assembly line

assembly line

noun

Definition of ASSEMBLY LINE

1

: an arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in direct line until the product is assembled

2

: a process for turning out a finished product in a mechanically efficient manner <academic assembly lines>

First Known Use of ASSEMBLY LINE

1914

Rhymes with ASSEMBLY LINE

accipitrine, adamantine, adulterine, alexandrine, amaranthine, attention line, Australian pine, Austrian pine, count palatine, die on the vine, elephantine, fall into line, fortified wine, graphic design, heterodyne, labyrinthine, lateral line, loblolly pine, Monterey pine, poverty line, production line, receiving line, Schleswig-Holstein, sweetheart neckline, top-of-the-line

assembly line

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Industrial arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers for continuous flow of workpieces in mass-production operations. An assembly line is designed by determining the sequences of operations for manufacture of each component as well as the final product. Each movement of material is made as simple and short as possible, with no cross flow or backtracking. Work assignments, numbers of machines, and production rates are programmed so that all operations performed along the line are compatible. Automated assembly lines (see automation) consist entirely of machines run by other machines and are used in such continuous-process industries as petroleum refining and chemical manufacture and in many modern automobile-engine plants. See also Henry Ford, interchangeable parts, Taylorism.