Reducing overall part count
from 30 to six cut the variability in the sheer amount of pieces that had to be handled, stamped, welded and assembled. While the casting process provides dimen- sional accuracy within stated tolerances of a given material or process, Dotson provided a further way to reduce variations that may occur in finishing by incorporat- ing an automated trim press for cleaning castings after they are extracted from the sand mold. “The main aspect Kinze was
The Kinze 4900 Series Planter was developed with improved seed placement accuracy and higher productivity in mind.
at least double by then to meet the growing population’s requirements. The authors in the report explained boosting crop yields is considered a preferred solution to meet demands,
rather than clearing more land for agriculture. For Kinze, this meant designing a planter that had bet- ter seed placement accuracy and reduced planting time.
looking for was for the products to be consistent from one piece to the next,” Schindle said. “We achieved that with the trim press vs. tradi- tional grinding methods.” While tooling for a trim press
can be an additional upfront in- vestment, the investment payback is rapid and quickly achievable with the proper volume. “The trim press was a double
win because it provides a consis- tent finish and a cost advantage over manual hand grinding or even CNC autogrinding,” Schindle said. More consistent parts contribute
to a more stable assembly, which means the 4900 Series Planter can move faster while placing seeds with a higher accuracy. “Weldments are not always
perfect,” Schindle said. “Cast- ings are going to be the same every time they get to the as- sembly line so you are not deal- ing with assembly issues. Every- thing is straight, which makes it more robust from an assembly standpoint.”Additionally, each cast component is interchangeable, meaning replacement parts can be cast and placed into an existing planter row unit easily.
Part Consolidation The backbone of the ductile
iron casting row unit is the main shank. The shank originally con- sisted of 17 stamped steel parts, each of which had its own path through the supply chain. Each piece had to be stamped, stored and welded. From start to finish,
22 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Sept/Oct 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60