Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 5

42 Technology isdefinedasacollection of skills, methods and processes used in production or services to accomplish objectives. This technology can also be embedded in machines, computers, devices and production / manufacturing facilities which can be operated without a complete knowledge of the internal workings of such things. We often think of technology as the latest and greatest device, machine, gadget or program however, technology is alsodefined as skills, methods and processes used in production. In our industry the culmination of technology leans heavily on the methods and processes which have been developed through decades of overcoming the inherent challenges of the foundry environment. One of the challenges that comes with technology ischangeandaswe know some of us embrace change and some of us want nothing to do with change. If it still works why fix it? Another challenge with technology is the typical upfront cost to implement the change. As a machine manufacture some of the challenges we place on ourselves in the development of products include; decreasing cycle times, reliability and longevity, provide a definitiveROI, reduce down time for tooling transition, offer operators a safe ergonomic work station, capitalize on lessons learned and utilize the shared knowledge form foundries worldwide. In this manufacturing review we take a closer look at thecoremaking process and how having more processes completed by one core machine can assist you with your lean manufacturing process. Core-blowing technology starts with an analysis of core-blowing cycle times and how to cure a core efficiently. We know that the cost of manufacturing core machines is directly proportional to the cycle-time or throughput requirements specific to individual core manufacturers. Not only is dry cycle time important, but the process times related to exhaust times and gas and purge times also directly affect the final throughput of the core system. As foundries consolidate core families into single designs, this requires larger core machines capacities to meet larger single- piece cores to be blown. This is also the case with newer casting processes gravitating to larger, more integrated, blown-sand packages, suchas theprecisionsand process. These high core machine costs, taken into account with the sheer floor space, higher utility EMBRACING THE CHANGES CREATED BY TECHNOLOGY Jerry Senk President Equipment Manufacturers International, Inc. www.emi-inc.com Article Takeaways: 1. Think of technology as a skill to be learned 2. Many benefits to multifunction equipment SIMPLE SOLUTIONS THAT WORK!