1. National Apprentice & Industrial Training
Authority
Report on Industrial Training
At
Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd
Ja-Ela
Sri Lanka College of Technology
Colombo 10
Name : S. A. Dharmadasa
Student Number : 19040
Course : Mechatronics
Field : Engineering
Period : Three months
2. i
Acknowledgement
Past three months were the most memorable months in my life. Three months of internship at
Loadstar gave me a lot of things to remember, so much to learn and also gave the chance to
touch the areas of Mechatronic Engineering that I never even thought of. There are few
people out of many that I would like to thank for giving me such an opportunity to work at
Loadstar.
First of all, I would like to thank my parents, who were my first teachers and the courage of
my life for becoming successful. Most importantly all of the lectures who supported me in
achieving my goals and Mr. Wasantha, the Carrier Guidance Officer at Sri Lanka College of
Technology – Maradana. I am obliged to thank all of the staff members at Mechatronics
section for their guidance and advices.
Then I would like to thank the Special Industrial Training (SIT) Division of National
Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) and also I would like to give a big
thank you to Mrs. Padma Samaradhiwakara, Assistant Director of the Special Industrial
Training (SIT) Division for directing me towards such a wonderful experience, coordinating
the training and their immense dedication to find suitable training places for students.
At Loadstar - ETD 02, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards Mr.
A.K.Wijerathna (Engineering Manager), who was the Lead of the projects I worked on and
who gave me a wealth of knowledge and who always pointed me in the right direction. Mr.
A.S.P. Rupasinghe (Maintenance Manager) who was my first supervisor, who guided me
when I am new to the industry, Mr. H.M.I.A.B Herath, Mr.T.P. Nilanka, Mr.K.L.G.
Fernando, Mr.E.C.A. Edirisinhe, the Engineers of Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd. who were my mentors
and who helped me in numerous ways with the projects and new technologies to make my
special Industrial Training a success and Mr. Sumedha, HR Manager for providing valuble
details about management at Loadstar. Also all members of the maintenance division who
were like brothers to me in my placement months also who guided me through many things
and gave me experiences not only about engineering but also many other things.
Finally I also wish to thank Suhani, Marcus & Dumidu, my loving sisters Hasini & Kalani
and friends for their constant encouragement and help without which this training would not
have been a success.
3. ii
Preface
This report is based on the Special Industrial Training of 3 months at Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd as a
Trainee Engineer.
The Special Industrial Training Report consists of events including figures, diagrams, flow
charts and some of them are extracted from books, manuals, internet and some facts in the
report are known by the engineers and technicians who work in the field.
This report is one of the outcomes of my long desired attempt to study in the Sri Lanka
College of Technology. This report is based on my experience at the Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd all of
the events in this report are true and accurate.
4. iii
Table of Contents
I. List of Figures................................................................................................................................ iv
II. List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v
1. Introduction.....................................................................................................................................1
1.1. About Loadstar........................................................................................................................1
1.1.1. Nature of the Business ....................................................................................................1
1.1.2. Organizational Structure & Maintenance Management..................................................3
1.2. Corperate Plan of Loadstar .....................................................................................................4
1.2.1. Vision..............................................................................................................................4
1.2.2. Mission............................................................................................................................4
1.2.3. Values .............................................................................................................................4
1.3. Management............................................................................................................................4
1.4. Safety ....................................................................................................................................11
1.4.1. Safety Rules ..................................................................................................................11
2. Experiences...................................................................................................................................14
2.1. Training Experience..............................................................................................................14
2.2. My Projects...........................................................................................................................24
2.2.1. Project 1 – Furnace Oil Level Indication and Safety System .......................................24
2.2.2. Project 2 – Overall Performance Improvement in T-10 Line .......................................29
3. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................36
4. References.....................................................................................................................................38
5. Appendices....................................................................................................................................39
5.1. Appendix 1............................................................................................................................39
5.2. Appendix 2............................................................................................................................42
5. iv
I. List of Figures
Figure 1 - Types of Tyres 1
Figure 2 - Loadstar Factories 2
Figure 3 - Maintenance Structure 10
Figure 4 - Pneumatic Valve Diagrams 14
Figure 5 - Safety Curtains 15
Figure 6 - Health Check Sheet 16
Figure 7 - Maintenance Work Order 17
Figure 8 - Press Machine 18
Figure 9 - Misalignment 20
Figure 10 - Work Process of the Mobile Vertical Lift 20
Figure 11 - Vertical Lift 30AM 21
Figure 12 - Thermocouple 22
Figure 14 - Using Lathe Machine 23
Figure 13 - Sensor Attachment 23
Figure 15 - System Design Flow Chart 25
Figure 16 - Ongoing Project 26
Figure 17 - Display Interface 27
Figure 18 - Installing the Sensor 28
Figure 19 - Troubleshooting and Calibration 28
Figure 20 - Heel Temperature Variation 29
Figure 21 - Heel temperature Variation at Each Step 30
Figure 22 - Heel Temperature Variation (Re-check) 30
Figure 23 - Mill Machine 32
Figure 24 - System Design Flow Chart 33
Figure 25 - Control Panel Assembling 34
Figure 26 - Mill Machine and Cooling Line 34
Figure 27 - Testing and Calibrating 35
6. v
II. List of Tables
Table 1- Organizational Structure of ETD - 02 Maintenance Division 3
Table 2 - Safety Organization Chart 11
Table 3 - Accident Notification Process 13
Table 4 - Tensile Test Results 19
Table 5 - Hardness Test Results 19
Table 6 - Cooling Tower Effectiveness - 01-09-2014 21
Table 7 - Cooling Tower Effectiveness - 02-09-2014 22
Table 8 - Line Chart 01-09-2010 23
Table 9 - Analysis of Solutions 24
Table 10 - Project Estimate 25
Table 11 - Gantt-Chart 26
7. 1
1. Introduction
1.1. About Loadstar
1.1.1. Nature of the Business
Loadstar is a joint venture between the Jinasena Group and the Solideal group of Belgium.
Loadstar manufactures solid and pneumatic tyres, wheels and tracks under the Solideal brand
and has been awarded the “Most Outstanding Exporter of Sri Lanka” award by the National
Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) in 2007 and has won the National Cleaner
Production award in 2008, 2009 (NCC) Silver.
Loadstar employs over 5,000 employees across the plants. (Figure 2)
Loadstar is an ISO 9000 certified company since 1996, and is one of the first tire companies
in Sri Lanka to be certified. Loadstar is committed to serve its customer by consistently
delivering high quality products at competitive prices.
Loadstar endeavors to continually improve all business processes and ensure conformity to
established quality systems. Loadstar accomplishes this by constantly upgrading skills of its
employees.
Presently the company consumes a significant percentage of natural rubber production of Sri
Lanka. Loadstar has continued to grow rapidly over the last 25 years and is continuing its
journey with the implementation of Lean system and processes.
There is a large variation in the types of tire products at Loadstar. These are manufactured
according to their applications and customer requirement. These types are shown below in
(Figure 1).
Figure 1 - Types of Tyres
10. 4
1.2. Corporate Plan of Loadstar
1.2.1. Vision
To be the premier manufacturer of mobility systems for the productive world by harnessing
and nurturing people’s ability
1.2.2. Mission
We will manufacture quality and cost effective tires, tracks and wheel systems effectively and
efficiently for our worldwide customers through empowered and self-driven teams, working
together to improve our people, company, society and environment
1.2.3. Values
Respect for individuals
Striving for excellence in customer satisfaction
Honesty and integrity
Commitment, accountability and shared ownership
Respect for environment and culture
1.3. Management
There are two main sections of management in ETD-02 which are Production
management and Human resource management.
Production Management
Loadstar has maintained its advantage for more than 25 years through a culture of
new inventions and improvements. If Quality is our head, Innovation represents our
heart. We feel Quality without Innovation is meaningless. We have adopted the
Japanese concept of continuous improvement (KAIZEN) and blended it with
innovation to come up with something which quite accurately describes our belief and
attitude. That is not all, at Loadstar-ETD 02 the whole plant is planned and running
according to the 5s system.
5S is the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list of
five Japanese words seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke translated into English,
they all start with the letter "S". The list describes how to organize a work space for
11. 5
efficiency and effectiveness by identifying and storing the items used, maintaining the
area and items, and sustaining the new order. The decision-making process usually
comes from a dialogue about standardization, which builds understanding among
employees of how they should do the work.
5S and its Content
Seiri,整理 (Sort)
Remove unnecessary items and dispose of them properly
Make work easier by eliminating obstacles
Reduce chance of being disturbed with unnecessary items
Prevent accumulation of unnecessary items
Evaluate necessary items with regard to cost or other factors
Remove all parts not in use
Seiton,整頓 (Straighten)
Arrange all necessary items in order so they can be easily picked for use
Prevent loss and waste of time
Make it easy to find and pick up necessary items
Ensure first-come-first-served basis
Make workflow smooth and easy
Can also be translated as "set in order" or "streamline"
Seiso,清掃 (Shine)
Clean your workplace completely
Use cleaning as inspection
Prevent machinery and equipment deterioration
Keep workplace safe and easy to work
Can also be translated as "sweep"
Seiketsu,清潔 (Standardize)
Maintain high standards of housekeeping and workplace organization at all times
Maintain cleanliness and orderliness
Maintain everything in order and according to its standard.
Everything in its right place
Prominently display a picture or diagram showing the proper layout of the workspace
12. 6
Shitsuke,躾 (Sustain)
To keep in working order
Also translates as "do without being told", (though this doesn't begin with S)
Perform regular audits
In addition to these methods, a special strategy is used known as Lean manufacturing
or lean production, often simply, "lean". It is a systemic method for the elimination of
waste within a manufacturing process. Lean also takes into account waste created
through overproduction and unevenness in workloads. (Osada, Takashi (1995). The
5S’s: Five keys to a Total Quality Environment. US: Asian Productivity Organization)
Human Resource Management
HR functions include the following.
o Recruitment
o Selection
o Induction
o Performance Evaluation
o Training & Development (T&D)
o Grievance Handling
o Welfare
o Salary Administration
o Leave
o Motivation
o Industrial Relations
1. Recruitment
Recruitment is the process of identifying the need to employ a person up to the point
at which applications have arrived for the post. Loadstar use both internal and
external recruitment. Internal recruitment is filling positions of the organizations by
selecting employees within the company whereas the latter involves selecting
candidates from external sources. Job description and Job specification are designed
to match the required technical, mental & physical capabilities, responsibilities of the
role with the candidates.
At Loadstar internal recruitment is preferred as it saves cost of advertising, it takes
less time for individuals to fit to the organization culture and business processes due
to insider knowledge and ensures that every employee is given the opportunity to be
13. 7
considered for transfer or promotion within the company which acts as an incentive
for the workers. However external recruitment is also used in order to introduce fresh
blood in to the system and novel ideas to drive the business and methods such as
advertising (on the web and newspapers), on campus recruitment, employee
recommendation etc. are employed. Positions at higher levels are to be filled using
external recruitment procedure.
2. Selection
Selection is the process of choosing a suitable candidate out of a pool of applicants to
fill a post. At Loadstar, shortlisted candidates should go through a series of selection
tests & interviews where applicants can be rejected at any point if expected criteria
are not met.
o Technical test & interview - 1st
interview
o Interviews (panel/direct) - 2nd
interview
o Attitude test
o Medical test
Internal selection is done based on, efficiency, revenues made, technical ability,
experience etc. of eligible staff.
3. Induction
Induction is the process of familiarizing new employees to an organization, its
systems and to their work responsibilities in that organization.The first few days at
Loadstar will simply involve observation, with an experienced worker showing the
systems & procedures.
4. Performance Evaluation
This exercise is done by monitoring employee performance over a minimum period of
6 months. A standard set of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) which are tailor maid
to each division and aligned to overall strategy, are established as the basis for
performance evaluation and employees are rewarded accordingly.
5. Training & Development (T&D)
This involves various processes to make sure the jobholders have the correct skills,
knowledge and attitudes required to help organization achieve its objectives. Loadstar
offers a range of T&D opportunities for further growth of employees at all levels led
by a separate T&D division. Some of the examples are as follows.
Outdoor Training Programs (ODT)
ODT programs provide all levels of employees an opportunity to step outside their
normal lives, get away from the everyday pressures and take up the challenges of real
life adventure, which would enable them to perform in a professional manner, work as
14. 8
a team to improve the image and enhance the productivity and efficiency of the
organization.
Lean Training Programs
To facilitate and encourage the continuous improvement of the organization, the
training related to Loadstar Production System, Loadstar Preventive Maintenance &
other technical training are conducted and the participants are exposed to the latest
techniques of our Lean Manufacturing System. (Loadstar Offical website)
6. Grievance Handling
Loadstar has an open door policy which allows any member of staff to walk up to the
CEO and raise his/her problem or injustice. Each production area known as a ‘cell’
has a council member appointed and each month a meeting will be held, chaired by
the CEO to address all the issues faced by employees. Negotiations will be carried out
to arrive at a win-win solution.
7. Welfare
Currently there are about 40 activities related to staff welfare, few of which are as
follows. All of these activities contribute towards attracting & retaining a motivated
workforce at Loadstar.
o Provision of free meals
o Provision of transport
o Provision of uniforms
o Festivals – Wesak & Aurudu and sports events
o Medical facilities
o Gym facilities
o Low interest loan schemes etc.
8. Salary Administration
All the procedures relating to salary administration are carried out with compliance to
the labour laws and acts of parliament.
EPF (Employee Provident Fund):
Loadstar as the employer contributes 12% of the basic pay towards EPF & employee
contribution is 8% of the same. EPF can be claimed at the following instances,
o At retirement of an employee and this is at the age of 50 years for a female and 55
years for a male employee.
o Death
o Permanent disability
o Permanent migration
o Female employee resigning for marriage
o Any employee resigning to join a government job entitled to a pension
15. 9
ETF (Employees Trust Fund):
The employer contributes 3% for ETF and this is rather east to take when compared to
EPF.
Gratuity:
This is reward given in appreciation of service for employees who have worked for
more than 5 year at Loadstar at the time of leaving the organization.
Gratuity = (Basic monthly salary/2)*number of years worked
9. Leave
An employee is entitled to 1/2 days leave per month prior to becoming permanent for a
period of one year subject to a maximum of 7 days. Thereafter the employee is entitled to
14 days annual leave, 7 days casual & 7 days sick leave per each calendar year.
Annual leave can be carried forward to the succeeding year. When taking annual leave at
least seven days should be taken on consecutive days. In the case of new employees,
annual leave will be entitled from second calendar year according to the date that they
enter into the employment contract and this is as follows,
o If the employment commenced between 1st
Jan. and 31st
March of the previous
year, 14 days are entitled,
o If the employment commenced between 1st
April. and 30th
June of the previous
year, 10 days are entitled,
o If the employment commenced between 1st
July. and 30th
Sep. of the previous
year, 7 days are entitled,
o If the employment commenced between 1st
Oct. and 31st
Dec. of the previous
year, 4 days are entitled
Apart from the above there is a ‘special leave’ entitlement of 4 days for certain events
such as marriage, funerals, disasters etc.
10. Industrial Relations
At Loadstar unlike similar large companies in the industry, nonexistence of any
labour unions is a very significant factor. All employees are treated equally and fairly.
Equity is an attribute visible all over the premises, for instance all employees from the
lowest level to highest grade at Loadstar sit together in the same table and share the
same food, no discrimination is evident.
16. 10
Maintenance Section
Maintenance section is one of the most important departments of a manufacturing
company. Especially when it comes to a company like Loadstar where machine’s run
times are high, almost 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, a maintenance fault can
cause critical production losses and many other disadvantages. Loadstar has a special
maintenance plan (Figure 3) to overcome maintenance faults.
At ETD 02 (it is the plant at which I had my special industrial training) there are two
major maintenance divisions, namely,
o Mechanical Maintenance Division
o Electrical Maintenance Division
Figure 3 - Maintenance Structure
17. 11
1.4. Safety
Safety is the top priority in a workshop or a factory. At Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd, employee,
environment and machine safety is well maintained by safety officers and safety rules. Safety
organization chart is shown below in Table 2.
Factory Manager
Senior Safety Officer
Safety officers
A- Shift B- Shift C-Shift
Fireman First aid room Fireman First aid room Fireman First aid room
1.4.1. Safety Rules
1. All accident and occupational illnesses must be reported immediately to the safety
department.
2. Where specified, personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn.
3. Safety goggles must be worn when caring out the following operations. Grinding,
lathe work, handling chemicals, and all situations listed in safety procedure. Mask
should be worn specially in mixing area, sand blasting area and white tire cleaning
area.
4. Smoke is strictly prohibited in factory premises.
5. Riding on forklifts, running or horseplay on company property is strictly prohibited.
6. When operating machines and equipment, the relevant safety instructions must be
followed at all times.
7. Before commencing maintenance work on any plant or machinery, the power supply
must be switched off at the isolator.
8. Do not use defective tools for any type of work. Report the failure to your supervisor
immediately.
Table 2 - Safety Organization Chart
18. 12
9. No one is permitted to report for work in possession of or under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.
10. All waste must be placed in the receptacles provided. Keep your workplace clean at
all time. Everyone is responsible for maintaining safety standards in factory.
11. Ensure that all guards and fences are in place in all rotating and moving machines and
equipment.
12. Safety shoes or boots must be worn at all times where described in safety procedure
or operation manual of the machine.
13. All forklifts must be charged, properly serviced and tagged at all time and records
maintained.
14. All employees must be trained in the use of all fire extinguishers and fully understand
the proper use of them.
15. All employees must be known the emergency action at the fire drill.
16. The speed limit of the all vehicles 5km/h at factory premises including forklift.
17. Unauthorized driving of company vehicles including forklift is strictly prohibited.
18. All flammable liquids must be stored in approved containers within the correct
compounds and away from any source of ignition.
19. All compressed gas cylinders of acetylene welding gases must be stored with
protection caps over the value. All oxygen acetylene tanks must be securely held in a
cart or against the wall to prevent them from falling.
20. Unauthorized persons must not enter restricted area.
21. Gangways and fire gaps must be kept free from obstructions.
22. Air hose must not be used for cleaning cloths or human body.
23. Wearing watches, rings, dangling jewelry or loose clothing are strictly prohibited in
production areas.
In addition to all of these safety precautions, all safety related signs on the company premises
are designed according to the international standards with regard to size, colour, text etc.
Example;
i. Water - Green
ii. Pneumatic - Light Blue
iii. Fire Hydrant - Red
iv. Oil, Flammable liquids - Brown
v. Gas - Yellow
vi. Acid - Violet
19. 13
If an accident takes place there is a special procedure to handle the situation. The accident
notification process is shown below in the Table 3.
Table 3 - Accident Notification Process
20. 14
2. Experiences
Once there is a requirement or special job to be done, as a trainee Engineer I had to study the
case, design a system or solution (project proposal), and get the approval from the upper
management, coordinate and complete the project or requirement. This chapter is about the
creations, innovative ideas and projects that I have been able complete during the training
period.
2.1. Training Experience
Pneumatic Valve Diagrams
Most of the machines use pneumatic components for the production process, because
of that there are pneumatic valve panels for each machine in the plant. But there
weren’t any valve diagrams shown at the panel. This caused some major problems
during maintenance. Without valve diagrams, maintenance took longer than expected
which resulted in production losses. In my second week of training I was assigned to
solve this problem. In order to solve this, I had to observe the work process of
pneumatic actuators and draw pneumatic valve diagrams for each panel spread across
the plant. Example diagrams are shown in figure 4.
Figure 4 - Pneumatic Valve Diagrams
21. 15
Health Check Sheet for a Safety Curtain System
Press machines (figure 5) are used to mount the tyre curing molds and press those
molds to required pressure while tyres are being cured. Hydraulic pistons (180bar) are
used in these machines and Allen-Bradley SLC 500 series programmable logic
controllers are used to automate this process. Since the whole process is automated it
is not safe to be near the press machines while those are at working mode. Recently
we installed an IR safety curtain system as shown in figure 5.
Figure 5 - Safety Curtains
If the safety curtains are crossed the PLC was programed (interlock) to stop the
machine from working. Since the system was installed I was given the responsibility
of preparing heath check sheet for the system. I studied the process and observed what
was necessary to prepare the health check sheet and prepared it. (Figure 6) I divided
the system to four main sections.
o System inputs
o Processing unit
o System outputs
o Other visuals
I had to study and learn the whole procedure to prepare a health check sheet because
even a slight mistake could cause a major accidents or worse.
23. 17
Maintenance Work Orders (SAP system)
I also got to work with the SAP system a bit, where I had to enter maintenance work
orders for the past 8 months (January to August) to the system manually. A copy of
one work order is shown below in figure 7.
Figure 7 - Maintenance Work Order
24. 18
Tensile and Hardness Tests of a Material
Press machines (figure 8 - AutoCAD drawing) in ETD02 use hydraulic cylinders to
move up and down under a pressure of 180 bars. One of this press machines broke its
cylinder ram from the neck. So we had to find the reason. In order to this a metal
piece was sent to “Ceylon Steel Corporation” for Tensile and Hardness tests.
Figure 8 - Press Machine
25. 19
Tensile test results (Table 4) and Harness test results (table 5) are shown above. Once I got
the test results I did the calculations to find out what had happened. Calculations are shown
below.
Diameter of the Ram = 250mm.
Cross sectional area of the Ram, 𝐴 = 𝜋𝑟2
𝐴 = 𝜋(125)2
𝑚𝑚2
Therefore maximum breaking load of the Ram = 672 N/𝑚𝑚2
× 𝜋(125)2
𝑚𝑚2
= 33000 kN
Maximum pressure the Ram can bear = 33000 kN ÷ (𝜋(125)2
) 10−6
𝑚2
)
= 672000 [kN/m²]
1 kiloNewton/meter² [kN/m²] = 0.01 bar [bar]
Maximum pressure the Ram can bear = 6720 bar
Pressure relief point of the Hydraulic unit = 185 bar
Sample
Identification
Dia
Average
(mm)
Ultimate Tensile
Strength
(MPa/ N/𝑚𝑚2
)
Percentage Of
Elongation
(L0 = 5.65√𝑺0)
Maximum Breaking
Load (kN)
Machined Steel
Sample
(Circular Shape)
12.53 672 10 82.83
Table 4 - Tensile Test Results
Sample
Identification
VICKERS
(Load 10kg)
Machined Steel
Sample 205 HV
Table 5 - Hardness Test Results
26. 20
According to the calculation ram was not broken due to the overloading. Breakdown was
caused by a miss alignment of the mold as shown in figure 9.
Figure 9 - Misalignment
Work Process of a Mobile Vertical Lift
Figure 10 - Work Process of the Mobile Vertical Lift
27. 21
I was assigned to prepare a work process of a vertical lift (Figure 11) and got most of the
details from the internet were used to prepare the work process. First two pages are shown in
(www.jlg.com/equipment/vertical-lifts-stock-pickers/push-around-mast/am-ami-series/30am)
.
Figure 11 - Vertical Lift 30AM
Cooling Tower Effectiveness (Reading calibration)
Recently most of cooling tower’s effectiveness readings were exceeding the normal
range. I was assigned to study the matter and correct it as soon as possible. I took
readings for 9 hours and they are shown in table 6.
Cooling Tower Effectiveness =
inlet temperature − outlet temperature
inlet temperature − wet bulb temperature
%
Time Inlet tem: C° Outlet tem:C°
Wet bulb
tem:C°
Cooling Tower
Effectiveness %
0730h 31 29 29 100%
0830h 32 28 30 200%
0930h 32 29 30 150%
1030h 30 27 30 ∞∞
1130h 32 30 31 200%
1230h 37 30 32 140%
1330h 37 29 33 200%
1430h 34 29 36 -250%
1530h 32 30 38 -33%
Table 6 - Cooling Tower Effectiveness - 01-09-2014
28. 22
According to “Table 6” it is clear that the readings are wrong, because the wet-bulb
temperature is the lowest temperature that could be reached under current ambient conditions
only by the evaporation of water (The Wet Bulb temperature is the temperature of adiabatic
saturation. This is the temperature indicated by a moistened thermometer bulb exposed to the
air flow). Then I checked the wet-bulb and found out that it was exposed to direct sunlight
and also its sock was not able to provide the wicking action correctly. So after correcting
those problems I took another list of readings. (Table 7)
Time Inlet tem: C° Outlet tem:C°
Wet bulb
tem:C°
Cooling Tower
Effectiveness %
0730h 27 28 26 -100%
0830h 27 28 27 0%
0930h 30 27 27 100%
1030h 30 27 26.5 86%
1130h 33 27 26 75%
1230h 32 27 26.5 91%
1330h 33 28 27 83%
1430h 33 28 26.5 77%
1530h 31 28 27.5 86%
1630h 31 28 27.8 94%
Table 7 - Cooling Tower Effectiveness - 02-09-2014
Table 7 shows that most of the readings are correct except two readings (0730h/0830h). The
Problem was with the Inlet temperature which was less than the expected temperature. So I
checked the sensor (thermocouple) and found out it was mounted on the water inlet pipe as
shown in figure 12.
Figure 12 - Thermocouple
29. 23
This false sensor (Figure 12) was giving the wrong reading (most of the time it showed the
atmospheric temperature). As a solution to this problem I had to design a new way to get the
actual inlet water temperature.
I was able to create a very successful attachment to get the readings, using a Lathe machine
(Figure 14) as shown below in Figure 13 and all I did was drill a hole on the inlet water pipe
and weld a nut on to it and install the sensor attachment (Figure 13).
Figure 14 - Using Lathe Machine
After all of these modifications were completed, Cooling Tower Effectiveness came back to
the expected region and this was a very successful solution for the problem.
Figure 13 - Sensor Attachment
0730
h
0830
h
0930
h
1030
h
1130
h
1230
h
1330
h
1430
h
1530
h
1630
h
Cooling Tower Effectiveness % 100% 200% 150% 200% 200% 140% 200% -250% -33%
-300%
-200%
-100%
0%
100%
200%
300%
Cooling Tower Effectiveness %
Table 8 - Line Chart 01-09-2010
30. 24
2.2. My Projects
2.2.1. Project 1 – Furnace Oil Level Indication and Safety System
Introduction-(Case-study)
Project requirement was to design and implement a system which can measure
furnace oil volume of the oil tank in an accurate and safer way because the previous
system used a mechanical floater to get the measurements and it was very faulty.
The old system did not function properly due to high viscosity of furnace oil. This led
operators to very critical situations. Out of these the most critical situations was to
refill furnace oil, which should be ordered at least four days in advance to receive oil
at the plant on time. But without knowing the level of furnace oil in the tank correctly,
ordering was a difficult task. Without furnace oil, the entire tyre production could be
terminated because the boiler cannot run without furnace oil. Also not knowing the oil
level when filling the tank resulted in wastage of oil, due to overfilling the tank which
could even cause fire or worse.
Suggested Solutions
o Capacitive type level probe
o Float type liquid level gauge
o IR (Infrared) liquid level gauge
o Ultrasonic liquid level gauge
Analysis of Solutions (Table 9)
Table 9 - Analysis of Solutions
Ultrasonic liquid level sensing system was selected as the most suitable solution according to
the analysis in table 9 above.
31. 25
Flow chart for the System design.(Figure 15)
Figure 15 - System Design Flow Chart
Project Proposal
I prepared a project proposal and a presentation to get the approval for the project. I
completed the proposal, covering all of the required details including materials list,
cost estimate (Table 10) and Gantt-chart (Table 11).
Material Quantity Price (LKR)
(Microcontroller) arduino mega 2560 adk origina 1pcs 8000
HC-SR04 (Ultrasonic sensor) 2pcs 1600
SPI TFT LCD Display (2.4”) 1pcs 2500
DC Power supply (12v/5A) 1pcs 1500
LM7805 (voltage regulator IC) 3pcs 50
25 x 64 Vero board 2pcs 200
Network cable 20m 2375
Jumper Wires M/M (40 Pack) 1pcs 200
Jumper Wires F/M (40 Pack) 1pcs 200
Double side tape 1pcs 200
Water and dust proof panel box large 1 5000
M3x6 screw low profile hex head (10pcs) 1 50
M3x12 screw low profile hex head(10pcs) 1 50
M3x16 screw low profile hex head (10pcs) 1 50
Water and dust proof panel box small 4000
Total estimated cost - 25975 /-
Table 10 – Project Cost Estimate
32. 26
11-Sep
12-Sep
13-Sep
14-Sep
15-Sep
16-Sep
17-Sep
18-Sep
19-Sep
20-Sep
21-Sep
22-Sep
23-Sep
24-Sep
25-Sep
26-Sep
27-Sep
28-Sep
29-Sep
30-Sep
Wiring and Installing water proof
panel Boards for the unit
Assemble Hardware units, circuit
and unit installation Environment
1st test run
Troubleshooting the Program &
circuit and all components
Final test run & finished the project
Time Work Plan (2014-sep)
Achievements
Requirement analysis and System
design of Furnace oil level in the oil
tank
Submit the project proposal and get
approval for the project
Get the hardware that needed for
the project
Develop and program the
Microcontroller
After submitting the project proposal it was approved by the Engineering Manager of ETD-
02 and I started working on the project. Ongoing project is shown in Figure 16.
Figure 16 - Ongoing Project
Table 11 - Gantt-Chart
33. 27
Programing the Microcontroller
Programming the microcontroller was not that easy because I had to display the oil
level both graphically and numerically. (Display interface is shown in Figure 17)
Refer Appendix 1 for the C++ code.
Features of the System
1. The interface displays the oil level both graphically and in terms of numerical figures.
The area depicted in green indicates the oil level whereas in this case it shows that the
oil level has reached a higher level which is 21,579 liters as shown above in figure 17.
2. When the fuel level exceeds a predefined level, the interface displays a warning light
and at the same time an alarm goes on to notify the responsible parties to take
necessary action.
3. When the oil level decreases it will be informed to the relevant Engineer in stores.
4. When the oil level is adequate to refill a bowser (i.e. 13,200 liters) it will be indicated
visually.
5. The system will maintain a record of daily oil consumption which can be viewed at
any time.
6. In case of a system failure, it allows to indicate higher oil levels by using a
mechanical method (Floater).
Figure 17 - Display Interface
34. 28
System Installation and Testing
After completing the programming part and circuitry we started system installation. The
first thing to do was installing the Ultrasonic Sensor (Figure 19) on the top of the tank.
Figure 18 - Installing the Sensor
When it comes to testing, it took more than one week for troubleshooting and calibration.
(Figure 20).
Figure 19 - Troubleshooting and Calibration
Even though the drawing for the designing of panel box was submitted to one of the
workshops at Loadstar, it was not completed at the time of writing the training report.
Therefore the system is yet to be arranged in a panel box. Despite this limitation the system
has been successfully installed and used at Loadstar-ETD 02 at present.
35. 29
2.2.2. Project 2 – Overall Performance Improvement in T-10 Line
Introduction (Project Scope)
Upgrade the current system to Improve Overall performance in T-10 line to achieve
future objectives of the company.
Steps to improving performance
o General observation
o Analysis
o Identify critical areas that needs improvements
o Recommendations
o Identify other areas to be considered
o Action plan
o Launch the project
Analysis (Observations by quality control department)
As shown in Figure 20 Heel temperature (Temperature of the first layer of a Solid
Tyre) was not in the expected range during run time in most occasions. This situation
had to be solved as soon as possible.
Figure 20 - Heel Temperature Variation
36. 30
Figure 21 - Heel temperature Variation at Each Step
Figure 22 - Heel Temperature Variation (Re-check)
37. 31
Critical factors (according to the quality control department )
o Process time
o Temperature of Heel compound
o Temperature of Soft/Tread compound at the loading point
o Temperature of mould
As the first step of this project, it will only improve the temperature control of Heel
compound and with that, the process time will also be reduced.
Identified critical areas need to be improved
o Reduce heel temperature fluctuation.
o Reduce gap between actual & system temperature values.
Recommendations
o Upgrade the existing temperature control system.
o Warm up the core of the mill before a compound refill.
Identify other areas to be considered
o Atmospheric temperature
o Limited time for temperature control
o Automated system bypass (manual control) for customized and special operations
o User and product safety
o Thermal conductivity of the mill
o Temperature sensor position
Action plan
Upgrade the existing temperature control system:
There was a solenoid controlled valve which will automatically turn on a water flow in to
each mill (Figure 23) core from a 1 inch pipe line, when the compound temperature is 110°C
and turn off at 107°C.
System Upgrade
Instead of using previous method, it was possible to control the water flow proportionally to
the temperature, using a proportional flow control valve.
38. 32
With this upgrade, it is possible to reduce heel temperature fluctuation & reduce the gap
between actual & system temperature values.
Figure 23 - Mill Machine
1 - Electrical Panel 09 - Spherical roller bearing
2 - Motor Non drive end Bearing 10 - Mill roller bearing
3 - Motor Drive end bearing 11 - Mill roller bearing
4 - Coupling 12 - Mill roller bearing
5 - Spherical roller bearing 13 - Mill roller bearing
6 - Spherical roller bearing 14 - Front Mill Roller Water Outlet
7 - Spherical roller bearing 15 - Rear Mill Roller Water Outlet
8 - Spherical roller bearing
Warm up the core
By using a proportionally controlled hot water line, it is possible to warm up the mil core to
requested temperature when it is needed.
With this upgrade, it is possible to reduce the effect from the thermal loss of compound while
transferring on conveyers.
System designing
Since the PLC unit for these mills does not have analog cards or servo cards I had to
design a system to receive a binary digital output from the PLC and convert in to analog
signal which will control the proportional valve. (Figure 24)
39. 33
Figure 24 - System Design Flow Chart
Instead of the solenoid operated valve, I used a Proportional Linear Actuator
(ML7420A8088-E). It is shown in Figure 24 with all the components used for this
project.
40. 34
After selecting the components, I started programing the microcontroller. Please Refer
Appendix 2 for the C++ code.
Then the control panel box was built with help of other trainees. (Figure 25)
Figure 25 - Control Panel Assembling
After assembling the control panel next thing was to test the system. Since I had to
complete the first test run without stopping the mill machine and cooling line (Figure 26)
Figure 26 - Mill Machine and Cooling Line
I did the test run manually without connecting it to the cooling line as shown below in
Figure 27.
41. 35
Figure 27 - Testing and Calibrating
The test was a success and it worked correctly, but we were having some problems with
single stroke time of the actuator. This was the situation at the time of writing the training
report.
42. 36
3. Conclusion
Gains and Weaknesses Identified
During my internship of three months I was able gain a lot of valuable new knowledge,
experienced so many things that helped to develop my skills in numerous ways and most
importantly, got the chance to put theories in to practice. I got the chance to improve my
creativity, to introduce & implement systems, new formats developed through my own ideas
by analyzing a given scenario or problem in order to deliver a suitable solution, both as an
individual as well as a team player to match the situational demand.
The things I gained and learnt from the special industrial training are so many. I was exposed
to new areas of a business and got the chance of working with people belonging to all levels.
I was assigned certain tasks during the internship in which I was involved in all activities of a
project life cycle. The process consists of identification of a problem, analyzing, submitting a
proposal with system design, getting approval, development, implementation & testing
phases.
I was able to increase my skill relating to procurement as we had to source the materials &
parts required for the projects by ourselves, this also improved communication skills where
we had to build contacts and negotiate with suppliers such as EMS (Energy Management
Systems (Pvt) Ltd) to buy components.
I got the exposure to the formal procedure of handling various tasks in an organization which
is something I lacked before joining Loadstar. In a business most of the things needed
approval to proceed and formal documents to be filled. For example buying material was not
easy, we had to raise a material request (MR) and go through the company SOP for
procurement to get the items and this takes some time. Therefore as a trainee engineer I
sensed the importance of planning and allowing time for predictable as well as unpredictable
delays.
The projects I participated in certainly contributed to develop my programming skills to a
high degree. I worked with the flow workers and was able to identify their roles and
importance to the business and also how to handle such people with respect.
43. 37
For the first time I got the opportunity to work in a team and realized that the input of every
member counts. Becoming a good team member is not just a ‘peanut’ because there’s a mix
of people with different attitudes and backgrounds. Being a youngster who has partially
completed studies was the biggest challenge I had among all the qualified and well
experienced staff. However I was able to overcome the difficulties and improve my team
working and coordinating skills to become a more sociable person.
At Loadstar the daily routing started from 7 o’clock in the morning and everyone must be
present for the meeting at 6.50 a.m. sharp after having a quick breakfast. This daily routine
improved my punctuality and effectives. Since Loadstar was just a couple of kilometers away
from my boarding place, I used to travel on foot to and from at times, which enhanced my
physical fitness.
There was an ISO audit at the time I was at loadstar, where I got to see how it is carried out
and I got the chance of working with the SAP system at Loadstar to assist the audit process.
Apart from above mentioned skills I was also able to improve my interpersonal skills such as
presentation skills and writing skills.
Suggestions for Organizational Development
During my internship I was placed in the Maintenance division. The 5S system was practiced
and it required the person who attends the repair work to write on a book before taking any
tool from the store. If the person in charge of the tools was not available or he is engaged in
some other work there is a delay in obtaining the tools. Even though the system provides
control it is time consuming. In order to overcome this, I suggest fixing a security camera as a
control system to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
Also some thing I noticed is that the employees are quite comfortable with the existing ways
of doing thing and are reluctant to change and to accept new technologies which are clearly
visible and available in the market. Therefore even if Loadstar has enough capital to invest
this natural resistance to change prevents the company from exploring more cost effective
and efficient technologies. Instead Loadstar can increase the depth in areas such as hydraulic,
pneumatic etc.
Suggestions for Own Development
In the first 2-3 weeks of the training, I got involved in maintenance work of conveyor belts
installing, lathe machines, Hydraulic cylinder repairing (oil seal & ware seal changing) etc.
45. 39
5. Appendices
5.1. Appendix 1
/*
Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd, ETD02, Ekala,
Srilanka.
project - Furnace oil tank details and
safety.
Note:
hc-sr04 and srf05 borth will work
without any modifications.(Ultrasonic
sensors)
for mega & shield usage only, nothing
els will work with this, we just
hardcoded it for loadstar (its messy)
Manage variations of GRAM
arrangement.
The 2.4" touchscreens made by
http://www.mcufriend.com (since this
module only support with uno, Nipuna
Marcus did all the hardcoding the library
and all)
have unusual addressing so added this:
Some instances of this device have
reversed X or Y coordinates
If your LCD display chip has inverted X
addresses define this: #define INVERT_X
If your LCD display chip has inverted Y
addresses define this: #define INVERT_Y
********************************************
* *
* created back in the mists of time *
* modified 21th September 2014 *
* by Shanuka Dharmadasa (+94 71
4748743) *
* http://shanukadharmadasa@gmail.com
*
* based on Mike McCauley's TFTLCD
library *
* *
********************************************
This code isn't in any public domains.
*/
#define LCD_CS A3
#define LCD_CD A2
#define LCD_WR A1
#define LCD_RD A0
#define LCD_RESET A4
#define BLACK 0x0000
#define BLUE 0x001F
#define RED 0xF800
#define GREEN 0x07E0
#define CYAN 0x07FF
#define MAGENTA 0xF81F
#define YELLOW 0xFFE0
#define WHITE 0xFFFF
#define trigPin 22
#define echoPin 24
#define levellow 36
#define levelhigh 40
#define giveme 32
#define fullalarm 28
#include "TFTLCD.h"
TFTLCD tft(LCD_CS, LCD_CD, LCD_WR,
LCD_RD, LCD_RESET);
String outputText;
long duration, distance, outputValue,
prevVal;
String warning;
long x;
long acuArray[5];
int loopCount;
boolean firsts;
int prev;
long acurator(){
prev=0;
for(int i=0;i<5;i++){
for(int j=i;j<5;j++){
if(abs(acuArray[i]-acuArray[j])<5){
if(prev==0){
prev = (acuArray[i]+acuArray[j])/2;
}else if(prev>0){
if(abs(prev-
((acuArray[i]+acuArray[j])/2))<5){
prev =
(prev+acuArray[i]+acuArray[j])/3;
}
}
}
}
}
return prev;
}
void setup(void) {
loopCount = 0;
firsts = true;
Serial.begin(9600);
//Serial.println("8 Bit LCD test!");
//ultrasonic pins
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
pinMode (levellow, OUTPUT);
pinMode (levelhigh, OUTPUT);
pinMode (giveme, OUTPUT);
pinMode (fullalarm, OUTPUT);
// Reset the display registry memory.
tft.reset();
// Initialize the display
46. 40
tft.initDisplay();
//testFillRoundRect();
}
void loop(void) {
// Diclare variables.
outputText="";
duration = distance = outputValue =
prevVal = 0;
warning = "";
x=0;
//----------@ Ultrasonic sensor configuration
@--------------
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
distance = (duration/2) / 29.1;
Serial.print("real distance is ");
Serial.print(distance);
Serial.println(" cm ");
acuArray[loopCount] = distance;
if(!firsts){
distance = acurator();
}
// If distance equal or more than 400 cm
// Fuel running low
// Else distance equal or less than 10
cm
// tank is full
// Else keep filling the tank
if (distance >= 400){
digitalWrite(levellow,LOW);
digitalWrite(giveme,HIGH);
digitalWrite(levelhigh,HIGH);
digitalWrite(fullalarm,HIGH);
warning = "fuel level is low";
// outputText = warning;
// x = (22000-
(distance*(22/7)*125*125)/1000);
// prevVal = outputValue;
// outputValue= x;
}
else if (distance <= 30 ){
digitalWrite(levellow,HIGH);
digitalWrite(giveme,HIGH);
digitalWrite(levelhigh,LOW);
digitalWrite(fullalarm,LOW);
warning = "fuel level is high";
// outputText = warning;
// x = (22000-
(distance*(22/7)*125*125)/1000);
// prevVal = outputValue;
// outputValue= x;
} else {
if (distance >= 305){
digitalWrite(giveme,LOW);
digitalWrite(levellow,HIGH);
digitalWrite(levelhigh,HIGH);
digitalWrite(fullalarm,HIGH);
warning = "refill me";
// outputText = warning;
// x = (22000-
(distance*(22/7)*125*125)/1000);
// prevVal = outputValue;
// outputValue = x;
}
else{
digitalWrite(levellow,HIGH);
digitalWrite(levelhigh,HIGH);
digitalWrite(giveme,HIGH);
digitalWrite(fullalarm,HIGH);
// x = (22000-
(distance*(22/7)*125*125)/1000);
// prevVal = outputValue;
// outputValue = x;
}
}
acuArray[loopCount] = distance;
if(!firsts){
distance = acurator();
}
outputText = warning;
x = (22000-
(distance*(22/7)*125*125)/1000);
prevVal = outputValue;
outputValue= x;
Serial.print("distance is ");
Serial.print(distance);
Serial.println(" cm ");
Serial.print("output is ");
Serial.print(outputValue);
Serial.println(warning);
Serial.println();
//-------------------@ 2.4" TFT LCD configuration @-
---------------------
tft.fillScreen(BLACK);
tft.setCursor(5, 10);
tft.setTextColor(CYAN);
tft.setTextSize(2);
tft.print("TANK VOLUME IS");
tft.setCursor(5, 35);
tft.setTextColor(RED);
tft.setTextSize(3);
tft.print(outputValue);
tft.println(" liters");
tft.setCursor(10, 60);
tft.setTextColor(RED);
tft.setTextSize(2);
tft.println(outputText);
tft.setCursor(5, 270);
tft.setTextColor(BLUE);
tft.setTextSize(2);
tft.println("Loadstar (Pvt) ltd");
tft.setCursor(5, 290);
tft.setTextColor(BLUE);
tft.setTextSize(2);
tft.println("ETD02");
48. 42
5.2. Appendix 2
/*
Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd, ETD02, Ekala,
Srilanka.
project - Mill temperature controll
improvement (proportional control).
Note:
********************************************
*
*
* created back in the mists of time
*
* modified 21th October 2014
*
* by Shanuka Dharmadasa (+94 71
4748743) *
* http://shanukadharmadasa@gmail.com
*
********************************************
This code isn't in any public domains.
*/
const int onePin= 2;
const int twoPin= 3;
const int threePin= 4;
const int fourPin= 5;
const int fivePin= 6;
//const int sixPin=32;
//const int sevenPin=34;
//const int eightPin=36;
//const int ninePin=38;
//const int tenPin=40;
const int PwmOutPin = 9;
int outputValue = 0;
//int count;
char aryChr[10];
long int value;
long int retval;
// the setup routine runs once when you
press reset:
void setup() {
// initialize the digital pin as an output.
//count = 0;
value = 0;
pinMode(onePin, INPUT);
pinMode(twoPin, INPUT);
pinMode(threePin, INPUT);
pinMode(fourPin, INPUT);
pinMode(fivePin, INPUT);
// pinMode(sixPin, INPUT);
// pinMode(sevenPin, INPUT);
// pinMode(eightPin, INPUT);
// pinMode(ninePin, INPUT);
// pinMode(tenPin, INPUT);
aryChr[0] ='1'; //LSB
aryChr[1] ='1';
aryChr[2] ='1';
aryChr[3] ='1';
aryChr[4] ='0';
// aryChr[5] ='0';
// aryChr[6] ='0';
// aryChr[7] ='0';
// aryChr[8] ='0';
// aryChr[9] ='0';
}
// the loop routine runs over and over
again forever:
void loop() {
Serial.begin(9600);
delay(200);
// if(digitalRead(onePin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[0] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[0] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(twoPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[1] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[1] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(threePin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[2] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[2] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(fourPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[3] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[3] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(fivePin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[4] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[4] ='0';
// }
////////////////////////////////
/////////
// if(digitalRead(sixPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[5] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[5] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(sevenPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[6] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[6] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(eightPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[7] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[7] ='0';
// }
49. 43
// if(digitalRead(ninePin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[8] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[8] ='0';
// }
// if(digitalRead(tenPin)==HIGH){
// aryChr[9] ='1';
// }
// else{
// aryChr[9] ='0';
// }
//
//
//A TO D CALCULATION
for(int i = 0; i < 5 ; i++){
if(aryChr[i]=='1'){
//////////////
retval=1;
for(int j =0; j<i;j++){
retval=retval*2;
}
////////////////
value += retval;
}
}
// map it to the range of the analog
out:0-255
outputValue = map(value, 5, 15, 42, 213);
// change the analog out value:
if (value >= 15){
analogWrite(PwmOutPin, 213);
}
else if (value <= 5 ){
analogWrite(PwmOutPin, 42);
} else {
analogWrite(PwmOutPin, outputValue);
}
delay(200);
Serial.print("sensor = " );
Serial.print(value);
Serial.print("t output = ");
Serial.println(outputValue);
delay(200);
value = 0;
//count++;
}
50. 44
CERTIFICATION
I certify that this industrial training report has been written by me, on the industrial training I
underwent during my training period from 16.07.2014 to 20.10.2014
S.A.Dharmadasa,
Trainee Engineer,
Loadstar (pvt) ltd.
……………………
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
This report has been written by S.A. Dharmadasa of Sri Lanka College of Technology -
Maradana for his Special Industrial Training Program as a Trainee Engineer and he has
successfully completed all the theoretical and practical aspects mentioned in the report.
…………….………… ………………..
(Engineering Manager) Date
Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd – ETD 02
