2240. Weight Control in the Manufacturing Environment at Erda, Inc.
$20.00
SAWE Members get a $200 store credit each year.*
*Store credit coupon available at checkout, click the button in your shopping cart to apply the coupon.
Not applicable to SAWE textbooks and current conference technical papers.
Paper
Abstract
The aspect of weight control, to many individuals, seems to end with the completion of the design cycle. The potential for uncontrolled weight growth in an atmosphere where this thought pattern exists is unbelievably high. As a subcontractor to aircraft manufacturers and completion centers, we are very often given weight constraints for seating designs. It is our responsibility to manage our programs so that the not to exceed (NTE) weight values are indeed not exceeded. This paper shows several examples of how the weight of delivered chairs grew, and how process checks were utilized to control the weight growth. Starting with the Weight Engineer, probably the greatest contribution that can be made to a program, is to simply follow it. It does not take a great deal of time and/or effort to manage a weight control program compared to the extreme cost and aggravation associated with a weight reduction program. At ERDA, we are constantly faced with a variety of ?opportunities? that, if left unchecked, will result in unauthorized weight growth. With the average structural weight of our seats coming in at around 29.0 pounds, the addition of any weight is a large percentage of the total. Topics or areas that have been targeted are drawing/design revisions, cost saving procedures, assembly techniques, attitudes in manufacturing, and the lack of training and/or communications within the project team. In this paper, these topics are not listed in any particular order of priority.
