The document is a project report submitted by Karan Kundal on his internship at Hero Ecotech Limited from June 6th to July 18th. It includes an acknowledgment, table of contents, overview of Hero Ecotech's history and products. It then describes the plant layout, bicycle nomenclature, process flow chart and details various manufacturing processes like polishing, swaging, milling, inspection, welding, phosphating and painting. The report concludes with packaging, the overall project and references.

1. 1
Project report on internship
program at Hero Ecotech Limited
(6 June 2017 to 18 July 2017)
Submitted by:
Karan Kundal
14109068
Mechanical engineering
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar

2. 2
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible
without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I
would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.
I am highly indebted to Hero Ecotech Limited for their guidance and constant
supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project
and also for their support in completing the project. I would like to express my
gratitude towards Er. Hardip Singh and all the supervisors for their kind co-
operation and encouragement which helped me in completion of this project.
I would like to express my special gratitude and thanks to industry persons for
giving me such attention and time.
My thanks and appreciations also go to my colleagues in developing the project
and people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.
Karan Kundal

3. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Serial number Heading Page number
1 Overview of Hero
Ecotech ltd
4
2 Plant layout 8
3 Bicycle
Nomenclature
9
4 Process
flow chart
10
5 Raw Material 11
6 Polishing 12
7 Swaging 14
8 Milling 15
9 Inspection 16
10 Welding 17
11 Phosphating 21
15 Painting 23
16 Stickering 26
17 Assembly 27
18 Packaging 28
19 Project 29
20 References 36

4. 4
Hero Ecotech Limited
HISTORY
The success story of every enterprise lies on the shoulders of some personalities
whose indomitable will and remarkable foresight made it possible. It is the
pioneering spirit of the Munjal brothers that has seen the rise of the Hero Group
to its present pre-eminent position as the largest selling bicycle on the Industrial
map of our country. Late Shri Dayanand Munjal, founder of the Group started
modestly from a small factory in Ludhiana and flourished into being a global
brand.
Since its inception in 1956, Hero has travelled a long way from one milestone to
another. Vijay Munjal, son of late Shri Dayanand Munjal, whose dynamism and
fine marketing skills have contributed to the name and glory that our company
and brand enjoys in the world market has now laid the foundation for another
leap. 2010 saw a realignment of the group to take the business to the next level.
This led to the unveiling of a new global identity- Hero Eco, an umbrella brand
under the impeccable leadership of Mr. Vijay Munjal. Serving as the chairman,
Vijay Munjal has again carved a niche for them through this new KROSS brand.
His two sons Naveen and Gaurav Munjal are steadily carving a special place for
the group on Indian and international soil under the guidance of their father.
Bringing innovation on the streets of the nation in the form of Kross bicycles,
Hero Eco-tech is providing an absolute two-wheeled luxury experience for the
modern Indian society. The spectacular reputation and goodwill of KROSS within
a short span is a saga which speaks only of outstanding quality. Meeting the
demand for European quality products in the domestic market, Kross road bikes
have set up a new benchmark on the industrial front.

5. 5
PROFILE
A name that exemplifies quality, performance and trust, Hero Eco in a short
span has swiped the market with its outstanding products with international
designs and manufacturing quality. With a vast portfolio, the organization
stands for diverse product offerings for domestic and international markets
that consist of bicycles, bicycle components, electric vehicles, healthcare,
fitness equipment, auto products, real estate and bicycle exports. It caters to
all sorts of riders including kids, mountain bikers and much more. Hero Eco is
being steered by the vision of our dynamic leader Mr. Vijay Munjal, and has
its presence spanning from bicycles to electric vehicles, with bike shops in
Ludhiana, New Delhi, United Kingdom, USA and Germany.
Hero Eco is a name that reckons with the zeal of keeping the tradition of
bringing innovative products in the market, presenting the most vibrant
range of bicycles called Kross. All kinds of bike accessories are available too.
Designed to compete with best in the domestic market, Kross bicycles are
poised to take a lead. Built to perform and crafted to perfection, this range of
bicycles is manufactured in state-of-the-art facility that boasts of
international standards. From aerodynamic designs, mesmerizing graphics,
hi-tech features to eye catching colours, Kross road bikes offer everything
which a true biker needs and demands. The company has also invented their
bikes keeping in mind the features required for girls bikes. Come explore the
spirit of Kross through these pages and discover a range of bicycles that are
ready to STOP NOWHERE.

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PRODUCTS
Hero Ecotech has a diverse product range:
1. KROSS BIKES
2. HERO MEDIVA
MEDIVA Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hero Eco
Group, is one of the foremost companies that provide high-quality medical
equipment to both individuals and institutions. With designs and
manufacturing that adhere to global norms and standards, MEDIVA is a
company that s aiming to bring a semblance of order to the largely
unorganized medical equipment market bringing with it an added degree of
trust, value and quality. The products manufactured by MEDIVA range from
mobility assistance to hospital beds.

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3. HERO ELECTRIC
A pioneer and Market leader in the Indian electric two-wheeler industry
with its state of art manufacturing facility at Ludhiana. HERO Electric
entered the Electric two-wheeler segment after 12 years of extensive
research in this segment with its wide range of electric two-wheelers. HERO
Electric is the Market Leader in the category, with a strong network of more
than 300 Exclusive Sales and Service outlets across the country and is
leading a revolution in Electric Mobility with more than 1 Lac happy
customers. HERO Electric has aligned itself with the positioning based on the
ecological and a socially responsible platform with the objective of making
the country greener and to be the best in Zero pollution transportation in
the country through its wide range of Electric Vehicles.

8. 8
PLANT LAYOUT
1. Raw Material 2.Tyre tube
Storage
3.OEM
inventory
4.Tool
room
5.Fork
section
2
6.Maintainance
Department
7.Milling 8.Dispatch 9.Swaging 10.Polishing
11.Brazing 12.Automated
Press and Drill
13.Fixture
Storage
14.Milling
Buffer
15.Inspectio
n
16.Storage 17.Mig
Welding lines
18.Fork section
1
19.Tig
Welding
lines
20.Assembly
lines
21.Rim Section 22.Stickering 23.Phosphating 24.Painting 25.Powder
coating

9. 9
BICYCLE NOMENCLATURE

10. 10
PROCESS FLOW CHART
Raw Material
Polishing
Swazing
Milling
Inspection
Welding
Phosphating
Painting
Stickering
Assembly
Packaging
Storage
Dispatch

11. 11
RAW MATERIAL
This department manages the smooth flow of raw material for all of the
processes. These materials include:
 Tubes
 Head Tube
 Handlebars
 Carrier bushes
 Brake pivots
 Butted tubes
 Wire guides
 S.S. rims
 Rear Carriers
 Aligners

12. 12
POLISHING
Polishing and buffing are finishing processes for smoothing a work-piece s
surface using an abrasive and a work wheel or a leather strap.
Technically polishing refers to processes that use an abrasive that is glued to the
work wheel, while buffing uses a loose abrasive applied to the work wheel.
Polishing is a more aggressive process while buffing is less harsh, which leads to
a smoother, brighter finish. A common misconception is that a polished surface
has a mirror bright finish, however most mirror bright finishes are actually
buffed.
Polishing is often used to enhance the appearance of an item, prevent
contamination of instruments, remove oxidation, create a reflective surface, or
prevent corrosion in pipes.
The condition of the material at hand determines what type of abrasive will be
applied. The first stage, if the material is unfinished, starts with a rough abrasive
(perhaps 60 or 80 grit) and each subsequent stage uses a finer abrasive, such as
120,150, 220, 320, 400 until the desired finish is achieved. The rough (i.e. large
grit) passes remove imperfections within the metal surface like pits, nicks, lines
and scratches. The finer abrasives leave progressively finer lines that are not
visible to the naked eye. To achieve a mirror finish it requires polishing and
buffing compounds, polishing wheels and high speed polishing machines or
other machine tools that can be used for polishing, like an electrical drill.
White & grey aluminium oxide abrasives are used on high tensile strength
metals, such as carbon and alloy steel, tough iron, and nonferrous alloys.
Gray silicon carbide abrasives are used on hard and brittle substances, such
as grey iron and cemented carbide, and low tensile strength metals, such
as brass, aluminium, and copper. Green chromium (III) oxide is the abrasive
used in green compounds that are typically used to finish ferrous metals
(steels).
Polishing wheels come in a wide variety of types to fulfil a wide range of needs.
The most common materials used for polishing wheels are wood, leather,
canvas, cotton cloth, plastic, felt, paper, sheepskin, impregnated rubber, canvas
composition, and wool; leather and canvas are the most common. Wooden
wheels have emery or other abrasives glued onto them and are used to polish

13. 13
flat surfaces and maintained good edges. There are many types of cloth wheels.
Cloth wheels that are cemented together are very hard and used for rough
work, whereas other cloth wheels that are sewn and glued together are not as
aggressive. There are cloth wheels that are not glued or cemented, instead
these are sewed and have metal side plates for support. Solid felt wheels are
popular for fine finishes. Hard roughing wheels can be made by cementing
together strawboard paper disks. Softer paper wheels are made from felt
paper. Most wheels are run at approximately 7500 surface feet per
minute (SFM), however muslin, felt and leather wheels are usually run at 4000
SFM.

14. 14
SWAGING
Swaging and Radial Forging Swaging and radial forging are forging processes
used to reduce the diameter of a tube or solid rod. Swaging is often performed
on the end of a work piece to create a tapered section. The swaging process,
shown in Figure, is accomplished by means of rotating dies that hammer a work
piece radially inward to taper it as the piece is fed into the dies. Figure
illustrates some of the shapes and products that are made by swaging. A
mandrel is sometimes required to control the shape and size of the internal
diameter of tubular parts that are swaged. Radial forging is similar to swaging in
its action against the work and is used to create similar part shapes. The
difference is that in radial forging the dies do not rotate around the work piece;
instead, the work is rotated as it feeds into the hammering dies.
Swaged tubes are used for:
 Top tube
 Fork
 Chainstay
 Bottom tube
REDUCTION IN DIAMETER OF TUBE AFTER SWAGING

15. 15
MILLING
Milling is the machining process of using rotary cutters to remove material from
a workpiece by advancing (or feeding) in a direction at an angle with the axis of
the tool. It covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, on scales
from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty gang milling operations. It is one
of the most commonly used processes in industry and machine shops today for
machining parts to precise sizes and shapes.
Milling here is used for mitering or notching of tubes so that the gap between
two tubes is reducing and proper weld is achieved with utilization of less filler
material.
MITERING PROCESS
Milling section had:
 Hydraulic pressesUsed for Tube bending, punching, slotting
 Hydraulic mitering machines
 Rotary mitering machine
 CNC bending machinesUsed for making bends >1800

16. 16
INSPECTION
After the milling process the processed tubes were shifted onto inspection table
.An inspector manually inspects the tubes under bright light. Defects are
marked and immediately corrected if possible or the tube is rejected.
Common defects are:
 ScratchesOccurs due to metal to metal contact during processing
 DentsOccurs due to mishandling of tubes
 BucklingOccurs due to faulty tubes (less thickness)
Remedies for above mentioned defects:
 Scratches are removed using pneumatically driven belt grinders.
BELT GRINDER
 Dents are filled using brass brazing process. After brazing tube is polished.
DENT FILLED USING BRAZING

17. 17
WELDING
Welding is a materials joining process in which two or more parts are coalesced
at their contacting surfaces by a suitable application of heat and/or pressure
.Many welding processes are accomplished by heat alone, with no pressure
applied; others by a combination of heat and pressure; and still others by
pressure alone, with no external heat supplied. In some welding processes a
filler material is added to facilitate coalescence. The assemblage of parts that
are joined by welding is called a weldment. Welding is most commonly
associated with metal parts.
 Fusion Welding
Fusion-welding processes use heat to melt the base metals. In many fusion
welding operations, a filler metal is added to the molten pool to facilitate the
process and provide bulk and strength to the welded joint. A fusion-welding
operation in which no filler metal is added is referred to as an autogenous weld.
The plant utilizes two welding types:
1. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding(GTAW) /Tungsten Inert Gas Welding(TIGW)
Gas tungsten arc welding is an AW process that uses a non-consumable
tungsten electrode and an inert gas for arc shielding. The term TIG welding
(tungsten inert gas welding) is often applied to this process. GTAW can be
implemented with or without a filler metal.

18. 18
When a filler metal is used, it is added to the weld pool from a separate rod or
wire, being melted by the heat of the arc rather than transferred across the arc
as in the consumable electrode AW processes. Tungsten is a good electrode
material due to its high melting point of 34100
C . Typical shielding gases include
argon, helium, or a mixture of these gas elements. GTAW is applicable to nearly
all metals in a wide range of stock thicknesses. It can also be used for joining
various combinations of dissimilar metals. Its most common applications are for
aluminium and stainless steel.
2. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)/Metal Inert Gas Welding(MIGW)
Gas metal arc welding is an AW process in which the electrode is a consumable
bare metal wire, and shielding is accomplished by flooding the arc with a gas.
The bare wire is fed continuously and automatically from a spool through the
welding gun, as illustrated in Figure.
Wire diameters ranging from 0.8 to 6.5mm are used in GMAW, the size
depending on the thickness of the parts being joined and the desired deposition
rate. Gases used for shielding include inert gases such as argon and helium, and
active gases such as carbon-dioxide. Selection of gases (and mixtures of gases)
depends on the metal being welded, as well as other factors. Inert gases are
used for welding aluminium alloys and stainless steels, while CO2 is commonly
used for welding low and medium carbon steels. The combination of bare
electrode wire and shielding gases eliminates the slag covering on the weld
bead and thus precludes the need for manual grinding and cleaning of the slag.
The GMAW process is therefore ideal for making multiple welding passes on the
same joint.

19. 19
TIG LINE
Plant houses Four TIG welding lines on which frame is welded from mitered
(notched) tubes.
Quadrant Tacking
Welder 1 (2
Joints)
Welder 2 (2
Joints)
Welder 3 (2
Joints)
Welder 4 (2
Joints)
Welder 5 (4
Joints)
Quadrant
Alignment
Rear Triangle(RT)
tacking
RT + Quadrant
tacking
Welder 6 (4
Joints)
Welder 7 (5
Joints)
Welder 8 (4
Joints)
Welder 9 (5
Joints)
Welder 10 (6
Joints)
Frame full
alignment
Brake pivots +
Carrier bush spot
welding & Brazing
B.B. shell reaming
Seat tube
reaming
Head tube
reaming
B.B. shell
threading
Quality check &
finishing

20. 20
MIG LINE
MIG line has fewer welders due to the fact that MIG welding has higher welding
rate than that of TIG. So, one welder can weld whole frame at once. Rest all of
the steps are similar to that of TIG line.
Wire guide tacking
Quadrant tacking
Full Welding of quadrant
Rear Triangle tacking
Rear triangle + Quadrant
Tacking
Full frame welding
Brake Pivot + carrier bush
Welding
Reaming of B.B. shell
,seat tube and head tube.
B.B. shell threading
Quality check and
finishing

21. 21
PHOSPHATING
Phosphating also known as bonderizing is a process done prior to painting of
frame. Phosphating acts as a foundation for further paint processes like power
coating and acrylic painting. This acts as a rust resisting layer for steel parts.
Three types of coating can be done. Each of them has their own benefit:
1. Manganese Corrosion resistance and lubricity.
2. IronBase for spray painting.
3. Zinc =Corrosion resistance.
The process is fully automated. A motorised lift is used to pick up the racks and
shift it to subsequent tanks. The process proceeds as follows:
1. Loading: Frames are loaded on to the rack. The lift picks up the rack.
2. Degreasing 1: Alcohol based solvents are used to remove dirt, grease,
coolants and oil.
3. Degreasing 2: Similar solvents are used. Degreasing is carried out in two
steps to ensure that there is no dirt left on the surface of frame.
4. Water rinse 1: Demineralised water is used to clean the degreasing
solvent.
5. Water rinse 2: Similar to previous step. Water rinse 2 is performed to
make sure that the surface is solvent free.
6. De-rusting: This step ensures the removal of rust from the surface. Solvent
consists of a blend of mineral acids like phosphorus acid, sulphuric acid
and hydrochloric acid. Greater the acidity of solution greater is the rust
removal rate.
7. Water rinse 3: Demineralised water is used to clean the rusting agent.
8. Water rinse 4: Similar to previous step. Water rinse 4 is performed to
make sure that the surface is free from rusting agents.
9. Surface activation: Crystal formation is done on the surface of metal by
seeding the metal surface by tine particles of titanium salts.
10. Phosphating: Manganese, iron and zinc phosphate coating is done.
11. Water rinse 5: Demineralised water is used to clean the surface from
phosphating agents.
12. Water rinse 6: Similar to previous step. Water rinse 6 is performed to
make sure that the surface is free from phosphating agents.
13. Water rinse 7: Demineralised water is used to remove Passivation agents.
14. Water dry over: Water is removed by heating frame in oven for about 15-
20 minutes.

22. 22

23. 23
PAINTING
Painting is done so that the bicycle looks good aesthetically. Also it prevents
rusting of metallic parts. The different parts which were painted at the paint
shop are:
Frame, fork, handlebar, mudguards, carriers, stand and rims.
Three types of painting were available at the plant:
1. Electrostatic spray painting
2. Powder coating
ELECTROSTATIC SPRAY PAINTING
Electrostatic spray painting is often used for bicycle and car doors.
In electrostatic spray painting, the atomized particles are made to be electrically
charged, thereby repelling each other and spreading themselves evenly as they
exit the spray nozzle. The object being painted is charged oppositely or
grounded. The paint is then attracted to the object giving a more even coat than
wet spray painting, and also greatly increasing the percentage of paint that
sticks to the object. This method also means that paint covers hard to reach
areas. Substantial materials savings are achieved using this method.
Technology used for charging the fluid is direct charging. In this method an
electrode is immersed in the paint supply reservoir or in the paint supply
conduit.

24. 24
PROCESS FLOW CHART

25. 25
POWDER COATING
Powder Coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing,
dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a
powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep
the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically
applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and
form a "skin". The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermosetting polymer.
It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint.
Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as household
appliances, aluminium extrusions, drum hardware,
and automobile and bicycle parts.
PROCESS FLOW CHART
1. Cleaning: Cleaning is done using cotton gloves and pneumatic air jets.
2. Coating: Powder coating is done using automated vertically reciprocating
electrostatic gun. The gun imparts a positive electric charge to the powder,
which is then sprayed towards the grounded object by mechanical or
compressed air spraying and then accelerated toward the workpiece by
the powerful electrostatic charge.
3. Curing: When a thermosetting powder is exposed to elevated
temperature, it begins to melt, flows out, and then chemically reacts to
form a higher molecular weight polymer in a network-like structure. This
cure process, called cross-linking, requires a certain temperature for a
certain length of time in order to reach full cure and establish the full film
properties for which the material was designed.
Curing temperature and time for:
 Gloss powder coat is 1900
C and 15 minutes.
 Matte powder coat is 2100
C and 15 minutes.
Cleaning Coating Curing

26. 26
STICKERING
Stickering section is responsible for Stickering and protection of frame.
Stickering is done to increase the aesthetic appeal of bicycle. A stickered bicycle
is more appealing than unstickered.
After Stickering the frame is covered using cardboard and masking tape. This is
done to avoid frame from being scratched during assembly and transportation
of bike.
PROTECTION

27. 27
ASSEMBLY
PROCESS FLOW CHART
Brakes fitting
Chainwheel
Fitting
Fork fitting
Derallieur
fitting
chain fitting Tyre fitting
Brake and
derallieur wire
fitting
Brake Setting
Derallieur
setting
Front tyre
removal
PackagingStorage

28. 28
PACKAGING
After the bicycle has been assembled completely packaging begins. The front
wheel is removed and is secured with the frame with help of zip ties. Similarly,
handlebar is also removed and tightened with frame. Whole bicycle is protected
with cardboard and masking tape. After cardboard covering the bicycle is put
into a cardboard box. This is done for protection against scratches and dents.

29. 29
PROJECT
END SCRAP REDUCTION IN FORK COLUMN PRODUCTION
A bicycle fork is the part of a bicycle that holds the front wheel.
A fork typically consists of two blades which are joined at the top by a
fork crown. Above the crown, a column (steering tube) attaches the fork to the
bi cycle and the handlebars (via a stem) allowing the user to steer the bicycle.
The column (steering tube) of the fork interfaces with
the frame via bearings called headset mounted in the head tube.
At the bottom of the fork, dropouts hold the wheel. Usually, either the axle is
bolted to the fork, or a skewer passes through a hollow axle, clamping the axle
to the fork.

30. 30
PROCESS FLOW CHART
1. Waxed tube: The tube has wax coating to ensure that there is not metal to
metal contact between die and tube. Waxing increase the life of die.
WAXED TUBE
2. Chamfering: Tube is chamfered using a conical cavity die and Hydraulic
press. This is done to facilitate the tube in aligning with the die. Chamfering
also helps in eliminating burrs,
Waxed tube
Chamfering of tube
Tube Drawing
Tube parting-off on lathe

31. 31
CHAMFERING DIE
3. Tube drawing: Drawing can be used to reduce the diameter or wall
thickness of seamless tubes and pipes, after the initial tubing has been
produced by some other process such as extrusion. Tube drawing can be
carried out in three ways:
 Tube sinking: Tube sinking (free tube drawing), reduces the diameter of
the tube without a mandrel inside the tube. The inner diameter is
determined by the inner and outer diameter of the stock tube, the outer
diameter of the final product, the length of the die landing, the amount of
back tension, and the friction between the tube and the die.

32. 32
 Fixed mandrel drawing: Fixed plug drawing, also known as stationary
mandrel drawing, uses a mandrel at the end of the die to shape the ID of
the tube. This process is slow and the area reductions are limited, but it
gives the best inner surface finish of any of the processes. The
disadvantage is that lengths are limited by the length of the mandrel,
usually no more than 30m.
 Floating plug drawing (Plant uses this technique): Floating plug drawing,
also known as floating mandrel drawing, uses a mandrel that is not
anchored whatsoever to shape the ID of the tube. The mandrel is held in
by the friction forces between the mandrel and the tube. This axial force is
given by friction and pressure. The greatest advantage of this is that it can
be used on extremely long lengths, sometimes up to 300 m. The
disadvantage is it requires a precise design otherwise it will give
inadequate results.

33. 33
4. Tube parting-off on lathe: After extrusion tube is trimmed to final
dimension using tool on lathe machine.

34. 34
Data for fork column of all the models being produced is tabulated below.
Aim: To reduce the scrap of five models by an average of 65%
The initial length of tube was 126 mm and length after drawing was 215-217
mm. If we take the case of 175 mm column, then after final trimming the scrap
length from un-chamfered end was 25 mm (average of five trials). So, it was
decided that the initial length of tube i.e. length before extrusion should be
reduced.
Hit and trial method was used to find the initial length i.e. a random length was
cut from initial length and then it was drawn. After three iterations the initial
length (to produce minimum scrap) was found out to be 113 mm. The scrap
formed using 113 mm length was 5mm. So scrap reduction by 80% was
achieved.

35. 35
The data for other models is tabulated below:
According to data obtained by experiments the tentative scrap reduction comes
out to be 69.2%. And a cost saving of 169200 rupees is achieved.

36. 36
REFERENCES
1. Fundamentals of modern manufacturing Materials, Processes and Systems
by Mikell P. Groover.
2. A textbook on production technology y P.C. Sharma.
3. www.google.com/imghp
4. www.krossbikes.in
5. www.heroeco.com