Overview:

The Chamberlain group for spring 2004 is implementing a design to optimize the billet cutting process for Chamberlain Manufacturing.  The proposed design includes modifying the crane apparatus to attach a crane scale and laser distance sensors to the support beams.  These sensors will interface with a programmable logic control (PLC), which will calculate the optimal cutting length.  The cutting length will then be output to a Panelview^® 300 display monitor for further use by the operator.  There will be a computer connected to the PLC that will store billet measurements for historical and statistical purposes.

Introduction:

Chamberlain Manufacturing currently has a billet cutting process that uses a crane to pick up steel billets from a pallet and carries them over to a conveyor where the billets are fed into a billet-cutting saw.  Once the billet is placed on the conveyor, the operator estimates the length of the billet and reads the appropriate cutting length from a table.  This length is dialed into the saw and then the billet is automatically fed into the saw by the conveyor.  This process is inefficient because it takes more time than necessary.  Also, the operator estimates cause inaccuracies in the measurements, and this results in excess waste cutoff which adds up to lost profit for the company.  Therefore, the process needs to be improved in order to increase efficiency and cut down on costs.

A steel billet is a solid steel rod approximately 5”x5”x18’ with rounded corners, and these dimensions vary for each billet.  Each cut billet piece must be of a certain volume in order to be pressed into a specified artillery shell, hence the total volume of the billet is necessary to calculate the appropriate cutting length.  Therefore, an efficient billet measurement system requires that the length and weight of the billet be found in a timely and cost-effective manner.  By assuming a constant density and using the weight and length measurements, the volume of the billet can be calculated.