Tooling system and method for assembling a vehicle driveline component

A tooling system for assembling a subassembly to a housing, the subassembly including a rotary component body, a plurality of gear teeth, a first bearing race, a first race member of a second bearing race, and a bearing arrangement, the rotary component body being rotatable about a rotational axis, the plurality of gear teeth and the first bearing race being fixedly coupled to the rotary component body, the first race member of the second bearing race being disposed concentrically about the rotational axis, the bearing arrangement comprising a plurality of bearing balls and a plurality of spacers, each of the spacers being disposed between an adjacent pair of the bearing balls, the tooling system comprising:

• a first assembly fixture including a first support structure and a second support structure, the first support structure being configured to support the rotary component body, the second support structure being configured to support the first race member of the second bearing race concentrically about the rotational axis of the rotary component body, the second support structure being movable relative to the first support structure between a first support position and a second support position, wherein movement of the second support structure between the first and second support positions translates the first race member of the second bearing race relative to the first bearing race along the rotational axis;
• and
• an assembly machine including:
• a first alignment member defining a loading axis and a first cylindrical alignment surface disposed concentrically about the loading axis;
• and
• a second alignment member disposed concentrically about the loading axis and having a race abutment surface that is configured to abut an axial end of the first race member, the second alignment member being movable relative to the first alignment member along the loading axis between a first position and a second position;
• wherein the first cylindrical alignment surface and the second alignment member cooperate to define an annular chamber configured to receive the bearing arrangement such that the plurality of bearing balls and the plurality of spacers are disposed in an annular bearing arrangement that is centered about the loading axis;
• and
• wherein when the second alignment member is in the second position, an end of the first cylindrical alignment surface and an end of the second alignment member are spaced apart a greater distance than when the second alignment member is in the first position such that when in the first position the annular bearing arrangement is retained in the annular chamber and when in the second position the annular bearing arrangement is free to exit the annular chamber through an annular gap between the end of the first cylindrical alignment surface and the end of the second alignment member.