Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 6

As we all know, the day to day operation of a foundry is a complex process, where each stage in the operation is critical to the successful production of a casting. Each stage not only having its own list of variables that have to be monitored and taken into account, but also requiring a specific skill set. In the past, effective integration and monitoring of the production process, especially in small jobbing foundries was often very much dependent on the skill and experience of those who had a direct control over the operation, with much of the information required for the day to day operation being held in the heads of key personnel and gained from direct feedback from the operatives using the equipment in the production process. Some foundries still rely on this informal method to minor extent but problems will arise as equipment either becomes more automated, moving the man away from the operation, or as staff leave, taking their knowledge with them and creating a skills gap that is difficult to fill. The drive towards increasing automation in foundries can be seen as not just a way to increase production, improve quality and, hopefully, make savings but also as a way of working around possible skills shortages. However, to take full advantage of increased automation, it also requires that more attention is paid to the integration of a production process into the overall casting process. Doing this requires that processes can be monitored and the data sent to where it can be recorded, accessed analysed and acting upon. For most foundries change has to be incremental, as very few have the opportunity to start with a blank sheet. However incremental change allows the foundry to keep in better control, with the foundry driving the changes rather than the changes driving the foundry. When it comes to automation and systems integration, one of the many problems facing a typical foundry (if a typical foundry were to exist) is that the foundry has probably been established for several decades and the processes that it uses are long established with the equipment purchased for each stage of production very specific to the needs of production. Production equipment may vary from state of the art, latest technology, to an old faithful, often working side by side. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a common and understandable attitude in many foundries. Older equipment may not be as efficient as later versions but sometimes, because the guys working it know it inside out, it hangs in there long after it should have been replaced. Therefore when the decision has been made to invest in new equipment, this is the time when the foundry can examine what is required and what can be done. If the project involves two or more equipment suppliers then the foundry needs to make sure that all parties fully understand what the foundry wants to achieve with respect to integration and, in turn, the equipment suppliers have to make it clear what is achievable, within the foundry’s budget. STEVE HARKER Technical Director ACETARC ENGINEERING CO. Ltd ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: 1. Make change incremental – it’s less of a shock to the system and can be better controlled 2. Where a project involves a number of suppliers make sure that they clearly understand what you want and that their respective equipment will work together to offer an integrated solution SYSTEMS INTEGRATION 18 ADDING AUTOMATION INCREMENTALLY... FOR BETTER CONTROL AUTOMATEDMELTING & FURNACE CHARGING CASE STUDY