REDUCED SCRAP AND INCREASED PRODUCT PERFORMANCE YIELDS COST SAVINGS $22,080
During a line review of a customer’s facility, the Field team noticed a significant amount of product scrap at one workstation. Upon inquiring, the customer informed Field they were scrapping 40 units a day.
Field knew there had to be a better way and began testing the product at the Field engineering lab to improve the design and eliminate scrap.
The previous design had a significant failure and scrap rate caused by an improperly sized fastener over-stressing the plastic material. This fastener would crack the screw bosses during installation. Unfortunately, the internal location of this boss made detection of this failure very difficult, if not impossible. The clamping component in this fastener was also improperly sized, causing frequent bulging of the clearance hole.
The key to the Field solution was consolidation. Field was able to incorporate an existing part which was active on another higher volume product line, while creating additional clamp in the joint. With the new design, the interference in the clamping component was eliminated and the fastener consistently clamped the two halves together. This fastener also reduced the installation torque and eliminated the cracking issue. With the client’s best interests in mind, Field executed a plan requiring zero redesign of the plastic bosses and consolidated part numbers.
The proposed Field redesign was validated, and within a few days of implementation, eliminated virtually all product scrap and simplified the assembly and manufacturing processes: