Tether Cutter Assembly Process

Sponsor: Autoliv

Team: Mach III

Coach: Sean Cox

Students: Jacob Glauser, Ryan Huff, Dan Hyatt, Travis Kemp, Nicholas Riedel

Inside each standard vehicle airbag is a piece of hardware called an "active vent tether cutter" (AVTC). This small instrument allows the airbag to deflate after the appropriate amount of time.

The original process for assembling AVTCs was complicated and required many workers. Mach III developed an assembly process for the AVTC that can assemble the AVTC in only 3 seconds and allow only one worker to do the job. Autoliv plans to continue the development of this process for full automation.

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