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SUMMARY

Industrial training remains a vital part of the engineering curriculum largely in the fact

that as we move into a more knowledge-based era where greater emphasis is being placed

on knowledge-based systems, the changing industrial landscapes makes it all the more

necessary for engineers to be exposed to the latest trends in technology. Recent examples

have been developing collaborative working environments specific to each industries.

Furthermore, it is important for an engineering student to be exposed to the industrial

environment, the constraints that the industries face such as cost as well as competition

from the global market. Another aspect that is of chief concern is, of course, attainment

of quality standards awards. Industries pay particular attention to the achievement of

namely the ISO Quality Standards Awards, which is slowly shifting its focus towards

customer satisfaction and customer-oriented objectives. With ISO Quality Standard

Procedures enforced in all departments, the management can be sure that the company

fulfils its mission in line with the guidelines set by the ISO.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to express his heartfelt thanks to the HR & Admin Executive, Ms

Elaine Gan and Administrative Manager Ms Lim Sook Luan for taking care of all the IA

trainees during the course of the attachment period. He would also like to extend his

sincerest gratitude to the Materials Manager, Ms Patricia Pua, for her guidance and

willingness to provide him with the opportunities to broaden his learning horizons. The

author would also like to thank CAD engineer Mr Yeo Chong Peng, the Engineering

team and other department managers for their patience and help in making the author’s

stay in the company an enriching and fruitful one.

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INTRODUCTION

The importance of industrial training could not be over-emphasized as the University

recognized a growing demand in Mechanical Engineering graduates who possessed the

necessary industrial experience to be of asset to their future employers. Through the 24-

week programme, it is hoped that the Mechanical Engineering undergraduates will have a

clearer picture of the realistic industrial environment. Apart from this, it also offers a

chance for students to apply particularly the practical knowledge and skills acquired in

their academic courses, such as Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing

(CAD/CAM), Computer Programming, Manufacturing Processes, among others. It also

provides avenues for the student to form impressions on the industries’ use of technical

and engineering resources to optimize their operating conditions. Knowledge gained

during the course of the attachment not only enhances a student’s confidence in dealing

with people within the working environment, it also gives him an idea of how and when

to use or apply the practical skills or knowledge that was acquired in his academic studies

when dealing with real-life industrial environment.

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company Name: Omni Mold Ltd.

Company Office Location (Main Plant): 51 Joo Koon Circle

Email: postmaster@omni.com.sg

Omni Mold Ltd was formed on 18 November 1989 to capitalize on the shortage of high

precision, high tonnage mold making capacity in Singapore. It grew rapidly as it was able

to benefit extremely from the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector during 1991 and

1992 when major multi-national companies based here carry out new product

development activities. Specializing in the design and production of high tonnage and

precision plastics injection molds for the molding of chassis and casings, the company

has strength of 140 to date, and is gradually moving aggressively into the ultra-precision

molding markets such as healthcare and life sciences.

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TRAINING PROGRAMME

Upon arrival in Omni Mold Ltd, the Industrial Attachment trainees, including myself,

were given a proper introductory briefing that gives an overview of the Company. We

then proceeded on a tour of the main plant.

The training program that has been planned for us included a 9-week Orientation

Programme whereby each of us was rotated on a weekly basis around the 6 Departments.

The rationale for such a training schedule is for us to gain a deeper understanding of the

various process flows involved, working procedures of each department and more

importantly, the synergy between them. The primary aim of the Orientation Programme

is to briefly familiarize us with the job-scopes and responsibilities of the staff from the

various departments in order to provide adequate knowledge for us in the undertaking of

the assignment that have been allocated.

The remaining phase of the Industrial Training saw each of us being posted to one of the

6 Departments till the end of the attachment period. This is where we will be

concentrating on the write-up of the Standard Operating Procedure (S.O.P) for the

departments we have been assigned to.

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Orientation Schedule:

Week 1: Computer-Aided Mold Design (CAD Department)

For the week that I was attached to the CAD Department, I have learnt a lot on how the

CAD Designers go about the design of a mold . What really surprised me is the level of

planning that is required even before the actual preliminary design phase occurs. An

example of this type of pre-design analysis comes in the form of a Contract Review

Meeting as well as an in-depth study of the design input provided by the Project

Department. I have noticed that the CAD Supervisor and most of the CAD engineers

frequently call on their experience and familiarity with previous projects to search for

similar designs from those projects so that design time is kept to the minimum possible.

Another important aspect is the company's commitment to provide the customer with the

best cost-effective design in the shortest time possible, which was why Customer Design

Review Meetings are held to seek the customer's approval for a particular preliminary

design before work on the detailed design takes place. This is to ensure that the design is

able to satisfy the requirements set by the customer.

Week 2: CAM Department

The CAM Department is responsible for the programming of CNC steel machining

programs, EDM electrode design as well as electrode processing. Two documentations

are vital to the CAM engineers to relate the manufacturing processes and tool paths

required to produce a particular profile to the CNC and EDM machinists. These

documents are the CNC and EDM Setting Sheets. The CNC Setting Sheets contains the

CNC program file, reference check file, as well as the program sequence for the roughing

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and finishing operations, including information pertaining to the type of cutter used,

allowance given, CNC program and the machining time required. The EDM Setting

Sheet contains information pertaining to the allocation of electrode, EDM check points

and other EDM machine settings such as the spark gap, reference point to EDM, cutter

number, CNC program file path and the approved list of the number and size of electrode

needed. In order to save cost and time, a cutter list containing the tool description is

prepared. Checks are also done to ensure that the CAM checklist is written correctly.

Standardization is important in the department especially when preparing the CAM and

EC Assembly Structure in accordance to the electrode naming system. This is to ensure

that the standard format of electrode allocation for profiles on the main cavity, core and

sub-insert will avoid any misunderstanding or confusion among the CAM engineers as it

is a common practice for a number of them to work on the same project.

Week 3: Mold Assembly (Manufacturing Department)

Assembly marks the end of the manufacturing process and it is here that the end product

is completed. The assembly process began with verifying the matching sides, ie. The core

and cavity, to ensure that both sides can fit within the tolerances specified. This is

achieved by applying red paint to the core surface and ensuring that the paint reaches the

cavity surface during test-fitting. This ensures that the 2 surfaces are fully flushed

together in actual operation of the mold. Another test that needs to be carried out is the

testing of the cooling water channels to ensure that the channels are able to withstand the

typical pressure for as long as 2 minutes.

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A view of the Assembly Department which consists of 4 Benches.

Mold technicians
carrying out test
fitting on a finished
mold

Week 4: EDM (Manufacturing Department)

I was given a detailed briefing on the general procedure governing the EDM profiling of

mold inserts, using the EDM Electrode Card as a reference. For each undercut features,

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the respective EDM programing is indicated on the card. The machinist then needs to set

the steel workpiece to the correct orientation as specified on the Electrode Card. For a

general case, a profile would normally need 2 electrodes for the 2 EDM operations,

namely the roughing and finishing operations. The importance of the EDM profiling lies

in the fact that it is the last machining operation to yield the final finished mold insert. As

such, high tolerances are expected and for this reason, it is imperative that the workpiece

is set up properly using a measuring probe and the datum or reference point is set up as

accurately as possible.
Measuring gauge to
accurately verify
the Z-datum and
critical dimensions
of the graphite
electrodes

It is a usual practice for the EDM machinist to do a trial run of the EDM process first to

verify that the program will accurately yield the correct profile as indicated on the

Electrode Card. Other parameters that need to be programmed into the machine included

the speed, cycle and orbiting pattern of the electrode. All these parameters are

downloaded as program files by the CAM engineers on the EDM manufacturing

workstations via the company’s high-speed network.

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EDM profiling of
mold inserts in
progress

Wirecut operation
on mold insert for
difficult-to-
machine profiles

Week 5: CNC Milling (Manufacturing Department)

The department is responsible for carrying out CNC milling operations on both graphite

and steel materials. As in normal practice, graphite blocks are sawn and manually milled

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to size before they can be processed into their final configuration as per the CNC Setting

Sheet. Steels, on the other hand, are ordered direct from the suppliers based on the size

and hardness as specified on the Bill of Materials.

For both steel and graphite electrode machining, the department, as in the EDM

Department, relies on computer program files prepared by the CAM engineer which are

downloaded onto the CNC workstations for execution by the CNC machinist.

CNC milling of
steel insert

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CNC milling of
EDM graphite
electrodes

Week 7: Project Management & Business Development (Project Department)

The Project and Business Development Department’s role is to oversee the entire mold

project from the start till the end of a job, which is typically after the final successful

mold trial date. Project engineers also serve as the company’s liaison with the customer

company, often dealing with customer feedbacks on design as well as advising on certain

design changes based on feasibility and functionality. The company has, thus far, not

exceeded the target of 3 mold trials allocated for each project or job before its

completion. This is testimony to the effectiveness of the concurrent engineering work

practices employed by the company which involves every department.

Week 8: Purchasing Department

The Materials Purchasing Department’s role includes acquisition of materials, services,

inventory items and factory supplies, as well as sourcing and qualification of new

vendors and inventory management. A lot of factors need to be considered as far as

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purchasing guidelines are concerned, depending on the type of items purchased,

availability, lead times, cost in relation to material’s quality and total tooling price. Due

to these factors, it becomes necessary to frequently compare the prices of the items,

materials or services provided by different vendors before an order is confirmed. This

would definitely maximise profits and at the same time keep the total tooling price still

competitive.The department is also actively involved in the sourcing and qualifying of

new vendors for items, materials and services. This would gradually add to the

company’s already-growing database of vendors maintained in the Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) system. Inventory management is also monitored and maintained using

the same system. The use of the ERP has enabled integration within the company to

monitor, manage and control all its physical resources such as human resources,

materials, financial and fixed assets.

Week 9: Human Resource & Quality Assurance

The Human Resource Department’s role is to manage the different aspects of the

company’s human resources, such as compiling overtime and working hours for

employees of the main plant and the Precision Plant in Tuas, compiling Training Forms

for employees, updating employee leave into the ERP system as well as processing

payroll. Other tasks includes recruitment, filing of documents such as employee records

and administrative duties.

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TRAINING ASSIGNMENTS

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

The need for a comprehensive SOP is to standardize the working procedure of all the

relevant departments in the company. It defines the responsibilities of each staff attached

to a particular department. Furthermore, the management strongly believes it will

facilitate every new employee to better ease in to his/her new position in a shorter period

of time with little job orientation or training required. They would thus be more familiar

with their own job requirements with a complete understanding of the process flows

involved.

In order to obtain sufficient information for the write-up of the SOP, I had to make sure

that I have consulted the relevant sources. These sources come in the form of official

documentation (ISO Quality Procedure), standard work practices as well as staff

interviews. To gain a deeper perspective, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to

shadow the employees in the Purchasing Department to observe the day-to-day activities

as well as their common work practices. Though the degree of use of technical

knowledge involved in this assignment is not very extensive, the appreciation of the

industrial systems is a necessity for me to realize the importance of investing

substantially in advanced managing systems in the form of the Collaborative Product

Commerce System (CPC) which evolved from the Materials Resource Planning System

(MRP), one which has been widely-implemented by industries globally. The CPC System

will be discussed in further detail in the following section.

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Collaborative Product Commerce System (Data Migration)

The ongoing implementation of the CPC System saw a need to migrate existing design,

materials, manufacturing and resource data into Information Manager (or iMAN) servers.

This involves collating the existing CAD/CAM design, project and material resource data

from the Management Information System, and Project Databases and transferring them

to the iMAN server.

Using a command-
line module in
Unigraphics (UG
Manager) to
import CAD part
file into the iMAN
server

The advantage of this system is that it provides a single working platform for everyone,

from the CAD Designers, Management to the Manufacturing workshops. As the name

suggests, the System facilitates seamless integration and collaboration between the

various departments in the company. Thus, the CPC system really complements the ERP

in that it controls the company’s intellectual assets, which are the projects,

documentations, processes as well as a continually developing knowledge base. A natural

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advantage to such a system is that it facilitates concurrent engineering with a strong

emphasis on collaboration not only within the company, but with other business partners

or even customer companies.

Project Item
description,
attributes and
ownership

Customizable
modules
available such
as Process
Viewer, Product
Data, etc

Navigation
toolbar gives
designer ease of
looking for part
files associated
with a project

The use of this collaborative system could well justify its cost by providing the company

with the potential to raise its standard of quality output and efficiency in an almost

revolutionary paperless way. For instance, the CAD Designer or Engineer from the CAD

Department would not need to put up application for any Engineering Changes on his/her

design through documentation and approval and then distributes the Engineering Change

Notice (ECN) together with the modified engineering drawings or tool improvement

schedules to the departments concerned. Rather, all that he/she needs to do is to

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electronically check into the particular mold directory for which he has been granted

access rights to, amend or revise the design and send it for approval. A similar case

would apply to other types of documentation, such as the Quality Problem Reports

(QPR), all of which will be processed and or approved electronically by the relevant

authorities. At the same time, the system also preserves the original and subsequent

design or document revisions before the latest revision. Further, this system also allows

other personnel besides the CAD Designer and CAM engineer, even the customer, to

login and check on the progress of the mold project from the design stage all the way up

to the actual manufacturing phase, subject to the access rights which is set by the

company’s system administrators. The company is also in the process of incorporating

and fine-tuning complementing conferencing software called Product Vision, which

enables the CAD designer to work simultaneously with the customer company’s product

designer in real time via the Internet. The potential benefits derived from the

implementation of such electronic collaborative environments would include a shorter

design or redesign (or design revision) time and minimization of the number of revisions

done on a particular design due to enhanced interaction between the CAD engineer and

the customer’s product designer.

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JT File Viewer
allows
visualization of
the CAD model
even on systems
that do not run
Unigraphics.

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CONCLUSION

One of the strengths of the company, which paved its way to success, lies in the fact that

it had implemented a flexible working procedure for its employees that is not too rigid.

The management believes that such a system would be less likely to stifle the creativity

of its employees in that there are actually active 2-way feedback between the managers

and the rest of the staff whenever issues arise. Coupled with the close relationship

between managers and the staff, this leads to a conducive working environment as well as

facilitating the development of highly motivated employees. The company has always

been prepared to invest in high-technology machinery as well as sophisticated dedicated

industrial software and hardware to further improve on the quality of its industrial output.

Employees are also sent for various training courses to upgrade their skills and

qualifications. This shows the company’s commitment towards its customers in providing

the best possible quality end product, which is in line with the latest ISO quality

objectives.

All in all, the attachment program has been an eye-opener for me to experience first-hand

the industrial working environment and to know what is expected of an engineer in this

particular type of industry. The experience that I have gained in the course of the 24

weeks in Omni Mold Ltd has definitely brought great benefit to me in terms of

confidence in working as a team and improving interpersonal relations, apart from the

value-added training that was provided.

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