2. Introduction / Overview
Hydraulic Valve Custom Option (Product
Development)
RCI - CT14 Insourcing (Manufacturing Support)
Lower Boom Crotch Support Brackets (New
Product Creation)
ANSI Standard Changes (Product
Improvement)
Work Instructions (Processing an In-Plant
Revision)
3. Hydraulic Valve Custom Option
Customer wanted to control the platform tilt from the lower controls
- This requires an additional hydraulic valve, but where/how to mount?
5. RCI – CT14 Insourcing
The Creedmoor team wanted to insource the TDA58’s track, the CT14, to
save time and money.
Contact
Separate parts
into make / buy
Give all parts an
Altec part number
Create prints for
all piece parts and
weldments
Create sub
assemblies and
top level assembly
Dozens of piece
parts, several
weldments and
assembliesTop Level Assembly
7. Lower Boom Crotch Support Gussets
Customer requested a custom truck that replaced the usual “A frame” outriggers with
the modified “H frame” outriggers
Since the modified outriggers are now the primary outriggers, the lower boom
crotch support would needed to be mounted.
The lower boom crotch support needed custom gussets to ensure they would
stay in place
8. Lower Boom Crotch Support Gussets
Flat Pattern
Drawing
Left Gusset Right GussetBoth
10. ANSI Standard Changes
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) now requires the primary
section of the lower control valve to change to a spring center section.
Created valve assemblies to take off the old valve and put on the
new.
Changed over 1,000 configure BOM numbers to reflect the new
ANSI standard.
14. Summary
Likes:
Freedom of Design /
Seeing Final Results
People / Respect /
Colleague Relationships
Dislikes:
Not as hands-on as I would like
What I Learned /
Improvements:
SolidWorks
AUTOCAD
Manufacturing/Design
Process
“Today I’m going to show you all.. *read each bullet point*”
These are some of my most favorite tasks, each for different reasons which I will discuss later in my presentation.
I spent most of my time this rotation on manufacturing support, which usually entails changing something about a part or assembly or weldment that will increase it’s manufacturing productivity. However, I also got the chance to experience other aspects of engineering such as NPC and PI).
I like this task in particular because it gave me a lot of knowledge on the design and manufacturing process on how certain assemblies come to be. It also gave me a chance to try out my SolidWorks skills that I learned from school. I came to realize that doing tasks like this one taught me a ton about SolidWorks that I never learned at NC State. I learned how to make different configurations of parts, how to make detail views along with proper dimensioning and welding symbols, as well as make completely new parts.
In application engineering, we deal with a lot of customization of the trucks. Whatever the customer wants within reason, we try and make it happen. For this task, the customer wanted to be able to control the platform tilt from the lower controls, which meant another hydraulic valve would be needed.
And that’s about all the information I got, which is why I liked this task so much – it gave me the opportunity to be creative. I was told to find a spot that the hydraulic valve would fit, then design and make the bracket that would be holding it in place. However, there are many hoses as well as other parts that in this assembly that limit the positions that this valve could fit in. I saw this as a challenge that made the task more interesting.
As you can see in the pictures, I located a spot on the turntable that would be just big enough for the valve. I designed the bracket in SolidWorks, found the proper hardware, updated the hydraulic schematics to include the new valve, and made the installation assembly to show how to put it together physically.
One of the best parts about working here is the experience I get with all of the different engineering programs. In this task, I had to use both SolidWorks and AUTOCAD. I learned functions of SolidWorks like the sheet metal / base flange tool that is used for fabricated components that are bent parts, which changed how I create parts completely. I also got more experience with some easier tools like ordinate dimensioning, which is essential for a SolidWorks drawing. I also learned how to fillet the part to reduce stress concentration, as well as creating dxfs so the laser can cut out the part. In addition to creating the bracket, I made the installation drawing to show how to install the valve, as well as creating a hydraulic schematic in AUTOCAD to include the new valve.
Previously, we were not making the TDA58’s track, the CT14, in-house here in Creedmoor. To save money and time, we wanted to be able to make just about everything that goes into the track. This is how I got on my first RCI this semester. This gave me good insight to the manufacturing process.
In order for the CT14 to be manufactured here in Creedmoor, all of these steps on the right are essential.
These are just a few examples of some of the parts that we brought in. There are weldments, frames, assemblies, drawings, and installations. This project was really heavy on Teamcenter, Oracle, and SolidWorks. It was refreshing that I was actually the one helping the other engineers learn about how these programs worked. Many of the 24 manufacturing guys that were on this RCI team were not familiar with these programs, and I was their go-to for what to do when they ran into most issues. It gave me a sense of experience as well as made me feel like a vital part to the team.
The lower boom crotch support has a boom rest assembly that slides into the tubes and is bolted in place.
I designed and created the custom gussets for this project. I do a lot of editing on SolidWorks, so when I get the chance to design, I find it very fun and rewarding. I got to get more experience with bent parts and insight to how our manufacturing capabilities would effect my design. I learned small tips on this project such as making the hole cutouts large enough to ensure that the weld would not interfere with the washers.
These are just a few screenshots I took of the assembly and weldment drawings that I made for this project. I believe I learned the most from doing tasks like these. It taught me that even though the design work is fun, you still have to be knowledgeable of the engineering that must come with these new configurations – which is understanding what part should be welded in what specific way, how to properly dimension the added components in a drawing, and many other skills that must be used to complete
I had over 1,000 configure BOM’s to update. There were dozens of “Batch’s” that I did, each containing dozens of configure BOMs. This task took me a long time, but while it was tedious, it taught me more about teamcenter and Oracle. More specifically, I learned what a Run Form was and how it worked. They are very convenient for tasks like these.
The only restraint on this design that was a slight challenge was that the bottom of the platform must be designed so that the hoses that it held inside would not fall out of the bottom of the bucket, exposing it to the outside. The new design keeps all of the hoses in while eliminating the surface area that debris would accumulate on.
Likes:
get to implement my own ideas, there’s always another task that needs to be done, the people are great and always friendly, I’m always treated with respect even though I’m “just a co-op” and brand-new
Dislikes:
