Manufacturing Processes - New Developments - 2015

March 2015


32nd SCI Process Development Symposium
Churchill College, Cambridge, UK
Wednesday 25 - Friday 27 March 2015 Organised by SCI’s Fine Chemicals Group
http://www.soci.org/News/Fine-chems/Process-Development-Symposium-2015

Toyota Improving Its Design and  Manufacturing Process

Toyota revamped its manufacturing process following VWs MQB Platform process

Earlier it was one plant, one line, one model. But now  Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said  recently that they  can manufacture different brands and models with great flexibility on one production line.

The system sets specifications for the basic underpinning of a vehicle and for attaching components from brakes and powertrains to engines. The system  can save up to 30% of the upfront development costs of a new vehicle. Its so-called MQB platform allows multiple models, body styles and even brands to be built in the same factory, reducing costs.

Volkswagen’s rollout of the system has hit reported profit margins. The company hasn’t detailed the investment, but it is significant amount. VW officials, however, say the expected benefits will come later, when more models are built on the system.

Hirohide Nagakawa, a Toyota engineer involved in platform development, said that in 2012, Volkswagen started to sell its first vehicles built under MQB, Toyota engineers noticed it and studied the impact carefully. They benchmarked their system against MQB and now they are modifying their system to gain benefits of Volkwagen's idea.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/toyota-unveils-revamped-manufacturing-process-1427371432
http://michelbaudin.com/2015/03/28/toyota-unveils-revamped-manufacturing-process/
http://www.manufacturingglobal.com/lean/407/Toyota-New-Global-Architecture-manufacturing-process-unveiled
http://www.bidnessetc.com/38261-toyota-motor-corp-adr-to-launch-a-new-production-program/



Additive technology is fueling a manufacturing revolution — not just speeding up an existing process but enabling engineers and designers to think of product realization in ways never before possible, with material combinations that may not have existed before. - Tom Maloney
Tom Maloney is the chief technology officer of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.
http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20150309/PRINTEDITION/303059944/additive-manufacturing-offers-ct-ways-to-expand-traditional-product-development

SABIC - Additive Manufacturing Initiatives

SABIC’s investment in several industrial and desktop printers, including the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) printer used to print the world’s first 3D-printed car, will help to facilitate process improvements in fused deposition modeling (FDM®) and other extrusion-based printing processes.

In a recent project to search for innovation and efficiencies in luminaire design and production, SABIC used predictive engineering and 3D printing technology to create an integrated thermoplastic LED luminaire, highlighting the opportunity to reduce the number of parts by 84%, the total weight by 24% and assembly time by 65%, compared to a conventional metal luminaire. SABIC was the enabler to help transform an insightful idea into a potential cost competitive solution for the fast growing LED industry.

SABIC offers a range of materials for use in additive manufacturing today including:

ULTEM™ 9085 resin most commonly used for aerospace applications.  On display in SABIC’s booth will be a 3D-printed economy class aircraft seat created as inspiration for future seat design and manufacturing methods.
LNP™ THERMOCOMP™ compounds – a carbon fiber reinforced material most recently used in the printing of Local Motors’ Strati vehicle which will be on display in SABIC’s booth.
CYCOLAC™ MG94 resin – an ABS material used by the maker community for fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing.

SABIC’s LNP™ THERMOCOMP™ carbon fiber reinforced compound was chosen for the world’s first 3D-printed vehicle, Local Motors’ Strati, at IMTS 2014 for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio and high stiffness which minimizes warping during the 3D printing process, enabling enhanced aesthetics and performance.

To inspire aircraft industry seating tiers to take a fresh look at seat design and fabrication, SABIC licensed a Studio Gavari design for a sleek and ergonomically advanced seat. The seat was printed by Stratasys, using SABIC’s ULTEM™ 9085 resin, which is highly compatible with 3D printing and meets aircraft industry and OEM-specific heat release and flame, smoke and toxicity requirements. The use of 3D printing enabled the rapid prototyping of the Studio Gavari design without the expense of tooling, resulting in an economy class seat with less than 15 components, demonstrating the potential for part consolidation and manufacturing efficiency.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks as the world’s second largest diversified chemical company. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.

SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 23.3 billion (US$ 6.2 billion) in 2014. Sales revenues for 2014 totaled SR 188.1 billion (US$ 50.2 billion). Total assets stood at SR 340 billion (US$ 90.7 billion) at the end of 2014.

Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.