• When on plant tours, students will be required to observe and record significant items on the sheets given below.
Date and Time: Wed., Sept., 10, 2:45-4:15 p.m.
Pre-Tour: Read the Padnos Scrap Yard Case Study again.
Highlights: A large facility for reclaiming metals that has received the Ford Q-1 award for the quality of their shredder scrap. On-site the facilities include a briqueting operation for fine turnings, car shredding, sizing operations for various large scrap, aluminum melting, pressing operations for high grade scraps and an extensive machine shop for fabricating much of their own equipment. Environmental concerns are addressed at all points in the facility.
Some Items to Look For (only a start):
1. What is Q-1 and what does it mean?
3. What are the sources of the metal?
7. The shredding process and the output.
8. Preprocessing of automobiles.
9. Input materials that cause problems.
10. Separation operations (manual/automatic).
Date and Time: Wed., Sept., 2, 2:45-4:15 p.m.
Highlights: Industrial scale heat treating of processes. This includes atmoshphere ovens, indiction hardening, aluminum, etc.
Date and Time: Wed., Sept., 2, 2:45-4:15 p.m.
Highlights: They manufacture plastic molds for large parts. Most of the molds are for injection molds, and are up to the size of full dashboards. They have a number of large CNC machines, a 3000 ton injection molding press for testing, an EDM machine, a large CMM, and numerous large machine tools. The company owner is Fred. M. Keller, the Keller Engineering Lab Building has been named after him.
Date and Time: Wed., Sept., 2, 2:45-4:15 p.m.
Highlights: Deep drawing processes for autoparts suppliers and others. A wide variety of deep drawing machines, including automation. Use of CAD systems and NC machines to make dies.
Date and Time: Wed., Nov., 2, 6-8:30a.m. (yes, early morning)
Highlights: An iron casting facility that does large castings, up to 50 tons. Many of the castings are done with lost foam, although traditional sand casting is also done. They have an extensive pattern making facility for the foam patterns that include many solid modelers and CNC machines. They do casting in the morning, because melting is done at night for utility costs.
Date and Time: Wed., Sept., 2, 2:45-4:15 p.m.
Highlights: Many stamping and forming processes.
• Other Tours are yet to be determined, but may include,
Drawform - sheet drawing, 500 Fairview, Zeeland, 49464 (616)772-1910
Shape - Rollforming - Dave Riemersma 616-846-8700
Blackmer Pump - Casting and machining - Doug Stolz, 1809 Century SW, Grand Rapids, 49509, 241-1611
Brill Cast - Die Casting - Ron Holland
Delphi - machining - Ed Dienno
Cascade Engineering - plastics - engineering
Nicholas Plastics - extrusion, compression molding - Mike Andres, 11700 48th Ave, 892-4100