Industry wage survey : nonferrous metal manufacturing industries, February 1981 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Preparation for ramp-up production process in metal manufacturin

Collaboration is essential for successful new product development. In the preparation for ramp-up production collaboration between R&D and supply chain functions is crucial. This thesis examines the meaning of collaboration and the effects of collaboration between R&D and supply chain. The aim of this thesis is to analyse and advice on how to improve the collaboration between the research and development department and supply chain within the preparation for rampup process. This thesis begins by introducing the reader to the product development methodologies and collaboration literature. The following part of the thesis describes the current situation and the results of the qualitative research. The last part of the thesis will explain the improvement suggestions. The main improvement suggestions are clarification of the processes and responsibilities and the introduction of a kick-off meeting.

Quality, Productivity and Economy in Welding Manufacturing - Case Study: West Africa

This thesis studies quality, productivity and economy in welding manufacturing in West African states such as Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. The study consists of two parts: the first part, which forms the theoretical background, reviews relevant literature concerning the metal and welding industries, and measurement of welding quality, productivity and economy. The second part, which is the empirical part, aims to identify activities in the metal manufacturing industries where welding is extensively used and to determine the extent of welding quality, productivity and economy measurements in companies operating in the metal manufacturing industries. Additionally, the thesis aims to identify challenges that companies face and to assess the feasibility of creating a network to address these issues. The research methods used in the empirical part are the case study (qualitative) method and the survey (quantitative) method. However, the case study method was used to elicit information from companies in Ghana, while the survey method was used to elicit information from companies in Nigeria and Cameroon. The study considers important areas that contribute to creating awareness and understanding of the current situation of the welding industry in West Africa. These areas include the metal manufacturing industrial sector, metal products manufactured, metal production and manufacturing systems deployed, welding quality, productivity and economy measurement systems utilized, equipment and materials on the markets, general challenges facing companies in welding operations, welding technology programs and research in local universities, and SWOT analysis of the various West African states. The notable findings indicate that majority of the companies operate in the constructionindustrial sector. Also, majority of the companies are project manufacturing oriented, thus provide services to customers operating in the growing industries such as the oil and gas, mining, food and the energy industry. In addition, only few companies are certified under standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 3834, and OHSAS 18001. More so, majority of the companies employ manual welding technique, and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) as the commonly used welding process. Finally, welder salary is about € 300 / month as of June 2013 and the average operations turnover of medium to large companies is about € 5 million / year as at 2012. Based on analysis of the results of the study, it is noted that while welding activities are growing, the availability of cheap labor, the need for company and welder qualification and certification, and the need to manufacture innovative products through developmental projects (transfer of welding expertise and technology) remain as untapped opportunities in the welding industry in the West African states. The study serves as a solid platform for further research and concludes with several recommendations for development of the West African welding industry.

Design and validation of a sheet metal shearing experimental procedure

Throughout the industrial processes of sheet metal manufacturing and refining, shear cutting is widely used for its speed and cost advantages over competing cutting methods. Industrial shears may include some force measurement possibilities, but the force is most likely influenced by friction losses between shear tool and the point of measurement, and are in general not showing the actual force applied to the sheet. Well defined shears and accurate measurements of force and shear tool position are important for understanding the influence of shear parameters. Accurate experimental data are also necessary for calibration of numerical shear models. Here, a dedicated laboratory set-up with well defined geometry and movement in the shear, and high measurability in terms of force and geometry is designed, built and verified. Parameters important to the shear process are studied with perturbation analysis techniques and requirements on input parameter accuracy are formulated to meet experimental output demands. Input parameters in shearing are mostly geometric parameters, but also material properties and contact conditions. Based on the accuracy requirements, a symmetric experiment with internal balancing of forces is constructed to avoid guides and corresponding friction losses. Finally, the experimental procedure is validated through shearing of a medium grade steel. With the obtained experimental set-up performance, force changes as result of changes in studied input parameters are distinguishable down to a level of 1%.

Behaviour of biofuel addition on metallurgical properties of sinter

Blast furnace gas yield is essentially controlled by a gas-solid reaction phenomenon, which strongly influences hot metal manufacturing costs. As a result of rising prices for reducing agents on the international market, Companhia Siderurgica Nacional decided to inject natural gas into its blast furnaces. With more gas inside the furnace, the burden permeability became even more critical. To improve blast furnace gas yield, a new technological approach was adopted; raising the metallic burden reaction surface. To that end, a special sinter was developed with permeability being controlled by adding micropore nucleus forming agents, cellulignin coal, without, however, degrading its mechanical properties. This paper shows the main process parameters and the results from physicochemical characterisation of a sinter with controlled permeability, on a pilot scale, compared to those of conventional sinter. Gas flow laboratory simulations have conclusively corroborated the positive effects of micropore nucleus forming agents on enhancing sinter permeability.

Aihiovalmistustoiminnan kehittäminen ohutlevytuotetehtaassa

Työ käsittelee aihiovalmistustoiminnan kehittämistä ohutlevytuotetehtaassa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kehittää aihiovalmistustiimin toiminnan edellytyksiä uudistuvan laitekannan tuomien mahdollisuuksien avulla muuttuvassa johtamiskulttuurissa. Kirjallisuusosassa tarkastellaan konepajatoiminnan tunnuslukuja ja ohutlevytekniikoiden teoriaa. Konepajatekniikan ohella käsitellään mm. johtamismenetelmien kehitystä yleisesti sekä erityisesti prosessijohtamista. Kokeellisessa osassa tarkastellaan eri raaka-ainevaihtoehtojen soveltuvuutta ohutlevytuotteille ja –rakenteille sekä materiaalikäytön kehittämisen kustannusvaikutuksia. Laiteinvestoinnin vaikutuksia tarkastellaan käytössä olevan konekapasiteetin hyödyntämisen kannalta. Aihiovalmistustoiminnan kehittämistä tarkastellaan kahden vuoden aikajänteellä, jona aikana kohdeyrityksessä ollaan implementoimassa prosessijohtamiseen perustuvaa prosessiorganisaatiomallia. Tutkimustuloksia tullaan hyödyntämään kohdeyrityksen operatiivisessa työskentelyssä.

On the development of object functions and restrictions for shapes made with a turret punch press

This study presents the information required to describe the machine and device resources in the turret punch press environment which are needed for the development of the analysing method for automated production. The description of product and device resources and their interconnectedness is the starting point for method comparison the development of expenses, production planning and the performance of optimisation. The manufacturing method cannot be optimized unless the variables and their interdependence are known. Sheet metal parts in particular may then become remarkably complex, and their automatic manufacture may be difficult or, with some automatic equipment, even impossible if not know manufacturing properties. This thesis consists of three main elements, which constitute the triangulation. In the first phase of triangulation, the manufacture occuring on a turret punch press is examined in order to find the factors that affect the efficiency of production. In the second phase of triangulation, the manufacturability of products on turret punch presses is examined through a set of laboratory tests. The third phase oftriangulation involves an examination of five industry parts. The main key findings of this study are: all possible efficiency in high automation level machining cannot be achieved unless the raw materials used in production and the dependencies of the machine and tools are well known. Machine-specific manufacturability factors for turret punch presses were not taken into account in the industrial case samples. On the grounds of the performed tests and industrial case samples, the designer of a sheet metal product can directly influence the machining time, material loss, energy consumption and the number of tools required on a turret punch press by making decisions in the way presented in the hypothesis of thisstudy. The sheet metal parts to be produced can be optimised to bemanufactured on a turret punch press when the material to be used and the kinds of machine and tool options available are known. This provides in-depth knowledge of the machine and tool properties machine and tool-specifically. None of the optimisation starting points described here is a separate entity; instead, they are all connected to each other.

Behaviour of biofuel addition on metallurgical properties of sinter

Blast furnace gas yield is essentially controlled by a gas-solid reaction phenomenon, which strongly influences hot metal manufacturing costs. As a result of rising prices for reducing agents on the international market, Companhia Siderurgica Nacional decided to inject natural gas into its blast furnaces. With more gas inside the furnace, the burden permeability became even more critical. To improve blast furnace gas yield, a new technological approach was adopted; raising the metallic burden reaction surface. To that end, a special sinter was developed with permeability being controlled by adding micropore nucleus forming agents, cellulignin coal, without, however, degrading its mechanical properties. This paper shows the main process parameters and the results from physicochemical characterisation of a sinter with controlled permeability, on a pilot scale, compared to those of conventional sinter. Gas flow laboratory simulations have conclusively corroborated the positive effects of micropore nucleus forming agents on enhancing sinter permeability.

PDM system functions and utilizations analysis to improve efficiency of sheet metal product design and manufacturing

This study will concentrate on Product Data Management (PDM) systems, and sheet metal design features and classification. In this thesis, PDM is seen as an individual system which handles all product-related data and information. The meaning of relevant data is to take the manufacturing process further with fewer errors. The features of sheet metals are giving more information and value to the designed models. The possibility of implementing PDM and sheet metal features recognition are the core of this study. Their integration should make the design process faster and manufacturing-friendly products easier to design. The triangulation method is the basis for this research. The sections of this triangle are: scientific literature review, interview using the Delphi method and the author’s experience and observations. The main key findings of this study are: (1) the area of focus in triangle (the triangle of three different point of views: business, information exchange and technical) depends on the person’s background and their role in the company, (2) the classification in the PDM system (and also in the CAD system) should be done using the materials, tools and machines that are in use in the company and (3) the design process has to be more effective because of the increase of industrial production, sheet metal blank production and the designer’s time spent on actual design and (4) because Design For Manufacture (DFM) integration can be done with CAD-programs, DFM integration with the PDM system should also be possible.

Metal additive manufacturing of internal flow channels with powder bed fusion processes

This thesis studies the advantages, disadvantages and possibilities of additive manufacturing in making components with internal flow channels. These include hydraulic components, components with cooling channels and heat exchangers. Processes studied in this work are selective laser sintering and selective laser melting of metallic materials. The basic principles of processes and parameters involved in the process are presented and different possibilities of internal channel manufacturing and flow improvement are introduced

Design, manufacturing and measurements of a metal-less V-groove RXI collimator

A metal-less RXI collimator has been designed. Unlike to the conventional RXI collimators, whose back surface and central part of the front surface have to be metalized, this collimator does not include any mirrored surface. The back surface is designed as a grooved surface providing two TIR reflections for all rays impinging on it. The main advantage of the presented design is lower manufacturing cost since there is no need for the expensive process of metalization. Also, unlike to the conventional RXI collimators this design performs good colour mixing. The first prototype of V-groove RXI collimator has been made of PMMA by direct cutting using a five axis diamond turning machine. The experimental measurements of the first prototype are presented.

Automotive manufacturing processes. Volume IV - metal stamping and plastic forming process. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Metal additive manufacturing of soft magnetic material for electric machines

This research work concerns the application of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies in new electric mobility sectors. The unmatched freedom that AM offers can potentially change the way electric motors are designed and manufactured. The thesis investigates the possibility of creating optimized electric machines that exploit AM technologies, with potential in various industrial sectors, including automotive and aerospace. In particular, we will evaluate how the design of electric motors can be improved by producing the rotor core using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and how the resulting design choices affect component performance. First, the metallurgical and soft magnetic properties of the pure iron and silicon iron alloy parts (Fe-3% wt.Si) produced by LPBF will be defined and discussed, considering the process parameters and the type of heat treatment. This research shows that using LPBF, both pure iron and iron silicon, the parts have mechanical and magnetic properties different from the laminated ones. Hence, FEM-based modeling will be employed to design the rotor core of an SYN RM machine to minimize torque ripple while maintaining structural integrity. Finally, we suggest that further research should extend the field of applicability to other electrical devices.

A comparative study of the fluidized-bed coating of cylindrical metal surfaces with various thermoplastic polymer powders

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation into the fluidized-bed coating of cylindrical metal specimens using two types of thermoplastic powders, Rilsan(R) PA11, a nylon-11 powder produced by Elf Atochem, France and Cotene(TM) 4612, a linear low density polyethylene powder produced by J.R Courtenay (New Zealand). The effects of dipping time, preheat temperature and particle size distribution on coating thickness and surface finish were investigated. Consistent trends in coating thickness growth with dipping time were obtained for both nylon-11 and polyethylene powders with increases in coating thickness with preheat temperature. For the same preheat temperature, the lower melting point of polyethylene results in thicker coatings compared to those of nylon-11. There is a negligible change in the coating thickness for sieved powders compared to that for unsieved powders. A pre-heat temperatures of between 240 degrees C and 300 degrees C is necessary to achieve an acceptable surface finish with both nylon-11 and polyethylene powders. To minimize errors in achieving the desired coating thickness, dipping times shorter than 2 s are not recommended. The use of graphs of coating thickness versus dipping time in combination with the coating surface roughness plots presented in this paper enable the optimal choice of pre-heat temperature and dipping time to achieve acceptable surface finish. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Practices and trends of telework in the Portuguese industry: the results of surveys in the textile, metal and software sectors

The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to study the practices and forms of teleworking in the manufacturing sectors in Portugal. The project chose also the software industry as a reference sector, even though it does not intend to exclude from the study any other sector of activity or the so-called “hybrid” forms of work. However, the latter must have some of the characteristics of telework. The project thus takes into account the so-called “traditional” sectors of activity, namely textile and machinery and metal engineering (machinery and equipment), not usually associated to this type of work. However, telework could include, in the so-called “traditional” sectors, other variations that are not found in technologically based sectors. One of the evaluation methods for the dynamics associated to telework consisted in carrying out surveys by means of questionnaires, aimed at employers in the sectors analysed. This paper presents some of the results of those surveys. It is important to mention that, being a preliminary analysis, it means that it does not pretend to have exhausted all the issues in the survey, but has meant that it shows the bigger tendencies, in terms of teleworking practices, of the Portuguese industry.