Quote:
Originally Posted by swamp2
Seems pretty obvious you are speaking to me so I'll reply.
I have built motors by hand, myself but only very simple single cylinder ones contrasted with any modern multiple cylinder automobile engine.
Human error is a huge factor in any process and that is why industrial, manufacturing and reliability engineers prefer to remove them from the process. Your point only helps mine, it does not provide an argument against it.
I understand German manufacturing pride just as well as American manufacturing pride, thank you very much. I know dozens of engineers from both countries and I am a (recovering) Mechanical Engineer myself. I've done design, manufacturing engineering, tolerance studies, test engineering, test and assembly tooling design, assembly automation, fatigue/static/dynamic testing, thermal testing, physics based product simulation, product data management and on and on. Perhaps ask others involved in the discussion their relevant professional experience... Although I don't do any of that professionally any longer I continue to build a great deal of things with my hands. I don't sign my name on them but you can be assured there is an enormous degree of pride and perfection in the things I build, it's simply my nature.
Any other questions?
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I Agree with you as well. We also have to consider it is a high performance engine and machines make mistakes. They can not auto correct themselves if their programming is for one function and they machine too much material etc. Now you add in auto laser measurements and inspections, the setup gets pretty complicated. In the mean time its still being over seen by a human operator looking at a screen. Not to forget the retooling costs of a factory to assemble these engines would cost 100's of millions of dollars. Automation is not always the cheapest way. They might calculate that the robotic automation costs would need to assemble 25,000+ engines before they break even on retooling. Sometimes labor is cheaper vs setting up the space and additional programming or machining. Nissan has their GT-R engines hand assembled as well. Its a level of double checks and inspections when you are making something this high performance. Its much easier to have an engine builder with 40 years experience double check the work and give him some blueprint specs. From a business standpoint, it is easier that way since the car is low production compared to a regular C Class. You would really have to ask Mercedes and BMW why they made the choices to do this.
Of course yes the signature thing is probably a joke and I remember my Ford GT had one on the valve covers and I always envisioned some big guy with a huge beard wrenching my engine together and sipping down a cold Budweiser. I say this because one day, I had the dashboard out to do a mod and a beer bottle cap fell out of the car. I dont drink Bud, and no idea how it got there as I was the first owner lol.