Page 38 - MetalForming November 2009

George Keremedjiev has been writing this column for more than 20 years. He regularly consults with metalforming companies worldwide and provides metal- formers with training on the appli- cation and implementation of sen- sors for die protection. For more information on his seminars and consultancies, contact:
Tecknow Education Services, Inc. P.O. Box 6448
Bozeman, MT 59771
phone: 406/587-4751
fax: 406/587-9620 www.mfgadvice.com
E-mail: gk@mfgadvice.com
Rethink Everything
“Rethink everything. No excep- tions.” This is the mantra that I have recently adopted with my
clients and seminar attendees. For those who are adept at using electronic sen- sors within their tooling and value- added operations, this call to revisit all activities is much more easily achieved than for those who have little if any mistake-proofing sensors embedded throughout their processes. For most metalformers, part volumes are a shad- ow of what they once were. Armed with sensor expertise, the best companies are literally combing through every facet of their operations in search of more efficient manufacturing methods to cope with lower-volume orders.
Downsizing employee counts and lean manufacturing are not enough. One needs to go deeper into the dies and assembly processes themselves and question all physical assumptions about the actual tooling and machinery. Hold back nothing. No sacred cows, espe- cially when it comes to tooling. You and I have seen these past two decades usher in extremely efficient and inno- vative tooling designs driven by high- volume orders. Electronic sensors were primarily used in these dies to patrol the repeatability of the mass-production process. Many times, the dies were designed and the sensors put in place afterwards to monitor the process.
In the new thinking, sensors become the drivers for the design process. Where a complex one-station mechanism was the way to go for higher volumes, now perhaps a two-step process that is much lower in cost is the way to go. Our designer warns us that this latter approach may have a drawback as there may be a greater chance of mechanical failure within the two steps. This is
where the sensors come in. If the rethinking process can save us thou- sands of dollars in tooling components then it would be wise to incorporate the electronic sensors at the design stage to re-engineer the designer’s thinking and turn it into a reality. The electronic sen- sors are, for the most part, very inex- pensive. The real challenge is to get the tooling designer to work comfortably and in real time with your company’s sensor-applications expert so that the lower cost approach to the tooling becomes realistic.
The same applies to any value-added processes that follow the metalform- ing operations. Revisit your assembly areas to see if the next generation of a similar process could not be simplified further and at a lower cost than the current mechanisms. Many value-added operations were designed in years past and optimized over time to handle large volumes of assembled parts. With many of those volumes dropping precipi- tously, it would be wise to assume that perhaps the over-engineered high-vol- ume concerns of the past may no longer apply to current part volumes. This rethinking too must be done hand-in- hand with your company’s sensor-appli- cations expert.
All next-generation assembly machines, for example, may have to be brought in line with the lower volume expectations and, consequently, what worked and was justifiable in the world of high volumes for value-added may not at all be realistic and profitable to maintain in the world of diminished orders.
“So what’s the big deal?” you may ask. Plenty, for in a world of thorough- bred race horses bred to perform in idealized race track conditions with
METALFORMING ELECTRONICS GEORGE KEREMEDJIEV
This CD-ROM presents dozens of George’s columns as well as papers and exclusive new presentations covering all aspects of die protection and part-quality inspection, starting and maintaining sensor programs, the role of controls in in-die sensing, and the benefits of a sound sensor program. Order it online at www.metalformingmagazine.com.
36 METALFORMING / NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
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