CORPORATE

In Akçalar factory, Renault Megane body, paint, assembly and Karsan Products (Jest, Atak, ATA) paint, assembly processes are realized.

Shaped sheet metal parts of the Megane vehicle are supplied and joined by electric resistance welding. Production is completed with the assembly of the parts opened to the body whose geometry has been created.

The painting process of the vehicle produced in the body is completed with cataphoresis, mastic, primer, top coat paint and varnish process respectively.

The painted body is completed with trim, mechanical, final processes in assembly. Electronic controls, rod adjustment, brake test, water tightness and road test are carried out and the vehicle is ready for delivery.

In Karsan products, the vehicle carcass produced in the body is subjected to exterior surface cleaning, epoxy primer application and topcoat paint process in the paint shop. In addition, the inside of the profile is coated with anti-corrosion water-based wax through special nozzles.

The painted body is ready to be delivered to the customer after passing through assembly line operations, which are organized according to lean production principles, have a flexible structure where vehicles with different specifications can be produced on the same line, and final control where all its features are tested.

In the Welding Department, the body of the Renault Megane vehicle is produced. There are 40 welding robots in the body facility produced by spot welding method.

The parameters of the entire process (current, force, time and cooling water systems) are checked and monitored according to specified control plans. 

Spot welding is checked visually and tested with the non-destructive method of using chisel and hammer. When adjustments are made in the production equipment, the various groups of components as well as the body are subjected to destructive tests up to certain frequencies. The geometric accuracy of the manufactured vehicle bodies are measured with a 3D measurement device at the frequencies determined in the quality plans. After the completion of the manufacture and quality control of the vehicle body, the products are sent to the Painting Division.

The vehicle body delivered from the Welding Division, as well as the required spare parts, are processed in the Painting Production Unit in two basic steps: functional and cosmetic 

Functional Processes 

To protect the body from corrosion, all pieces are first dipped in phosphate and cataphoresis baths with the help of fully automatic systems, and then baked. After this, the chassis are delivered to sealent and primer coating operations. Applied to the seams of the sheet metal junction points, sealant prevents water seepage and corrosion at the seams. The underbodies of the vehicles are coated with PVC to protect the chassis from road bumps and to reduce road noise. The inside floors are covered with soundproof asphalt sheets and cured in baking ovens. 

All of the inner and particularly the outer surfaces of the vehicles are covered with primer coating and baked to protect against shocks from stones that might hit the vehicle, to increase rust-resistance and to ensure a flawless appearance on the top coat of paint. 

Cosmetic processes
 
A top coating of colors tested and approved by the main licensor is applied to the vehicles in the painting cabin, after which they are sent into the ovens and then to the quality control station. Additionally, the quality of manufacture and conformity to the standards of the main licensor is checked and monitored by quality-control operators and paint laboratory technicians at the end of the production line. Vehicles completing the painting process and passing quality control are directed into a painted vehicle storage area, to be sent from there to the Assembly Production Unit.

In the Assembly Department, KARSAN branded JEST, ATAK, ATA minibuses and buses and Renault Megane passenger cars are assembled.

The painted vehicle chassis coming in from the painting workshop are delivered to the assembly workshop, where screws are put in and tightened, liquid and gas filling applications are carried out, pasting and other manual operations are completed to bring together the final form of the vehicle. 

Various types of equipment are used in the implementation of these techniques. For faultless application and tightening of screws and safety of equipment, the vehicles are equipped with self-measurement control devices which make daily measurements and calculations and analyses of operational adequacy are carried out once a year. Besides these, all process parameters (torque values, air pressure, vacuum values, temperatures, dimensions, etc.) are monitored to ensure conformity to control plans. All security points are checked, recorded, marked and monitored. These points are checked by quality operators visually and using hammer and transducer testing methods. 

The vehicles are then sent to the Quality Unit so that all functions may be examined to make sure the consumer is delivered a faultless product.

All functional and visual requirements are checked for compliance with quality plans and according to the goals set out in the company’s quality policy. 

In accordance with the requirements of the on-site quality system: 

• A faulty product is stopped from entering the next process stage, The next process is considered the customer of the one before. 
• All of the components, pieces and materials are guaranteed—from their acquisition from supply industries up to the ultimate delivery to the end-customer. 
• Following the completion of the work in the Assembly Production Unit, the Final Control Unit takes over the vehicle. Here, the vehicle is checked to make sure that all the procedures have been carried out accurately according to world-accepted indicators, and then placed under quality guarantee. All vehicles are subjected to a 2.8 km road test on a track custom-designed for the factory. The test track is a simulation of various road conditions. Each vehicle taken from the production line goes through special kinds of road conditions, including brake test wind tunnels, bumpy roads, steps, rocky roads with stones/rocks and the like. 

Bodies of KARSAN branded JEST, ATAK, ATA minibuses and buses are produced in HOSAB-2 factory. The production is carried out by joining shaped sheet metal and profiles in separate welding fixtures for each model, primarily using the gas metal arc welding method.

The parameters of the entire process (current, force, time and cooling water systems) are checked and monitored according to specified control plans. 

Spot welding is checked visually and tested with the non-destructive method of using chisel and hammer. When adjustments are made in the production equipment, the various groups of components as well as the body are subjected to destructive tests up to certain frequencies. The geometric accuracy of the manufactured vehicle bodies are measured with a 3D measurement device at the frequencies determined in the quality plans. After the completion of the manufacture and quality control of the vehicle body, the products are sent to the Painting Division.

Tractor cabin and platforms are manufactured in the OSB plant, which has a production capacity of 10.000 units/year.

The OSB plant provides catophoresis services to both within Karsan and as an industrial service to outside customers. The catophoresis facility has 2 million meter square / year coating capacity.