Enhance "Heart" Efficiency: Flexible Machining and Inspection of Engines and Transmissions

The engine and transmission are the "heart" of a car, featuring intricate internal structures and demanding extremely high machining precision. The quality of processing for core components—such as the engine block, cylinder head, crankshaft, and transmission housing—directly determines the vehicle's overall power output, fuel efficiency, and NVH performance. Meanwhile, in a market trend characterized by diverse product varieties and small-batch production, manufacturers are also placing critical emphasis on both production flexibility and operational stability.

I. Industry Pain Points: The Three Major Obstacles in Powertrain Component Manufacturing 
Clamping-induced deformation leads to scrapped parts: During machining of thin-walled components—such as aluminum alloy gearbox housings—traditional fixtures often apply uneven forces, causing workpiece deformation. This deformation, combined with post-machining springback, frequently results in dimensional inaccuracies, driving the scrap rate as high as 5%–8%.

Long changeover times drag down efficiency: When producing multiple vehicle models on the same production line, traditional fixtures require manual adjustments of positioning blocks and calibration of reference points, resulting in a single changeover taking 1 to 2 hours. As a result, the overall equipment effectiveness drops to below 60%.

Offline inspection disrupts production flow: The first-article inspection and in-process sampling require transferring workpieces to the CMM room, a process that takes more than 30 minutes per inspection. This not only consumes valuable machine-tool processing time but also makes it impossible to achieve 100% full inspection, leaving a risk of missed quality defects.

II. Solution: Flexible Zero-Point Positioning and Online Inspection System 
Addressing industry pain points, the integrated solution builds a "precision–efficiency–flexibility" closed loop for powertrain machining through "modular fixtures + in-machine inspection + automated integration."

1. Modular Flexible Fixture System: Solving Challenges in Deformation and Tooling Changes

This system, centered around zero-point positioning technology, achieves two major breakthroughs: 
Deformation-resistant clamping: The hydraulic-pneumatic contour-following clamping unit is custom-designed according to the part’s profile and features real-time adjustment of gripping force via pressure sensors, ensuring uniform stress distribution on the workpiece while keeping deformation of thin-walled components within ≤0.02mm. 

Quick Changeover: A single base plate can accommodate multiple part specifications within the same family, eliminating the need to recalibrate reference points when swapping out dedicated fixture modules—resulting in an over 80% improvement in changeover efficiency.

2. Machine tools with on-machine probes and gauges: Enabling real-time precision control during machining

Pre-machining datum alignment: The probe automatically scans the blank surface, capturing actual datum deviations and feeding compensation values back to the machine tool system, thereby preventing deviations caused by machining based on theoretical dimensions. 

Real-time verification during/after machining: Critical dimensions—such as the positional accuracy of cylinder block water passages and the roundness of crankshaft journals—are measured directly on the machine. Data is transmitted in real time to the control system, which automatically activates a compensation program if deviations exceed tolerances or triggers the sorting mechanism to remove defective parts, ensuring 100% inspection without interrupting production.

III. Core Value: Reducing Costs and Boosting Efficiency in Powertrain Manufacturing 
Maximizing machine tool utilization: Quick changeovers reduce downtime, and in-machine inspection replaces offline testing, boosting overall equipment effectiveness from 60% to over 85%. 

Ensuring processing stability: Precise positioning and adaptive clamping eliminate fixture deformation, while a full-inspection mode minimizes quality risks, boosting part acceptance rates to over 99.5%. 

High Return on Investment: A single flexible system can replace 3–5 sets of traditional dedicated fixtures, reducing long-term equipment investment costs by 40% while also enabling adaptation to future new-model part production, thus extending the equipment’s lifecycle.

IV. Core Application Scenarios 
Engine cylinder block/cylinder head machining line, crankshaft/camshaft production line. 
Gearbox housing (steel/aluminum alloy) machining line. 
New energy vehicle drive motor housing processing line.