Machining process and general information:
• General Information – Tooling
o Plan to have own engineering group as company expands
o Hwasung is subcontracted to do engineering currently
o Uses same cutting tools as in Korea facility – all diamond
o Regrind tools if can
o Hwasung has capability to surface grind, repair dies, and make molds with wire EDM
process
• General Information – Machining
o Boundary samples are used: okay, borderline, not good
o Quality room has separate windows for incoming and outgoing parts (for quality
checks)
o New equipment will be coming in from FM LaGrange plant
o Each operation has pictures and job instructions for what to check and which gage to
use to check part
o Parts are manually loaded into machine or pallet, depending on line
o Auditor checks parts for verification: after operator checks part, puts in bin, auditor
checks part and reloads back on line
o Have tool management system
o A pokeyoke check is used for orientation prior to loading
o Machines are guarded
o Mostly have CNC machines
o Manual chip collection systems
o If automated, have robots with grippers to load/unload parts from pallets
o After final inspection, operator visually inspects and loads onto plastic dunnage with
the crown up and loads into the washer
o Repairs: filing down of burrs or sharp edges after anodizing the crown
o Have 2 Excello machines for special machining of the pin bores
o 2.7% scrap for gasoline pistons
o Cycle time is 18 seconds for gasoline piston
o Process – Wash
o Spray system
o 4 stations: heated wash, wash with degreaser, 2 rinse stations
o Uses RO water
o Operator blow dries piston and puts on dunnage with crown up
o Parts wheeled into coating room
o Needs major improvements here
o Chemical analysis done for bath in chemical room
o Comments/Observations:
o Relatively small piston facility, but plans for additional space. New facility,
July 2004.
o Currently no cleanliness checks (wash and filter) run to verify machining wash
process.
o No asm processes / equipment at facility.
o Current wash process / equipment / clean part handling would not meet GM
requirements
o Could not fully review coating process due to no production at the time of the
visit.