Fig. 5. Shown is the aluminum parts fixture on a standard base plate.
Fig. 6. Pictured is the location of the sand cores on the standard base plate.
solutions for handling aluminum parts and sand cores. One of those solutions is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The same standard base plate was used to transport sand cores and aluminum parts. The alumi- num parts were supported by three flexible points. Three arms were
adjustable in X, Y and Z direc- tions to ensure all parts within a product family (i.e., swing arms) can be added to the pallet. The implementation presents an integrated solution in which no part must be replaced when the pallet is converted. Aluminum
OVERVIEW OF FLEXIBILITY PARAMETERS
In the present market circum- stances, customers are looking for flexible lead times for small to medium batch volumes of parts. This necessi- tates well managed economical produc- tion of smaller lots to respond quickly to customer demands. For economical manufacturing of small lot sizes, a con- siderable degree of flexibility is needed. Following are several taxonomies, or classifications, of the types of flexibility needed in small and medium metalcast- ing facilities.
Changeover Flexibility—The number of different products being produced concurrently over time; the result of uncer- tainty of the length of product life cycles. The changeover time in a metalcast- ing facility could be decreased by following basic handling practices, such as having remote actuation, ensuring access of tools to the machine, eliminat- ing the need to handle hot parts and provide hydration to the operator. Product Modularity Flexibility— Modular product design with compo- nent modularity to leverage product variations and use of common compo- nents across product families. Modular product configuration can reduce the variety of components while offering a wide range of products.
Product Mix Flexibility—The ability of the system to cope with changes in the products to be processed by the system. Generally, productivity tends to decline with increasing job flexibility. Most of the emphasis on achieving flexibility in manufacturing systems has been related to product flexibility.
Plant Layout Flexibility—The ability of a job shop to respond to known and future product mixes. Flexibility in facili- ties’ design literature is often defined as the capability of a layout to react to disturbances caused by future change. Four areas that can affect a shop layout are changes in product mix, changes in product volume, changes in the process and changes in raw materials used in producing these products. Machine Flexibility—The ease of making the changes required to produce a given set of part types. In foundry auto- mation context, the term “machine,” for example, could refer to an assembly robot. The machine provides the basic frame- work for flexibility.
Part Handling Flexibility—The ability to move different part types efficiently for proper positioning and processing through the manufacturing facility. This definition includes loading and unloading of parts, transporting parts from machine
to machine, and eventually storing the parts under varying conditions in the manufacturing facility. Enhanced layouts, more space, cleaner environ- ments, improved ergonomics and the use of autonomous work groups improve material handling flexibility in assembly environments. Production Flexibility—The uni- verse of part types that a manufacturing system can produce without adding major capital equipment. Operation Flexibility—The ability to handle several parts of varying profiles. Operation flexibility of a part also could refer to its ability to be produced in dif- ferent ways. Operation flexibility means the part can be produced with alternate process plans.
Response Flexibility—The ease of moving from one manufacturing system configuration to another within the existing capability and capacity envelope.
Part Routing Flexibility—The dynamic assignment of parts to machines or the rerouting of a given part if the machine used in its manufac- ture is incapacitated. Routing flex- ibility also gives the ability to handle breakdowns and to continue producing a given set of part types.
October 2015 MODERN CASTING | 41
part location pins were adjustable in the height (Z) and longitudinal direction (X). The arms also could be turned around the Z axis of the tubes and rotated independently. When arms were properly adjusted in all directions, they had to be fixed in this position.
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