Togliatti-based auto giant AvtoVAZ has launched a new high-tech line for automatic assembly and balancing of car wheels. The equipment is already supplying finished wheels to the main assembly line for the Lada Vesta and Lada Iskra production models, and in the future will become a key element in preparing for the production of the flagship Lada Azimut crossover.
According to the company's press service, the new line is capable of working with wheels ranging from 15 to 17 inches in diameter, and is also mastering 18-inch wheels - for the first time for Lada cars. A trial batch of such large wheels has already been produced specifically for the Azimut. Technically, the equipment allows processing sizes up to 22 inches.
The assembly process is fully automated: a machine vision system monitors the conformity of the tire and wheel in real time and immediately stops the operation in case of any deviation. Balancing is performed in two stages, which ensures increased accuracy. Performance reaches 12 seconds per wheel - one and a half times faster than the previous equipment.
The introduction of the new line is part of a comprehensive production modernization program aimed at improving quality, assembly speed and preparing for the production of more premium models in the Lada lineup. The launch of such equipment is especially important in anticipation of the start of mass production of the Lada Azimut - AvtoVAZ's first modern crossover of its own design in recent decades.
