Design methodologies and operational strategies for air conditioning intelligent manufacturing production lines

Abstract

The air conditioning manufacturing industry is characterized by discrete manufacturing features including multiple processes, a wide variety of products, small batch sizes and rapid production cycles. Traditional production lines have been rendered insufficient to meet the rapidly evolving market demands concerning flexibility, efficiency, quality and resource management. To address this challenge, an intelligent production line and operational model has been proposed and validated for air conditioning manufacturing, based on the concept of data-driven, system-integrated, and intelligently-scheduled operations. First, three core hypotheses were formulated based on theoretical considerations. An integrated technical framework was subsequently established, incorporating a cyber-physical system architecture, core assembly processes, four sub-production line systems and an intelligent maintenance platform. Key innovations were implemented in technologies including radio frequency identification traceability, artificial intelligence visual inspection, automated equipment integration, Internet of Things sensing networks, as well as an integrated air-ground coordinated transportation system. Through comparative studies with traditional air conditioner production lines, the intelligent production line was shown to significantly outperform traditional systems in production capacity: daily output increased by 57.6%, cycle time was reduced by 57.6%, workforce requirements decreased by 57.4% and unit per person per hour improved to 3.8 times the original level. Additionally, lighting energy consumption was reduced by an average of 60% and the system achieved substantial improvements in efficiency across six dimensions. The established intelligent air conditioner production line model not only effectively validated the research hypotheses and addressed critical limitations of traditional production lines but also provided theoretical support and technical pathways for the intelligent transformation of the discrete manufacturing industry, demonstrating considerable engineering application value and promotion potential.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

intelligent production line / Internet of Things / data-driven / intelligent operation and maintenance / sustainable manufacturing / air conditioner manufacturing

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