Date of Award

2017

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

It is not unusual for a company to miss out on potential profits simply because they cannot produce a desired quantity with the equipment they own. In some instances, a manufacturers process is streamlined to the point where overproduction becomes a possibility. Efficient companies have the luxury of being able to meet demand quotas, stockpile product for future orders, and spend time on research and development projects. How well a system is designed can either lift a company to monopolistic power or quickly send it into bankruptcy. Businesses that rely on manufacturing products as means of revenue must stick to a very precise set of specifications as a model but be able to flex to a changing market or any problems that may arise.

The project in question focuses on the Insco Niantic Group in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The company produces a variety of mechanical seal components such as o-rings, gaskets, and other miscellaneous products. Insco does not produce considerably large batches of a single type of seal because their customer base only requests small batches of custom made seals. This prevents the company from being able to stockpile product for later dates because it is impossible to anticipate demand of such a volatile commodity. Instead of designing a system to pump out large quantities of seals, it would be a better idea to design a system that can quickly change what product is being produced. The most time consuming portion of a batch of any size is the preparation period. During prep time, the seal presses must be loaded with the appropriate die punch, controlling program, and calibrated to prevent failure. Raw material must also be sized down to a width that the seal press is capable of handling. In short the goal of this project is not to increase production speed but rather upgrade the rate at which different products can be produced.

Comments

Sponsor: INSCO Group

Sponsor Representatives: Kim Spellman, Mark Linville, Jeff Veloso

Download

Share

COinS