Assembly - February 2009 - (Page 57) Advertisement Advertisement CASE STUDY Assembly Productivity Increased Aircraft Manufacturer Chooses Kitting For Efficient Parts Handling. ot all problem-solving leads to increased productivity but, in the case of one electronics assembly operation, that’s precisely what happened. The product being assembled contained small plastic components that had to be held tightly together by metal screws. After testing the joints under simulated conditions, some loosening occurred, so, the manufacturing engineer initiated the use of a liquid adhesive to strengthen the connections. The introduction of the liquid adhesive led to another problem. The adhesive attacked the plastic, damaging the components. When contacted, The Bradley Group, experts in the application of pre-applied adhesives, sealants and mechanical thread lockers, suggested pre-applying a chemical adhesive that wouldn’t harm the plastic – solving both housekeeping and contamination issues (No liquid mess - no sloppy run-off). After carefully analyzing how much it cost the assembler to apply liquid adhesive in-house versus Bradley’s pre-application, they realized pre-application of the adhesive resulted in tremendous savings. No components were damaged. Plus, they’d been wasting a lot the adhesive – every drop of which costs money. Finally, productivity went up because the labor force was employed in production, not applying adhesives. That’s why the electronics industry is turning more and more to the pre-application of adhesives. Stephen A. Smith, Vice President The Bradley Group of Companies 1-800-201-7381 Ext. 106 www.bradleygroupcoatings.com ssmith@bradleygroupcoatings.com N A major commercial aircraft manufacturer commits to kitting. To accommodate these kits, the manufacturer determined that they needed carts that could be quickly custom designed and flexible while remaining light weight and strong. They selected the Creform pipe and joint system and now design and build their own carts in house. This allows them to create purpose-built kitting carts that are custom designed and can often be built within hours if necessary. Aircraft parts are typically high value parts not only in terms of their cost, but in the potential negative effect on the overall production schedule if they are damaged or lost. Since many of these parts cannot be quickly replaced and there are typically no spares available, they need to be handled carefully. This aerospace manufacturer stocks job specific carts in a supermarket kitting warehouse and then moves them to the assembly shop floor. Having all the parts necessary to complete a task together on a cart that can be positioned at the point of use keeps their skilled mechanics on task making them more efficient. The organized layout and totes with dedicated compartments ensure damage free handling and support easy visual inventory management. The Creform carts are designed so that the kit’s totes fit into compartments that can be pulled out like drawers. In addition, there s a large flat surface on top for big components or this area can be used as a work surface. Options for these carts include different pipe colors, label holders and towing hitches. Keith Soderlund, VP Sales Creform Corporation PO Box 830, Greer, SC 29652-0830 800.839.8823 SCsales@creform.com www.creform.com www.assemblymag.com February 2009 / ASSE M B LY 57 http://www.bradleygroupcoatings.com http://www.creform.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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