KENNAMETAL B TEAM Team Members:  Janice Custodio                           Theresa Dalpiaz                           Adam Krugh                           Kyle Sharpe                           Pradeep Vangeti

Prototype for hold non-Kenloc inserts in LIMAT machine

Currently, the handling process of carbide inserts at the Orwell facility is very labor intensive through the various manufacturing processes.  In one particular area, the linear electropolish, a bottleneck is created by inefficiencies in loading the apparatus used to facilitate the electropolish process.  The Kennametal Orwell facility originally requested a study with the objective to improve efficiency in the linear electropolish area and reduce human factors issues, however, after meeting with the company on October 21, 2002 the project team was redirected to study the feasibility of adapting the alligator clips of the linear electropolish to the apparatus used in another similar electropolish process called a LIMAT electropolisher.  The electropolish process is conducted to remove an outer layer of cobalt which is a side effect of the sintering process used to produce the inserts.  An investigative approach was first developed to focus on loading and unloading clips based on the linear electropolish process.  However due to the request of Kennametal management, the objective and investigative approach changed, and the focus was placed entirely on the adaptation of alligator clips on the LIMAT apparatus.  As a result, new ideas were brainstormed, a prototype was designed, built, presented, and tested.  A total of seven designs, which include six original designs that were presented to Kennametal in a meeting on October 21, 2002 and a final design based on suggestions made at that meeting.  The seven designs included a fixture with a handle actuation, a fixture with a foot pedal using pneumatic cylinder operation, a foot pedal system using conveyor feed, a fixture with robot loading, a hanging mesh screen with individual pockets, a mesh conveyor system, and the design of the alligator clips for the LIMAT apparatus for use in the turnover machine.  Originally, some of the ideas were immediately deemed infeasible such as the fixture with handle actuation, the foot pedal system with conveyor feed, and the mesh conveyor system.  In comparison, the fixture with a foot pedal using a pneumatic cylinder operation, the fixture with robot loading, and the hanging mesh screen with individual pockets were considered as possible solutions in accomplishing the objective of improving the linear electropolish area.  As mentioned earlier, after presenting and discussing these ideas with Kennametal management, the mesh screen and the robot ideas were also deemed as too difficult and too expensive, respectively.  However, management felt that the Orwell facility would benefit if the alligator clip concept could be adopted onto the LIMAT machine apparatus. Thus, this became the final objective for the project.  As aforementioned, the concept was turned into a physical prototype of the new LIMAT apparatus with the alligator clips and an insert support device. 

Current method of holding Kenloc inserts in LIMAT machine

                        

Insert Support