Quick die change is a complex process that is vital to the modern press shop and essential for maintaining product uniformity, quality and profitability. This book, written by industry press and die expert, David Smith, is filled with engineering know-how, sound management principles, and the history and theory behind quick die change. The book is an excellent reference tool for advanced die setters, engineering managers, production managers, manufacturing engineers, and anyone interested in improving die setting and changing operations.

Changeovers in 3 minutes or less! That is the result of the process described in this book. Picking up where Dr. Shingo's Single Minute Exchange of Die left off, it streamlines the process even further to reduce changeover time and cut staffing requirements in half simultaneously! The book describes how to achieve quick changeover in virtually any type of production environment with: A succinct 8-step process for setup improvement. 9 basic principles for eliminating changeover waste. The book first outlines the tactical principles for improving the three phases of the changeover procedure. Next you'll learn how to improve changeover on a processing line. All of the ideas presented are based on kaizen improvements that require very little, if any, expenditure. Process razing and the implementation of one-piece flow are also examined as means for eliminating wasteful transportation and searching.

Reflecting hands-on experience of materials, equipment, tooling and processes used in the industry, this work provides up-to-date information on flat-rolled sheet metal products. It addresses the processing and forming of light-to-medium-gauge flat-rolled sheet metal, illustrating the versatility and myriad uses of this material.

Hundreds of examples and guidelines detail how to improve your current die designs, or utilize new progressive designs that maximize efficiency while minimizing cost. Examples of the topics covered in the book's nineteen chapters include: punches and dies, stock guides and pilots, strippers, press selection, binding, blank development, design of strips and stampings, carbide dies, die material selection, design practices, EDM, mathematics and angle calculations, lubrication, sensors and die protection, and more.

Engineered in Japan presents a unique and comprehensive examination of technology management in the most successful Japanese companies: unique in that all chapters go beyond superficial descriptions of stylized practices to look in depth at particular issues, often contradicting or qualifying the conventional wisdom; comprehensive in that it covers the entire technology life cycle from basic R&D, to development engineering, to manufacturing processes, to learning from the Japanese. Each chapter is based on original research by noted scholars in the field, and identifies technology management practices that have become a major source of competitive advantage for highly successful Japanese companies. Engineered in Japan documents the best practices from such companies as Toyota, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Nippondenso, and discusses how these technology management practices can be usefully adopted in other cultural contexts. Going beyond past observations, the authors all delve below the surface of Japanese management approaches. They look more closely than has been done before at how particular methods are applied, and they identify some new practices that have not yet been highlighted in books on Japanese methods. Presenting recent data that contradict some conventional thinking about U.S.-Japanese differences, they look at old techniques from a new perspective. "U.S. managers can perhaps learn more from the process of creation in Japan and the organizational structures that support innovation," say the editors in their introduction, "than from the particular approaches, tools, and technologies created." A running theme throughout the book is that Japanese managers and engineers tend to think in terms of systems, focusing not just on the parts but on the connections between them. Engineered in Japan is must reading for technology managers and engineers, along with anyone interested in Japanese business, engineering, and management.

Before you spend any money on physical prototypes, learn how a systems engineering can help you bring new products to market faster and at less cost! The Virtual Engineer explains how a company can incorporate advanced processes into their existing systems, integrating the product development, manufacturing, marketing and costing functions. Howard Crabb, the pioneer of the visual engineering concept, draws on his 30 years of experience as a manager of Technical Computing at Ford Motor Company. There he integrated solids modeling with traditional CAD to produce a solid representation of a design, opening up the potential for leapfrogging the competition. He explains in clear and effective language: Steps required to reinvent the current new product development process, How change benefits the organization, in terms of reduced cycle time, reduced engineering changes, reduced number of physical prototypes and improved product quality, Developments in the semiconductor industry and their impact on the desktop computing environment, and Best practices of existing firms