Reducing scrap could be your next way to cut costs in die casting process. Saving allows you to invest in research and development, maybe right to find new ways to reduce scraps: in a sort of golden circle which allow your company to be more performing. In this case using the right methodology and the right tools the solution could be suitable for your company.
First of all the most important thing is to analyze the situation, working on the causes of scrap: both in terms of new projects, than about existing components or products. This is the initial turn point. For each of these tasks you can distinguish 2 different phases: engineering phase and process phase.
Focus your attention on reduce scraps
Imagine to develop a new product, or improving an existing one. In this phase maybe you are not directly focusing your attention on reduce scrap: but this is the ideal step to cut cost in the future.
Focus attention on reduce scraps means simulate the whole procedure, from tools to machines, from mould to the finishing phases: such as mechanical machining, treatments or painting. Anticipating issue allows you to save time and resources, resulting in production process improvement.
You should figure out how the new product will be produced: starting from idea then to mass production.
This means have an overview all over the entire concept, engineering and mass production phases. In each of these steps you can cut cost reducing scrap.
Concept
In the first stage, in order to reduce scrap, is necessary working to understand the reason why of the product and its needs, in terms of structural and aesthetics properties. It is really important to identify the real function of the product, as components or part of design product, to figure issue after production.
After this step the prospect issues should be on the fluid dynamics and the mechanical of mould.
Engineering
In the engineering stage the focus should be on quote and the critical parts of the product. These are the most important details to check in order to avoid an important percentage of scrap.
To avoid issue related to them it is important plan two different activities: using simulation software and checking the production status.
About simulation there are some properties to check as uniform flow, filling temperature, reduce filling time (mould erosion must be avoid), distribution and pressure of the entrapped air, soundness and porosity.
In particular, in case of item with mechanical and structural requirements the most important properties are soundness and porosity whereas, if aesthetical quality is needed, it’s necessary to guarantee high temperature and uniform flow during the filling phase.
About production controls it is necessary to plan check points, from the design phase to mass production, paying attention on plan checks on the supplier's work. This is also a fundamental step in order to guarantee the quality at your customer.
These checks should be in the entire process, but above all in the initial step, so to identify the problem without wasting time.
However these checks have a cost, in terms of resources and time: it is necessary a precise plan: to avoid to spend an extra budget instead of save thanks to them.
Mass production
At the stage of mass production it is important to implement all the results of the previously completed work and apply checks in the different stages of production, from the first concept to the suppliers.
CONCLUSION:
Complete the work by complete a file with all the statistics, with costs and save, could be useful to have the first case history to applied for others products.
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