Sr.
Manufacturing Engineer
anich@sbcglobal.net
Adrian Nicholas
Case study – Conformal Coating Drying
Cabinet
Summary: Shaved a day
off production time, improved ergonomics, saved capital outlay of maybe
$20-150k.
Problems: a. Production was
bottlenecked by a primitive coating drying cabinet that operated on the Last
In, First Out (LIFO) principal. Parts had to be left in overnight, to avoid
coating damage. b. The operators had been doing things this way for
years and saw no need to change. c. research showed that commercial,
motorized coating equipment, to match our throughput, would cost $20-150k which
wasn’t in the budget.
Solution: I designed and built a manual
system for around $500 that doubled cabinet storage capacity and cut throughput
to 4 hours, allowing some parts to be shipped the same day; and the operators
loved it.
Some unused tool track had
given me an idea for sliding racks. 24 of these, made from angle-iron, could be
cut and welded at a local shop, for only $15 each, but the matching wheels
seemed expensive at $60 a set. Noticing that my home wardrobe door had
similar-sized wheels; a trip to the hardware store unearthed suitable wheels
for only $3 per set, saving nearly $1,400 on wheels alone.
Ergonomics was improved,
both for loading and unloading, since operators no longer had to reach inside
the cabinet. Emptied trolleys were place on a below-bench As a further
enhancement on the downstream end, where the coated single board controllers
were tested, I mounted the test fixtures on furniture rollers to allow lateral
motion.
Case study – Tool Support Posts
Summary: Reduced
clutter, improved ergonomics, saved maybe $3k+
Problems: a. The production area was cluttered
by electric screwdrivers and their power cords. b. ergonomics was
receiving attention due to a worker’s compensation claim. c.
commercially available tool support posts were expensive* and not in the budget, (we needed
about 20 x at least $200 apiece).
Solution: A trip to the local hardware store showed I should be able to make something for under $20. This was more
like it. I took a selection of hardware back to work to get input on height and
reach from the production leads.
The hardware store cut and
threaded pipe to length, which I then degreased and spray-painted as an
after-hours project to minimize paint fumes.
The posts were sized for
aesthetics, as much as function, and were very sturdy. Mounting with 4 x
¼" through bolts, they could be used to pick up the tables!
*expensive - this link shows current pricing
as $330 each (http://www.contacteast.com/product/group.asp?parent_id=6377).
Case Study – Documentation improvement
Problems: Existing
Method Sheets were prepared in MS Word. They looked nice, and contained all the
necessary information, but had major problems. a. Word had a hard time
managing the necessary multiple illustrations and symbols and often crashed, so
that b. sheets had to be stored in individual files with individual part
numbers. c. Any added intermediate steps were likely to have out of
sequence part numbers and, with time, d. keeping track of revisions, to
match numerous ECN’s became a real challenge. Even our documentation
specialists had a hard time with this and, for the shop floor leads and workers
it was a real nightmare. e. opening multiple files, out on the
antiquated production floor computers to check details, was impractical so hard
copies were used that were sometimes out of date.
Solution: I
transferred the basic data from Word to PowerPoint format, then combined
individual pages and part numbers into a single file/part number. This reduced
the number of part numbers needed and made changes easier to make and track. I
got buy-in from all the various manufacturing plants before re-writing the
relevant Work Instructions and ECN-ing the format change. Existing Method
Sheets were transferred to the new format only when material changes were
needed.
The
PowerPoint files ran so well, even on the out-of date shop floor computers,
that production leads could readily link to the latest documentation.
Work History:
2006 - Present: Mechanical Engineer, Sea Tel, Concord,
CA.
(Manufacturer of stabilized
antenna platforms for TV, phone and data systems installed primarily on boats).
·
Designs and engineers
components and assemblies.
·
Writes ECOs,
manufacturing and ISO procedures.
·
Approves designs,
ECOs, drawings including GD&T.
·
Researches
alternative materials, components, processes and methods.
2005 - 2006: Administrative Project Planner, Sea Tel, Concord, CA.
·
Planned and
administered engineering development projects.
·
Wrote ECOs,
manufacturing and ISO procedures.
·
Coordinated the
company’s successful ISO re-certification.
·
Researched WEEE and
RoHS and developed a company position statement.
2004 - 2005: Drafter Sea Tel, Concord, CA.
·
Generated and updated
AutoCAD 2000 and Solidworks drawings.
·
Implemented ECO
changes to BoMs and other documentation.
1995
- 2003: Sr. Engineer/Manufacturing Curtis Instruments, PMC Division, Livermore, CA.
(Manufacturing transferred offshore)