguar a reason for re-establishing a press shop facility at Castle Bromwich, after an absence of some 20 years.

From a short list of two German and one Japanese supplier, Jaguar selected Schuler, of Goeppingen, Germany (+49 (0)7161 660).

Jaguar placed a purchase order for 13 hydraulic presses was placed in November 1999.

The first press arrived in November 2000 and the two press lines were handed over to Jaguar in October 2001.

Polynorm manages the press shop for Jaguar.

It is laid out in two tandem press lines.

The five-press Line A presses the larger skin panels and structural elements.

A 20MN single action deep draw press equipped with a high tonnage four-point draw cushion leads a line of four 8000kN follow-on presses.

A 20MN tool tryout press is positioned at the end of, and at 90ø to Liner A.

It can be linked in as an 8000kN production press.

Line B consists of two four-press and three-press cells, each led by a 6000kN lead press and 4000kN follow-on presses.

The cells can operate individually or be linked as a seven-press operation.

Some 18 ABB robots (UK- 01908 350300) serve the presses and three Schuler de-stackers.

The latter employ an air knife and bending cylinder system, backed up by double blank sensors to ensure efficient parting of the pre-lubricated aluminium blank stacks.

The press shop is a very slick operation.

The conveyors are flexible in operation feeding and taking off from individual press groups.

With the help of double moving bolsters, dieset change over time is down to 40min on Line A and 15min on Line B.

The goal is to be under 20min and 12min respectively.

Reached through a ‘hole in the wall’ of the press shop is a tool maintenance, repair and modification centre served by a Konecranes 32/16t travelling gantry crane (UK - 01355 220591) and a F Zimmermann CNC travelling gantry miller (Denkendorf, Germany, +49 (0) 711 93 49 350).

Pressing aluminium - to supply aluminium blanks to Jaguar, Alcan1s Nachterstadt plant in Germany (Alcan Automotive, Switzerland, +41 52 674 91 11) has a new Schuler decoiling, levelling and linear motor driven flying shear cut-to-length line.

It produces blanks in bake hardenable 6111 grade, as well as 5754 and 5182 grades, for Jaguar.

The linear motors accelerate the 9 tonnes mass of the flying shear to 120m/min.

The biggest challenge in the press shop was in die design.

Dies have been under development for some three years.

For example, the first trial deep drawing of the relatively complex rear fender resulted in 7mm and 12mm outboard discrepancies.

‘As soon as the dies released the fender, it springs and twists,’ said Jaguar1s principal stamping engineer, Ken Close.

‘It was a significant challenge to us - the panel was a difficult one in steel, let alone aluminium - but L„pple did a good job for us.’ L„pple, Germany, was one of five diemakers involved in the XJ diesets development.

The others are Ford of Cologne (Koeln)1s die shop, Nothelfer, Fagro and Allgaier - all in Germany.

When deep-drawn or formed, aluminium behaves very differently to double deep draw quality steels.

For example, al;uminium has a different spring-back characteristic, which led to much basic ‘trial and error’ work to produce the subtly complex bonnet skin panel.

Edging up in aluminium is different too.

One can not coin narrow, sharp corner radii like one can with steel.

Close pointed out the dashboard panel pressing.

He commented that in steel you can get sharp radii, but you can not in aluminium so the designers had to re-think the packaging layout for the instrumentation boxes.

The limitations imposed by the forming characteristics of aluminium prevented Jaguar from producing a one-piece side panel.

So the body side had to be separated from the rear fender.

Consequently, the only welds made in the whole of the BIW structure - apart from stud welds - are the four dual-phase MIG welds made using Austrian Fronius equipment (+43 (0) 7242 241 311) at the junctions between the roof and A and D and E posts.

The operation uses type 4043 welding wire of 1mm diameter.

Quite assembly - walking into the BIW assembly shop, one was met with a quietness and airiness that one did not normally associate with car assembly lines! Those of you who are well-used to the sights and sounds of electrical resistance spot welding assembly lines would be in for a surprise at Castle Bromwich! The manually operated hydraulic self-piercing rivet guns and the heavier duty servo-driven riveters wielded by the Kawasaki robots are inherently quiet in operation.

The heavier duty servo-electric rivet guns are necessary for the multi-thickness material combinations joined in the floor pan area for example.

The ‘kid glove’ handling of the aluminium panels, sub-assemblies and assemblies generates little sound.

The manual riveting guns appeared to be somewhat more cumbersome to move around than spot welding guns.

Having to locate the reels of rivets near the guns themselves imposed mobility restrictions.

For these reasons, Jaguar is using more robots than it normally would have done (when compared with spot welding steel BIW) for an output of 30,000 - 35,000 units/year).

There are 3180 Henrob zinc and tin-plated steel self-piercing rivets and some 102m of SCA Schnecker Betamate 4601 structural adhesive used in the XJ.

The layout of the BIW line is very similar to a spot welding line.

The rather different size and shape of the riveting guns and adhesive placement equipment - when compared with a spot welding system - determined the detailed line layout, which had been derived from the extensive use of simulation techniques.

Joe Macknamara, Jaguar’s principal engineer, Body Construction, said that the RobCAD simulation tools had proven invaluable in the layout design for the body shop and determining the positioning of the rivet guns and accessibility to the BIW assembly.

For example, the size and shape of the rivet guns determined that the main BIW structure be assembled from five, and not the four sub-assemblies as would have been the Onorm1 with a spot-welded steel BIW.

The rear floor assembly is built up with wheel arches and seat panel and is manually riveted.

It was commented that the placing of rivets is much like placing spot welds.

Guides are used to ensure the correct placing of critical rivets.

A Comau engineered cell (Turin, Italy, +39 011 68 45448 or 48640), using Kawasaki robots, rivets the dash assembly (LH or RH drive).

The dash is then assembled into the front structure.

Front and rear structures are married, side panels riveted in place and the assembly presented to the roof followed by the final roof and framing.

Three Faro portable CMMS (UK, 024 7623 6151) are in use for the on-site regular checking of all fixtures.

The complete underbody assembly is checked in a Perceptron rig carrying out 68 checks using 37 cameras.

A second Perceptron installation carries out 72 checks, using 41 cameras, on the body shell.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the XJ BIWs, after a body wash in a Durr system (UK-01926 418800), follow the path of the steel S-type and XK bodies through the same paint shop.

The same phosphating, primer and paint systems are used - after some ‘tweaking’ - on the XJ bodies.

Overall, the finished BIW is very pleasing.

In spite of the larger corner radii imposed by the use of aluminium, the closure gaps are comparable with a steel BIW.

Hood and deck gaps are within 3.5mm and doors, a nominal 4mm.

The XJ represents a significant achievement by Ford, Jaguar and all concerned.

It is also regarded by Jaguar as setting a precedent for the Ford empire’s future expeditions into all-aluminium cars.