DESIGN SOFTWARE
SECTION TITLE
Drawing on extensive experience
of advanced welding techniques, LTi reworked the design of the parts previously configured to be manufactured from the stainless-steel billets to reduce the extent of required welding and machining. Te team also altered the autoclave’s counterweight to a tube design consisting of inserted circular blocks cut from what would otherwise have been scrap metal offcuts. Tis helped to reduce costs considerably and contributed to greater safety of the assembled parts. Te design geometrics of the lid’s cone
top structure were also revised to improve and streamline the required tooling processes. By increasing the cone top’s diameter hole by a factor of two, LTi could roll out the shape on a standard machine – saving approximately £1,000 on this part and its manufacturing process alone. Te resultant changes allowed LTi
to reduce the total amount of assembly hardware required to fabricate the array of machined parts. Essentially this reduced the number of assembly steps involved, which further reduced the risk of human error and subsequent rework that can slow down the manufacture of a structure and push up costs.
Assembly steps were greatly reduced
Speaking about the changes, LTi’s technical director, Edgar Rayner, said: “Tis project with West Technology, with whom we’ve long had a successful working relationship, proves yet again what is possible through innovative design processes. Producing vessels at the highest quality for the lowest overall costs is often
a challenging balance to get right, which is why it was important that we worked closely with West Tech through the all- important redesign process. Troughout the whole process the teams collaborated excellently, and we are hugely proud of the end product and the economies made possible through this.”
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