Assembly Line

Welding and joining

Parts are fused or bonded at a seam, with heat, solder, or adhesive, so that the joint carries the load.

58 lines that use it

AA battery 8 stations · 22 raw sources Air conditioner 6 stations · 23 raw sources Bicycle 8 stations · 26 raw sources Canned tuna 7 stations · 19 raw sources Car 8 stations · 31 raw sources Container ship 9 stations · 23 raw sources Digital thermometer 7 stations · 26 raw sources Dishwasher 11 stations · 27 raw sources Dumbbell 8 stations · 20 raw sources Electric car 8 stations · 34 raw sources Electric car battery 6 stations · 28 raw sources Electric kettle 10 stations · 27 raw sources Electric toothbrush 6 stations · 32 raw sources Eyeglass frame 8 stations · 28 raw sources Fire extinguisher 8 stations · 27 raw sources Fishing rod 8 stations · 24 raw sources Flute 9 stations · 12 raw sources Fountain pen 6 stations · 20 raw sources Graphics card 7 stations · 26 raw sources Inflatable pool toy 7 stations · 9 raw sources Jet engine 7 stations · 23 raw sources Lithium-ion cell 10 stations · 23 raw sources Locomotive 8 stations · 28 raw sources Motorcycle 8 stations · 29 raw sources N95 mask 8 stations · 7 raw sources Neon sign 9 stations · 24 raw sources Orbital rocket 7 stations · 22 raw sources Paper cup 7 stations · 18 raw sources Phone charger 8 stations · 26 raw sources Plastic bag 6 stations · 17 raw sources Printed circuit board 8 stations · 18 raw sources Railroad rail 9 stations · 12 raw sources Refrigerator 11 stations · 27 raw sources Saw blade 7 stations · 17 raw sources Saxophone 9 stations · 25 raw sources Shipping container 8 stations · 23 raw sources Shovel 7 stations · 13 raw sources Skyscraper 6 stations · 29 raw sources Solar panel 11 stations · 21 raw sources Solid-state drive 6 stations · 22 raw sources Spark plug 8 stations · 16 raw sources Stained glass 10 stations · 24 raw sources Stainless steel water bottle 7 stations · 25 raw sources Steel chain 7 stations · 12 raw sources Steel I-beam 6 stations · 12 raw sources Steel pipe 7 stations · 13 raw sources Subway train 8 stations · 27 raw sources Tin can 9 stations · 21 raw sources Treadmill 8 stations · 24 raw sources Trumpet 7 stations · 18 raw sources USB cable 9 stations · 22 raw sources Vacuum flask 6 stations · 19 raw sources Washing machine 12 stations · 31 raw sources Water heater 6 stations · 24 raw sources Wheelchair 6 stations · 15 raw sources Windshield 8 stations · 20 raw sources Wireless earbuds 9 stations · 34 raw sources Zip-top bag 6 stations · 17 raw sources

What it looks like on the line

  • Shipping containerWeld on the panels. Wall, roof and end panels are welded to the frame so every seam is sealed against water.
  • Zip-top bagSeal the zipper ends. At the end of each bag the ridges are squashed flat with a heat seal, so the zipper cannot snag or leak at the corner.
  • RefrigeratorWeld the outer shell. Steel or aluminum sheet comes off a coil and its pieces are welded or clinched. Clinching crimps two sheets together under pressure with no added fastener. Seams that will show get welded and ground down until they read as one piece.
  • Air conditionerBraze and leak-test. Torches and filler metal join tube ends and headers. Gas under pressure then checks the coil for leaks before it is dried.
  • Container shipWeld the hull into one. The seams between blocks are welded, turning dozens of sections into a single watertight shape.
  • Canned tunaSeam the lids on. A lid is rolled onto each can in a double seam that locks the metal edges together, so nothing can get in after sterilization.
  • Steel pipeWeld the seam. Electric current runs through the edges of the strip, often by an induction coil around the tube. The steel resists the current, heats and fuses along the seam without any filler metal.
  • Graphics cardAdd through-hole parts. Coarser parts such as connectors are placed by hand. The boards then ride a belt through a wave soldering machine, which solders everything in one pass, and a cooling unit brings them down.
  • N95 maskWeld the layers. Ultrasonic welders fuse the stack and cut its contours. A needle and thread can leave a path through the mask, and welding avoids that. The embossed marks on a finished respirator are the welds, running around the rim and holding the nose piece.
  • Electric carWeld up the shell. Robots join the panels into a body with a flat floor, which is built to carry the battery pack and protect it in a crash.
  • SkyscraperRaise the frame. Modern skyscrapers are built on steel or reinforced concrete frameworks. A steel frame is joined from beams, riveted in the old days, while concrete floors and cores are poured in place.
  • TreadmillWeld the frame. Steel sections are welded or bent into a rigid frame. Inspectors look for even seams, no false welds and bend angles that match the drawing. At Dyaco's complex in central Taiwan, robots process components with little human help.