Matsushita
Refrigeration Company of America (MARCA)
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Matsushita Refrigeration Company of America (MARCA), Vonore, Tennessee |
| PRODUCT: |
Refrigerator compressors |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
4.5 |
| EMPLOYEES: |
310 |
| SITUATION: |
A fracturing problem in a steel forming process that produced the outer
shells of refrigerator compressors had led to MARCA's shutting down an
entire 110-person production line for a full shift. The company had made
recent changes to dies and lubricants and begun using new material lots.
The new material met all specifications for hardness, tensile yield, and
elongation. Old material made by another steel supplier used on the press
with the same die setup ran well. The company needed technical assistance
in finding a solution to the problem and contacted the Oak Ridge Centers
for Manufacturing Technology through the Manufacturing Technology Information
Service's toll-free telephone number. They were referred to a specialist
in mechanical properties testing at ORCMT. |
| PROJECT: |
A member of the ORCMT staff determined that the die change had decreased
a radius at a sharp bend location, thereby partially impeding flow of steel
from the flange to the other portion of the shell, causing the fracturing.
Increasing the transition radius the angle at which the material is shaped
when pressed would allow more uniform material flow over the bend and would
also prevent fracturing. |
| RESULTS: |
The ORCMT specialist recommended changes in the forming die to allow
more material flow, and the fracturing problem was eliminated, thereby
putting 110 people back to work and eliminating a problem that could
have caused intermittent production line shutdowns. Such shutdowns
could have cost the company several thousand dollars per shift and also
have affected a primary customer's production schedules. Galvin Jones,
general manager of manufacturing services for MARCA, said the ORCMT staff
member provided MARCA with a large amount of information on formability
and testing of formability, explained and aided in the interpretation of
grid strain analysis, and showed them how to perform a grid strain test
at the MARCA facility.
"ORCMT showed us they wanted to help, and this was done quickly. Because
our business had very limited inventory, this work not only kept our employees
working but also kept our customers producing refrigerators," Jones said. |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
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