Page 10 - Machines Italia Vol. XIII Next Generation Manufacturing

OPERATOR TRAINING
Each batch spends three hours under high pressure and high temperature in the Flainox machine, during which managers and op- erators can log-in and check on the status from their office. Thus even the operator isn’t tied to the machine and can perform other functions during the long dyeing cycle. Brebner added that the con- trol features what Flainox calls a “synoptic display” that provides more information than commonly available on such systems. “For in- stance, I can tell what step it’s on...look at levels...tank functions...I can look at all the auxiliary components. This is something that has been developed and programmed to meet our specific needs.”
required in today’s smaller cars, especially electric vehicles for which the standards for noise, vibration, and harshness are becoming in- creasingly difficult to meet, then you need to make them to very tight tolerances. And if you want to ensure a stable process over millions of parts with a process capability index (Cpk) of 1.33, you need to hold within 20-50 μm. That requires using a fine blanking process, such as that pioneered by UTIL INDUSTRIES SpA, (Villanova d’Asti, Italy, www.utilgroup.com) in 1965.
But, explained Fabrizio Cusumano, UTIL’s chief technology of- ficer for group engineering and product development, it’s not easy to copy them. “You can spend three million on a single press. You can spend another million on a big decoiler to manage the steel for the press. But if you don’t have the knowhow and the feel for the material and the products, you cannot blank any parts.” Alas, acquiring that skill demands at least a full year of experience running a fine blank- ing press in production under the tutelage of an expert. “We spend five days on theory and all the weeks and months are hands- on with the press, working and playing with the steel, with the parts, with everything,”
Flainox is using augmented reality, smart glasses, and mobile devices to make it possible for their remote technicians to act as if they are in the field alongside the customer.
said Cusumano.
Unlike a traditional press, fine blanking
uses a hydraulic press to rapidly approach the steel from below, and then “we can re- duce the speed, controlling every single
Flainox also offers support via augmented reality through smart glasses or mobile devices. This makes it possible for remote Flainox technicians to act as if they are in the field alongside the customer’s staff, which helps identify problems in real time and guide the local personnel in implementing a rapid solution. The system can also be used to assist the customer during machine commissioning and pro- vide operator training on new equipment.
Brebner said Flainox has “never shied away from attempting to do things they had never done before” and it has “incredible capabili- ties and the willingness to understand” customer needs. That makes them a perfect fit for a key part of the business in the US: Sampling equipment for laboratory work serving the medical and textile markets. Although most production has moved to Southeast Asia, much of the product and process development remains in the US.
Companies need versatile equipment to test improvements and fabric changes on small batches of product. “Once they settle a pro- cess and know it’s going to be a high volume item, they can easily transfer the developed process to those markets.”
Only an apprenticeship program will do
Automotive brake shoes and backing plates seem like such sim- ple parts. But if you want to make them with the level of precision
force in the press in order to achieve better quality, without any de- formation, and with very high cutting precision during the operation,” explained Cusumano.
The parts may look simple, but the press and dies are complex, and “the stainless steel we use has to be formed,” said Cusumano. “It has to flow in [both] the press [and] in our dies. It’s a live material.” So UTIL is committed to a lengthy apprenticeship program for all its operators at all its plants, including UTIL CANADA (Concord, Ontario, Canada), where Vladan Markovic is the president and general manager. “We have people going back and forth from our plant to Italy, and experts from Italy come here to help train us in all aspects of the business, from press operators, toolmakers, engineering, and maintenance,” said Markovic. That’s because UTIL also insists that each location be fully independent and capable of continuous improvement in all aspects of the business in order to meet the needs of the local market.
For automated manufacturing to be as effective as it can be, para- doxically, well trained operators are needed. As noted in the review article on the survey SME conducted (see “USMCA survey says Ital- ian machinery is durable and high quality”) Italian companies are noted for providing high levels of training. Even more is their reputa- tion for technical support after the sale. Automation that works is the best kind there is.
10 Volume XIII | www.machinesitalia.org