Product category:
Data acquisition software and systems
News Release from: Delmia | Subject: DELMIA production line simulation
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 June 2006
Manufacturing time cut from months to
minutes
Production line simulation software was used in the development of a revolutionary manufacturing process to make polyurethane components for office automation products.
Dassault Systemes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, has announced that world-wide manufacturing group, BMP, has used DELMIA software to develop a revolutionary new manufacturing process for polyurethane components for office automation products BMP's plant in Accrington, Lancashire, UK, supplies the world's best-known makers of printers and photocopiers
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Specifically, the factory specialises in producing exceptionally high-grade polyurethane blades, which wipe excess toner from these machines' printing transfer drums.
As the product demands a variety of different specifications of accurately cut, clear sheets mounted onto metal blades, it was thought that only manual labour would be able to provide the kind of flexibility required.
BMP's Accrington plant is in operation 'round the clock', seven days a week.
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Seven years ago, the opening up of the Eastern Bloc and availability of cheaper labour there led to BMP opening a satellite factory in China.
The labour intensive production process is shared between the two factories, with the UK casting the polyesters and prepolymers into sheets before cutting and packing them for shipping to China.
After the six-week journey, the Chinese work force carry out further cutting prior to adding the metal brackets and then cleaning and priming.
Although several key customers have now developed their own Chinese plants, a substantial proportion of BMP's Chinese factory output is destined for European markets, so has to be shipped back, adding an additional six weeks to the total manufacturing process.
In a largely secret (patent applied for) process, BMP has developed a flexible, automated production line in the UK that negates the need for Chinese shipping and enables the Company to produce a component from its principal product line in just 30 min.
Patrick Pepperday, BMP's engineering manager, takes up the story: "We had a rough idea of what we wanted to achieve - the ability to cast directly onto metal blades, thus avoiding the need for cutting and the extra adhesion processes.
In order to develop the process, we took on three more engineers all of whom were devoted full-time to this project.
However, as the project continued, we assimilated a greater understanding of both the potential of the new system and also its potential problems.
A highlight was the realisation that high frequency, infra red was the perfect heating method once properly calibrated, but at the same time, we began to recognise that it might prove impossible to co-ordinate the sequencing of the nine different processes on the production line." One month into developing the groundbreaking process and with challenges that were beginning to look intractable, Pepperday remembered a demonstration of DELMIA production line simulation given by Northern Technologies that he had once attended.
He commissioned Northern Technologies to create a virtual model of his proposed manufacturing line using DELMIA QUEST software.
Paul Bateson, manufacturing specialist at Northern Technologies, explained: "During the two weeks that it took me to develop a comprehensive QUEST model, I managed to spot even more potential snags with the line, but almost all of these were solved by variable speed drives, enabling the conveyors to run at variable speeds.
This prevented the 'logjam' effect that can occur when some processes take under a minute, while others take nine minutes".
"The QUEST model also proved that instead of the originally planned six workers needed to run the line, just three were needed, and this was despite deciding not to build in automated blade fitting.
DELMIA Human allowed us to analyse the cycle times of the workers without trial and error try out sessions." Pepperday concluded: "QUEST addressed all our trouble spots with the result that we have a production capability able to fulfil all our initial expectations and considerably more besides.
We envisage that our automated line will be able to produce 3.6 million blades per annum at the same time as flexibly manufacturing our new range of feed tyres.
We had not even considered diversifying into this product until we realised the possibilities our new line presented us with.
We expect to produce in excess of a million of these in our first year without working at full capacity.
Next year, the line could be flexibly expanded or even duplicated, as it has, since its inception, managed to decrease the work content of blade and feed tyre production by around 80%." * About BMP - the BMP Division is a wholly owned subsidiary of the private multi-national company Andrew Industries Limited - a highly diversified industrial manufacturing group.
The BMP Division was established 30 years ago manufacturing components for the major OEM's in the Office Automation industry.
The business first expanded in the UK followed shortly afterwards in North America.
Further expansion has taken place with additional subsidiary companies being established in Europe, Mexico and Singapore and more recently in China making the BMP Division the partner of choice for many of the world's major OEM manufacturing companies.
* About Northern Technologies - the Northern Technologies Group is a leading provider of technical services, business support and training solutions.
The group comprises several business divisions based at our main centre in Nelson, Lancashire.
Our new Advanced Manufacturing Centre is open now in Burnley.
The group embraces many significant names, including Northern Technologies, Pendle Training, Learndirect and Northern EHS.
We supply our services to a broad spectrum of markets including; engineering, manufacturing, administration, public sector and information technology.
Information about Northern Technology is available at http://www.northerntech.co.uk.
* About DELMIA - DELMIA is a premier brand for digital manufacturing solutions, focused on two unique software applications that can be used to streamline manufacturing processes.
DELMIA Automation provides solutions to digitally design, test and validate the control of a machine, workcell, or entire factory line and DELMIA PLM provides the process and resource capability to enable continuous creation and validation of manufacturing processes as related to the product throughout the entire product lifecycle.
DELMIA serves industries where the optimization of manufacturing processes is critical, including automotive, aerospace, fabrication and assembly, electrical and electronics, consumer goods, plant, and shipbuilding sectors.
* About Dassault Systemes - as world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, the Dassault Systemes group brings value to more than 90,000 customers in 80 countries.
A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systemes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to maintenance.
Our offering includes integrated PLM solutions for product development (CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SMARTEAM), mainstream product 3D design tools (SolidWorks), 3D components (Spatial/ACIS) and SIMULIA, DS' open scientific platform for realistic simulation.
Dassault Systemes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris (13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges.
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