Innovation Aluminum Extrusion by Al Kennedy Principles of

Innovation & Aluminum Extrusion by Al Kennedy

Principles of Innovation & Creativity • Create a culture of innovation • Remove barriers to innovation • Create a culture that accepts change • Eliminate the fear of failure

Internet Company Etsy gives a monthly award: “Most Spectacular Mistake”

Develop a creative way of thinking • Keep a curious mind • Do not fear failure • Accumulate & organize information from a variety of sources • To provide resources for creativity

Albert Einstein: His great ideas were only a few moments, of intuition when he connected ideas and facts together. All the rest of his time was gathering and organizing bits of information.

To connect things you must have information: • From within your professional field • From outside your special area • From conferences & seminars --- IMEDAL & ET • From magazines, books, newspapers • From Extrusion Press Maintenance Manual www. pressmaintmanual. com • From other creative people • From Google • Save and organize information

File away your “wild ideas” until you need them

Develop & use the right side of your brain

Left brain: • Most men & most engineers use mainly the left side • Logical • Verbal • rational

Right brain: • A few men & most women use mainly the right side • Intuitive • Non-verbal • Spatially-oriented • Creative

To be more creative develop the right brain: • There are many references about doing this, including • Art (drawing) • Sports • Music • Learn another language

Examples of Innovation

Examples of innovation The problem: How to melt aluminum scrap that contains paint or plastic thermal barrier materials, without air pollution?

Examples of innovation Solution No. 1: Rotary sweat furnace with afterburner

Examples of Innovation

This process is used by Coors for reclaiming can scrap in Colorado

Examples: How Innovation Happens Solution No. 2: Fluidized bed with afterburner

Another invention: • Chemical plant making phosphorus • Completely closed system • Very large pipe was plugging with phosphorus • Find a solution to unplug the pipe

Solution: • Method for cleaning heat exchanger tubes • Scaled up with a very big cable and big motor • Renamed “that FT” by the boss • Won $1000 cash award for innovation in engineering

When you have an invention: • Write it down • With date and time • “Prior Art”

Innovations in aluminum extrusion • • • hot-top billet casting improved homogenization and quenching high-efficiency billet and log heaters log shears and log saws fixed dummy blocks fast die changers PLC controls better die heaters dies produced with CAD-CAM shifting-stem presses front loading presses reduced dead-cycles • better containers and container heating • sleeved tie rods • forged main components with improved design • redesigned tie-rod nuts • tie rods with single-nut design • overhead billet loaders and robot loaders • extrusion pullers, double pullers, improved puller drives • vari-speed hydraulic pumps • longer billets • longer run-out tables

Are any innovations left for aluminum extrusion? • “Everything that can be invented has already been invented. ” Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Patent Office, 1889 He wouldn’t see • the Wright brothers’ airplane • the Model-T automobile • the first moving assembly line • radio, television, atomic power, microwaves, computers. • In 2015 alone, 155, 982 patents were issued.

Are any innovations left for aluminum extrusion? • “ 640 K ought to be enough for anybody. ” Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft, 1981

Are any innovations left for aluminum extrusion?

Innovations in aluminum extrusion Examples from ET 16: • SMS new press concept • Similar innovations by Danieli and Ube

Innovations in aluminum extrusion Examples from ET 16: • Innovations in billet casting & homogenization to increase production • New approaches to die cleaning & polishing • New design concepts for extrusion equipment • New digital technology for press alignment

Innovations in aluminum extrusion One example from ET 96: • “Long Aging” of profiles by BOAL (Netherlands) • Very long oven (50 meters) to age before cutting • Received ET Chairman’s Award • Now discontinued • “Most Spectacular Mistake” Award?

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? Increase productivity and recovery : • Reduce dead cycle time • Change dies faster • More holes per die • Use faster-running alloys where possible (6060) • Use pullers & hot log saws/shears properly

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? With these steps labor cost becomes a smaller and smaller percentage of production costs!

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? Improve ability to produce small orders: • Faster die changes • Pre-test dies before production • Precise die pre-heating • Standardize back-up tooling

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? Offer shorter lead times: • Faster die design, production, & testing • Short cuts in order processing when needed

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? Distant suppliers are not able to supply small orders due to shipping logistics, and can’t supply orders quickly !

Opportunities for Innovation in Extrusion Problem: Competing with Far East countries with low labor costs? Offer higher quality and specifications: • Specialty alloys (aircraft & automotive) • Special finishes • Ability to certify properties • Better process control You can beat the competition by adopting better technology !