Useful Reference For Ht

USEFUL WEBSITE DEPARTMENT DATE

ALL COMP ENG MKG MOLDING PMC QUALTOOLING ADMINalan BOOK

051125 051125

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051228

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COMPANY/ DESCRIPTION

award winner POTENTIAL SOURCE CUSTOMER

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business plan IMD - In Mold Decoration

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C&J

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rogan corp

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

rogan corp

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

ill precision corp

JOURNAL - injection molding

journal

leader moldmaker - stackteck

journal

niche market-inj mold making

journal

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

stackteck

reference for marketing - newsletter

stackteck

reference photo & derscription for eng, tooling

stackteck

medical device join-venture fty in china

hung tat industrial

mold maker for RIM, compression molds--photo for mkg

snider mold

directory for molder and moldmaker

goaliath

links to useful association

mr mold

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

mr mold

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

steinwall

layout reference for tooling and molding

steinwall

directory for molder and moldmaker

tool-mold making

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

trend technologuy

reference for marketing - homepage-data transfer

trend technologuy

reference for marketing - remarks for HT added value

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hylee

mold maker in huangyan mold maker in huangyan-sino plastic mold

sino plastic

china moldmaker-medical

shenfu mold

reference for marketing - advertisement

plasticmold.net

reference for marketing - photo for molds

global suppliers

reference for marketing - homepage / brochure

Y

websterplastic

on line reservation for hk hotel

hotel in hk

reference for marketing - photo for molds

jazz mold

management reference

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potential customer & marketing reference

hauwei

mold design books

google

internet book store

crc press

reference for marketing - Q&A

nicemold

hk rental market-index e-journal - manufacturing

Americanmachinist

potential customers-box seller -USA

pro-mold

reference for marketing - Q&A reference for marketing - advertisement surface finish table

engineeredge

surface finishing

engineeredge

engg design reference and links

engineeredge

application for filtration journal

engineeredge

education MOLD DESIGN SEARCH ENGINE MOLD MAKING- 3 DAYS PRODUCT DESIGN - WALL THICKNESS ASSOCIATION LINKS DESIGN GUIDELINE -WALL TK, SINK MARK, RIB TO WALL TK RATIO LINKS TO REFERENCE BROCHURE REFERENCE

Y

ON LINE ENGG REFERENCE MAGAZINE - INDUSTRIAL MAGAZINE - INDUSTRIAL HOW PRODUCT ARE MADE MOLD FLOW-TRAINING LEAN MFG…SUCCESSFUL STORY LEAN MFG…SUCCESSFUL STORY LEAN MFG…SUCCESSFUL STORY TRAINING FOR INJECTION MOLDING

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robot contest Micro-injection molding Optimization of Process Conditions in Gas Assisted Injection Molding translation : english --japanese--korean--chinese translation : english --japanese

usa university

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engineers edge

down time cost training-tdc….--download washer pump motor assy-EMCFEST -2001 WASHER PUMP MANUFACTURER IN CHINA ufe-gear mold -photo-mold making

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mold cost estimator

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advertisement-magazine

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brochure

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mold making-project management

UFE

bad example-homepage

無鹵素阻燃劑 /FRAME RETARDANT

puropolymers puropolymers puropolymers

moldmaker & molder-overmold--usa

majorplastics

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LINK

REMARKS

http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/mar97/mold_art/molds.htm http://www.google.com/search?hl=zh-TW&q=INJECTION+MOLD&btnG=Google+%E6%90%9C%E5%B0%8B&lr=

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http://www.jastech-emc.com/papers/EMCFESTpart2.pdf http://washer-pump.directory.alibaba.com/src=google&albch=google&albcp=Search_Country&albkw=washer-pump-N http://www.ufeinc.com/mold/Mold.html http://www.ufeinc.com/mold/Design_Build.html http://www.ufeinc.com/mold/estimator.html http://www.ufeinc.com/mold/request.html http://www.ufeinc.com/PDF/Mold_Manufacturing.pdf http://www.ufeinc.com/Injection/Project.html http://www.mastermolding.com/Special_Cap.htm http://www.puropolymers.com/ http://www.puropolymers.com/ http://www.puropolymers.com/ http://www.majorsplastics.com/companyinfo.htm http://www.google.com.hk/search?hl=zh-TW&q=RENAMING+FILE&btnG=Google+%E6%90%9C%E5%B0%8B&m

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USEFUL WEBSITE DEPARTMENT DATE

ALL COMP ENG MKG MOLDING PMC QUALTOOLING ADMINalan BOOK

060624

Y Y

060812

Y

Y Y Y Y Y

Y

COMPANY/

DESCRIPTION

award SOURCE winner

LINK

pda

http://www.camp.org/SuccessStories/stories_ms.aspx?id= http://www.camp.org/SuccessStories/index.aspx?sort=p http://www.handmark.com/products/phones.php?section=

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earch?q=how+magazine&hl=zh-TW&lr=&start=10&sa=N

FREE Catalog/CD Online Catalog About The Company Hilma Rep Locator What's New Why Use Quick Die and Mold Change? Quick Change Products for Die and Mold Applications M-TECS Magnetic Mold Clamping Systems Forging Products Injection & Compression Molding Products Article: "Quick Mold Change For The Plastics Industry" Article: "Safety Considerations For Quick Die Change Systems" Article: "Customizing Quick Die Change Solutions" Service/Technical Support Trade Shows E-mail

Safety considerations for Quick Die Change systems Addressing potential hazards before they occur

By David L. Fischer, Engineering Manager for the HILMA Division of Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. Article reprinted with permission of Stamping Journal. Many manufacturing concepts have changed in the last 10 years or so. One way many metal stamping companies are attempting to remain competitive is by setting goals for reduced inventories. To help accomplish these aims, many are turning to shorter production runs, which often require more frequent die changes. The traditional method of using strap clamps to accommodate variously sized dies will not meet today's requirements for Just-In-Time manufacturing. Stampers are demanding faster and safer ways to move and clamp dies. A Quick Die Change system can help achieve these goals. Many factors must be considered to ensure that a new die change system will meet a company's goals for faster part-to-part die changeover times while providing a safer work environment.

Die Movement One facet of providing a safe die change environment involves moving and locating dies under controlled conditions with minimal effort. However, moving dies at a press traditionally has meant prying, pushing and pulling dies into and out of the press using fork lifts, chains, prybars and sledgehammers. Moving a 1,000-pound die in the traditional manner requires about 700 pounds of force, or 70 percent of the die weight, because changing dies involves skidding metal against metal. Moving a die this way often requires more force than is otherwise necessary. If only a fraction of this effort were required to move a die, it seems reasonable that the alternate method might also be safer.

Ball-type lifters can accommodate movement in any direction while reducing the amount of force required to move the sam Some variations in the amount of force required or rolling resistance encountered can be attributed to the condition of a die surface that comes into contact with the balls or rollers. A lesser amount of force is required to move a die that has a smooth, hard surface and is free of holes or pockets. For roller-type lifters, die movement should be parallel with that of the roller direction.

Roller- or ball-type die lifters that are operated hydraulically must include a circuit relief valve to protect personnel and equipment from a potential pressure increase if the die lifters are overloaded. If die lifters are loaded beyond their rated capacity, the pistons that raise the rollers can act as pumps and generate higher pressure in the lift circuit. Without a safety valve to relieve the pressure, seals, tubing or fittings can burst, and the die lifter can be damaged.

Clamping Force The clamping force on a die must be sufficient to overcome the die weight and the acceleration, stripping and ejector forces to which the die may be subjected. If forces working against the clamps are greater than those provided by the devices, clamp pistons can move, causing a pressure increase and die movement. A rule of thumb is that the total clamping force should be about 20 percent of a press's capacity. For a 200-ton press, for example, 40 tons of clamping force should be used. Clamping forces must be applied consistently to a die -- in the same locations and in the same manner every time a die is changed. A properly designed hydraulic system can provide consistently safe and measurable clamping forces. The force is created by the pressure applied to each clamp, and pressure can be monitored with a gauge and a pressure switch that is tied into a press's emergency stop circuit. If a 20-percent drop in clamping pressure occurs, the press shuts down. A review of a stamper's current clamping methods and the locations of the devices on a press can provide guidelines for safely holding a die in place and eliminating possible die deflection when a new clamping system is being considered. The number, sizes and locations of the clamps should be evaluated so that clamping forces can be placed as close as possible to those that they must overcome. In many applications, clamps can be applied externally along the edge of a die. Others may require the installation of internal clamps if the loads are greatest internally.

Safety Circuits Anyone who works on, in or near stamping presses knows that unexpected events can occur. Those workers may ask questions such as, "What if I lose power? What if I break a hydraulic line to a clamp? What if I break a hydraulic line from the press column to the slide that supplies pressure to all of the slide clamps? What if we lose the input power to the air- or electricpowered hydraulic pump?" If a clamping system is designed with appropriate safety circuits, a die will not move if any of those circumstances arise.

Clamping pressure can be maintained with zero-leakage directional control valves and pilot-operated check valves. Pilot-op

Check valves can be provided for each clamp (see Figure 3), or they can be located in the bed and slide circuits near the cla If a press has eight clamps equipped with integrated check valves on the slide and a pressure line breaks at one clamp, the press shuts down because the break is detected by a pressure switch at the pump. All eight clamps remain locked in place to hold the die.

Another option also involves providing separate check valves for each clamp. Rather than integrating valves into individua

If a check valve is not provided for each clamp, a diagonal clamping circuit with dual check valves can be used (see Figure

If a hose to a clamp on circuit A fails, the pump pressure switch senses the break and shuts down the press. The die remains locked in position, but it is held by only half of the clamps -those in circuit B. If a power or pump failure occurs, or if the pressure line from the press column to the slide fails, the die is held with all of the clamps locked in place. A similar diagonal clamping circuit can be provided using two pressure lines to the slide, two to the bed, and doubling the number of clamping valves at the pump. If a failure occurs in one circuit, the other circuit remains locked up with the pressure held at the pump control valves rather than at the check valves on the slide. If a clamping system is designed without safety checks, clamping pressure must be maintained with the integrity of the hydraulic system, relying on zero-leakage clamp seals and control valves. This type of clamping system is suitable if used with hydraulically actuated and mechanically locking clamps. Various types of mechanically locking clamps are available that use the wedge lock principle, which offers a high level of safety. A hydraulic piston drives a tapered wedge inside such a clamp, creating the clamping stroke and mechanically locking the clamp.

Electronic Controls and Safety Interlocks A system equipped with manual control valves must include pressure switches in each clamp circuit to ensure that the valves have been shifted and each clamp circuit is pressurized before the press is enabled. Before the clamps are actuated, the die lifters must be down, the bolster slide must be at bottom dead center and the slide must be down on the tool. Automating a die clamp system can help to provide additional levels of safety. Electrical controls, interlocks and sensors can help ensure that the various moving parts of the die change system are at the right place at the right time. Sensors can indicate, for example, whether a traveling clamp is at the die or at its home position, or whether a clamping piston is in the proper clamp or unclamp position. In a press, sensors can indicate that a press slide is down on the die, that a die is located horizontally and resting on the bed, or that the slide is at bottom dead center. Pressure switches can signal the pump that the clamping circuits are at proper pressure. Hydraulic reservoir sensors can monitor oil and temperature levels. Key-operated clamp/unclamp switches are available, as are key-locked pressure switches and pressure relief valves to ensure the pump pressure settings will not be reset without approval. Solenoid valves should be normally open so they do not shift if a power failure occurs.

Maintaining Safety

If problems develop with a sensor, repairs should be made immediately. Although emergency jumpers are sometimes placed across proximity switches to keep a press running, this temporary "fix" can cause other problems in the clamping system. When sensors are bypassed, press controls do not "know" what is happening inside a clamp. If temporary jumpers must be used, operators should be warned to make certain that the function that had been monitored by the bypassed proximity switch, such as clamp location, operates properly. A Quick Die Change system must also be maintained properly to ensure that the level of safety meets expectations. Some companies have spent large sums of money to retrofit an existing press or buy a new press with a Quick Die Change package, only to have the equipment fail to perform properly or deteriorate because of a lack of personnel training and maintenance.

Conclusion As plants and presses are updated, automated Quick Die Change systems can be incorporated to help achieve production goals and maintain competitiveness. In the process of reducing partto-part die changeover times, safety levels in the plant can also be increased with minimal additional cost. If the Quick Die Change system on a press develops a problem, the press should be equipped so that the worst thing that can happen is that the press shuts down and production is delayed. When that is the case, the goal of incorporating a safe Quick Die Change system has been achieved. Innovative Clamping Solutions from Carr Lane Roemheld. Call 1-800-827-2526 for technical assistance.

Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. 16345 Westwoods Business Park Dr. – Ellisville, Missouri USA 63021 Phone: (636) 386-8022 – Fax: (636) 386-8034

Copyright © Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. All rights reserved.

FREE Catalog/CD Online Catalog About The Company Hilma Rep Locator What's New Why Use Quick Die and Mold Change? Quick Change Products for Die and Mold Applications M-TECS Magnetic Mold Clamping Systems Forging Products Injection & Compression Molding Products Article: "Quick Mold Change For The Plastics Industry" Article: "Safety Considerations For Quick Die Change Systems" Article: "Customizing Quick Die Change Solutions" Service/Technical Support Trade Shows E-mail

Quick Mold Change For The Plastics Industry "I can now change 40 tools in the time it takes (the competition) to change one." -- President of a Leading East Coast Plastics Manufacturing Plant "Safety has increased 100-fold." -- Senior Mold Designer In a quest to achieve Just In Time production and increase both injection mold availability and safety levels during mold changeover, this well-known manufacturer chose a HILMA Quick Change System. Our engineers worked with the company to design a mold change system that met those goals and also reduced inventory and labor requirements. Before implementing the HILMA system, a 2,000-pound mold changeover required: Two employees A tow motor A stepladder Up to four man-hours of labor.

After the installation, the same procedure required: One employee

Less than five minutes.

See below for application photos and further information on HILMA Quick Mold Change products. Click for molding mac

A HILMA mold clamp and roller system is installed on this 300-ton injection molding machine. The mold can be loaded by rolling it into the far side of the machine onto the custom mold roller set. It is then securely held in place with the HILMA clamps.

The lower clamps are shown mounted on a custom-designed mold roller set. The clamp heads are retracted, as shown, during mold loading. With the molds in place, the clamp heads extend out, then straight down onto the mold backplate while the clamp mechanically locks with an internal wedge mechanism.

Molding Machines Application Examples Innovative Clamping Solutions from Carr Lane Roemheld. Call 1-800-827-2526 for technical assistance.

Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. 16345 Westwoods Business Park Dr. – Ellisville, Missouri USA 63021 Phone: (636) 386-8022 – Fax: (636) 386-8034

Copyright © Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. All rights reserved.

FREE Catalog/CD Online Catalog About The Company Hilma Rep Locator What's New Why Use Quick Die and Mold Change? Quick Change Products for Die and Mold Applications M-TECS Magnetic Mold Clamping Systems Forging Products Injection & Compression Molding Products Article: "Quick Mold Change For The Plastics Industry" Article: "Safety Considerations For Quick Die Change Systems" Article: "Customizing Quick Die Change Solutions" Service/Technical Support Trade Shows E-mail

Customizing Quick Die Change Solutions The concept of quick die change is simple: minimize the time from the last good hit on one die to the first good hit on the next one. By David L. Fischer, Engineering Manager for the HILMA Division of Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. Article reprinted with permission of American Tool, Die & Stamping News. The concept of quick die change is simple: minimize the time from the last good hit on one die to the first good hit on the next one. How quickly the die change process is executed is what can be difficult, for there is no one answer to a particular problem. Each manufacturing situation is unique and requires, in effect, a customized solution that deals with all the factors at hand. Reaching the right die change solution requires analysis of the current die process for a stamping procedure, goals for improving the process, implementing a plan for achieving those goals and follow-up evaluation. Surround yourself with expertise to make it all happen.

Team Up A variety of equipment and process choices must be made to develop an effective die change system. These choices are best made by the quick die change team. The team should involve management, manufacturing and tooling engineers, production and maintenance supervisors, setup people, press operators, even accountants. The most appropriate method to be used for each press is determined by carefully examining all production requirements and related data. Look closely at the press room layout and which presses are involved. How many dies are used in each press? What are their size ranges and weights? Examine the present clamping method and clamping points. Review your present method of changeover. Analyze every step and the sequence required to make a die change. How much time is required for each step? Who is involved in the die changing process? What tools and materials are required? The objective is to minimize the steps required and not to duplicate work. Start your improvements with things that are simple and low-cost. Have new dies prepared and staged in advance near presses. Store dies near their presses. Limit raw material handling, but always have clamps and dies prepared before shutting down for a die change.

Standardize

When it's time to consider equipment changes, it soon becomes clear that most older dies were not designed for standardization. One very useful method of standardization is the use of subplates. Common subplates reduce die change time by providing for a common height and location for clamping, a standard size for locating the die and the ability to prestage dies while the press is running other parts. Since the bottoms of the subplates are smooth and free of holes, the die is ready for movement on lifters. Choice of die movement is another consideration. After the die has been transferred to the bolster via diecart or to die supports, by means of a crane or a fork lift, the die can be rolled in. Die movement on the bolster can be accomplished on balls or rollers that are supported either with springs or hydraulic pressure. Once the die is in position and located, it can be manually or automatically clamped in place.

Clamping Options Although conventional clamp straps and bolts are simple, inexpensive and adaptable, they repeatedly take time to set up and can't deliver consistently high clamping force. For faster, more reliable action, powered die change components become a significant element to consider for optimized die change systems.

External Clamping External clamps are adaptable and easy to retrofit since they clamp along the edges of the die. Compact external T-slot clamps, with clamping forces from 4,000 to 24,000 pounds, are suitable for large or small presses. Because these sliding clamps can be manually located or automatically positioned with a powered cylinder or electric drive, T-slot clamps accommodate various die sizes and save the cost of standardized subplates. Fixed mounted clamps are bolted directly to the bolster or slide. Clamping on standard subplates means no clamp movement, which reduces die change time. Mechanically locking wedge clamps clamp on parallel or 20degree tapered surfaces. When unclamped, their heads retract fully into their housings for unobstructed die change. They are used on all types of stamping and hot forging, injection molding, and die-casting machines. Wedge clamps offer very high clamping forces.

Internal Clamping Internal clamps, which are integrated into the bed or slide, are located closer to the forces which can cause die deflection. They are often used in high-speed applications, deep draw dies, progressive dies and lamination dies. Although internal clamping can be costly and more difficult to install than external systems, the benefits can often be justified. Swing clamps locate and hold the upper tool on press slides. They can be recessed in pockets machined in the press slide or, when used with an extended shaft, can be mounted above the slide ledge. Proximity switches monitor their clamp and unclamp positions. Typical clamping forces range from about 14,000 to 38,000 pounds.

Swing sink clamps operate on the press bed or slide. The clamps provide unobstructed die movement since the clamping head pulls below the surface during die change. Proximity switches also monitor this type of clamp. These clamps can be provided with a mechanical locking mechanism. Typical clamping forces for swing sink clamps range up to 50,000 pounds. Internal pull clamps have a simple inward pulling motion which can deliver up to 38,000 pounds clamping force. They can pull on a slot cut in the subplate or on T-clamping bars attached to the die or subplates.

Safety Circuits After the clamping method and required clamping forces for an application are determined, safety circuits and integration into press controls must also be reviewed. Separate pilotoperated check valves for each clamp provide a very high safety level. Check valves providing a dual diagonal hydraulic safety circuit also ensure safe clamping for either the bed or slide. Depending on the level of automation desired, different electrical controls to press and clamp controls may be required. The type of signal is determined by the pressure switch, clamp position, tool position, slide position, continuous/run, setup and press enable.

Evaluation Once a suitable die change system has been installed, it must be evaluated by the die change team. Are the new principles for die change and movement providing the desired results? Is the clamp system safe, effective and reliable? Can the new die change time be improved more? Based on labor savings, increased press utilization, lowered inventories, reduced scrap and increased safety, project the cost savings for a one year period. If your "payback" is as expected, it's time to repeat the process and move on to the next press or presses. Remember, the world is shrinking. Manufacturers now not only have to compete with the plants across town but also those across the ocean. Through the implementation of an efficient quick die change system, however, they can remain competitive and even gain in the worldwide market. Innovative Clamping Solutions from Carr Lane Roemheld. Call 1-800-827-2526 for technical assistance.

Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. 16345 Westwoods Business Park Dr. – Ellisville, Missouri USA 63021 Phone: (636) 386-8022 – Fax: (636) 386-8034

Copyright © Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co. All rights reserved.

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Crossroads: Crisis or Opportunity: Think lean production is passe? Think again By: Michelle Maniscalco While some view lean thinking as a Holy Grail, others see only hot air. But lean manufacturing successes in molding support the view that systematic elimination of waste is a significant key to profitability.

As one of several mantras offered as the keys to enabling U.S. manufacturers to compete globally, lean

manufacturing has garnered its share of proponents as well as skeptics. From an injection molding industry perspective, it appears the proponents are winning the debate as well as the fight to remain competitive.

(Left to right) While some view lean thinking as a Holy Grail, others see only hot air. But lean manufacturing successes in molding support the view that systematic elimination of waste is a significant key to profitability. The term originated in 1990, when a research group at MIT published he Machine That Changed the World,?a study of the Toyota Production System. While lean principles are fairly well documented (see  Primer on Lean?, there are many flavors and variations, and several include a tie-in to Six Sigma methods. No matter how the principles are interpreted, however, it appears that when a lean system is well implemented, it brings competitive advantage to molding operations.

Those who remain wary of this trend may have overlooked the most important piece of the puzzle. As with most systems, lean must be integrated properly and embraced by the entire staff for the methods to succeed. Failures in converting to a lean enterprise typically mean a failure to execute correctly rather than a flaw in the system itself.

Add Only Value

At its core, lean manufacturing attempts to eliminate waste by creating continuous flow and shortening the steps needed to bring a product from order to delivery, also known as the value stream. It is the antithesis of job shop principles, in which batch and queue methods create large inventories and production stoppages.

What are the four biggest obstacles to lean implementation at your facility? Source: Lean Enterprise Institute, February 2003. Web-based survey of various manufacturers. According to Rod Groleau, president of RJG Inc., a provider of process monitoring and control products and training, molding plants were originally configured as traditional, batch process facilities. olding operations can see immediate benefits from even small lean implementations, such as conducting molding, painting, and assembly for one product in areas adjacent to one another,?he says.

Taiichi Ohno, Toyota chief of production after WWII, developed the Toyota Production System (TPS) and is credited as the father of lean thinking. TPS emphasized continuous flow in small-lot production along with just-in-time principles. Today lean manufacturing principles are based on TPS. hno also focused on eliminating waste, known as muda,?says Groleau. n a molding environment, there are several forms of waste. For instance, in a typical system, 99 percent of the time the value stream is not flowing. This is the muda of waiting. Moving things never adds value from a customer standpoint, and this is the muda of transport. Finally, rejects never add value, and recycling them adds to waste. This includes grinders, loaders, blenders, hopper magnets, and regrind inventory.?p>

A kaizen (continuous improvement) team at Wabash Technologies?Mexicali plant focuses on integrating lean production principles. Groleau offers this advice on making value flow in molding operations: ?b>Focus on the actual object he specific design, order, and the product itself. Never let it out of sight from start to completion. ?b>Ignore traditional boundaries of jobs, careers, and functions to form a lean enterprise. Remove all impediments to the continuous flow of the specific product or product family.

?b>Rethink specific work practices and tools to eliminate backflows, scrap, and stoppages of all sorts. This includes rethinking inventories of parts and materials.

?b>The true cornerstone of lean molding is a robust process that produces parts on demand with no bad parts delivered downstream in the flow.

Genuine Results Precise Technology is a leading contract manufacturer/custom molder for the health care, personal care, food and beverage, and consumer packaging industries. Kim Koning, general manager for medical molding and assembly, has been spearheading this company conversion to lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, and believes these methods are proving themselves essential.

n today increasingly competitive global medical marketplace, quality is the leading driver for other factors such as customer satisfaction, business growth, cost-cutting measures, and providing a competitive edge, all of which lean manufacturing and Six Sigma address,?he says.

A founding tenet at Precise made the company a natural for lean implementation, according to Koning. ur wellknown philosophy is this: he company that focuses on quality becomes the lowest cost. The company that focuses on cost never becomes the best quality.?We were predisposed to look for ways to increase quality.?p>

An optimized workcell at Wabash exemplifies the lean philosophy. It includes color-coded reject and containment bins, an information management system monitor, and good ergonomics. Lean techniques saved Precise $2.9 million on the startup phase of a new plant in 1999-2000. This project was a joint venture with a customer and included new supplier qualifications and elimination of labor through automation. In addition, cycle time reduction through process improvements resulted in capital investment avoidance, i.e., fewer machines were needed to meet production goals. Koning also points out that a continuous improvement (kaizen) process at Precise reduced order entry time by 80 percent and decreased scrap by up to 50 percent. Currently, the company has a lean pilot project under way. It is being mentored by a Six Sigma/Lean Master Black Belt consultant. ee focused on a particular product line under cost reduction pressure from our customer and competitors,?says Koning.

The pilot project will include 24 hours of training for 10 employees. As the employees learn the techniques of lean production, such as 5S, visual workplace, single minute exchange of dies (SMED), mistake proofing, takt time, and pull vs. push, they will apply these concepts to this production line (see rimer?for definitions). The team goal is to improve efficiency and reduce scrap for a $200,000 annual savings. his will allow us to meet the price reduction targets of our customer,?he adds.

Table 1. Before and after lean conversion at Wabash Technologies.

Lean thinking at Precise emphasizes the basics of lean, including single-piece flow, minimal inventory, focusing on rate of customer demand, and focusing on the process rather than functions. e also believe that lean is not just for manufacturing operations, but also applies to support functions,?Koning explains. irst, we need to agree on what the customer wants, and then understand our process well so that we can smooth the flow. Shifting from a push to a pull system is another critical step. Finally, a continual attack on waste must be maintained.?p> Why should molding operations undertake a lean conversion? Koning believes that it improves not only competitiveness, but also confidence in one own abilities. aste reduction is a win-win situation. Reducing waste also means freeing up time, manpower, and materials. Improving your process always means cost reduction,?he says. Koning points out that Six Sigma goals (3.4 defects per million parts) are also critical for customer satisfaction, quality, growth, and competitive advantage. Implementing Six Sigma in present manufacturing processes involves several steps at Precise: defining customers, customer requirements, process, time frame, and metrics/goals; measuring; analyzing critical factors controlling the process; improving; and controlling. Steps in developing new processes via Six Sigma are defining, measuring, analyzing, designing, and verifying.

Fewer Machines, Faster Production Captive molding operations for Indiana-based Wabash Technologies are located in a plant the company built five years ago in Mexicali, Mexico, where high-volume automotive sensors are wound, molded, and assembled. Implementing lean production has saved an estimated $500,000 this year, enabling the company to meet customer demands for low cost. Plant manager Arturo Gomez explains that the conversion also freed up enough floor space to eliminate the need for a planned 25,000-sq-ft expansion. e were producing in batches, creating containers of parts, and staging a lot of material. We realized that this created inefficiencies. Our first lean conversion project eliminated the batching process and provided continuous flow in a single production cell. To do this, we had to map the process, deciding in what sequence to perform the operations and the best way to do each step.?p> Known as value stream mapping, this process is intrinsic to lean thinking. RJG Groleau suggests molders begin the value stream map process by first determining three categories: actions that create value as perceived by the customer; actions that create no value but are currently required by product development, order fulfillment, or production systems and At Wabash plant, theand firstactions step in that producing a sensorbut is to moldno thevalue bobbin nylon or PPS. Next, wire canthe yet be eliminated; use resources create andfrom caneither be immediately eliminated. is wound around the bobbin, this subassembly receives metal inserts andsteps, magnets. transfer or about Examples of this last categoryand include production without demand, unneeded and Finally, mistakes brought injection overmolding completes the sensor with one of several thermoset or thermoplastic materials. by less-than-robust processes.

Lean changes to resin supply How does a conversion to lean manufacturing change a molder relationship with its material supplier? According to Michael Gilbert, director of marketing, Ashland Distribution, customers who implement lean practices typically reduce space devoted to storing material and rely instead on more frequent shipments in smaller quantities. his creates more opportunities for resin distributors to serve customers, to become, in effect, the logistics expert for the molder,?Gilbert says. He confirms that Ashland is seeing continued cost pressures at the supplier and molder levels, resulting in companies aggressively looking for ways to cut costs wherever they can.

For its customers who have converted to lean production, Ashland Distribution makes more frequent resin deliveries in smaller quantities. According to Gilbert, there is a major caveat for molders looking to shift materials inventories to its supplier: Make sure the supplier understands your needs and can respond to them. For example, forecasting mechanisms should be set up in advance. ur customers have different abilities to forecast; they are getting different inputs from their ultimate customer about end user needs,?he adds. e receive a variety of communication on forecasts ome are specific, as often as daily for three months, and very close to accurate, while others are less frequent and less specific. Resin producers have lead times, some of them lengthy, and we try to reduce that for our customers.?br> Contact Information Ashland Distribution, Dublin, OH (800) 828-7659

www.ashchem.com/adc Converting other product lines to the lean system followed after the initial success. John Eller, a 23-year veteran of the molding industry, was hired to implement a kanban system with some modifications. ather than moving each molding machine to a separate cell, we needed to build a kanban system that was comfortable for us,?Eller says. Gomez and Eller, whomolding now supervises molding and the mold shop operations, believe an important factor in the e use a centralized area for bobbins, discrete parts feed also the sensor-building lines. Chutes lean conversion hasnext been creating aand culture where employees iscontribute ideas to at make changes. Twice day,line at convey parts to the operation, the only accumulation one or two parts a time. At the end of aeach the of every line, accumulated scrap is the presented and management. Daily metrics are is anend overmolding press.?p> Reorganizing elements of discussed productionwith intoplant semicellular manufacturing has netted posted live on a 42-inch monitorarea eal-time numbers, notby weekly static normal numbers. They are alsofrom available theto 4 major benefits. he production has been reduced 40% while cycle time went three on days computer network so that every line can access hours,?says Gomez. crap usedassembly to be as high as 7% with them. a 4% plant average. It is now at a 1.5% average with some lines below 1%. Plantwide productivity has gone from 50% to 90%.?In addition, the plant now needs 24 fewer injection molding machines to meet the same production goals, saving the company $8000 per machine upkeep cost. Production lines have been greatly reduced in length. perators can see the big offenders for scrap and other metrics, and all of them have an action plan to attack these forms of waste,?Gomez adds. Contact Information Wabash Technologies, Huntington, IN

(260) 356-8300; www.wabashtech.com Precise Technology North Versailles, PA

(412) 823-2100; www.precisetech.com RJG Inc., Traverse City, MI

(231) 947-3111; www.rjginc.com

SOUND OFF: Manufacturing in the 21st century&151;A new landscape to be recognized

Editor note: Editor note: Michael L. Hetzel is VP/Americas of Pro QC International and is on the board of directors o We hear it nearly every day ll manufacturing jobs are being lost to China and manufacturing companies are closing. We heard exactly the same refrain in the 1970s, only then it was the Japanese who were going to be the manufacturers to the world. Go back even further to the American Industrial Revolution, and it was Europe talking about the U.S., yet today Germany is the world third largest manufacturing economy and Europe is a strong force in global manufacturing. Maybe it isn as bad as it seems. Putting Things in Perspective According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, we produce about $4 trillion of the $5 trillion in manufactured goods used or produced in the U.S., or 80%. That hardly ut of business,?and at 2.4% of this total, China has not taken over by any stretch of the imagination. There are indeed manufacturing jobs moving offshore to lower-cost countries, but improvements in production efficiency through automation are also eliminating jobs in the U.S. This rate of productivity improvement has been higher recently than that of U.S. economic growth, contributing to the so-called obless recovery.?p> There are serious consequences to misdirecting blame for all of our competitive problems at China. Would fixing the hina problem?really fix our economy? If all of the China business were to return to the U.S., then we restore only .34% of our mold market and 2.4% of our manufacturing economy. (Data is from the U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, and Tooling & Mfg. Assn.)

This misdirected focus diminishes the sector ability to develop creative and effective solutions that can be applied to the real global problem, which is much broader in scope than just China. Also, this hina-phobia?prevents us from seeing the real potential opportunity that China presents. China can be an ideal platform from which to serve business and commercial markets worldwide, particularly through the global transplants located there, while also supporting the expansion of U.S. operations and markets through strategic outsourcing. According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 95% of the world  population lives outside of the U.S., with two-thirds of the world purchasing power. Yet only 1% of U.S. businesses export (approximately 10% of our manufacturers). Why are we exporting more jobs than products, particularly while the Germans, Japanese, and even the Chinese are opening factories here in the U.S., where our own people claim that manufacturing can compete?

Why are Japan and Germany, with higher costs than us in many areas, the number two and three global manufacturing economies ahead of China? The answers to all of these questions are complex, often arcane, so we better stop complaining, closely analyze the situation, and start competing. The Cold, Hard Truth

The last, great, fragmented industry in the U.S. (plastics) will not survive without consolidation and realignment to the critical mass needed to compete globally, whether through internal assets or collaborative capacity. Another problem is severe capacity underutilization. While we run our mold shops 50 or 60 hours a week, the rest of the world and the most successful U.S. shops are running 24/7 with a significant lights-out component. Want to compete on price? Drop your overhead through 24/7 operations and reduce labor inputs through automation. Unbalanced tariffs that provide an advantage to other countries; an artificially high U.S. dollar value; currency manipulation (this is one area where China is cheating, but until recently wee done nothing about it); tax policies with misguided incentives; and environmental regulations are all issues affecting the manufacturing economy. Companies must become active in trade associations that are fighting to raise U.S. competitiveness. Our government isn doing everything wrong, however. There are many excellent assistance programs offered in the U.S. at the federal, state, and even county and local levels in some areas. We have low-cost export market analysis and market entry services from the U.S. Export Assistance Center, export receivables protection from the Ex-Im Bank, affordable export financing from the SBA, and trade-adjustment assistance through NORBIC. Collaborative Strategies U.S. companies are notorious for self-imposed isolationt extremely difficult to get U.S. companies to collaborate. This isn so for the rest of the world. The Europeans have collaborated for decades. In China and Japan collaboration is prominent as well. Much of the competitive power that Americans often incorrectly ascribe to low wages or government subsidies is actually the result of advanced collaborative practices. Now it our turn. U.S. companies need to team up with both domestic and foreign companies. Competitors must identify points of complementary strengths and diverse weaknesses and collaborate in order to develop effective response strategies to the global competitive challenges. A primer on lean The Lean Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit group based in Brookline, MA, develops and advances lean principles, tools, and techniques. LEI shares this knowledge through books and workbooks, public and onsite training, and global affiliates.

According to LEI, lean production was pioneered by Toyota after World War II as the Toyota Production System, and was documented to require half the human effort, half the manufacturing space, and half the capital investment for a given amount of capacity, and a fraction of the development and lead time of mass production systems. At the same time, it was capable of making products in wider variety at lower volumes with significantly fewer defects.

On its website, www.lean.org, the group also lists the capsule definitions of lean concepts from its Lean Lexicon. Here are Jidoka. Providing machines and operators with the ability to detect when an abnormal condition has occurred and immediately stop work. This enables operations to build in quality at each process and to separate men and machines for more efficient work. Jidoka is one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System along with just-in-time. Jidoka is sometimes called autonomation, meaning automation with human intelligence. Just-in-time (JIT) Production. A system of production that makes and delivers just what is needed, just when it is needed, and just in the amount needed. JIT and jidoka are the two pillars of the Toyota Production System. Kaizen. Continuous improvement of an entire value stream or an individual process to create more value with less waste. There are two levels of kaizen: (1) System or flow kaizen focuses on the overall value stream and (2) process kaizen focuses on individual processes. Kanban. A signaling device that gives authorization and instructions for the production or withdrawal (conveyance) of items in a pull system. The term is Japanese for sign or signboard. Lean Production. A business system for organizing and managing product development, operations, suppliers, and customer relations that requires less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time to make products with fewer defects to precise customer desires, compared with the previous system of mass production. Lean Thinking. A five-step thought process proposed by James Womack and Dan Jones in their 1996 book, Lean Thinking, to guide managers through a lean transformation. The steps are: Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer. Identify all the steps in the value stream. Make the value-creating steps flow toward the customer. Let customers pull value from the next upstream activity. Pursue perfection. Takt Time. Speed at which all processes must run to synchronize production rates to rate of customer demand. Value Stream Mapping. A simple diagram of every step involved in the material and information flows needed to bring a product from order to delivery. A currentstate map follows a product path from order to delivery to determine the current conditions. A future-state map shows the opportunities for improvement identified in the current-state map to achieve a higher level of performance at some future point. Contact Information

Lean Enterprise Institute Inc. Brookline, MA (617) 713-2900

www.lean.org

IMM - October 2003

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072948248/181462/dav48248_ch10.pdf

CASE STUDY

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072948248/information_center_view0/feature_summary.html Reference for HT internal TRAINING REFERENCE INFORMATION

reference for disc artwork

http://www.techstarmolding.com/injection_molding_faq.htm

http://www.engineersedge.com/surface_finish.htm

http://www.engineersedge.com/finishing.htm

http://engineersedge.tradepub.com/free/fas/prgm.cgi