Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 15

M anufacturing processes are perpetually evolving. Much like the natural world, things that prove beneficial tend to stick around, while those things that are harmful or less useful are eliminated over time. Generally, changes of this type in the natural world happen over very long periods of time and can be influenced by externalities that cause evolution to occur in a way that is only perceptible when measured over thousands of years. In our manufacturing world, we don’t have the luxury of that much time, and thus the rate of change required to eliminate harmful “pain points” is much faster. We all live this every day, and case studies are a great way to document how pain points can be eliminated to benefit a process and provide lasting gains. Generally, the benefits are measured over short periods and produce improved performance in the important areas of safety, process efficiency and financial return. Our company, Molten Metal Equipment Innovations (MMEI), recently worked with a customer to eliminate a pain point and generate real benefits that will persist over time. WHERE DOES IT HURT Companies can almost always tell you where the pain is, and generally remedies are focused on where there is the most pain, especially those areas creating unsafe working conditions and/ or poor financial performance. In the case I would like to relate, the pain was concentrated in three primary areas: safety, operational efficiency, and excessive cost. The root cause of the pain is related to a very common problem in our industry, and that is the challenge associated with emptying molten metal from a stationary furnace. There are a number of factors that create this pain point and all of them need to be factored into developing an effective solution. First, molten metal is dangerous to humans. At temperatures in excess of 700 degrees centigrade, it can do great harm very quickly should it come in contact with you. Second, and related to the first issue is that when spilled it creates a major safety hazard and a very expensive problem to clean up, often requiring significant down time and huge expense. Next, there is the issue of how to empty a furnace.Over time different technologies have been developed that include, gravity, mechanical pumps, hydraulics and pressure. All can work, all have pros and cons. After you decide how to get the metal out, you have to have a place to put it, and to keep it in the state desired (molten or solid) for your intended use. Lastly, all these things drive costs, and ideally you want to accomplish the task safely, quickly, and for as little money as possible. A CASE STUDY In the case of our customer, all the factors above came into play. Normal operation would see molten aluminum alloy (A-380) transferred by a MMEI Mini Launder Transfer pump into ladles and then transported to the casting machines. The process was continuous and designed for high efficiency, and thus the metal level in the furnace was never allowed below 20 inches to keep the pump fully submerged. Periodically however, the furnace needed to be emptied to allow for routine maintenance, or to switch alloys. The existing process was to use gravity, tap out plugs and sow molds to manage the emptying process. This resulted in safety concerns for the operators as they were forced to be in the path of the JEFF KELLER CEO Molten Metal Equipment Innovations ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Manufacturing processes are in a continuous state of evolution • Every process has “pain points” associated with it • Focusing on the elimination of pain points is a good business model A CASE STUDY IN MOLTEN METAL TRANSFER 4