2.008

Design & Manufacturing II

The Discrete Parts Manufacturing

Lab IV:

Product Design

Lab V:

Tooling Design

Lab VI:

Tooling Fabrication

Lab VII:

Product Process Optimization

Lab VIII:

Production, Quality & Variation

OBJECTIVE

Introduction

ORGanization2

LAB IV: Product design2

LAB v: Tooling design3

Lab VI: tooling fabrication3

Lab VII: Product Process Optimizationn3

Lab VIII: Production, Quality & Variation34

DELiverables43

Labs IV-VIII

OBJECTIVE

This exercise requires student teams to design and manufacture a three-part, or four-part yo-yo.

The goal is to follow a typical product design/manufacturing sequence. The steps include:

1)Designing a product to be manufactured,

2)Designing the tooling to be used to form the parts for the product,

3)Machining the tooling with computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools,

4)Optimizing (tuning) the manufacturing processes,

5)Manufacturing a batch of product, and

6)Characterizing the manufactured products.

These exercises provide an opportunity to apply what you have learned about CAD/CAM, to learn about commonly used manufacturing processes, and to recognize some issues concerning the optimization of a manufacturing process. One of the lessons that can be learned by going through this progression is that the process and the tooling impose limitations on the part design. As an example, whether the part is thermoformed or injection molded, it must be easily removable from the forming tool. Thus, we will see that for best results the product and the process (in this case the tooling) must be considered simultaneously.

INTRODUCTION

Forming processes are used to produce a tremendous variety and quantity of parts. Examples of forming processes for metal include casting and sheet metal forming. Two forming processes for polymeric materials, injection molding and thermoforming, will be the focus of this laboratory sequence. The lessons learned from examining injection molding and thermoforming will be applicable not only to plastic materials, but to metals and ceramics as well.

All forming processes have one essential ingredient in common. They all rely on a tool, die, or mold to create the geometry of the finished part. In general, each new part design demands the creation of a new tool or die. This situation contrasts greatly with machining, where a set of cutting tools can be used to create a wide variety of finished shapes. Thus, we see that forming processes are less flexible to design changes than machining processes. However, forming processes result in net shape or near net shape parts. Thus, the use of forming processes is a balance between the cost and time associated with creating the tool or die and lower cost per part when making a large number of parts.

ORGANIZATION

Since the project will take several weeks to complete, we have broken the exercise into small segments: Labs IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII. During these labs students are organized into groups. Each group will design its product together and should delegate responsibility to specific individuals/teams for the manufacture of each of the component parts you intend to produce.

Lab IV: PRODUCT DESIGN

Each yo-yo group will design a yo-yo that has two, or three injection molded parts, and one, or two thermoformed parts. The designs, which you submit, are required to specify the increment of interference that you intend, and the dimensional tolerance that you anticipate will provide adequate service.

An example of an exploded assembly drawing of a yo-yo can be found in the ‘Lab Handouts’ folder in the course locker. Mold blank dimensions can be found in the ‘Mill Injection Molding Blanks’, and ‘Lathe Injection Molding Blanks’ folders. Prints of the‘Punch and Die Set’ blanks, as well as a ‘Thermoform Mold Blank’ are in their respective folders.

Design requirements:

  • Yo-Yos should be made of 2-3 injection-molded parts that snap fit together, and at least 1 thermoformed part
  • A set of ejector pins can be used if the injection-molded parts are not easily removable from the two-piece molds
  • Each injection-molded part cannot exceed 2.7 cubic inches in volume
  • The maximum outside diameter of the injection-molded parts cannot exceed 2.5” in diameter
  • High impact polystyrene ‘HIPS’ sheet of .020”, .030”, and .040” thickness is provided for thermoformed parts
  • Polypropylene is provided for the injection-molded parts, various colors are available
  • Appropriate spec ranges (tolerances) must be specified for the dimensional features of each part

Lab V: TOOLING DESIGN

Team members will design the molds needed to produce the required parts and use Mastercam to generate “G” code to direct the motion of the machine tools to produce these molds. Team members must confer with teammates to reach agreement on common dimensions and intended interferences to ensure snap-fits. All molds will be machined from aluminum. Ejector pins can be used if the design warrants the need for them. Team members responsible for the thermoformed part will machine their designed shape into a mold blank measuring 3.0” in diameter X .625” thick. They will also have an option to design, and machine a punch-and-die set for trimming the finished part from the material. The punch-and-die set will be made from low carbon steel. Prints for all the blanks, including the punch-and-die blanks are posted in the course locker, as well as a print showing the location and size of the ejector pin holes for the injection-molding blanks.

Be sure, when importing your design to the mold blank templates, that you locate the center of the product in the center of the blanks.

Lab VI: TOOLING FABRICATION

Students will machine their molds using the CNC machine tools in the laboratory. The teams involved with the “body” mold, i.e. (the component that will have the nut encapsulated in it) will also be responsible for machining 4 shafts that will support the nut in the mold for the injection molding process. The shafts must be made before optimization.

Lab VII: PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

Students will use the injection molding and the thermoforming machines to produce up to 5 batches of 6-10prototype parts of eachthe individual components. Each batchwill be made with different parameter settings and allowed to cool so accurate measurements can be taken to determine what settings will be used to achieve the intended design specification of the component. During this optimization process the machine should be allowed to reach an uninterrupted, steady-state, simulating how it would be running during a production run. The production rate will be considered and the parameters tuned-up to achieve the best quality at the best production rate. Once this is established the optimization will continue to “tune-up” the machine’s parameters to improve the production rate, reaching steady-state to achieve a balance of best quality, best production rate, simulating the final production run. The final optimized settings will be recorded for use in the production run.

In the event that the design specification can not be achieved for the component, the team will consult with the entire grouptooling will be evaluated to evaluate the toolingand possibly the entire product design to determine the most cost effectivefor possible redesign, or and re rework., The molds determined to be the least design disruptive, or offer the best solution to achieving the design intent will then be reworked, or re-machined after which and the process optimization will be rescheduled for the new mold to determine the optimal production parameter settings before continuing into production. Fully dimensioned revision drawings of any component (if altered) and the tooling affected by the revision will be required. can commence.

Note: Injection molded parts should be allowed to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before measuring to insure that the shrinkage has ceased. Select one dimension on each injection molded part and one dimension on each thermoformed part preferably the critical feature dimensions involved with the snap-fit aspect of the design.

Lab VIII: PRODUCTION, QUALITY & VARIATION

Students are expected to have optimized the process for the desired quality features and production rate for all of the components of the product, and be proficient in the set-up and operation of the injection molding and thermoforming machines prior to scheduling a production run. A minimum of 100 of each component will be produced, enough for fifty assembled products. Student teams will divide responsibilities to permit molding, trimming and sequence numbering for the creation of a run chart. During the production, at about fifty pieces, a process parameter (e.g. cooling time,time or sheet thickness) is to be altered to simulate a process disturbance to induce a mean shift of a part feature dimension. As in the optimization, the injection molded parts should be allowed to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before measuring. Select one dimension on each injection molded part and one dimension on each thermoformed part to study the dimensional variation in manufacturing. Preferably the critical feature dimensions involved with the snap-fit aspect of the design. Each component is to have its own set of data and charts.

DELIVERABLES

You are required to submit 4 reports as indicated belowduring the Discrete Parts Manufacturing progression. A statement should accompany each report attributing authorship, by section, to an individual student, and a joint evaluation of the relative contribution of each group/team member to the entire Discrete Parts Manufacturing exercise. Each group/team member must sign this statement. Your statement should appear as:

Student A20%Student C25%Student E 30%

Student B15%Student D10%

Definitions: A ‘Group’ is the entire Yo-yo group. A ‘Team’ is a pair of students within the group responsible for their assigned parts.

Grading: The entire ‘Group’ will receive a common grade on group reports. Each ‘Team’ will receive a grade on their particular team report.

Do not forget to include the agenda and minutes for each meeting.

Each report should contain the following:

Report 1: (10 points) Group report, due one week after the lab, at the beginning of the next lab session.

  1. An outline of the planned division of labor for the complete lab progression (i.e. who’s doing what for Labs V, VI, VII, VIII)
  2. Fully dimensioned drawings of each of the parts using Mastercam, or Solidworks.
  3. An assembly drawing.
  4. An explanation of how you incorporated the design requirements into the features of your product design.

Report 2: (10 points) Team report, due one week after the lab, at the beginning of the next lab session.

  1. A fully dimensioned Mastercam,Mastercam or Solidworks drawing of the molds.
  1. The complete set of G-code programs for machining the mold component. Send the completed programs to the appropriate crossshop folder, identify by including your Athena username in the file name. Please do not print the code.
  1. A justification for the dimensions you have established for your mold contours (i.e. how did you

calculate your shrinkage allowances?)

4. Select any 10 blocks of the G-code from one of your programs, the blocks must be in sequence. Print just the 10 blocks and submit an explanation of what the blocks of code are doing. For the lathe select movement blocks since the meaning of some of the lathe code isnot covered in lab.

Report 3: (15 points) Team report, due November 5thApril 8th by 5PM for all lab groups.

  1. Justification and discussion of the process optimization and possible mold redesign.
  1. A set-up sheet showing all the optimized parameter settings that will be used to run production for the component. Include the ejector-pin length, and shim thickness used for the mold.

2.A fully dimensioned drawing of the part. In the event of a redesign, a fully dimensioned revised drawing showing the new design specification well as a fully dimensioned revised drawing of the mold.

  1. Submit 1 component part from the final optimized prototype run.

3.A set-up sheet showing all the optimized parameter settings that will be used to run production. Include ejector-pin length, and shims used for the mold.

  1. A fully dimensioned drawing of the part. In the event of a redesign, a fully dimensioned revised drawing showing the new design specification as well as a fully dimensioned revised drawing of the mold.
  1. In the event of a redesign. A new set of programs for the altered mold. Please do not print the code. Send the programs to the appropriate crossshop folder, or have them on a floppy disk.

2 component parts from the final optimized prototype run.

Report 4: (10 points) Group Report, due November 23rd April 22nd by 5PM for all lab groups.

  1. A run chart showing the relevant dimensional features of each component part. (i.eI.e. a run chart for the dimension measured during production. A separate chart for each part.)
  2. A histogram of the critical dimensions which you monitored during your production run.
  3. Plot a Shewhart X-bar chart. Explain how you chose the size of your “rational subgroup.” Where did you place the control limits and why? Can you detect the step change induced by the parameter change you made midway through your production run? Why or why not?
  4. What is the process capability, Cp, for your process, given the spec range you indicated in the exercise undertaken in Lab IV?
  1. What were the restrictions (number of components, material, process limitation, etc.) on the part design? Suggest an alternative design when there are no restrictions (mechanical drawings are not required).

Note: Submit a separate set of charts for each component part.

2.008 - Design & Manufacturing II -1- The Discrete Parts Manufacturing