Improve the time and process to assemble and disassemble this die block on the production line.

Minimize costly damage to the dowel pins and dowel holes.

Our Toolmakers and Die Designers performed a detailed assessment of the die block. They immediately recognized a weakness with the dowel pins and holes. Dowel pins, a type of industrial fastener, and dowel holes align the tooling in its proper location so that it can operate correctly on the production line. The customer's current dowel components were lacking in strength and quality. This was causing the issues the customer had continuously been experiencing on the production floor.

The current threaded dowel pins weren’t made to withstand constant wear and tear. They were built with a tapped hole going through the center of the pin which made them inherently weak. The flat end surface of the dowel pins also limited their ability to adjust in the hole; and this increased the scraping and washing out of the dowel holes. This dowel system established no lead-in or angle for placing and removing the tooling on and off the risers.

The image below displays the condition and design of the customer's die block with the dowel holes before Ultra got involved.

Minimize the risk of damaging the breather cover and the tooling die during metal stamping.

Deliver the part to match its design print.

Continuously meet production quantities that are predicted to increase from year to year.

The four small pierced holes labeled in the image are smaller than the actual material thickness. This presents a problem because the continued force of the punch going through the material creates a higher probability of the punch breaking off or becoming off target. Three of these four holes are on non-flat surfaces which also makes the piercing operation more challenging.

Design and build a subtool for this piercing operation in the progressive stamping die. This design presents two key benefits.

1. The subtool in the stamping die keeps the piercing operation separate;
   localizing the force of the punch to this specified area. Then the remaining
   stations on the tooling die strip aren’t at risk of damage during
   production. This also helps keep the entire die strip aligned in the correct
   position from operation to operation during production.
2. This provides our Toolmakers the ability to efficiently remove the
   subtool if needed to perform adjustments or repairs in Die Maintenance.
   And the subtool can easily be placed back in the correct location on the
   progressive stamping die.

After the piercing operation is completed, a bubble of material is created
and then formed to match the other designed features of the breather
cover.

Within the first month of production, we were meeting production demands at 2,000 parts per hour without removing the subtool for repairs or adjustments.

The holes of the breather cover are checked with a customized gauge to verify their placement and inside diameters.

Select a supplier to test the strength and durability of a redesigned water tray that is continuously exposed to water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

Utilize this same supplier to establish a quality, robust manufacturing process.

The customer designed "an island" between the rows of slots to establish better strength in the water tray. Ultra performed a stress test analysis utilizing FEA (Finite Element Analysis) simulation software. This identifies areas with high levels of stress so that we can reduce as needed. As shown in the image below, the green-colored area indicates the newly designed "island" contained high levels of stress and this was unacceptable.

A newly designed tray needed to reduce the centralized area of stress while maintaining the functionality of the water tray. Per the customer's request, this meant minimal changes to the overall form and dimensions of the tray as it needed to fit in the deaerator equipment.

Ultra removed the designated "island" and added in troughs with strengthening ribs to keep their shape. A new stress test provided evidence that this design was feasible as shown in the image below.

Stretching the stainless steel to .400 of an inch without snapping or breaking off the troughs would be the most challenging aspect to attain during production. The stainless steel would need to be stretched with perfect timing and distributed equally throughout the forming process. The final manufacturing process was finalized during prototyping.

The final prototype determined for the troughs to form correctly the tray needed to be completely flat so that as much material as possible could be pulled. This was followed by the sides of the tray being formed up to match the new design print.

Fabrication - Laser cut slits and overall form of the tray.
Tool & Die - Designed and built a stamping die for the hydraulic press.
Metal Stamping - Troughs and ribs are formed during this operation.
Press Brake - Sides of the tray are formed up utilizing eight bends in this final step.

A feasible manufacturing process was established utilizing one supplier to achieve greater consistency, quality, and cost-savings.

The redesigned water tray meets the required standards for industrial performance and has the strength and durability needed for long‑term use.

The edge quality of the ramp is of critical importance for it to correctly operate on the elliptical equipment; and it can also be clearly seen by the end-user. A detailed finishing process is followed to ensure the edges are smooth and meet cosmetic standards.

• Deburring of sharp edges.
• Polishing of edges with hand sander.
• Washing the ramp in hot, soapy water and drying with microfiber cloth.
• Removing the protective coating for final assembly.

Watch the 800-ton press stamp this heavy-duty metal part.

Preventative maintenance is scheduled based on a predetermined number of strokes on the stamping die. Once that threshold is reached, the customer notifies Ultra, and we pick up the die at their facility. Ultra’s maintenance program includes both standard services performed on all dies and customized services based on each die’s size and complexity. The services shown below represent only a portion of the work included in our standard die maintenance process.

Ultra set up a service schedule that allows the customer to maintain their production schedule with limited interruption.

Preventative services were no longer being overlooked or intentionally skipped by the customer.

Complete preventative maintenance by Ultra improved the longevity and functionality of their stamping dies.

1. Select a supplier that can consistently manufacture the governor weights to the design print and meet the weight specifications.
2. Establish an inspection system that ensures defect-free parts are delivered to their production facility.

Material thickness was key to controlling the weight of the part and this is a challenge because of the natural variation that occurs in metals. Ultra established two methods to control this variation and meet weight requirements.

1. Utilize tighter tolerance material to minimize the degree of variation.
2. Ultra's Die Designers developed a plan that allowed for an adjustment in the stamping die to ensure the correct weight was attained during production. The tab feature on the governor weight, located between the two legs, can have its length changed to meet the required part weight.

The second phase of this manufacturing process focused on establishing a productive and low-cost method to verify the weight of the parts and inspect each leg. A team of designers, engineers, and toolmakers designed and built an innovative Governor Sort Machine. This is an automated process that precisely inspects 1,000 parts per hour.

1. Governor weights are introduced into the inspection system through a large bowl feeder. This process verifies the two legs are positioned correctly by aligning the governor weights as they would be placed in an engine. A governor weight identified as a defect is removed immediately.
2. The approved parts then move on for weight verification. One by one each part is placed on a scale in an enclosed area; removing defective parts as needed. Acceptable governor weights are then packaged for delivery.

Robotic welding delivered consistent, high-precision welds while meeting the manufacturer’s increasing production demands. Unlike manual welding, the robotic arm operates with exact repeatability, eliminating human variability. Once programmed, it maintains a steady weld pace that improves quality and significantly increases production output.

Each footboard required eight “1- inch” welds so Ultra designed and built a customized welding fixture. This established a stable location for the robotic arm to weld more consistently and at a faster rate.

And with two robotic welders, CNC Panasonic Robotic Welder and the Genesis Robotic Welder, Ultra can produce two footboards at a time – Decreasing downtimes and increasing production rates.

A customized functional gauge designed and built at Ultra tests the placement of the welded hinges ensuring the footboard is ready for assembly.

In addition, the Metal Stamping of both footboards was completed at Ultra. Our Value-Added area completed this manufacturing process with visual inspections of the footboards.

Production rates were doubled and labor costs were decreased with the introduction of the robotic welder.
Precision and accuracy of the welding improved for a more secure fit onto the motorcycle.