Author: Miles Free

Infrared Thermography- Preventive Diagnostic For Your Shop

Posted on by

We first used a digital infrared non-contact thermometer back in 1993 to get some diagnostic insight into the failures we were having in my cold finished mill. Unscheduled equipment and electrical breakdowns were keeping us from profitability.

With this technology we could see mechanical failures developing before they shut us down.

When we built the mill in Georgia, the engineers never gave a minute of thought to the  operating temperature differences the equipment would have to endure compared to our experiences up North. We just  ‘knew‘ our problems were thermal, the failures ‘clustered’ in the summer months. How to prove it?

The first bearing we found running hot with our IR thermometer allowed us to plan for a repair rather than lose valuable production time.

That first preventive/proactive repair paid for our investment in what the boys in the shop thought was a “heat gun.”

But when we turned this technology to the electronics controls- that is when we hit the real pay dirt.

At a $3000 per circuit board and 5 days via air freight from Europe, our IR thermometer helped us justify to the stingy “Just say NO'” bean counters that air conditioned electrical enclosures would pay for themselves by reducing both downtime and  unbudgeted expenses to replace failed  sensitive electronic components.

And they did. The IR thermometer properly deployed helped us finally achieve our business plan.

Its much easier to achieve your business plan when your equipment is actually operating.

Today, IR thermometers are very affordable. But if I was managing a shop today, I don’t think that I’d be satisfied with just a “heat gun.”

Would you rather have just temperature numbers to base your decision on,  or a compelling image of the problem? (Images courtesy of FLIR)

This photo is worth a thousand words to the maintenance team, eh?

Electrical issues become pretty obvious using infrared imaging- don’t you agree?

Why wouldn't you want to know what this technology has to show you?

One of my favorite quotes came from one of the Dune series books by Frank Herbert- “Who knows what senses we lack that we might better see the world around us?” the hero asks.

Today I can answer that question.

“With Infrared Thermographic imaging-  we can see electrical and equipment failures before they happen.”

I can’t imagine trying to keep a shop running without it.

Video of IR imaging in your shop

Video- not just for the shop

Fluke IR

Photos

Riding Lawnmowers- A Machinist’s View

Posted on by

Talking with a colleague about riding lawnmowers the other day.

It’s that time of year around here in Ohio.

He thought that a riding lawnmower symbolized the apogee of human evolution-

“What else demonstrates how far we have come than being able to sit down, ride around for a couple of hours, listen to some tunes, maybe enjoy a cold beverage, and at the end look around and say I did this? I mowed a couple acres of lawn.”

He has a point. Our ability to engineer, combine bits of metal and ingenuity have made our lives better in so many ways.

During my time in the mills I kept score similarly with calculating how many cars could be made from the the dozen or so  180 ton heats of steel  that we produced that day… or how many millions of  razor blades  or piano pins could be made from the last ingots of Open Hearth Steel we had in inventory before the plant closed?

Or the 14 frozen railroad bin cars that I personally unloaded one particularly nasty 4 to 12 shift back in 1974.

So in honor of my colleague’s salute to engineering’s contribution to human evolution, here are a couple of my favorite riding lawnmower photos. Enjoy!

I wonder if the paint scheme merits a cease and desist letter?

You know the wife will think you’re having too much fun:

Honey, can I go mow the lawn today? Please?
Maybe this guy ought to grow some lawn first...

Pedal power riding mower

Chopper

Redneck Lawnmower

Right Skills Now Is Giving People Skills

Posted on by

High tech,  get a well paying job, kind of skills.

Watch the video here.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/money/minn-program-trains-high-tech-workers-apr-5-2012?CMP=201204_emailshare#82666188-1

PMPA Member Darlene Miller, member of the President’s Job Council and Creator/ Champion for  RightSkillsNow said, “The skill set that we need, compared to ten years ago, is  enormously different. Math skills, problem solving skills are absolutely  critical.”

The students said they are excited and hopeful the skills they learn will  lead them to a job and a lifetime of possibilities. Many local employers have stepped up to provide internships where the students can get additional time on task and real world experience.

Brandon Eide said, “It’s something to look forward to in the future,  definitely.”

BLS Launches New Occupational Outlook Handbook Online Today

Posted on by

The BLS just launched its updated New Occupational Outlook Handbook Online last week, on March 29, 2012.

We were pleased to see this given some attention.

We were also pleased to have provided information to the BLS on some of the job titles occupations that they updated.

It is an improvement, but the absence of “manufacturing” from the list of Occupational Groups is puzzling-

Has no one at BLS been listening to all the speeches by the President about “Manufacturing” and its importance to America?

To look up Manufacturing, you need to select “Production” as an Occupational Group.

Farmers produce, miners produce, those of us in Fabricated metals / machining- we manufacture. We make things.

But in the new OOH, we’re filed under production.

Production, you know, like Food Processing Operators, Water and Wastewater Treatment Operators, and Laundry and Dry Cleaning Operators.

I guess they think manufacturing (making things) is like running a sewage treatment plant or doing somebody else’s laundry?

Why is Manufacturing like doing someone elses laundry? It makes perfect sense to the folks in Washington D.C..

So here’s the scoop- the contents of the new OOH  are current, authoritative, and useable .

And hard to find. I asked a colleague and he required several tries to find CNC operator.

But you need to find them. So here’s the key:

Machinist and Tool and Die Makers (But NOT CNC!)

CNC Machine Operators and Programmers (hint, you’ll find these under Metal and Plastic Machine Operators.)

Heres what the BLS has to say about Metal and Plastic Machine Operators:

How to Become a Metal or Plastic Machine Worker

“A few weeks of on-the-job training are enough for most workers to learn basic machine operations, but 1 year or more is required to become highly skilled. Although a high school diploma is not required, employers prefer to hire workers who have one.”

Okay, so they didn’t get this one right.

Well maybe they did for machine tenders, but certainly not for CNC machinists.

And you won’t find Computer Numeric Controlled Machine Programmer under the Computer and Information Technology Occupational Group.

You’ll find them in the alphabetical list which links to the second tab of that metal and plastic machine operator page.

According to Tab 3 on the metal and plastic machine operator there are just 16,600 Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Tool Programmers, Metal and Plastic.

2010-2020 Job Outlook for CNC Operators and Programmers can be found here.

The way I see it, Taxonomy is difficult, and the BLS’s decision to hide “Manufacturing” under Production doesn’t make sense to this aging baby boomer.

I see the world through Fabricated Metal Glasses and  manufacturing is people making things, not tending to  waste water or dry cleaning.

But the data and information that is available on the new site is current, authoritative, and I can say from my perspective – was vetted by people like me who helped the economists at BLS see these jobs from outside the beltway.

Congratulations for updating the Occupational Outlook Handbook Online.

We may not agree with all of your wording or taxonomy, but we are pleased to see good information about the opportunities for work in Manufacturing.

Even if they can’t say “Manufacturing” in Washington D.C..

Why do you think the officials in Washington D.C. can’t say the “M” word?”

Shrug photo link

March ISM Report Shows Manufacturing Continues To Grow

Posted on by

“The PMI registered 53.4 percent, an increase of 1 percentage point from February’s reading of 52.4 percent, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 32nd consecutive month. The Production Index increased 3 percentage points from February’s reading of 55.3 percent to 58.3 percent, and the Employment Index increased 2.9 percentage points to 56.1 percent. Of the 18 industries included in the survey, 15 are experiencing overall growth.”

This is what all these numbers mean...

Primary Metals and Fabricated Metals are two of the industries showing continued growth.

Steel, Aluminum, Copper, Oil and Fuel were all reported to be up in price; Steel was also reported lower in price in certain markets.

PMPA’s February Business Trends Report showed respondents sales to be up 11% over same month last year. Average length of first shift for february was 43.7 hours- 62 % of shops reporting were scheduling more than 40 hour shifts.

The PMPA Business Trends Report confirms the ISM findings regarding the continuing growth / expansion of manufacturing. Like the ISM Manufacturing PMI Report, and our Fabricated Metal market sector, the precision machining industry is maintaining a growing sales base, positive trends, and increased employment.

That’s how we see it.

How does it look where you are?

ISM Report March 2012

Photo

Can Radioactive Scrap Contaminate Your Business?

Posted on by

145 nuclear items were identified in scrap worldwide in 2011, 200 in 2010.

The most recent one we’ve learned about involves Cobalt 60 contamination of a metal tissue cover box sold through Bed Bath And Beyond.

"The level of exposure from holding a contaminated
tissue-box holder against the body for an hour is equivalent to a chest X-ray," according to the NRC.

Despite the “assurances” of the NRC officials, chronic exposures to low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth defects according to the USEPA (see chronic exposure page in link). Cobalt 60 is both a beta and gamma emitter. One of the problems with beta emissions is that they lack the ability to travel, so their effects concentrate where they are stopped.  Gamma emissions have high energy and penetrating power.

Most people keep their tissues on the night stand by the head of the bed. Get the picture?

They keep their tissues by the head of the bed...

If radioactive materials came into your shop, how would you know?

Fortunately, every North American steel melt shop that I have visited takes a number of steps to assure that they do not accept radioactive scrap or materials in bound, and have positive means to test  when original melt lab work is done.

Radiation detectors at truck scales, train gates, and at detectors at sample prep stations in the melt shop lab are just some of the means that the special bar quality mills I’ve worked at or visited use to assure that radioactive materials do not get into the product stream.

But that level of security does not exist everywhere, as the Bed Bath and Beyond Tissue Box shows us.

Bloomberg reports that U.S. Department of Homeland Security data shows that India and China were the top sources of radioactive goods shipped to the US through 2008.

These countries lack the protections that we have come to expect here in North America like entry exit gate detectors.

Bottom line: Radioactive materials can  and do “go wild” in the marketplace. Responsible steelmakers have means to assure quality.

Know who you buy from. Reputable North American Steel Producers have this figured out.

Truck Shipping Gate Radiation Detector

Tissue box Photo

Homer Simpson Head X-ray

Automotive Exports- 2011 Data China Compared to US

Posted on by

This post is informed by stories from Automotive NewsWire and USA Today.

China:

China’s Minister of Industry and Information, Miao Wei, reported recently that China exported a total of 824,000 vehicles in 2011, a 50% increase over the prior year.  He said he expects China will export more than 1 million units within the next year or two.

Mr. Miao credited the export increase in 2011 to the increasing number of vehicles available in China for export and the maturing of the nation’s domestic manufacturers.

What do you think that means?

In plain English, what it really means  is that the decline in domestic demand for vehicles in 2011 in China made it imperative for China’s auto manufacturers to export vehicles-just to keep their assembly plants operating.

USA:

According to USAToday on the topic of U.S. made automobile exports, “More than 1.5 million new cars were exported last year, up 38% from 2009, Commerce Department data show. Last year’s automotive exports were valued at $36.7 billion.”

Here are 2 questions to spur your thinking.

Question 1: Which Automaker exported the most autos from the US last year?

This company's automobile exports topped $7 billion last year.That's a mere 68% increase over 2010.

Question 2: Which country put punitive duties on automotive exports from the other?

What is our point?

I remember when the Chinese were planning on exporting auto’s to the U.S.

Why are the Chinese selling cars everywhere else in the world but not here in the U.S.?

We don’t have the answer to that yet, but we think that it may be a “tell” that there is more hardball to be played in the field of trade relations… and currency valuations.

What do you think?

Autonewswire.net

New Cost Per Hire Standard- 50 Pages of American National Standard

Posted on by

Just learned that an American National Standard for calculating the Cost Per Hire has been published.

ANSI/SHRM 06001.2012

50 pages to say CPH= the sum of External Costs plus Internal Costs divided by number of hires.

Normally, I’m all for Standards, Consensus, and Systems.

But this one is a 50 page American National Standard just to get the HR Department and the Finance Department to agree that :

CPH = (External Costs) + (Internal Costs) / Total Number of Hires in a Time Period

Seems a bit like overkill.

Although this is a pdf available on line, I question the need for 50 pages to “standardize” a definition of a simple quotient.

In my world, complex minds simplify, and simple minds complexify.

Here’s a link to your own 50 page pdf of ANSI/SHRM 06001.2012

The Difference Between Accuracy And Precision Measurement In Your Machine Shop

Posted on by

Your QA manager can put you to sleep explaining the difference between these two terms- but you really need to know the difference.

Accuracy describes 'close to true value;' Precision describes 'repeatability.'

Accuracy in measurement describes how closely the measurement from your system matches the actual or true measurement of the thing being measured. It is the difference between the observed average of measurements and the true average.

Think of accuracy as the “trustworthiness” of a measurement system.

Precision in measurement describes how well a measurement system will  return the same measure; that is its Repeatability.

As the targets above show, it is important to be both Accurate and Precise if you are to get useable information from your measurement system.

But the repeatability has two components- that of the measurement system (gage) itself and that of the operator(s). Differences resulting from different operators using the same measurement device- this is called Reproducibility.

In our shops, we cannot tell if our measurement system has repeatability or reproducibility issues without doing a Long Form Gage R&R study.

Gage repeatability and reproducibility studies (GR&R) use statistical techniques  to identify and discern the sources of variation in our measurement system: is it the gage, or is it the operator?

Gage error determined by the GR&R is expressed as a percentage of the tolerance that you are trying to hold.

Typically, 10% or less Gage Error is considered acceptable. Over 30% is unacceptable; between 10 and 30% gage error may be acceptable depending on the application.

Regardless- any level of gage error is an opportunity for continuous improvement.

Target Graphic

Manufacturing Rebound To Outpace GDP Growth In US In 2012-MAPI

Posted on by

“Manufacturing production should outperform GDP growth…”

The U.S. manufacturing recovery continues on track and should outperform overall GDP growth through 2013, according to the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) U.S. Industrial Outlook (E0-103), a quarterly report that analyzes 27 major industries.
Manufacturing outlook is positive.

“There exists pent-up demand for consumer durable goods, particularly for motor vehicles, and firms are profitable and need to spend more for both traditional and high-tech business equipment,” said Daniel J. Meckstroth, Ph.D., MAPI Chief Economist and author of the analysis.

“In addition, strong—though decelerating—growth in emerging economies is still driving U.S. exports.”

Despite the fact that the global economy remains volatile, Meckstroth said the risk of recession for the U.S. has receded in the last three months.
Takeaway for precision machining shops:
Manufacturing industrial production increased 4.5 percent in 2011. MAPI forecasts that it will increase 4 percent in 2012 and 3.5 percent in 2013. The 2012 forecast is up 1 percent and the 2013 forecast is down 0.5 percent from the December 2011 report. Manufacturing production should outperform GDP growth, which MAPI estimates will be 2.2 percent in 2012 and 2.4 percent in 2013.