Page 62 - MetalForming October 2009

Tooling Technology
Die Design
analyze, create new CAD, NC programs, and then remachine the dies,” McLaugh- lin says. “By becoming NC-machine intensive in die tryout, we have been able to eliminate the bottlenecks creat- ed in traditional die-tryout work. The only way the sheetmetal on the vehicles will look good is if we’re good at design- ing, building and verification of these exact processes in our stamping presses
with sheetmetal. We have made signif- icant improvements in timing, quality, fit and finish of our vehicles, and white- light scanning has been the key enabler.”
Faster Die Development Requires Optimized Shop Scheduling
The final piece in the die-develop- ment and production puzzle is efficient
and accurate shop scheduling, and for a shop that is as dynamic as Dearborn Tool & Die is, scheduling is a critical function. Efficient shop scheduling allows the shop to keep up with the growth in throughput without adding vast amounts of resources, particularly now that design and build happen so seamlessly and quickly. Tra- ditionally, scheduling systems fail due to poor information feed. The DieCost module of SmirtWare Version 8, recent- ly released and implemented at Dear- born Tool & Die in September of this year, now can feed shop-floor data in real time into the plant’s scheduling system. It also assigns time to complete each DieBuild operation.
“This makes the process visible and accurate,” says David Gray, the manag- er of tool coordination. “And, we need to not only see what is happening now, but what is about to happen, to allow accurate forecasting for next week, and next month. The software helps us man- age machine time, material flow and material availability.”
As Smirt moved into the design and build functional areas of the plant, it became clear to Gray and his team that as processes on the floor were becoming more and more efficient, and the time- frame to complete the dies was being squeezed further and further, those areas were outpacing the plants cur- rent system for scheduling. “That’s why automated scheduling through Smirt’s DieBuild and DieCost programs will help, so we can stay ahead of the shop floor. We’ll be able to take the time cal- culations and costs and add those to our current scheduling system (Primavera software, a project-management tool). Operators on the floor will go into the software after each operation and use a check-off feature. Then, merging the Smirt production data into Primavera will automate the scheduling function and take 80 to 90 percent of the manu- al work out of the equation,” says Gray.
That closes the CPA loop, as the changes at Dearborn Tool & Die have been centered on people, processes and technology. Henry Ford’s die shop has moved into the 21st century. MF
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