Machines Building Machines: Nissan unveils Intelligent Factory concept

Toronto, Ontario — Not to be outdone by the mad scientists over at Audi, Nissan has unveiled its new Intelligent Factory that the company expects will take high-precision vehicle assembly to new heights, and will be staffed almost entirely with robots.

Nissan said, robots will produce cars that have no flaws greater than 0.3mm in their paint, and component assembly that is accurate down to 0.05mm.

The company’s robots will be capable of tasks that would be impossible for a human worker, such as “dimple welding”, a method that uses a thinner electrode to produce a narrower, but longer, weld area, which permits a reduction in the flange width of the door sash.

“As a result, we can reduce the front pillar width by 5mm and increase visibility for the driver,” said Nissan’s v-p of vehicle production engineering and development Teiji Hirata, through a translator in a recorded introduction to the new plant streamed on YouTube.

The Intelligent Factory concept has been incorporated into a production line at Nissan’s Tochigi Plant, where the new 2022 Nissan Ariya crossover electric vehicle is to begin production by April.

Nissan said that the concept will also integrate a new, simplified robot-applied painting system, and will eliminate rare-earth metals from EV motor production, instead opting for wound field motors.