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CORONA, CA- RW Lyall, a manufacturer of natural gas
transfer equipment and machinery, has recently been saving
substantial amounts of money and decreasing their R&D
time with the help of the Center for Competitive Technologies
(CACT), on the Norco campus of Riverside Community College.
"By using the rapid prototyper at the CACT we have been
able to save thousands of dollars on machining costs,"
said Richard McClure, an engineering manager for R.W. Lyall.
"And we have saved untold amounts of money by being able
to bring our products to market faster, thus getting leverage
on our competition."
The CACT at the Norco campus of RCC is part of a statewide
initiative to help advance regional manufacturers' competitiveness.
The CACT does this by providing access to current manufacturing
ideas, techniques and technologies for businesses and students.
They do this through specialized training, a targeted curriculum,
a knowledgeable faculty and hands-on access to technologies.
Using a three-dimensional design program called SolidWorks,
engineers at RW Lyall designed a coupling value that connects
flexible gas line commonly used to deliver natural gas to
residential homes. RW Lyall engineers then emailed the completed
computer file to the CACT. Jim Sutton, the Grant Project Technician
at the CACT, loaded the file into the computer attached to
the rapid prototyper. The machine, reading off of the file,
created a three-dimensional model of the coupling using polymer
plastic in a semi-liquid form.
The rapid prototyper, operating precisely according to the
engineering specifications in the file, extrudes the polymer
in thin strips. The result is a replica of the product, exact
all the way down to the threads designed to join two components
together. While the part is not functional, it does allow
engineers to make certain observations.
"We can immediately see if we are going in the right
direction," explained McClure of R.W. Lyall. "We
can see how parts fit together, and how they will work with
other components that have already been designed. In this
particular instance, we were able to quickly determine that
the part was too small. There were also other changes we made."
McClure stated that to have a prototype of the same part made
in a machine shop involves an expense of $1,800 and 30 hours
of machine time. You can then factor in that most parts require
two or three prototypes in order to work out various design
questions. The same part, fashioned on a rapid prototyper,
takes just a few hours.
"This is certainly a useful tool for creating product
models for evaluation," added McClure.
Businesses interested in using the services offered by the
CACT can contact Hank Rogers, director, at 951-372-7138.
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BURBANK, CA- A collaborative effort between
Goodrich AeroStructures Group, in Riverside, the International
Association of Machinists (IAM), and the economic development
department of Riverside Community College District (RCCD),
was recently honored by the California Economic Development
Network (Ed>Net).
The Innovator of the Year award was presented to Linda
Reifschneider, Hank Rogers and representatives from
Goodrich and IAM at the California Community Colleges
13th Annual Economic Development Conference in Burbank,
held on April 16. Reifschneider is director of Corporate
& Business Development while Rogers is the director
of the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT).
Both Corporate Connection and the CACT are programs
available through RCCD’s economic development department.
In June 2001 Goodrich Corporation began a year-long
training program to elevate employee knowledge and training.
The program was taught by RCC faculty and coordinated
by Corporate Connection. Thirteen employees of Aerostructures
Group began the 800-hour of college-level training program.
The employees received training in shop math, blueprint
reading, hands-on machine operation and other subjects
to assist them in fabricating GRID-LOCK®, a patented
technology used by the Aerostructures Group.
“One student progressed so quickly that he was promoted
to the CNC machinist classification ahead of schedule,”
reported Rogers “The remaining twelve students are slated
to graduate in April of 2002. Goodrich reports a waiting
list for the next round of training, which they anticipate
starting this calendar year.”
Rogers enumerated at least four tangible benefits that
the Goodrich / IAM CNC machinist training program has
delivered. First, Goodrich has benefited by receiving
trained CNC machinists at a time when its military programs
need them desperately. In addition, Goodrich now has
a standard CNC machinist training process. Second, Goodrich
employees are acquiring skills to better equip them
to climb the career ladder at Goodrich. These newly
acquired skills will, in most cases, result in higher
wages. Third, the CAD/CAM and CNC programs at RCC have
benefited by instructor exposure to advanced techniques.
The program has resulted in donations of time, equipment
and material to the college. Finally, the program has
enhanced the image of RCC’s economic development programs
locally, statewide and nationally. Besides the public
exposure, the lessons learned have increased the capability
of Riverside Community College District to initiate
and manage other large-scale economic development programs
in the future.
“We are really excited about this award,” added Gail
Zwart, Dean of Economic Development at RCC. “The Goodrich
/ IAM CNC machinist training program is a great example
of how the community college can work with labor and
business interests and ultimately make a real impact
of the quality of the workforce in a region.”
Corporate Connection at RCC offers a selection of business
assistance programs, including employee training, contract
training, international sales consulting, e-commerce
consulting, testing and certification, government contract
procurement consulting and much more. For additional
information call Corporate Connection at 951-788-2520.
Ask for Dr. Gail Zwart.
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Thoroughbred Precision, a small, two-man machine shop in the high desert community of Pinon Hills is well on its way to receiving a "GOLD" rating from the Defense Logistics Agency.
This prestigious award is presented to companies that have completed 10 or more contract lines with the Defense Logistics Agency within a year, and achieved 100 percent in both quality and on-time delivery of their products. The average score for comparable vendors throughout the
country is 90.7%. Thoroughbred has completed 12 contracts with a perfect rating of 100% in its first 18 months of operations.
Two years ago, Alan and Brian Hiiesalu created Thoroughbred Precision with a credit line of $10,000, and a determination to succeed. Their equipment included a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine and a CNC lathe. Alan Hiiesalu targeted the Defense Supply Center
Richmond as a source of work, but became frustrated when he could not find contracts to bid on. The procedures used to obtain bids were confusing, and Alan became frustrated. He began to go through all the government websites, and this time he discovered a link to the Procurement
Assistance Center at the Riverside Community College District - and the manager, Lane Stafford.
Stafford aided Thoroughbred Precision by showing them how to locate and bid on government jobs. He came to their shop, showed them various websites, and set up their computer.
"We would have folded if it wasn't for Lane," said Alan Hiiesalu. "He took the mystery out of how to obtain bids, and explained things in ways that made it easy to understand and comprehend." Thoroughbred Precision obtained its first contract award for $1,725
through the Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) later that month.
In the past year, Thoroughbred Precision has landed more contracts, and with these came the responsibility to meet numerous criteria and specifications. When Thoroughbred received its first government contract, a representative from the Defense Department had to visit their site
and approve the quality assurance programs. Tim Griffin of the Defense Contract Management Command Santa Ana was sent to inspect Alan and Brian Hiiesalu's small, 800 square foot shop. Not only did Thoroughbred's processes meet the government's specifications - they exceeded them,
according to Griffin. Griffin immediately took an interest in Thoroughbred Precision, and told Alan personally that he wanted to "see them make it"!
When the Hiiesalu's first began attempting to acquire contract awards, they won fewer than one out of every ten. Today, with Stafford's help, they bid more efficiently and are able to obtain one out of four. Some of the jobs Alan and Brian Hiiesalu have performed for the Defense
Department include: parts for the US Army Apache helicopter, US Navy F-18 fighter/bomber, US Air Force F-16 fighter, and the C 130 cargo aircraft. Thoroughbred Precision takes pride in its exceptional performance. Alan and Brian feel that they are doing patriotic and prestigious
work for our national defense. |
