A Process Improvement for the Removal of Steel Cores from Slitting Machines
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Date
2015-12-07
Authors
Anyanwu, Chidinma
Rabadia, Kaushik
Friesen, Devin
Liu, Jia Zhe
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Abstract
Winpak produces packaging equipment used in food packaging industries. One of Winpak’s main procedures is reducing larger wide rolls of packaging material into three equally narrower rolls of material. This process is done using a slitting machine. Steel cores are used to load the material on the slitting machines. The steel cores have the material wrapped around them and are connected to the slitting machine by way of the chucks. There is a tight fit between the chucks and the steel cores, and about 50% of the time the cores get stuck on the chucks. The current removal procedure involves a pry bar and a steel tube. The process begins by using the pry bar to create a gap between the chuck shoulder and the steel core. This part of the core removal process is the most difficult. The process then involves using pry bar to continue sliding the core off the chuck. Eventually, the steel tube is needed to create leverage. The steel tube is inserted between the chuck shoulder and the pry bar to bring the pivot point closer to the end of the core. This part of the process allows the operator to slide the core off the chuck with the pry bar. This current process is a safety hazard for employees and damages the steel cores and chucks. Our team’s objective is to design a solution that safely and efficiently removes the steel core without causing damage. Our final design solution is an improvement to the current process. The current core removal process takes 3-30 minutes depending on how severely stuck the core gets. With the modification, the process time has been decreased to 3-5 minutes. The design involves machining a slot in the shoulder of the chuck the size of the pry bar tip. This modification creates the initial gap that is so hard to create. The slot makes the process safer by giving the pry bar a more secure grip between the chuck shoulder and the core. We have also added a grip to the pry bar where the operator holds the pry […]