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EAT 206 DESIGN METHODS AND APPLICATIONS

Car wiper Report

Abstract
This report is to review the manufacturing & assembly of the car windshield wiper
blade and improve it or replace it with a new design. The old design is dismantled and
fully understands the manufacturing steps and assembly steps. The cost to
manufacture the wiper is briefly calculated. Improvement design and new design of
the wiper is made and following the Design for Manufacturing rules. The new design
is chosen by using the Weighted Objective Method and the critical review of the
redesign product is made.
Table of Contents
Abstract
1
Review of existing design
1.1
Design efficiency
1.2
Suitability for assembly
1.2.1
Exploded view of existing design
1.2.2
Sequence of assembly
1.2.3
Assembly process
1.2.4
Labor cost
1.2.5
Human error
1.2.6
The types of assembly process
1.2.7
Overview of current design
1.3
Breakdown of manufacturing and associated costs
1.3.1
All parts
1.3.2
Manufacturing process
1.3.3
Percentage of net shape manufacturing
1.3.4
Finishing process
2
Designs for manufacturing
3
Development of new design
3.1
Design efficiency
3.1.1
Problem of existing design in assembly
3.1.2
Problem of existing design in manufacturing
3.2
Gather information
3.3
Design for manufacture and associated costs
3.3.1
New Design
4
Critical review of new design

1 Review of existing design


1.1 Design Efficiency
Number of function = 10
Total number of component = 19
Design efficiency
= (Number of functional components total number of components) 100%
= (10 / 19) 100% = 52.63%
1.2 Suitability for assembly
1.2.1 Exploded view of existing design

Pivot Block &


Latch Release

Superstructure

Big
Claw

Small
Claw

Pivot Pin

Rubber
element

Flexor

Figure 1
1.2.2 Sequence of assembly
1st step - 1 Rubber element + 2 Flexor
2nd step - 4 Small claw (left & right) + 2 big claw (left & right) + 4 pivot pin
3rd step - 1 Superstructure + 3 Pivot pin + 2 big claws
4th step - Pivot blocks + Latch release + all components
1.2.3 Assembly process
1st process - Slide in the 2 flexor to the element.
2nd process - Small claws combine with big claw by press in a pivot pin.
3rd process - Small claws and big claws clamped slide into the element.
4th process - Put in the superstructure with the claws by press in pivot pins.
5th process - Put a bigger pin at the middle of superstructure and assembly with
the latch release and pivot block.
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1.2.4 Labor cost


Assume 1 month 1,000,000 units produce.
Units of worker: 65 persons
Salary per worker / month: RM 1500
Working hours per day: 20hours
Working days per month: 26days
Working minutes per day: 20hours60minutes = 1200 minutes
Time used for assembly: 1.5 minutes
Units produced per worker / day: 1200/1.5 = 800 units
Units produced per day / all workers: 65800 = 52,000 units
Labor cost per month: 65RM1500 = RM97, 800
RM97,800 / RM1,352,000 = RM0.072
1.2.5 Identifying human error each assembly process
1. Instead of placing two flexors into the element the operator only place one
flexor.
2. The operator can miss the operation when fix the claw 1 and claw 2 with pivot
pin.
3. Pivot pin wrongly miss place press with small pivot pin.
4. After assemble all the part the flat surface of the pivot pin must be one side
instead of both side.
1.2.6 The types of assembly process
Assembly process
By what each process
(Worker)

Insert the flexor into the rubber element by worker.


(Worker + Machine)

Assemble big claw and small claw together by worker, then


use pivot pin to fix them by machine.
(worker + Machine)

Assemble the superstructure with 2 big claws by used pivot


pin.
(worker)

Assemble Latch release and pivot block (1 component) with


superstructure, than combine all parts together.

1.2.7 Overview of current design


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Assembly process of current design is not suitable because many of this process
can use machine instead of human to reduce human error and cost of labour, can
produce more product in short period.

1.3 Breakdown of manufacturing and associated costs


1.3.1 All parts
1. Superstructure
2. 2 pieces of big claws
3. 4 pieces of small claws
4. 2 pieces of flexor
5. Rubber element
6. 5 pieces of pivot pin
7. Pivot block
8. Latch release
1.3.2 Manufacturing process
1. Preparation of rubber compound (Compression Molding or Extrusion
Process).
-Mixing is carried out on a two-roll mill or in an internal mixer. In the case of an
internal mixer, it can be done in a single-stage or double-stage mixing where the
master batch, which was earlier prepared in the internal mixer, is finalized by
adding curatives on a two roll mill.
-Shaping and curing of the rubber blades. The blades can be prepared by
compression molding or extrusion process with continuous vulcanization system
using LCM or a microwave.
2. Preparation of superstructure and claws (Press Forming)
-Press forming is a metal working process in which a flat blank, constrained
between two surfaces is forced by a punch to take a required three-dimensional
shape. The metal may be reshaped by a combination of drawing, stretching, ironing
and bending processes. The raw material is the sheet steel which goes into press
machine. This machine presses the sheet metal and produce output of metal body to
the specific size of the wiper blade.

1.3.3 Percentage of net shape manufacturing


A standard size of steel plate will be 2.44m 1.22m = 2.97682
%net shape manufacturing of the claws
= 0.14884 / 2.97682 x 100%
= 5%
%net shape manufacturing of the rubber = 0%
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1.3.4 Finishing process


Removing all sharp edge of the wiper and including the rubber to prevent it to
damage the windshield. The superstructure, big claws and small claws will be
painted.

2 Design for manufacturing


No DFM Rules (a).
1.

2.

3.

Comparisons with
Existing Design (b)

Reduce the total number of parts. The reduction of the


No
number of parts in a product is probably the best
opportunity for reducing manufacturing costs. Less parts
implies less purchases, inventory, handling, processing
time, development time, equipment, engineering time,
assembly difficulty, service inspection, testing, etc. In
general, it reduces the level of intensity of all activities
related to the product during its entire life. A part that
does not need to have relative motion with respect to
other parts does not have to be made of a different
material, or that would make the assembly or service of
other parts extremely difficult or impossible, is an
excellent target for elimination. Some approaches to
part-count reduction are based on the use of one-piece
structures and selection of manufacturing processes such
as injection molding, extrusion, precision castings, and
powder metallurgy, among others.
Develop a modular design. The use of modules in
No
product design simplifies manufacturing activities such as
inspection, testing, assembly, purchasing, redesign,
maintenance, service, and so on. One reason is that
modules add versatility to product update in the redesign
process, help run tests before the final assembly is put
together, and allow the use of standard components to
minimize product variations. However, the connection can
be a limiting factor when applying this rule.
Use of standard components. Standard components are
Yes
less expensive than custom-made items. The high
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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

availability of these components reduces product lead


times. Also, their reliability factors are well ascertained.
Furthermore, the use of standard components refers to the
production pressure to the supplier, relieving in part the
manufactures concern of meeting production schedules.
Design parts to be multi-functional. Multi-functional
parts reduce the total number of parts in a design, thus,
obtaining the benefits given in rule 1.
Design for ease of fabrication. Select the optimum
combination between the material and fabrication process
to minimize the overall manufacturing cost. In general,
final operations such as painting, polishing, finish
machining, etc. should be avoided. Excessive tolerance,
surface-finish requirement, and so on is commonly found
problems that result in higher than necessary production
cost.
Avoid separate fasteners. The use of fasteners increases
the cost of manufacturing a part due to the handling and
feeding operations that have to be performed. Besides the
high cost of the equipment required for them, these
operations are not 100% successful, so they contribute to
reducing the overall manufacturing efficiency. In general,
fasteners should be avoided and replaced, for example, by
using tabs or snap fits. If fasteners have to be used, then
some guides should be followed for selecting them.
Minimize the number, size, and variation used; also,
utilize standard components whenever possible. Avoid
screws that are too long, or too short, separate washers,
tapped holes, and round heads and flatheads (not good for
vacuum pickup). Self-tapping and chamfered screws are
preferred because they improve placement success.
Screws with vertical side heads should be selected
vacuum pickup.
Minimize assembly directions. All parts should be
assembled from one direction. If possible, the best way to
add parts is from above, in a vertical direction, parallel to
the gravitational direction (downward). In this way, the
effects of gravity help the assembly process, contrary to
having to compensate for its effect when other directions
are chosen
Maximize compliance. Errors can occur during insertion
operations due to variations in part dimensions or on the
accuracy of the positioning device used. This faulty
behavior can cause damage to the part and/or to the

No
No

Yes

No

Yes

9.

equipment. For this reason, it is necessary to include


compliance in the part design and in the assembly
process. Examples of part built-in compliance features
include tapers or chamfers and moderate radius sizes to
facilitate insertion, and nonfunctional external elements to
help detect hidden features. For the assembly process,
selection of a rigid-base part, tactile sensing capabilities,
and vision systems are example of compliance. A simple
solution is to use high-quality parts with
designed-in-compliance, a rigid-base part, and selective
compliance in the assembly tool.
Minimize handling. Handling consists of positioning,
orienting, and fixing a part or component. To facilitate
orientation, symmetrical parts should be used whenever
possible. If it is not possible, then the asymmetry must be
exaggerated to avoid failures. Use external guiding
features to help the orientation of a part. The subsequent
operations should be designed so that the orientation of
the part is maintained. Also, magazines, tube feeders, part
strips, and so on, should be used to keep this orientation
between operations. Avoid using flexible parts - use slave
circuit boards instead. If cables have to be used, then
include a dummy connector to plug the cable (robotic
assembly) so that it can be located easily. When designing
the product, try to minimize the flow of material waste,
parts, and so on, in the manufacturing operation; also,
take packaging into account, select appropriate and safe
packaging for the product.

Yes

3 Development of new design


3.1 Design efficiency
3.1.1 Problem of existing design in assembly
- The assembly process takes too much time, and that increase the cost.
- The assembly process is too much that affect the labor cost.
- If the labor cost is fixed; if the assembly time is reduced, the part assembly will
increase.
- if there is human error in assembly, the parts will need to redo and the time
taken to redo will be double the original time. So, the targeted output cannot be
reach.
- If the assembly done by machine, the labor cost will be decrease.
3.1.2 Problem of existing design in manufacturing
- 2 Manufacturing = compression molding, press forming
- Use of raw materials for steel sheet is 1:0.95
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- Too many parts to manufacture.


- The labor cost is neglected because the manufacturing process is done by
machine; if the manufacturing time is reduced the manufacturing will increase.
3.2 Gather information
3.2.1 Step to solve assembly problem
- Instead of human assemble the parts, we use machine to assembly
- There wont be any human error, since we are using machine to assemble.
Hence, there is no need to redo the parts.
3.2.2 step to solve manufacturing problem
- Reduce the number of parts, will reduce the manufacturing process.
- Fully utilize the usage of steel sheet will reduce the wastage.
3.3 Conceptual study & propose of new concept
3.3.1 New Design
Propose design no.1

Figure 2: Traditional metal frame wiper blade with lesser claws


- Reduce the number of parts
- We only use 2 big claws directly clam to the rubber
- The total functional parts of this design is 6/11
- This design doesnt change the function of the wiper
Pros:
- The proposal of this design will reduce the number of parts and this will
significantly reduce the cost of labour for assembly.
- Time take to assembly will reduce; the rate of production will increase.
- The cost for manufacturing process will reduce.
Cons:
- The pressure of the windshield wiper on the mirror wont be evenly distributed.
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- The flexibility wont be as good as existing design.

Figure 3: Frameless beam types wiper blade


- Reduce the number of parts
- Instead of using the sheet steel for the super structure and claws, we use rubber
materials as shown in the figure 3.
- The total functional parts of this design is 5/9.
- This design doesnt change the function of the wiper.
- The manufacturing process for this design is injection molding for the plastic
holder and compression molding for the rubber materials.
Pros:
- The proposal of this design will reduce the number of parts and this will
significantly reduce the cost of labour for assembly.
- Time take to assembly will reduce; the rate of production will increase.
- The cost for manufacturing process of rubber super structure is low compared to
press forming.
- The cost of raw materials is reduce.
Cons:
- The injection molding of the plastic holder will be expensive.

WOT (Weighted Objective Method)


Design 1
Weight

Comparison
Criteria

Score

Weight
Score

Design 2
Score

Weight
Score

Cost
DFM Rules
User Friendly
Environment
Appearance

Cost (score 1 10)


Design

Manufacturing

Assemble

Material

Total

DFM Rules
Design

Numbers of rules

Score

1
2

User Friendly
Design

HFE

Safety

Total

1
2

http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/14639-frameless-wiper-re-fill/
http://www.ecvv.com/product/2631869.html
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http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/272

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