Week of 20 February

This is a shorter post, because I was out for three days this week. On Monday, I was in a debate tournament in Berkeley, and on Tuesday and Wednesday I was ill :(.

Anyway, this week went pretty much like last week. I did more burst testing, and I daresay I've gotten pretty good at it. I'm much faster, at least, though with several hours of repetition I suppose that's natural. Each burst tests a set of 12 seals, and it takes a moment to finish. While waiting, I tend to occupy myself by thinking up ways to do the testing more efficiently and quickly, which is why I think I'm a pretty fast burst tester now.

Apart from that, I also learned more about the vision systems that are installed to inspect the battery seals, and I have decided to do my entire project on that. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to do a lot of reading on this very promising subject, and I'll be sure to report that and my observations at Micro Tech on this blog.

See you next week!

Abstract

The research will be conducted on machine vision technology. This technology is becoming a requisite for many manufacturers, because it can be used to improve quality while also providing automation. Vision systems are approximately defined as computers equipped with the sensors and facilities needed to first identify, then examine, then communicate vital information with high accuracy and precision. Errors in the manufacturing process are immediately detected, allowing necessary modifications to be done quickly and efficiently. This means that a vision system identifies, examines, and communicates critical information all at once, and provides for consistent quality in manufacturing products. As such, they are widely prevalent in many fields, including the automotive, semiconductor and electronics industries. However, this research will consider them mainly in their use in plastic fabrication and injection molding, specifically with respect to the inspection of battery seals at Micro Tech Southwest. It will focus on the utility, efficacy, and efficiency of this technology in manufacturing fields, as well as the comparative advantage of machine vision technology over other methods or technologies.

Week of 13 February

Hello everyone, welcome to this blog.

You may have noticed the above abstract is a little bit vague; it is going to be subject to some change as I become more familiar with the workings of the production of battery seals in this injection molding facility.

This is the end of my first week working at MicroTech Southwest, since I'll be heading out for a debate tournament in UC Berkeley from tomorrow until Monday. So far, it's been pretty informative.

MTSW makes battery seals out of two kinds of material: nylon 6,6 (pronounced six-six) and nylon 6,12 (six-twelve), with 6,12 being the superior grade. These are injected into different molds of battery seals by machines, producing either sixty-four or ninety-six parts each time. They are then processed to control for various factors including hydration, etc.

For the past week I have been working primarily in the quality lab, where Aniruddh and I have been tasked with measuring the dimensions (hub height, wall width, etc.) of a random sample of a particular mold of a type of battery seal. Through this we familiarized ourselves with the different types of parts and molds.

In the past two days I have also been conducting burst tests. These test the seal strength by exposing the seals to a pressure differential created by an inflow of nitrogen gas. As the pressure rises, the machine records the specific psi at which the various seals burst. These must fall within the specific range that indicate that when a battery discharges quickly and vents gas, the seal does not burst and allow the battery to explode, potentially causing serious injury.

Unfortunately the burst testing machine was rather fickle today and stopped working while I was using it :(. It was fixed quickly and I was able to resume work, so there was no harm.

I look forward to learning about and working with other aspects of the facility as well. So far, this project is going great!

Preliminary Abstract

The research will be conducted in the field of process engineering, involving the optimization of processes required in plastic fabrication and injection molding. Through the acquisition of data and statistical analysis, the aim is to stabilize the injection molding process, control the process to create products of high quality, and reduce costs. In other words, the goal is to find the optimal way to operate a plastic fabrication and injection molding plant. The organization of the flow of materials, resources, and people that best facilitates efficiency will be found through the application of statistical techniques and the analysis of data acquired from the various mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering tasks that occur simultaneously within the Micro Tech Southwest facility. These goals will be achieved by minimizing waste and processing time, isolating the parameters most essential to product quality, and making sure the right processes are running at the right times, thus engineering the most efficient process possible for this facility.