This meeting's topic will be sales and marketing.

Email bob@toolanddiefutures.org or myself (jbrown@lintrio.com) to RSVP

July 16^th 1:15-4:15pm Elliott Hall Auditorium, Oakland University

Re-Shoring and Discussion of Small Business Lending Practices

The day long June meeting heard from Mr. Jeff Lucas of Toyota was a resounding success. We hope to bring him again in the fall of 2010 at the request of many.  The focus of this July meeting will be on small business lending practices, an insightful discussion on Re-shoring and a quick update on the lean training workshops that are taking place each week this summer. 

In today's tight financial situations, what can tool/die and other small manufactures do to increase their chances of securing bank financing to support their innovations/improvement in their operations, introduction of new technology, diversification initiatives, etc? Four panel members will share their views and answer questions.

In addition, the group will hear from Mr. Harry Moser, who is going to provide insight into how OEM's and manufacturers can develop value propositions that will make re-shoring (bringing work back to US) possible.

These discussions are taking place each month in an effort to help improve communications among multiple stakeholders of the automotive value chain and help many tool/die and small manufacturers become better suppliers.

            Agenda items for the July meeting:  Bios of the speakers:

Re-Shoring: a Key to a Lean Supply Chain and Robust Manufacturing

Mr. Harry C. Moser, GF AgiieCharmilles

Lending Practices – Panel discussion participants:

     Mr. D. Craig Wiggins, President, Tooling & Equipment Capital  Solutions Inc.

     Ms. Elain McMahon, Consultant (retired in 2010 as SVP of Small Business Development), Comerica 

     Mr. Scott Wolffis, Senior Vice President, Business Banking Market Manager, Huntington Bank

     Mr. Timothy K. Strasz, Business Lending Manager, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union

Agenda

1:15-1:30 Introduction

1:30-2:30 Re-Shoring – Harry C. Moser

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-4:00 Lending Practices – Panel Discussion

4:00-4:15 Summary and an update on lean training workshops

Help shape the tool and die industry group and chart a course that will positively change the industry. 

Please email or call and let me know if you can attend by July 14^th. The next meeting will be August 20^th, 1:15-4:15 in the Elliott Hall Auditorium at Oakland University. 

Bob Quinn

E-mail: bob@toolanddiefutures.org

586-336-1237; Cell 586-557-4655

CLEVELAND — 2009 was an awful year for most manufacturers but, so far, 2010 looks like a turnaround year. 

Wire-Net is a manufacturers' group with more than 200 members in Greater Cleveland.

Its president, John Colm, says, "We've turned the corner. We're clawing our way out of a deep hole. It's very broad-based, including metal stamping and forged products, consumer products and construction products. Folks are hiring 12 workers, maybe adding a whole second shift."

E.F. Kitzel and Sons is a West Side Cleveland precision manufacturer that serves automotive, aerospace and medical industry customers.

"We've seen a real dramatic pick-up in our business. In the last month, we hired two additional employees. We're up about 40 percent for the year. It looks like it's going to continue," said Kitzel General Manager Tom Schuman.    

Across town at Collinwood's Talan Products stamping plant, it's the same story.

Company CEO Steve Peplin says, "We're having a really good year."

And it's picking up.

"A month and a half ago, we were running four, ten-hour shifts. Now we're running five, 20-hour shifts and 12 hours on Saturday," Peplin.

Northeast Ohio looks to medicine and bioresearch as the future but manufacturing still plays a big role in the regional economy.

"It's definitely good new for Cleveland. Twenty percent of our economy's based in manufacturing," says Colm.

Manufacturing is often one of the last economic sectors to emerge from a recession following housing and financial services.

It's playing a leading role now.

The following report and data are courtesy of Ohio State University Graduate Student, Eren Billur, from the Center for Precision Forming (CPF) as it appeared in FMA Publication, The Stamping Journal.

Die materials and wear in stamping AHSS, Part III

Research results and recommended die materials and lubrications

Many cast-iron and steel grades are used for manufacturing dies in the stamping industry. The cost of these materials varies considerably, but with appropriate surface treatments, coatings, and lubricants, a cost-effective die material can outperform the expensive ones.

Die material selection requires a systematic evaluation of tool materials, coatings, and heat treatments, with cost considered as a parameter. Having a proper knowledge of surface treatments and coatings can save money in stamping die manufacturing.

Comparative Studies

Several studies rank tool materials and coatings using a widely accepted standard test.^{1, 2} However, they do not give quantitative information regarding tool life under practical stamping conditions. There are a number of publications on comparative die wear studies, yet not many of them use advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) as sheet material. Figure 1 provides a summary of ranking results.³

Benchmark Studies

Benchmark studies give a numeric comparison of tool life (number of good parts stamped) for a given tool material and coating. Forming tests were conducted until galling and scratches were visible on the sheet metal.

The first study was a channel forming test using uncoated DP600. Figure 2 shows the results of this study.

A similar study was performed with uncoated DP980 material using the part seen in Figure 3. The forming tests were conducted up to52,000 stampings, and results are shown in the figure.4  As a benchmark, forming of a B-pillar inner also showed that conventional tool materials fail from heavy galling after making a few hundred stampings in AHSS. Figure 4 shows how the tool life of D2 changes with three different coatings.5

Guidelines and Recommendations

For the forming of AHSS with 500-to 800-MPa tensile strength, several tool steel companies, industrial experts, and research facilities recommend the following tool materials, treatments, and coatings.^6,7

• Hardened Carmo
• D2 + TD
• D2 + PVD CrN
• D2 + CVD TiC
• Vanadis 4E + PVD CrN
• Vanadis 4E + CVD TiC
• Vanadis 6 + PVD CrN
• Vanadis 6 + CVD TiC
• Hardened Vancron 40

FEA Prediction of Die Wear

The wear coefficient can be used to simulate wear progression using the pressure distribution and sliding distances are not constant throughout a stamping die, inserts may be used to reduce wear at critical locations in the dies. At this point, simulations can be useful for the proper design of die inserts. Figure 5 shows how simulations can be used to determine the locations of mild and severe die wear.

When the wear coefficient and surface hardness of tools and sheet used to estimate how many successful parts can be stamped before galling and scratches become visible. With these parameters, we can estimate tool life, and insert design can be improved.

The original version of this article from the May 2010 version of The Stamping Journal is available at http://nsmwww.eng.ohio-state.edu/May10R_DUpdate_628-9.pdf