SUMMER PRACTICAL TRAINING REPORT

25 May, 2016 – 25 June, 2016

ORGANIZATION
RICO AUTO INDUSTRIES LIMITED
GURGAON, HARYANA
INDIA

PROJECT
Rejection Control of the component Crank Case Left

Raghvendra Singh
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my project guide, Mr. Rajiv Yadav, AGM, Production,
who agreed to be my project guide despite of so much work pressure. He was very patient and
understanding. He always pushed me to learn new things. I would like to thank Mr. Amit Tiwari,
Manager, Quality Assurance, without whose guidance it would have been impossible to complete
the project. He shared a great interest and enthusiasm towards the project and was a constant
motivating factor. He always had something for me to do, even on the last day of the training. I
would also like to thank Mr. S. Kaul, Manager, Production who told me so much about die casting.
He was always very helpful and cooperative. A special word of thanks to Mr. Kunal, Graduate
Engineer Trainee, who was like a friend and with whom besides having technical discussions, I
discussed all the trivial details for which I could not have approached anybody else in the industry. I
would also like to thank Mr. Sandeep Anand, General Manager, Improvement whom I approached
towards the end of my project. His guidance was invaluable. He taught me so many things which I
would not have been able to learn otherwise. Finally, I would like to thank all the operators and
engineers to whom I talked to during my project and whose suggestions went a long way in the
successful completion of the project.

30 July, 2005 Pushp Aggarwala

Production and Industrial Engineering
IIT, Delhi

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of figures v
List of tables vi
Abbreviations used vii

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

1.1 RICO Group of companies 1
1.2 Brief History 1
1.3 Company Profile – Rico Auto Industries Limited (RAIL) 2
1.4 Location 2
1.5 Inputs 2
1.6 Customers 3
1.7 Products 3
1.8 Plant Layout 5
1.9 IT Applications 5
1.10 Technical Collaborations 5
1.11 Future Plans 7
1.12 Environment, Health and Safety 7

CHAPTER 2 TRAINING SCHEDULE

2.1 Training schedule 9

CHAPTER 3 OBSERVATIONAL TRAINING

3.1 High Pressure Die Casting Division 10
3.2 Foundry division 12
3.3 Machining division 14
3.4 Dies and moulds division 17

CHAPTER 4 PROJECT WORK

4.1 About the project 19
4.2 Data Collection and study of the case history 19

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4.3 Pareto Analysis 24
4.4 Understanding the process flow 25
4.5 Die casting – process and its principles 26
4.6 Identification of the 4M conditions 28
4.7 Process Monitoring 30
4.8 Theoretical analysis 37
4.9 Observations 41
4.10 Conclusion and Suggestions 42

CHAPTER 5 TRAINING EXPERIENCE

5.1 Evaluation of the Organization 43
5.2 New Technical aspects 45
5.3 Suggestions for improving departmental courses 46

APPENDIX I 47

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1 Plant Layout 6
Figure 3.1 Process Flow HPDC division 10
Figure 3.2 Process Flow Paint shop 12
Figure 3.3 Process Flow – Die division 18
Figure 4.1 Crank Case
19
Figure 4.2 Pareto chart analysis of the rejection data 25
Figure 4.3 Process Flow – CCL 25
Figure 4.4 3M conditions chart-Part 1 29
Figure 4.5 3M conditions chart-Part 2 30
Figure 5.1 Career graph at RICO

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1 Ferrous Products 4
Table 1.2 Aluminium Products 4
Table 2.1 Training schedule 9
Table 3.1 Sampling Plan 15
Table 4.1 Production data 20
Table 4.2 Rejection data for the months of March, April and May 2005 20
Table 4.3 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of March 2005 21
Table 4.4 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of April 2005 21
Table 4.5 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of May 2005 22
Table 4.6 Overall Die-wise rejection data 22
Table 4.7 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of March 2005 22
Table 4.8 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of April 2005 23
Table 4.9 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of May 2005 23
Table 4.10 Overall rejection percentages Die-wise 23
Table 4.11 Percentage contribution of each defect to the total rejections 24
Table 4.12 Velocity profile 27
Table 4.13 Process Sheet – CCL 31
Table 4.14 Process Monitoring Sheet for the component CCL, cast on 1050T machine 32
Table 4.15 Process Monitoring Sheet for the component CCL, cast on 1050T machine 33
Table 4.16 Process monitoring data : Date 6 July, 2005 ; Shift A ; Machine 1050T ;
Die number 11 35
Table 4.17 Process monitoring data : Date 7 July, 2005 ; Shift A ; Machine 1050T ;
Die number 11 36
Table 4.18 Velocity profile 41

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ABBREVIATIONS USED
CAD Computer Aided Design
CAE Computer Aided Engineering
CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing
CII Confederation of Indian Industries
CNC Computer Numeric Control
CRAM Casting Rejection After Machining
EDM Electro Discharge Machining
EHS Environment Health and Safety
ETP Effluent Treatment Plant
HDS Hot Die Steel
HHML Hero Honda Motors Limited
HMSI Honda Motors and Scooters India Limited
HPDC High Pressure Die Casting
JV Joint Venture
LDO Low Density Oil
OEE Overall Evaluation of Efficiency
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturers
OHSAS Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series
PLC Programmable Logic Control
RAIL Rico Auto Industries Limited
R.O. Reverse Osmosis
RPM Revolutions Per Minute
SAP Systems Application Product
SPM Special Purpose Machine
STP Sewage Treatment Plant
TC Turning Center
TCL Tata Cummins Limited
TDS Total Dissolved Solute
TPM Total Productive Maintenance

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VMC Vertical Machining Center

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

1.1 RICO Group of companies

The following companies comprise the RICO Group of companies
1. Rico Auto Industries Limited (RAIL) – RAIL manufactures high precision ferrous and aluminum
components and assemblies focused on the automotive sector. In addition to casting of components,
the components are also machined before they are dispatched to the customer.
2. RICO Ludhiana – It deals with ferrous castings and their machining.
3. FCC RICO – It is a 50-50 Joint Venture with FCC of Japan, world leader in automobile clutches.
The plant is located at Manesar and deals mainly with the manufacture of flywheels and clutches.
4. RICO US – It is focussed on providing logistics, local customer and engineering support services
to the customers in the US.
5. RICO UK – Just like RICO US, it focuses on providing logistics, local customer and engineering
support services to the customers in the UK.

1.2 Brief History

The RICO Group was setup with the commencement of operations at the RICO Ludhiana plant in
1977 with facilities for ferrous castings and machining. Since then, RICO has made rapid progress
with diversification into the area of High Pressure Aluminium Die Castings. The following
milestones mark the major events to have taken place in the history of RICO.

1977 : Rico commences operations at Ludhiana with ferrous foundry and machining.
1984 : Rico diversifies into aluminium HPDC and machining at Dharuhera.
1990 : Rico enters international market as OEM supplier.
1992 : Rico installs automatic High pressure moulding line ferrous foundry and machining at
gurgaon plant.
1994 : Rico achieves ISO 9000 certification.
1996 : Rico enters into JV with FCC company of Japan.
1998 : Rico gurgaon plant is certified QS 9000.
1999 : Rico dharuhera plant is certified QS 9000.

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2000 : Rico starts aluminium HPDC at gurgaon.
2001 : Rico enters IT enabled field, Rico softech formed.
Rico opens wholly owned subsidiary in USA.
Rico gurgaon plant is certified ISO/TS16949.
Rico starts Outsourced international Contact centre.
2002 : Rico dharuhera plant certified ISO/TS16949.
All Rico facilities certified ISO-14001.
All Rico facilities certified OHSAS-18001.

1.3 Company Profile – Rico Auto Industries Limited (RAIL)

RAIL is a leading manufacturer of automotive components and assemblies. It deals in the casting of
both ferrous and aluminium components and their machining. It supplies to most of the leading
OEMs in India and abroad. RAIL has two plants at Dharuhera and Gurgaon. RAIL also has a die
division which designs and manufactures dies for its own use and for sale to some selected
customers.

1.4 Location
REGISTERED OFFICE & PLANT I : 69 KM Stone, Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Dharuhera -122106
District Rewari, Haryana (India).

CORPORATE OFFICE & PLANT II : 38 KM Stone, Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Gurgaon - 122001

Haryana (India)

1.5 Inputs
1.5.1 Raw materials
The raw materials required are cast iron and aluminium (for castings), other elements for making
alloys such as silicon, copper, manganese, zinc etc, tools and inserts (for cutting, drilling and other
machining operations), moulding sand for ferrous castings, Resin Coated sand (for making cores to
be used in the ferrous shop), bearing, nuts, bolts, sprockets and other material for clutch and panel
assemblies. Sometimes alloy is purchased directly from the vendor (instead of making it on the shop
floor).

1.5.2 Power consumption

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The power requirements are met from three sources:
1. HVPNL (Haryana Vidyut Prachar Nigam Limited) – 1,30,000 KWh per day
2. Self generation – 30,000 KWh per day
3. Self generation (rented) – 48,000 KWh per day
To meet the increasing power requirements, a proposal has been made to HVPNL. Currently 1.5
crores of rupees are deposited with HVPNL as security money.

1.5.3 Water Consumption

Water is drawn from bore wells using submersible pumps. Purification of water is done in Reverse
Osmosis plant. The capacity of the plant is 4 lakh litres per day. 70% of water is recovered in the
R.O. plant and 30% is rejected as waste. The input water has a TDS of 500-700 which is purified to
obtain water with TDS 100-200. The rejected water has a TDS of 5500-7000. Currently a second
R.O. plant is being setup which would purify the rejected water (30%). It is estimated that it will
recover 70% of the rejected water and the finally rejected water would have a TDS in the range of
14000-20000.

1.6 Customers
RICO supplies auto components to major OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in both India
and abroad. RICO has come a long way since the setting up of its Dharuhera plant in 1984. At that
time it supplied goods only to Hero Honda. Now, RICO has a long list of customers and the list is
growing by the day.
Domestic Customers : Hero Honda, Honda, Tata Cummins, Maruti Suzuki, General Motors India.
Global Customers : Ford, GM, Jaguar, Land Rover, Eaton, Volvo, Cummins, Caterpillar.

Among the domestic customers, a large percentage of goods still goes to Hero Honda. An unofficial
estimate says that about 60% of the domestic supplies go to Hero Honda. RICO Dharuhera plant
manufactures components only for Hero Honda. The two companies being situated adjacent to each
other, components are not even packed before dispatching, but are transported in trolleys. The
figure of 60% is still a long way off from what it was in 1990 (98%). It is planned to further reduce
it to 30% by the year 2010.

1.7 Products

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The Products manufactured can broadly be divided into two categories : Ferrous products and
Aluminium products. The major products in both these categories are being mentioned below, along
with their annual production and customers.

Table 1.1 Ferrous Products

S.No. PRODUCT ANNUAL PRODUCTION CUSTOMER
1. Exhaust Manifolds 250000 Maruti-Suzuki
2. Brake Drums and Discs 12000000 Maruti-Suzuki
3. Flywheels 250000 Maruti-Suzuki
4. Steering Knuckle 250000 Maruti-Suzuki
5. Case Differential Housings 300000 Maruti-Suzuki
6. Mass Damper 75000 Land-Rover
7. Main Cap Bearing 600000 Cummins
8. Water Connections 300000 Cummins
9. Water Inlet 14000 Cummins
10. Thermostat Housing 62000 Cummins
11. Connection Air Intake 62000 Cummins

Table 1.2 Aluminium Products

S.No. PRODUCT ANNUAL PRODUCTION CUSTOMER
1. Clutch Assemblies 1300000 Hero Honda
2. Brake Panel Assemblies 4500000 Hero Honda
3. Hub Assemblies 4500000 Hero Honda
4. Crank Cases 400000 Honda
5. Oil Pump Assembly 500000 Maruti Suzuki
6. Cover Cylinder Heads 60000 Maruti Suzuki
7. Gear Shift Forks 1100000 Maruti Suzuki
8. Cover Gear Shift 95000 Honda
9. Cover Water Outlet 15000 Honda
10. Head Lube Filter Oil 200000 Cummins
11. Intake Manifold cover 100000 Cummins
12. Valve Cover 750000 Cummins
13. Tunnel Closure Housing 25000 Land Rover
14. FEAD Brackets 200000 Land Rover, Jaguar

1.8 Plant Layout

The plant layout of the Gurgaon manufacturing plant is given in figure 1.1

1.9 IT Applications

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The entire company is connected via a Local Area Network (LAN). Internet access is provided only
to officials at a higher hierarchical level. This has been done to prevent misuse of the internet by the
employees for personal purposes. Recently, the software SAP (Systems Application Product) has
been successfully implemented in the entire industry. It is a management software which makes
data storage, transfer, sharing and accessibility easier. Tasks such as placement of demand for raw
materials to the purchase section, maintaining records for production data & rejection data,
consumer demands to be met, existing stocks in the stores are carried out through SAP. The
implementation was done through a one year project ending in March, 2005. A 20 member team
was made for the purpose which consisted of people from all the divisions of the organization.

Engineering softwares used by the industry are Pro-E, Unigraphics, AutoCAD, CATIA, SolidEdge
(2D & 3D drawings), Varicut (CAM profile inspection) and Magma (die casting simulation). These
softwares are basically used by the R&D and the die design divisions. Other divisions work mainly
on Microsoft Office packages such as MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS Powerpoint. The
operating system used is Microsoft Windows.

1.10 Technical Collaborations

As mentioned already, RICO has setup RICO FCC, which is a 50-50 Joint Venture between RICO
and FCC of Japan, the world leader in two wheeler clutches and automobile clutch and fly-wheel.
The product range includes Clutch Assemblies for Two wheelers, Clutch Assemblies and Flywheels
for Automobiles. The plant, located at Manesar (12 Kms from the RICO Gurgaon plant), was
established in 1996.

1.11 Future Plans

RICO is currently in its growth stage and it is growing at a rapid pace. It has made fast progress in
last 3-4 years. The implementation of SAP has been successfully completed in March, 05. All
RICO plants are now connected online, and data storage and exchange is done online. The R&D
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division has also been recently setup and it deals with design and prototyping of components as per
customer demands. Future expansion plans include expanding base with the existing customers as
well as looking for new customers. RICO plans to setup offices in European countries from where it
can manage its business in those respective countries. The turnover of the company for the year
ending in March, 05 was 750 crores and it is expected to touch 900 crores by the end of this
financial year. The employee strength of RICO is around 2500 (for all plants combined, round off
figure). The targeted date for achieving TPM status has been put at December, 2006. RICO also
plans to enter into the area of automotive engine manufacturing. It is a long term proposal and the
target date has been set at 2010.

1.12 Environment, Health and Safety

RICO has obtained ISO14001 and OHSAS18001 certifications for the pollution control measures
employed in the industry. It has setup Effluent Treatment Plant for treatment of chemical waste and
Sewage Treatment Plant for treatment of biological waste. They have a capacity of 300 Kl/day and
50 Kl/day respectively.

Iron scrap (slag) being non hazardous is dumped into the ground as landfill. All harmful chemicals
such Copper scrap, aluminium scrap, lime, Sodium Meta BiSulphide (SMBS), alum, sulphuric acid,
alchrome etc are treated in the ETP before disposing them off. Alchrome, which is used in the paint
shop, contains copper in hexavalent form and it is converted to tetravalent form which is less
reactive and hence less hazardous.

As the ferrous foundry uses induction furnaces, it causes no environmental pollution. Aluminium
foundry uses furnace oil as fuel for melting of aluminium. Gases such as CO and SO2 are released to
the atmosphere. But their amounts are regularly monitored and they are maintained within
permissive limits.

Measures for health of workers include Proactive monitoring of noise, dust and heat in the working
conditions. Environmental Health and Safety Management Programmes (EHSMP) are held
regularly to monitor the health of the workers.

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CHAPTER 2 TRAINING SCHEDULE

2.1 Training schedule

The training schedule followed during the two month training period is being given in table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Training schedule

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 S.No DEPARTMENT REPORTING OFFICER DATE
HPDC – Production/Quality
1. Mr. S.K. Bisht 16 May,05-20 May,05
Assurance/Maintenance/Development
Foundry - Production/Quality
2. Mr. Sanjay Arora 21 May,05-25 May,05
Assurance/Maintenance/Development
Machine shop – Production/Quality
3. Mr. R.K. Mighlani 26 May,05-31 May,05
Assurance/Maintenance/Development
4. Dies and Moulds Mr. R.K. Aggarwal 1 June,05-4 June,05

5. Utility Mr. B.K. Jain 6 June,05

Mr. Vivek Hazari/
6. Marketing/Purchase 7 June,05
Mr. Manjit Singh
7. HR/Accounts Mr. R.S. Yadav 8 June,05

8. PROJECT WORK (HPDC) Mr. S.K. Bisht 9 June,05-15 July,05

Duration of training : 53 days

Working Hours : 0930 hrs – 1730 hrs

CHAPTER 3 OBSERVATIONAL TRAINING

The various divisions of RICO Gurgaon plant were visited as per the schedule given in the table 2.1.
This chapter presents a brief account of the observations made, technical details, description and
new knowledge gained at the HPDC division.

3.1 High Pressure Die Casting Division

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The HPDC division deals with pressure die casting of aluminium products. Aluminium (either in its
pure form or as an alloy) is bought from Hindalco (and other vendors). The process flow is
described by figure 3.1.

Melting  Pressure Die Casting  Machining  Assembly (some components) 

Painting (some components)  Packaging  Dispatch

Figure 3.1 Process Flow HPDC division

3.1.1 Melting
There are six furnaces in the HPDC division (+one under installation). Out of these, 3 are
continuous or shaft furnaces and 3 are batch or tilting furnaces. The capacity of the batch furnaces is
1 ton, 1.5 ton and 2 tons respectively. The holding capacity of the shaft furnaces are 2 and 3 tons.
The fuels used in these furnaces are furnace oil and Low Density Oil. Four different types of alloys
are made in these furnaces, namely ADC-12, ADC-14, LM-24 and ADC-12 special. They vary in
their percentage composition of different elements such as silicon, copper, iron, manganese, zinc.
Silicon is added to increase the flow of molten metal and reduce shrinkage. Copper is added for
better machinability. Cover flux is added to make the slag float at the surface. Degasser is added to
remove dissolved hydrogen. Degasser basically consists of chlorine or nitrogen which react with
hydrogen to form HCl and NH3 respectively which do not dissolve in molten aluminium. Cleaning
and maintenance of these furnaces is done once in 15 days.

3.1.2 Pressure Die Casting

The HPDC division has about 38 die casting machines varying in capacity from 250 tons to 1800
tons. Each die casting machine has a holding furnace which maintains the molten metal temperature
between 640-690 °Celsius. Some of these die casting machines are automated and are operated by a
robotic arm. A fixed amount of metal is drawn form the holding furnace by the robotic arm (the
amount is controlled by temperature sensors), and is poured into the sleeve. In the meantime, the
casting is withdrawn from the moving part of the die, the die is cooled and lubricated and some
parts like cast iron ring are loaded into the die either by the operator or by the robotic arm. The die
then closes and the molten metal is poured. The rating of the machine is done on the basis of the
locking force which it applies (e.g. 500 tons). The metal is pushed into the die by a plunger which is

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made of Hot Die Steel or Copper Beryllium. The die temperature is maintained at 250 degrees
Celsius. The plunger velocity has three stages
1. Slow - 0.2 m/s
2. Fast – 1.4-2.4 m/s
3. Intensification – At this stage a high pressure is applied to spread the metal evenly and so
that it reaches the intricate corners of the die.

The life of the die is around 80000 shots while that of the plunger is around 20000 shots. After the
metal has solidifies the moving part of the die retreats and the casting comes along with it. The
casting is pushed by the ejector pins and it is then removed by the operator using tongs. The
operator breaks the gates manually and then sends the casting for machining.

3.1.3 Machining
After casting, fettling is done which involves removal of flash and extra unwanted metal from the
casting. Filing is then done to smoothen the edges. Then the component is sent for machining. The
HPDC division has an in house capacity for machining of cast components. There are a number of
CNCs and SPMs for machining purpose. These machines are either VMC or TC. Certain machining
lines are fully automated and work is going on to automate certain other lines.

3.1.4 Assembly
Some components may need to be assembled before dispatching them like clutch assembly and the
panel assembly. Assembly lines are situated at the place of manufacture of these components itself.

3.1.5 Paint Shop

Some components are painted before dispatching. The sequence of operations is given below along
with the function of each operation in figure 3.2.

Loading (on to the conveyor belt)  Predegreasing and degreasing (for removal of dirt
and other particles)  Water Rinse I & II (to neutralize the component and remove
adhering chemicals)  Chromatising (for better bonding of paint with the component)
 Water Rinse III  Rinsing in DM water (for neutralizing the component)  dry oven
(at 100 degrees for 12 minutes to remove water)  Primer bath  base coat  Clear coat
(for shine)  baking oven (at 180 degrees for 30 minutes to dry the paint)  unloading.
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 Figure 3.2 Process Flow Paint shop

3.1.6 Quality Assurance Department

The Quality Assurance division carries out quality checks on the manufactured components. Visual
Inspection is done for all the components whereas dimensional inspection is done using the method
of sampling. A machine can be run only when its setting has been approved by the Quality engineer.
This is done through the setup approval chart which is maintained for every shift. The quality
section also maintains the records for production and rejection of each shift for each component.

3.1.7 Maintenance Department

The maintenance division carries out preventive maintenance and repair in case of machine failure.
Maintenance is done on Sundays. For die maintenance, the complete die is unloaded, it is checked
for wear and tear and is polished.

3.2 Foundry division

3.2.1 Production department
The foundry production department handles the following operations
a) Melting : The main constituents of molten iron are steel scrap, returns from the produced grey
iron and the S.G. iron products and pig iron. “Returns” includes runners, risers and casting and
machining rejections. This portion of the floor contains stocks of S.G. returns, grey iron returns, pig
iron, steel scrap (MS). The loading of the returns and scrap for the melting operation in trolleys is
done using an electromagnet of 5 ton capacity. A charging vibrator is used to transfer this material
into the induction furnace (4 in number, 2 in operation). The furnaces are made on the principle of
electromagnetic heat generation such that on the passage of electricity through the coil shaped
furnace, an electromagnetic field develops in between the coils where charging material is present.
This charging material acts as a dielectric and thus generates heat which melts the iron and other
charging material. Thus there is continuous heating of charging material while it is present in the
furnace.
b) Sand preparation : In this portion, system sand is mixed with new sand, water, bentonite clay and
carbonaceous material. The hot system sand from the castings is mixed with new sand and the mix
is passed through a chamber, to cool the sand mix. After this operation, the other ingredients are

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poured over this mix (passing over a conveyor belt) and the sand is passed through a “mixer” for
mixing. The whole process is fully automated and various parameters are controlled automatically.
c) Sand mould : The mixed sand from the mixer is transformed to the sand mould machine (DISA)
which applies a pressure of 15 Kg/cm2 to make the sand moulds. The machine operates at a fixed
cycle time. These sand moulds are passed onto a moving belt and the melted material is poured in
them by a pressure funnel (which has heater arrangements to keep the molten materials at a fixed
temperature). The molten metal is kept in pouring furnaces connected to funnel. The temperature
for pouring ranges from 1380-1450 °C depending upon the component to be made. The venting for
the removal of gases is accounted in the pattern itself. The conveyor belt carries 45 moulds at a
time. By the time one mould (with casting inside it) reaches the end of the conveyor, the casting
gets solidified.
d) Casting line : These castings are then moved onto a vibrator on which the sand mould breaks.
This casting and sand mixture then passes through a rotating drum (DIDION) inner regions having
holes to remove the sand from the casting. Sand which can’t be removed through these holes is
removed manually at the end of the drum. Castings then pass through shot blasting operation which
is done to remove the fine sand particles sticking on to the casting which could not be removed in
the casting vibrator. Inspection is done after the sand blasting operation to check for casting
rejections. The OK components are passed on for breaking the runners and the risers.
e) Fettling : Some portions of the components can’t be cleaned by shot blasting. So, grinding
operation is done for these portions. Also, parting line is removed if required by grinding. Then, the
components are checked for defects like, shrinkage, blow holes, core defects etc.
f) Core shop and the pattern shop : The foundry shop has an in house facility for core making. The
resin coated sand is replicated to make core for the cavities of various components and is heated so
that all the moisture in the sand is lost, making the core sand to reach the required strength. Another
method for core formation is , by adding resin to the core sand and applying the prescribed air
pressure. Also, the final gating and pouring basin for the patterns are made here attaching wooden
pieces to the finished pattern obtained from dies and moulds division.
3.2.2 Quality department
Most of the castings are sent to the machining division for machining. Only a few products are
dispatched to the customers as cast. No dimensional inspection is done for the components which
are sent for machining. Only visual inspection suffices. The quality section collects data from
machining division on the numbers of CRAM’s per shift. The quality section has a metallurgical lab
for inspection purpose. Tests are conducted for checking the material composition (spectrometer),
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hardness (Rockwell and brinell hardness tester), various parameters for sand such as permeability,
porosity, wet tensile strength, shear strength, moisture content etc. The results of material testing in
terms of percentage composition are displayed on the shop floor to let the workers know of it and so
that they can decide if they have to make any changes.

3.2.3 Maintenance department

The task of the maintenance department is to undertake both preventive and corrective maintenance.
Complete plant maintenance is done on Sundays.

3.3 Machining division

3.3.1 Production department
The production department decides the number of shifts the various machines (or production lines)
should run for various components, manpower requirement etc. Other major tasks undertaken by
this department are as below.
a) Tool cost monitoring : Tooling cost per component is decided in the company’s budget itself. So,
to control the tooling cost, a number of activities are performed in the department. Trial orders are
given to various tool manufacturers. They run their tools of various grades on different machines for
trials. There are several other issues besides tool life and cost-performance analysis which need to
be considered before deciding on the vendor for supplying the tools such as previous experiences in
terms of dealing with the company, lead time, tool change time. Depending on the requirements for
the production per month, orders are given to the company showing the best results. There is regular
monitoring of the tools even after orders have been given so that there are no flaws in the tool
performance.
b) Rejection control : The rejections can be of two types – Machining rejections (MR), those which
occur at the time of machining of the component and Casting Rejections After Machining (CRAM),
those which occur at the stage of casting such as blowholes but are exposed during machining of the
component. Every operator has to report the number of rejections at the end of the shift. Rejection
control projects are taken up for lines which show a high percentage of rejections.
c) Fixture improvement : Several problems can occur with the fixtures which are sent by the
engineering division for trials. The production department gives its suggestions for improvement of
fixture design based on its experience.
d) The primary task of the production department obviously remains to ensure that production
targets are met. All measures are taken to ensure this. Operators are hired from a regular contractor
20
in case of absence of a regular operator or the operators from other shifts are made to work overtime
for 4 hours each.

3.3.2 Quality department

Some of the activities undertaken by the quality department are as below
a) Final and Incoming inspection : After receiving the components to be dispatched from the
production department, it takes a random sample for inspection from the population. Sampling size
is based on AQL (Acceptance Quality Level). Complete dimensional inspection is done for this
sample. Visual inspection is done for the entire sample. The sampling plan followed is as given in
table 3.1.
Table 3.1 Sampling Plan
Population Sample Size
2 to 15 2
16 to 50 3
51 to 150 6
151 to 500 8
501 to 3200 13
3201 to 35000 20

b) Process Inspection : In the drawings from the customer, dimensions are always large in number
and checking of all dimensions is not at all feasible. So, either the critical dimensions are specified
by the customer or the quality department itself decides the critical dimensions. Process sheet
contains all the critical dimensions which need to be checked for every component by the operator
or by the quality inspector (as per checking frequency).

c) Standard room activities :

(i) Calibration of instruments : The instruments being used by the operators (snap gauge, plug
gauge, receiving gauge, gap gauge, air plug gauge, vernier calipers etc) always wear out after some
time. Therefore, regular calibration of these instruments is very important. It can be monthly,
bimonthly depending upon the frequency of usage, wear resistance of the instrument etc.
(ii) Layout Inspection : This includes checking all the dimensions of the component. Frequency of
checking and sample size is decided by the quality of the department itself. This includes checking
the components on CMM, surface roughness tester, radius tester, profile projector, height gauge etc.
(iii) Evaluating process and machine capability : This activity is doe for all the machines. Although
the component dimensions should be within USL (Upper Specification Limit) and LSL (Lower

21
Specification Limit), the department tries to control the tolerance zone within UCL (Upper Control
Limit) and LCL (Lower Control Limit) to ensure that the process is under control and that the
process is capable of meeting the required specifications.. The data for a particular critical
dimension is taken (5 consecutive readings) for 125 readings in a month. The process capability is
then calculated from that data by plotting X bar and R charts.

3.3.3 Maintenance department

The maintenance department undertakes the following activities.
a) Handling of the breakdowns : Breakdown is the duration for which there is no production (due to
machine failure). The breakdowns in the machine can be due to sudden power failure, hydraulic
failure (due to oil leakage, coolant leakage etc), accidents during machine running etc. Maintenance
department has the responsibility to correct the various causes for breakdown in the least possible
time so that the effect of breakdown on the production is minimum.
b) Preventive maintenance : This is the routine activity for maintaining the efficiencies of the
machines to their maximum. This includes checking the lubrication points (oil level should be
within the defined limits), limit switches, leakage checks and pressure checks).
c) Pending work/temporary job : If some part of machine fails, then it will be replaced but the failed
part is to be erected later. This kind of activity is a pending work. Other example can be putting a
pipe temporarily with its route to be decided later on as a pending work.
d) Spare part planning : If a motor has been replaced during a breakdown, the spare parts of the
failed one has to be in the store room so that a change can be made immediately if the same motor
at some other machine fails. Schedule has to be made in the very starting of the month depending on
the failure frequencies of the various parts.
e) Shut down work planning : This includes converting the temporary jobs to permanent solution.
The schedule is taken from the production department for the maintenance work.
f) TPM activities : It is also a very important activity in the maintenance department. It includes the
planning to reduce the number of breakdowns, reduction in time for correction per breakdown,
training the operators for autonomous maintenance so that the operator’s dependence on the
maintenance department is reduced (operators can develop the ability to quickly respond to
abnormalities, to detect, correct and prevent equipment abnormalities and make improvements,
knowing how to distinguish between normal and abnormal activities).

22
g) Training : The department has to ensure that its workers have the ability to correct the
breakdowns to its best. Their work should be up to the levels of satisfaction. So there are training
programs (in-house and outside) so that the efficiency of the manpower is higher.

3.4 Dies and moulds division

The dies and moulds division of RICO is known under the name of Rico Dies and Moulds Limited
(RDML). It manufactures dies for use in RICO only (HPDC division). Only rarely does it cater to
the demand of some outside customer. Currently, it is falling short of meeting the demand
requirements. Whereas the demand is of 14 dies per month, they are supplying only 9 dies per
month. There are plans to expand the die division shortly. The cost of manufacturing a die comes to
around Rs 25-30 lakhs. Manufacturing a die starting from its design stage typically takes around 6
months. Die division has a number of sub divisions which work in coherence with each other
throughout the period of 6 months. The function of each division is being discussed below.

3.4.1 CAD division

The CAD division receives 2D drawings of the component for which the die has to be made from
the customer. 2D drawings are converted to 3D drawings using some modeling software. After that
starts the process of die design. Various decisions that have to made are placement of gates, number
of gates, gate area, overflows and vents, water cooling pipes positioning, cores to be used etc.
Decisions regarding these parameters are taken on the basis of experience and analysis. Magma
software is an important tool used for the purpose of analysis of metal behavior inside the die. Other
softwares used include Pro-E, Unigraphics, Catia, AutoCAD. After the die has been designed, it is
then sent to the CAM division for manufacturing. The design process normally takes up to 1 month
time.

3.4.2 CAM division

CAM division houses a number of high rpm CNC and EDM machines. The CNC codes for these
machines are written by the CAD division itself. The die inserts are given the final shape at this
stage. The arrangement of water cooling pipes, making of slides and cores is outsourced to some
other firm.

3.4.3 Assembly division

23
Fitting of water cooling pipes, die insert into the mould base, cores into the slides, minor machining
operations such as drilling are the tasks that are done at the assembly division. The fixed and the
moving half also tested to see that they match with each other perfectly. The process is called
spotting.

3.4.4 Die Inspection

Die inspection is done to ensure that the die is made to the right dimensions and all the profiles are
rightly cut. This is done using the CMM machine.

The process flow for die manufacturing can be represented as in the following figure.

Material cutting  block sizing  grinding  pre CNC machining  drilling

and tapping  heat treatment (vaccum hardening)  grinding  finish CNC
machining  wire cut EDM  Inspection (using CMM)  assembly  spotting
(matching of the fixed and moving halves)
Figure 3.3 Process Flow – Die division

CHAPTER 4 PROJECT WORK

After undergoing the observational training schedule, a project was pursued in the HPDC division.
This chapter discusses the details of the work done on the project.

4.1 About the project

As has been discussed already, RICO is aiming for achievement of TPM status by the end of 2006.
So as part of that, a number of projects are going on for reducing the rejection percentages of

24
various components. I pursued a project titled “Rejection Control of the component Crank Case Left
(CCL)”. The component CCL is manufactured for HMSI. The component is sent “as cast” i.e. no
machining is done after casting. The product is critical for both RICO (in terms of profit) and HMSI
(for proper functioning of its scooters and motorcycles). The component manufactured is on two
machines – 800T and 1050T in all the three shifts.

Figure 4.1 Crank Case

4.2 Data Collection and study of the case history

The first step was to collect rejection data for the past three months to see the rejection trends and to
identify the major types of defects occurring in the component. Rejection data is maintained by the
quality department for each shift on “Rejection data sheets”. The data for the months of March,
April and May was collected and it was compiled to a form useful for us. The data could have been
obtained directly from the software SAP but it contained data for rejections die-wise and not
according to the machine on which the component is manufactured. Since the aim was to compare
the rejection data for various dies (die numbers) and for the two machines, I resorted to compiling
the data myself from the rejection data sheets. The attempt proved to be futile in the end because
though we got the rejection data both die wise and machine wise but the production data could only

25
be obtained die wise. Therefore, the rejection percentages could not be compared for the two
machines on which the component is manufactured. Table 4.1 gives the production data die wise for
the months of March, April and May.

Table 4.1 Production data

Die No. March April May Total
4 4333 1850 1173 7356
6 6834 5414 0 12248
7 13027 2777 6138 21942
9 15801 8581 13486 37868
13 0 1561 0 1561
14 0 8957 12153 21110
Total 39995 29140 32950

Table 4.2 Rejection data for the months of March, April and May 2005
March April May
Warm up 1304 1230 1309
Non filling 2664 2752 2117
Crack 213 134 217
Catching 56 108 81
Gate broken 40 42 137
Soldering 10 0 41
Bend 0 44 23
Pin broken 0 6 0
Extra metal 0 0 80
Table 4.2 gives the rejection data along with the major kinds of defects occurring in the component.
Tables 4.3-4.5 show the rejection data die wise, indicating the frequency of occurrence of each
defect for each die. This could be used to see whether a particular die was having any particular
defect more frequently than the other dies. However, no such trends were observed.

Table 4.3 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of March 2005
Die Non Gate
Warm up Crack Catching Others Total
number filling broken
4 119 207 10 4 15 355
10
6 176 357 14 19 9 585
(soldering)
7 333 768 142 8 6 1257
9 392 753 2 19 8 1174
11 284 579 45 6 2 917

26
Table 4.4 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of April 2005
Die Non Gate
Warm up Crack Catching Others Total
number filling broken
4 48 119 0 20 0 0 187
6 (pin
6 142 301 26 14 12 507
broken)
7 67 160 0 0 0 0 227
9 417 939 26 9 12 44 (bend) 1447
11 255 628 38 59 6 0 986
13 49 130 24 0 0 0 203
14 252 475 20 6 12 0 765

Table 4.5 Rejection data Die-wise for the month of May 2005
Die Non Gate
Warm up Crack Catching Others Total
number filling broken
4 156 294 6 0 22 0 478
7 404 693 84 10 58 56 1585
9 383 654 83 34 29 55 1238
11 331 614 44 37 22 26 1074
14 35 92 0 0 6 7 140

Table 4.6 Overall Die-wise rejection data

Die Non Gate
Warm up Crack Catching Others Total
number filling broken
4 323 620 16 24 37 0 1020
6 318 658 40 33 21 16 1092
7 804 1621 226 18 64 56 3069
9 1192 2346 111 62 49 99 3859
11 870 1821 127 102 30 26 2977
13 49 130 24 0 0 0 203
14 287 567 20 6 18 7 905

Tables 4.7-4.10 give the rejection percentages for each die.

27
Table 4.7 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of March 2005
Die number Production Rejection Percentage rejection
4 4333 355 8.19
6 6834 585 8.56
7 13027 1257 9.65
9 15801 1174 7.43
11 8788 914 10.40

Table 4.8 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of April 2005
Die number Production Rejection Percentage rejection
4 1850 187 10.11
6 5414 507 9.36
7 2777 227 8.17
9 15387 1447 9.40
11 8581 986 11.49
13 1561 203 13.00
14 8957 765 8.54

Table 4.9 Percentage rejection Die-wise for the month of May 2005
Die number Production Rejection Percentage rejection
4 6138 478 7.79
7 12585 1585 12.59
9 13486 1238 9.18
11 12153 1074 8.84
14 1173 140 11.93

Table 4.10 Overall rejection percentages Die-wise

Die number Production Rejection Percentage rejection
4 12321 1020 8.28
6 12248 1092 8.92
7 28389 3069 10.81
9 44674 3859 8.64
11 29522 2974 10.07
13 1561 203 13.00
14 10130 905 8.93

Overall rejection percentage = 9.45 %

The rejection data showed the same trend (more or less) for
a) the entire period of three months.

28
 b) for all the dies.

The consistency of rejection data showed the following things :

a) there have been no efforts to reduce rejection over the past three months i.e. there have been no
modifications to the process parameters.
b) no one particular die or machine was responsible for majority of the rejections.

4.3 Pareto Analysis

The next step was to carry out a Pareto analysis of the rejection data. It was decided to initially
concentrate on the removal of the defect which was giving the majority of rejections. Later, (if time
permitted) other defects could also be looked into.

Table 4.11 Percentage contribution of each defect to the total rejections

Number of Cumulative
Defect Percentage
rejections percentage
Non filling 7533 59.75 59.75
Warm up 3843 30.48 90.23
Crack 564 4.47 94.70
Catching 245 1.94 96.64
Gate broken 219 1.74 98.38
Extra metal 80 0.63 99.02
Bend 67 0.53 99.55
Soldering 51 0.40 99.95
Pin broken 6 0.05 100.00
Total 12608 100

The Pareto chart analysis showed clearly that Non-filling was the major defect which was
accounting 60% of the total rejections. Warm up can not really be counted as a defect as it is
unavoidable and can be reduced by reducing the number of stoppages of the machine.

29
 Pareto Analysis

120

100

Cumulative percentage
Percentage Rejection

80
Percentage
60
Cumulative percentage
40

20

0
l
ng u p ack ing ken eta end ring k en
if lli rm r
C a tc
h o B e o
o n a br ra m old br
W C e t S Pi n
N at Ex
G
Defects

Figure 4.2 Pareto chart analysis of the rejection data

4.4 Understanding the process flow

The next step in the execution of the project was to spend time at the shopfloor to the understand the
process flow and identification of the major areas in the component where the problem of unfill is
mostly occurring. The process flow is depicted in figure 4.3.

Die casting  Fettling  Inspection  Packaging  Dispatch

Figure 4.3 Process Flow - CCL

After casting of the component, the operator puts it in a trolley (without breaking the runners and
the gates). The trolley is then taken to the fettling area. Here first the removal of runners and gates
takes place and then fettling is done in 3-4 stages in which flashes, burrs, parting line spots are
removed by filing. Holes are opened and the edges are smoothened. The component is then
inspected before being carried in trolleys to the packaging area. Inspection is done to ensure that
any “suspected leaking” pieces are removed. Human subjectivity is involved in this as there is no
sure shot way of checking whether a component is leaking or not. It is impossible to seal the
component (for leak testing) without machining it. So small levels of non-filling are acceptable

30
provided they don’t lead to the leaking of the component. The component is machined after it
reaches HMSI and is then subjected to leak testing.

4.5 Die casting – process and its principles

Die casting process is carried out on die casting machines. These machines are fitted with a robotic
arm with a ladle connected to its end which draws the required amount of molten metal from the
holding furnace. The holding furnace maintains a temperature of around 670 °C, which is roughly
the melting temperature of aluminium. After drawing the metal, the robotic arm waits for the die to
get closed. The die has two parts – fixed half and moving half. The moving half moves on the tie
bars and gets fitted on to the fixed half. After the die has been closed, metal is poured into the shot
sleeve, which is like a cylindrical housing inside which the plunger moves. Then the plunger starts
moving and slowly pushes the metal into the die cavity. After the cavity has been filled and the
metal has solidified inside, the die opens and the casting is withdrawn either by an extractor or by
the operator. Die is then cooled and lubricated and the process repeats. Some of the important
technical terms are now being defined which would be referred to frequently in the following
sections.
a) Locking force – This is the maximum force which the moving half of the die can withstand
without moving from its position after it has been closed. The units of measurement are tons(T) and
KiloNewton (KN). Every machine has a different specification of locking force. Different
components require machine with different specification depending on its surface area, volume and
casting pressure.
b) Solidification time – This is the time gap between the instant when metal has been injected into
the die and the opening of the die. This time gap is given to allow the molten metal to cool down
and get solidified. It varies depending upon the component.
c) Ejection delay time – This is the time gap between the instant when the die has opened fully and
the instant when the ejector pins push the casting out from the moving half of the die. This is given
for rapid cooling of the component and the die as they come in contact with much cooler
atmosphere.
d) Plunger – A long cylindrical shaped object which moves inside the sleeve and pushes the metal
into the die.
e) Diffuser – It is a part of the moving half of the die which comes in first contact of the molten
metal after it has been poured into the die. It is given to regulate the flow of metal into the cavity
and to bear the plunger force in the intensification stage.
31
f) Sprue bush – It is a bush given in the fixed half of the die. The plunger moves inside it.
g) Dry stroke shot – It is the distance between the initial position of the die and its final (maximum)
position i.e. upto the diffuser.
h) Die height – It is the thickness of the die (fixed and moving half taken together) in the closed
position.
i) Velocity profile (of the plunger) – The has three stages of velocity during the injection stroke
(i) Slow speed – This is the first stage. In this stage metal fills up the entire shot sleeve and no air
gap is left. By the end of this stroke metal has reached the gates of the casting.
(ii) High speed – In this stage metal fills up the entire die cavity, starting from the gates till the
overflows.
(iii) Intensification stroke – This is the final stroke in which the plunger applies a high pressure
on the metal. The plunger velocity at this stage is lower than high speed and it moves a small
distance. But it is very significant for ensuring that the metal reaches every corner of the die and the
metal gets the required packing strength.
The velocity profile shows the velocity of the plunger at different positions. An example is given in
table 4.12
Table 4.12 Velocity profile
Plunger position (mm) Plunger velocity (m/s)
85 0.25
180 0.25
250 0.25
665 0.25
700 2.30
805 2.30
815 0.60
820 0.40

j) High Speed length – This is the length for which the plunger moves at high speed. It includes the
distance covered in accelerating from slow speed to high speed. For example, in the velocity profile
given in table 4.12 the high speed length is 805-665 = 140 mm.
k) Biscuit – It is a cylindrical piece of metal which remains between the plunger and the diffuser. Its
diameter is obviously the same as the diameter of the plunger and its thickness varies from shot to
shot and is called biscuit thickness.
l) Intensification position – It is the plunger position from which the intensification stroke begins.

32
m) Die lubrication time – It is the time for which lubrication of the die takes place in machines in
which lubrication takes place automatically.
n) Plunger forward limit stroke (halt position) – The plunger moves forward a small distance at the
time of die opening. The distance between the initial position of the plunger and this final position
is called the plunger forward limit stroke and this final position is called the halt position.

4.6 Identification of the 4M conditions

The next stage was the identification of the 4M (man, machine, material, methods) conditions
required for obtaining a good casting. This required talking to all the persons concerned with the
production of the component – operators, engineers, supervisors, quality inspectors. The
methodology followed was to look for conditions which promote the occurrence of non-filling.
Then ensure that those conditions do not occur during the production of the component. All the 4M
conditions are listed in the chart given in two parts in figures 4.4 and 4.5.

33
Figure 4.4 3M conditions chart-Part 1

34
 Figure 4.4 3M conditions chart-Part 2

4.7 Process Monitoring

The process sheet contains the process parameters on which the machine is run. The process sheet is
made for each component at the time when its production starts. The process sheet for CCL is given
in table 4.13. On the basis of process sheet is made the setup approval chart on which the
monitoring of the process parameters is done. It is filled up by quality inspector at the beginning of
each shift to ensure that all the settings are as per specifications.

35
Table 4.13 Process Sheet – CCL
Whether
SNo Parameter Dimension 1050T
monitored
1. Die height mm 805 No
Dry shot stroke
2. mm 659±10 No
(initial position)
Plunger forward limit stroke
3. mm 710±10 No
(halt position)
4. Plunger diameter mm 90 No
Ejection type
5. (C-plate, bumper rod, ejector - E/rod No
rod)
6. Fix block cooling Yes/No Yes Yes
7. Moving block cooling Yes/No Yes Yes
8. Die timer sec 12±3 Yes
9. Die lubrication time sec 1.5±0.5 Yes
10. Ejection delay time sec 2.5±1.0 Yes
11. Biscuit size mm 25±5 Yes
12. Low speed m/s 0.2±0.05 Yes
13. High speed m/s 3±0.5 Yes
14. High speed length mm 170±10 Yes
15. INTF. position mm NA Yes
16. Pressure up time % 80±20 Yes
17. Cast pressure kg/cm2 650~850 Yes
18. Accumulator pressure kg/cm2 90~135 Yes
19. Metal temperature °C 660~690 Yes

For the purpose of process monitoring, process monitoring sheet was made which contained the
parameters to be monitored along with their specifications. Some other parameters from the 4M
conditions chart were not monitored, either because it was not possible to monitor them under the
given constraints and conditions, or the probability of their deviating from their specification zone
was extremely low. The process monitoring sheet along with the monitoring data is given in tables
4.14 and 4.15. Initially it was decided to concentrate on the 1050T machine as the machine was new
and it was easier to understand its controls.

36
Table 4.14 Process Monitoring Sheet for the component CCL, cast on 1050T machine
OK OK OK
SN 5/7 6/7 7/7
Parameter Specification / / /
o Shift A Shift A Shift A
NG NG NG
Material (Metal)
1. ADC-12 OK OK OK
Composition
Metal temperature
2. 660-690 °C 692 OK NM NM
(holding furnace)
No metal
should be
3. Metal sensor condition NG NG NG
sticking on
them
4. Plunger temperature 60-80 °C NM NM NM
±0.05
5. Low speed 0.2 m/s 0.25 OK 0.25 OK 0.25 OK
6. High speed 3±0.5 m/s 2.50 OK 2.50 OK 2.30 NG
±10
7. High speed length 170 mm 140 NG 140 OK 145 NG
8. Cast pressure 650-850 kg/cm2 700 OK 700 OK 720 OK
±20
9. Pressure up time 80 % NG NG NG
2
10. Accumulator pressure 90-135 kg/cm 121 OK 121 OK 123 OK
11. Biscuit size 25±5 mm 50 NG 47 NG 53 NG
12. Intensification position NA - - - - - -
13. Solidification time 16±3 sec 14 OK 15 OK 14 OK
14. Ejection delay time 2.5±1.0 sec 2.5 OK 2.5 OK 2.0 OK
±0.5
15. Die lubrication time 2.5 sec NA NA NA NA NA NA
Locking force
16. 7150 KN OK OK OK
delivered
No flashes
17. Air vents condition should stick on OK OK OK
them
They should
18. Overflows come out with OK OK OK
the casting
Fixed block
19. NM NM NM
temperature
Moving block
20. NM NM NM
temperature
21. Diffuser temperature NM NM NM
Sprue bush
22. NM NM NM
temperature

23. Dry shot stroke 659±10 mm 880 NG 880 NG 880 NG

24. Plunger halt position 710±10 mm 900 NG 900 NG 900 NG

NG Not Good
NM Not Monitored

37
Table 4.15 Process Monitoring Sheet for the component CCL, cast on 1050T machine
OK OK OK
SN 9/7 11/7
Parameter Specification / / /
o Shift A Shift A
NG NG NG
Material (Metal)
1. ADC-12 OK OK
Composition
Metal temperature
2. 660-690 °C 610 NG NM
(holding furnace)
No metal
should be
3. Metal sensor condition NG NG
sticking on
them
4. Plunger temperature 60-80 °C NM NM
±0.05
5. Low speed 0.2 m/s 0.25 OK 0.25 OK
6. High speed 3±0.5 m/s 2.30 NG 2.50 OK
±10
7. High speed length 170 mm 145 NG 145 OK
8. Cast pressure 650-850 kg/cm2 720 OK 750 OK
±20
9. Pressure up time 80 % NG NG
2
10. Accumulator pressure 90-135 kg/cm 119 OK 121 OK
11. Biscuit size 25±5 mm 57 NG 45 NG
12. Intensification position NA - - - -
13. Solidification time 16±3 sec 14 OK 13 OK
14. Ejection delay time 2.5±1.0 sec 1.0 NG 1.0 NG
15. Die lubrication time 2.5±0.5 sec NA NA NA NA
Locking force
16. 7150 KN OK OK
delivered
No flashes
17. Air vents condition should stick on OK OK
them
They should
18. Overflows come out with OK OK
the casting
Fixed block
19. NM NM
temperature
Moving block
20. NM NM
temperature
21. Diffuser temperature NM NM
Sprue bush
22. NM NM
temperature
23. Dry shot stroke 659±10 mm 880 NG 880 NG
24. Plunger halt position 710±10 mm 900 NG 900 NG

NG Not Good

38
NM Not Monitored

The die temperature could not be monitored as the temperature probe was not available with the
company. There was a laser device which was used for measurement of temperature but it was not
accurate and gave deviations of upto 30-40 °C.

The next step was to actually stand in front of the machine and each shot as it comes out. Check
whether the piece is OK or reject. Then take down the shot parameters from the computer control
unit of the machine. This had to be done for atleast 1 hour at a stretch. This needed you to be able to
judge on your own whether a component was OK or reject. As explained earlier, this involved some
amount of human subjectivity as their were no hard and fast rules guiding it. So first lot of time was
spent with the quality inspector to try to develop that sense of judgment and to understand what
level of non filling was acceptable. Die coat (lubricant) marks on the casting could easily be
mistaken for non filling. It was essential to be able to differentiate between the two. Some of the
process monitoring data is being given in tables 4.16 and 4.17.

39
Table 4.16 Process monitoring data : Date 6 July, 2005 ; Shift A ; Machine 1050T ;
Die number 11
Time Press
Biscui Max.
Shot Cavit till Inject ure Plung Locki Gate
t metal Cycle
numb y fill end ion build er ng veloci Status
thick press time
er time cavity time up speed force ty
ness ure
fill time
mm bar sec sec sec sec sec m/s KN m/s
273 59 750 91.5 0.161 3.409 3.715 0.003 2.48 7307 - OK
274 55 741 91.5 0.149 3.423 3.775 0.003 2.48 7326 55.4 OK
275 56 746 94.5 0.151 3.41 4.298 0.002 2.49 7341 55.6 OK
276 44 746 101.4 0.165 3.452 3.596 0.065 2.48 7334 55.4 *
277 60 737 100.4 0.168 3.408 3.836 0.003 2.5 7311 55.9 OK
278 59 739 93.5 0.31 3.392 3.65 0.02 2.47 7328 55 OK
279 58 737 94.5 0.158 3.42 3.981 0.003 2.5 7348 55.7 OK
280 58 739 93.5 0.154 3.426 3.857 0.002 2.5 7360 55.8 OK
281 56 741 95.5 0.148 3.429 3.614 0.003 2.5 7265 55.8 OK
282 57 741 100.4 0.162 3.421 4.034 0.003 2.49 7267 55.6 OK
283 50 753 157.2 0.141 3.42 3.603 0.023 2.5 7207 55.8 OK
284 45 750 92.6 0.171 3.476 3.592 0.041 2.5 7220 55.7 NG
285 47 747 92.5 0.145 3.447 3.618 0.048 2.48 7228 55.4 *
286 50 747 97.4 0.139 3.417 3.594 0.049 2.5 7214 55.7 NG
287 46 767 94.6 0.138 3.427 3.541 0.032 2.46 7237 54.8 NG
288 55 750 101.4 0.145 3.413 3.581 0.004 2.47 7227 55 OK
289 49 750 98.4 0.145 3.412 3.51 0.012 2.47 7219 55.6 *
290 52 744 92.5 0.143 3.414 3.522 0.015 2.48 7250 55.3 *
291 52 747 92.5 0.145 3.425 3.659 0.011 2.45 7254 54.7 *
292 47 551 96.6 0.14 3.429 3.559 0.023 2.48 7219 55.4 *
293 53 757 95.5 0.289 3.408 3.574 0.024 2.42 7234 54 OK
294 49 748 95.5 0.138 3.435 3.594 0.047 2.51 7222 56.1 *
295 53 751 235.7 0.146 3.409 3.66 0.004 2.49 7136 55.7 *
297 57 753 93.5 0.151 3.421 3.689 0.003 2.49 7155 55.6 *
298 69 415 576.1 0.299 3.626 3.636 0.005 0.97 7037 21.6 NG
299 60 376 86.6 0.261 3.653 3.66 0.006 0.97 7094 21.6 NG
300 54 737 90.3 0.146 3.413 3.699 0.005 2.48 7142 55.3 *
301 50 755 94.5 0.14 3.416 3.534 0.032 2.5 7140 55.8 *
302 50 751 90.5 0.14 3.434 3.679 0.023 2.49 7163 55.6 *
303 44 754 90.5 0.141 3.427 3.553 0.039 2.48 7182 55.4 NG
304 39 770 175 0.147 3.468 3.604 0.065 2.47 7132 55.1 NG
305 56 742 86.5 0.165 3.416 3.85 0.006 2.47 7146 55.2 OK
306 54 750 88.6 0.292 3.405 3.607 0.024 2.44 7181 54.5 NG
Mean 53 721 117.3 0.171 3.436 3.681 0.02 2.39 7225 53.28
Stand
ard
6 91 87.6 0.052 0.055 0.168 0.019 0.37 79.29 8.323
Devia
tion

* though the casting was acceptable but their were significant levels of non filling in the
component

40
Table 4.17 Process monitoring data : Date 7 July, 2005 ; Shift A ; Machine 1050T ; Die number 11
Time Press
Biscui Max.
Shot Cavit till Inject ure Plung Locki Gate
t metal Cycle
numb y fill end ion build er ng veloci Status
thick press time
er time cavity time up speed force ty
ness ure
fill time
mm bar sec sec sec sec sec m/s KN m/s
764 57 764 95.5 0.145 3.422 3.8 0.002 2.29 7228 51 OK
765 48 762 95.5 0.116 3.424 3.662 0.004 2.3 7223 51.3 OK
766 46 763 93.5 0.114 3.431 3.678 0.004 2.29 7244 51.2 OK
767 50 757 92.5 0.125 3.423 3.838 0.002 2.3 7249 51.2 OK
768 48 758 95.6 0.119 3.43 3.665 0.004 2.28 7248 50.9 OK
769 53 768 94.5 0.135 3.425 3.677 0.003 2.27 7271 50.7 OK
770 44 768 242.6 0.113 3.426 3.524 0.008 2.29 7155 51.1 NG
771 53 757 93.5 0.138 3.401 3.634 0.004 2.28 7183 50.8 OK
772 49 767 96.6 0.122 3.429 3.657 0.004 2.28 7185 50.9 *
773 49 761 96.5 0.122 3.427 3.661 0.004 2.27 7207 50.6 OK
774 51 772 91.5 0.131 3.429 3.618 0.005 2.25 7226 50.3 OK
775 49 758 96.5 0.118 3.429 3.62 0.004 2.27 7246 50.6 OK
776 47 773 114.4 0.257 3.395 3.581 0.022 2.22 7228 49.6 NG
777 49 767 108.5 0.119 3.429 3.612 0.003 2.28 7251 50.9 OK
778 51 772 90.5 0.128 3.422 3.936 0.003 2.3 7261 51.4 OK
779 52 756 94.5 0.131 3.427 4.037 0.002 2.3 7276 51.3 OK
780 56 766 95.5 0.141 3.426 3.791 0.002 2.28 7289 51 OK
781 48 771 94.5 0.119 3.428 3.598 0.005 2.28 7291 50.8 OK
782 53 763 105.5 0.138 3.407 3.653 0.005 2.28 7281 50.9 *
783 52 756 94.5 0.128 3.424 3.711 0.003 2.29 7281 51.1 OK
784 52 756 108.3 0.128 3.41 3.587 0.003 2.29 7273 51.1 *
785 47 764 94.6 0.116 3.429 3.648 0.005 2.29 7281 51.1 *
786 47 763 96.5 0.119 3.426 3.709 0.005 2.28 7276 50.9 *
787 48 759 100.4 0.119 3.432 3.602 0.005 2.29 7297 51.1 *
788 50 770 98.4 0.121 3.427 3.66 0.003 2.29 7302 51.1 OK
Mean 50 764 103.2 0.13 3.423 3.686 0.005 2.28 7250 50.92
Stand
ard
3 5.47 29.01 0.027 0.009 0.113 0.004 0.02 37.61 0.363
Devia
tion

* though the casting was acceptable but their were significant levels of non filling in the
component

4.8 Theoretical analysis

41
4.8.1 Machine parameters
4.8.1.1 CASTING COMPONENTS
plunger diameter 90.0 mm
active sleeve length 880 mm
biscuit thickness programmed 25 mm
end of pourhole 125 mm
4.8.1.2 CASTING DATA
designation of casting 2
number of castings 1
designation of alloy ADC-12
density solid metal 2.70 g/cc
density factor : RhoM liquid 0.95
projected area – total 1175 cm2
gate area 285 mm2
vent area 27 mm2
total casting weight 4830 gms
weight after gate 2840 gms
weight of overflows 210 gms
casting weight 2630 gms

shot sleeve 10% full 584 mm

metal at gate 675 mm
filling stroke 165 mm
metal at overflow 828 mm
end cavity filling 840 mm
maximum intensification 15 mm
endpos. plunger stroke 855 mm

average plunger velocity 0.91 m/s

average gate velocity 20 m/s
average venting speed 214 m/s
sleeve filling ratio 34 %
42
pourhole closed 39 %

4.8.2 Calculation of casting parameters theoretically

Total weight of the casting (W) 4830 gms
Density of solid metal (d) 2.70 gm/cc
Density of liquid metal (dl) 2.565 gm/cc
Plunger diameter (D) 90 mm
Active shot sleeve length (L) 880 mm
Weight after gate (W1) 2840 gms
Biscuit thickness (t) 25 mm
End of pourhole from plunger initial position (l1) 125 mm
Weight of cast iron ring (w) 70 gms

1. Volume of liquid metal poured (V) = W / dl

= 4830 / 2.565
= 1883.04 cc
2. Active shot sleeve volume (V1) = π * D2 * L / 4
= π * 92 * 88 / 4
= 5598.32 cc
3. % shot sleeve fill = V / V1
= 1883.04 / 5598.32
= 33.64 %
4. Length of shot sleeve with pourhole closed (l2) = L – l1
= 880 – 125
= 755 mm
5. Volume of shot sleeve with pourhole closed (V2) = π * D2 * l22 / 4
= π * 92 * 75.5 / 4
= 4803.10 cc
6. % shot sleeve fill with pourhole closed = V / V2
= 1883.04 / 4803.10
= 39.20 %
7. Plunger position at which the sleeve is 100 % full = l3
π * D2 * (L – l3) / 4 = V
43
 π * 92 * (880-l3) / (4 *10) = 1883.04
l3 = 584 mm
8. Weight of runner + gate + biscuit (W2) = W – W1
= 4830 – 2840
= 1990 gms
9. Biscuit weight (W3) = π * D2 * t * d / 4
= π * 92 * 2.5 * 2.70 / 4
= 429.42 gms
10. Weight of gate + runner (W4) = W2 – W3
= 1990 – 429.42
= 1560.58 gms
11. Volume of gate + runner (V3) = W4 / d
= 1560.58 / 2.70
= 577.95 cc
12. Volume of liquid metal excluding gate and runner volume (V4) = V – V3
= 1883.04 – 577.95
= 1305.09 cc
13. Plunger position at which metal reaches the gate = l4

π * D2 * (L – l4) / 4 = V4
π * 92 * (880 – l4) / (4 * 10) = 1305.09
l4 = 674.85 mm
14. Weight after gate – Cast iron ring weight = W5
W5 = W1 – w
W5 = 2840 – 70
W5 = 2770 gms
15. Volume of metal after gate (V5) = W5 / d
= 2770 / 2.70
= 1025.53 cc
16. Filling stroke = l5

π * D2 * l5 = V5
π * 92 * l5 = 1025.53
44
 l5 = 161.2 mm

4.8.3 Estimation of high speed position, intensification position and gate velocity
I High speed injection position
Sleeve cross section area = π * D2 / 4
= π * 92 / 4
= 63.62 cm2

Hi-speed injection position = L – ( l5 + x1 + x2 + t )

where x1 = electricity, oil delay = 10 mm
x2 = hi-speed rising = 20 mm
and rest of the symbols carry the same meaning as in the previous section

Hi-speed injection position = 880 – ( 161.2 + 10 + 20 + 25)

= 663.05 mm

II Position of injection intensification

Position of injection intensification = L – ( t + intensification stroke )
= 880 – (25 + 35)
= 820 mm
III Gate velocity
The gate velocity can be found by using the continuity equation.
Plunger velocity * plunger cross section area = Gate area * gate velocity
63.63 * 2.30 = 285 * 10-2 * gate velocity
Gate velocity = 51.34 m/s

Table 4.18 Velocity profile

45
 Plunger position (mm) Plunger velocity (m/s)

85
0.25

180
0.25

250
0.25

665
0.25

700
2.50
805
2.50
815
0.60
820
0.40

4.9 Observations
1. During the monitoring of the process, it was observed that biscuit size and cycle were critical for
obtaining a good casting. Whenever the biscuit size fell below 50 mm, the casting obtained was
invariably found to have non filling. Similarly, when the cycle time exceeded 110 seconds the
casting obtained was not good which is quite expected as the die gets cooled down. Also, although
the specification for biscuit size was 25±5 mm, it was always around 50 mm

2. There was a difference between the biscuit size as indicated by the machine and the actual biscuit
size as measured by the vernier calipers. The actual biscuit size was found to be 18 mm less than
that indicated by the machine. Nobody in the company was aware of this, and after they were told
about this nobody could explain as to why this was happening.

3. The process sheet for 1050T machine has arbitrarily been made on the basis of the process sheet
for 800T machine. The 1050T machine has different machine parameters than the 800T machine.

4. The velocity profile showed that the high speed length has been set to 140 mm whereas
calculations suggested that it should be around 165 mm. This could be a big reason behind the

46
occurrence of defects as a lower high speed length means longer cavity fill time which could lead to
cooling of the metal inside the die. The cavity fill time was coming out to be around 120
milliseconds. For a casting of this weight, the suggested cavity fill time is 80-90 milliseconds.
5. The variation in the biscuit size on 1050T machine was found to be higher than the other
machines operating in the industry. Whereas the standard deviation for other machines was around
1.5 mm, for the 1050 T machine it was around 3mm. This shows lack of process control. Part of the
reason for this could be the poor condition of the sensors attached to the ladle which draws metal
from the holding furnace and lack of temperature control of the holding furnace.

4.10 Conclusion and Suggestions

1. Standardization of the process by making changes in the process sheet of 1050T Buhler machine.
2. Increase in the High-speed length from 145 mm to 165 mm. This would also result in the
reduction of cavity fill time.
3. Reduction in the variation of biscuit size from shot to shot. The standard deviation of 1050T
machine is almost 2 times that of the 800T machine. That needs to be reduced to maintain an
effective control on the biscuit size which is a critical parameter for reduction of rejections.
4. The machine settings should be checked to identify the reason for the difference between the
biscuit size as indicated by the machine and the actual biscuit size.
5. Increase in the frequency of preventive maintenance of the holding furnace.
6. The workers and the engineers should be trained and acquainted with the working of the Buhler
machines. This would enable them to maintain an effective control over the process.

47
CHAPTER 5 TRAINING EXPERIENCE

5.1 Evaluation of the Organization

5.1.1 Professionalism
The company is managed in a professional manner. All the rules and regulations are strictly
followed and the deadlines are always met. The production targets are also met without failure.

5.1.2 Ethical conduct

The company conducts all its business in an ethical and lawful manner.

5.1.3 Award-Reward
The company has instituted the following awards for the motivation of the workers
i) Long service award – It is given to the worker who has worked for the company for 5 or more
years.
ii) Best Worker award – This award is given on recommendation of the supervisors and the
engineers of each division.
iii) Best suggestion award

5.1.4 Promotion schemes

The career growth chart of an employee in RICO (along with the expected salary) is as given in
figure 5.1.
GET  DE3  DE4  Senior Department Engineer
(12 K, 1 yr) (14 K, 1 yr) (16 K, 1 yr) (18 K, 1 yr)

 Asstt. Manager  Deputy Manager  Manager

(20 K, 3 yrs) (23 K, 3 yrs) (3 yrs)

 Divisional Manager  Assistant General Manager 

(3 yrs) (3 yrs)

48
 Deputy General Manager  General Manager
Figure 5.1 Career Graph at RICO
5.1.5 VRS history/plans
The company has no VRS history and it does not plan to introduce the scheme in the near future.

5.1.6 Innovations
The company has taken a number initiatives to increase the productivity of the organization. Efforts
have been made and are being made to remove all unproductive activities to as much extent as
possible. Major steps taken in this direction are introduction of TPM, Kaizen and six sigma.

5.1.6.1 TPM
TPM stands for Total Productive Maintenance. TPM is a Japanese concept and it originated from
the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM). In India, the CII has opened a TPM club of India,
in collaboration with JIPM, for spreading the TPM culture among Indian industries. TPM aims at
removing all unproductive activities prevalent in the industry. According to TPM, all activities
should be aimed at increasing the productivity. All activities should be for the benefit of the
company. The concept can be summarized by the following definition.
Total : Involvement of all people horizontally and Vertically.
Productive : All activities are focused towards increasing the productivity.
Maintenance : To develop a habit of maintaining all the 4M’s.
TPM is equipment focused. dustry is measured by its OEE. OEE is defined as
OEE = Availability rating * Performance rating * Quality rating
85% OEE is considered to be good in process industries. In engineering industries, especially
machine shop, it can be as high as 95%. There are 8 pillar activities of TPM.
1. Autonomous maintenance (AM)
2. Plant Maintenance (PM)
3. Quality Maintenance (QM)
4. Focused Improvement (KK)
5. Education and Training (E&T)
6. Safety, Health and Environment (SHE)
7. Office TPM (OTPM)
8. Development Management (DM)
49
The foundry and the machine shop have already achieved high OEE’s. The company aims to
achieve the TPM status by December, 2006.

5.1.6.2 Kaizen
Kaizens are low cost, small improvements made to any production activity in the industry such as
casting, machining, material management. They can be initiated by anyone from the operator to the
plant manager. Improvements are made by doing a “Why-Why” analysis of the existing problem.
Repeated questioning is done until the root cause of the problem is found or reached at. Then a
counter measure is taken which counters the root cause of the problem. Employees are rewarded for
initiation and successful execution of Kaizens. A Kaizen workshop has also been made for this
purpose. Kaizens contribute greatly towards increasing the productivity .

5.1.7 Potential employer

The company recruits a large number of engineers every year. They are kept on training for one
year during which they are given certain projects to work on and in the process they get to know the
technical aspects and the working of the industry. The job is physically very demanding as all the
work in involved at the shopfloor. The company also recruits M.Techs in its die design and R&D
division. Other opportunities exist in the engineering division and the purchase division. Work in
the engineering division involves development of process sheets and fixture design for the
machining division.

5.2 New Technical aspects

EDM : EDM process is used in the CAM division for providing intricate shapes and profiles to the
die inserts. Although I had seen EDM at IIT workshop, I did not think that it could be applied to
operations requiring such high tolerances and such complicate profiles. As the material removal rate
is low, certain components are kept under EDM for hours at a stretch.

Magma software : Magma is used in the die design division to simulate the filling up of metal inside
the die and the die and the metal temperatures. It gives an estimate of what happens inside the die
once metal has been poured in the shot sleeve and the plunger starts to move. The reliability of the
software is high and it saves a lot of time and effort.

50
Diamond cutting tools : Diamond tools (inserts) are used for operations requiring a high
dimensional tolerance. They can cost upto Rs. 50000. Requirement of high precision product by the
customer and long insert life justify the use of such costly tooling.

42000 rpm machine : CNC machines with rpm as high as 42000 are used for machining purposes in
CAM division. Such a high rpm is needed for machining of HDS which is used for making die
inserts. It is a very hard material and besides requirement of very high tolerance necessitate and
justify the use of such heavy equipment.

Wire cut EDM : The principle of operation of wire cut EDM is same as EDM. The electrode used
in this case is a fine copper wire. Current is made to pass through the wire and it is given a certain
velocity at the required position with the help of motor and pulleys. Material is removed by virtue
of spark produced between the wire and the component.

5.3 Suggestions for improving departmental courses

1. Die casting should be included in the curriculum of Production and Industrial Engineering
students either as a separate course or as a part of an already running core course. Die casting is a
rapidly growing industry in India and abroad and knowledge of its fundamentals would definitely
benefit the students in their future endeavors. Besides, it is much more interesting and fascinating
than the conventional sand casting.
2. CNC programming should also be taught to the students as part of some course. All machining
operations in the industries are done through PLC’s and CNC’s and knowledge of CNC
programming would allow us to understand, appreciate and perhaps contribute to those processes in
a positive manner. It can be taken up during the workshop sessions of the course ME258N
Manufacturing machines.
3. Industrial visits should be organized during the semester to companies such as RICO. This would
show us the practical implications of the concepts learnt in the classroom and motivate us towards
taking up engineering as a career rather than going for other options such MBA or IAS.

51
 APPENDIX I

Specified composition of ADC-12 alloy of Aluminium

Specified percentage
SNo. Element Symbol
composition
1. Silicon Si 9.600-12.000
2. Iron Fe <1.300
3. Copper Cu 1.500-3.500
4. Manganese Mn <0.500
5. Zinc Zn <1.000
6. Magnesium Mg <0.300
7. Nickel Ni <0.500
8. Tin Sn <0.200
9. Lead Pb <0.200
10. Titanium Ti -
11. Aluminium Al -

52