Automated assembly lines for engines have even found their way into the jet engine industry, which until now was assembled almost entirely by hand. Assembly lines offer several advantages in addition to increased efficiency and productivity. The lines also make it easier to mass-produce products, even for something as complex as an engine, helping to increase the company's throughput. Most of these systems are computer-operated and operate quickly and precisely.

The engine assembly line has four main modules that are essential to the engine. These blocks are as follows:

short block assembly

The short block consists of the portion of the cylinder block below the head gasket to above the oil pan. Cam block engines also include camshafts, balance shafts and timing gears, as well as cylinder blocks. At this station, short blocks are assembled from all the individual components and sent.

Piston Assembly

This block contains the various items needed to assemble the piston. The main parts of the piston are the boss mounted on the piston pin or piston pin, the piston head, the ring groove and the skirt. Although the structural components remain the same, the shape of the head of the piston or the position of the ring may vary.

cylinder head assembly

The cylinder head sits on top of the cylinder block and provides room for air and fuel to enter the cylinders. In some cases, the valves, fuel injectors and spark plugs are also mounted on the cylinder head. All these components are installed at this station and then sent to the next station.

final assembly

Complete assembly of the engine is done at this station. The parts assembled individually at the sub-assembly station are mounted to the engine block. If the final product is included on the assembly line, it can be sent to the next station for testing.