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CLAAS
GUSS Design Engineer Days event passes the 10-year
milestone
The response to the 6th International Design Engineer
Days, which were staged by CLAAS GUSS at the beginning
of June, was extremely encouraging. During the past
ten years, more than 1,100 customers have taken
part in the biennial event, and nearly 200 visitors
made the trip this year to the Nortorf foundry in
northern Germany to attend the proceedings.
Close cooperation between
the customer and “its” foundry has a
major impact on the success of a project. To find
the best solution, it is vitally important that
the two parties begin working together at an early
phase in the development cycle to gain an understanding
of each other’s work methods. This collabora-tive
relationship includes joint component development
and other coordination activities including a definition
of detailed component specifications when the order
is placed. CLAAS GUSS is convinced that an open
customer-supplier partnership needs to be nurtured,
and this is why the company is willing to periodically
share information about its production processes
and the latest developments in casting technology.
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6th International
CLAAS GUSS Design Engineer Days 2008
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The
CLAAS GUSS Design Engineer Days are the ideal forum
for fostering these relationships and sharing information.
During the one-day events, customers have the opportunity
to visit the foundry and learn more about current
trends and innovation in the field of casting engineering.
The previous events have been primarily targeted
at engineers, and that focus has been retained again
this year. However, a dedicated Procurement Day
was added to the program in recognition of the fact
that castings are actually tailored solutions to
engineering problems rather than standard off-the-shelf
items. The contribution made by foundries, acting
in their role as strategic partners, during development
of sophisticated components is by no means insignificant.
The relationship to strategic purchasing is a major
consideration.
About 30% of turnover at the CLAAS GUSS Group is
shipped directly to the export market, and an English-language
day was staged for international visitors on Friday,
June 6th, 2008. The response was very encouraging,
and guests from 8 countries attended the event.
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Simulation
tools in product development
One of the main topics of this year’s talks
was the role of simulation tools in state-of-the
art product development. Stress analysis, lifetime
prediction, topology optimization and production
process simulation offer revolutionary new capabilities,
and they have become an indispensible item in the
design engineering toolkit. The speakers shared
information on the methods which are currently used
during the development of castings, and they highlighted
the contribution which these tools can make to the
component design process. Topology optimization
was a major topic of discussion. The application
of design rules which are modeled on nature is extremely
useful during devel-opment of light-weight components.
Dr. Meyer-Pruessner from VW presented some very
illustrative examples which are based on his ten
years of component design experience at Volks-wagen.
He emphasized the importance of close collaboration
with suppliers during implementation of the proposed
designs which are developed during the topology
optimization process. His suggestions have much
in common with the CLAAS GUSS approach.
CLAAS GUSS cited several examples which show the
contribution which foundries can make by offering
topology optimization as a service. The output of
the topology optimization process is a very rough
design which then has to be converted to a CAD design
to produce the part. A foundry, which has the necessary
manufacturing process expertise, provides valuable
support during this phase of the product development
cycle.
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Development of
an engine base using topology optimization: (a)
result of topology optimization (b) FEM validation
of the design which was derived from topology optimization
(c) the actual part
When engineers are running simulation software,
they must always keep in mind that the underlying
models are based on a simplification of reality.
Taking casting simulation as an example, CLAAS GUSS
outlined the full range of sub-processes which must
be included in the model. The model also revealed
the complexity of the physical processes and the
amount of effort which is involved in collecting
the input data set. The example highlighted the
potential and the limitations of manufacturing process
simulation. Almost as a secondary benefit, it also
provided the opportunity to explain a number of
aspects of the casting process. |
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| Simulation of complex
events: casting simulation |
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Two guest speakers
addressed the issue of residual stress which results
from mechanisms that occur during the production
process. Prof. Ernst Warnke (Siempelkamp Foundry)
and Peter Oberschelp (IfG - Institute of Casting
Technology in Düsseldorf) provided information
on the root cause, measure-ment and analysis of
residual stress. In combination with operational
loads on the parts during actual application, residual
stress is an important factor for design engineers
to consider. Both experts made it clear that there
is still a need for further research activity to
develop high-precision quantitative simulation of
residual stress and that projects are indeed under
way.
André Heinrietz from LBF in Darmstadt outlined
the current state of structural durability analysis
for castings, and he summarized current research
which is aimed at a significant improvement in prediction
accuracy. His comments made it clear that although
structural durability analysis has become a useful
product development tool, a lot of research still
needs to be done. The importance of the local microstructure
has become increasingly clear, but there is currently
no standardized methodology to address this issue.
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Information
is the key to elimination of misunderstandings
At the workshops in the
afternoon, guests had the opportunity to focus on
topics that were of particular interest to them
including a brief introduction to casting design
for producibility, cast iron materials and information
on production part evaluation. Dimensional inspection
based on CAD data and the capabilities and limitations
of non-destructive material testing have occasionally
led to misunderstandings in the past. CLAAS GUSS
took the opportunity to clarify some of issues that
are involved.
Clarity right from the start should be the fundamental
rule when an order is placed for high-quality castings.
CLAAS GUSS employees gave an example of how inspection
criteria and part characteristics should be defined
up front to avoid misunderstandings.
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Non-destructive material
testing: magnetic particle inspection |
Part assessment based on CAD files (a) inspection
set-up (b/c) presentation of results |
Procurement
Day
Many companies are focusing more closely on their
own core areas of expertise, and this increases
the importance of third-party expertise which suppliers
can contribute. Foundries which keep an ear to the
ground have responded by providing services that
go far beyond production of customer-designed parts.
At Procurement Day, CLAAS GUSS presented a number
of examples to demonstrate its expertise in collaborative
part development.
The importance of a strategic customer-supplier
relationship was also highlighted. Martin Ziebell
(Sauer Danfoss) presented a customer perspective
on this issue. The company’s workforce of
nearly 10,000 employees produces components and
systems for mobile equipment at 22 locations around
the world. As a result of enormous growth in demand
for mobile hydraulic products, the procurement team
faced the very challenging task of ensuring a steady
flow of purchased parts to meet constantly increasing
material re-quirements. Ziebell explained that the
customer-supplier relationship is one of the major
contributors to future growth at the company. Sauer
Danfoss carefully selects strategic suppliers and
develops a collaborative relationship with these
companies. Periodic performance assessments and
the introduction of a supplier bonus/penalty rating
system are key aspects of the supply base management
system. As a result, the company has no reservations
about single sourcing – even of crucial parts.
The innovation potential of a supplier is a major
selection criterion. Sauer Danfoss treats suppliers
as members of the project team, and the company
expects that suppliers will bring their own innovative
ideas to the table to help improve the product.
In this context, Ziebell lauded the good long-standing
relationship between Sauer Danfoss and CLAAS GUSS.
The supplier’s product portfolio is of course
not the only issue. Cost is also a crucial factor.
Prof. Rüdiger Deike from the University of
Duisburg-Essen put the recent steep increases in
raw material and energy prices into economic perspective.
He explained that enormous growth, particularly
in China, has led to revolutionary developments
in worldwide steel production. He highlighted the
differences between the ore & coke markets and
the steel scrap market. A small number of suppliers
currently dominate the market for blast furnace
coke and ore. China and Poland account for 75% of
the world coke business. Three companies in Brazil
and Australia are the major players on the ore market.
To some extent, there is little awareness that oligopolies
have formed which control the raw material supply
and largely dictate the pricing structure. Rapidly
shifting markets are having a major influence on
steel scrap prices. Purchases by Turkey have played
a significant role in recent weeks, as the country
has increased its sourcing activities in Western
European markets. Prof. Deike emphasized the fact
that foundry production is only about 1/10 the volume
of steel production, but both industries buy on
the same raw material market. Due to their market
position, foundries cannot influence market prices.
Russia is currently Europe’s largest exporter
of steel scrap. However, steel production capacity
is currently expanding at a rapid rate in Russia,
which leads Prof. Deike to believe that Russian
exports of steel scrap will contract in the medium
term and that steel scrap prices are likely to remain
high.
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From
theory to practice
Again this year, one of the goals of this year’s
Design Engineers Days was to inject a very distinct
practical element into the event. This was accomplished
at workshops, some of which included practical demonstrations,
as well as during plant tours which gave the visitors
the opportunity to witness the production of cast
iron parts. A brief visit to the foundry is sufficient
to provide a basic understanding of the processes
which are involved and to draw attention to the
opportunities which the casting production process
offers for part design.
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Casting technology can be
used to produce complex shapes |
As was the case in previous years, the tour was
a genuine highlight for guests who were visiting
a foundry for the first time.
Nortorf, June 6th, 2008 |
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