High tech manufacturing & its challenges

On May 10, 2015

Mr. G. K. Pillai Managing Director & CEO Walchandnagar Industries Limited

Mr GK Pillai is a Change Management Leader having extensive experience of 42 years in the Manufacturing Industries both in the Public sector & Private Sector. Presently working as Managing Director & CEO of Walchandnagar Industries Ltd. Pune and prior to this has been the Chairman & MD of Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd. Ranchi – A central PSU.

High tech manufacturing can be referred to manufacturing with the usage of cutting edge technologies or the most advanced technologies available. It can be manufacturing of high technology products or manufacturing using high technology processes. With passing of time, technologies once considered hi-tech become obsolete. Not so long ago, a pager was supposed to be a high technology item and a status symbol; now, it is disappeared from the market with the introduction of mobile phones. So the biggest challenge is, to be updated with the changes/trends in the technologies. Walchandnagar Industries Ltd. (WIL) has been into hi-tech manufacturing for more than four decades. WIL regularly manufactures high technology equipment for various sectors like Defence, Nuclear, Aerospace and Missile. The manufacturing of such hi-tech components or assemblies involves complex processes of fabrication, Heat treatment, machining, testing, inspection for a wide range of exotic materials and that too, adhering to stringent quality requirements. There are unique challenges associated in manufacturing of hi-tech products;

Complexity
The parts, sub-assemblies of various projects/equipment/systems are too complex in geometry, construction, assembly and working as well. These complexities needs to be met by detailed engineering and manufacturing.

Rapidly evolving technology
The rate of change of technology in hi-tech industry is more than in any other industry sector.One has to constantly be up to date with the latest technological changes in the market and absorb them in the system

Large facing lathe & double column plano miller

Working with exotic materials
Manufacturing in Hi tech industry involves working with a wide range of metals and its alloys including those from exotic categories. The process parameters, behaviour of materials in different manufacturing operations vary distinctly with the change in material grade. For example, parameters for welding/machining of Aluminium alloys vis-à-vis Titaniumalloys areat two extremes. Therefore, thorough knowledge of these materials is essential.

Maintaining precision
For maintaining the precision or accuracy, one need to have the required resources like high precision CNC machines, good quality welding facilities, specially developed tooling, clean room facilities with controlled environment conditions, latest inspection techniques/instruments, established processes etc. Above all, all these machines are to be calibrated at pre-decided frequency.

Testing &Inspection
In the past, inspection of large sized components was always a challenge. Inspection for geometrical features such as flatness, concentricity of bores which are apart by a large distance etc. are really laborious and dependent on personal skill when done with conventional instruments. With the introduction of inspection machines like portable Co-ordinate Measuring Machines (CMM), the process has become simpler. Facilities such as laser probes on CNC machines, help the user to inspect the component and print the report on the machine itself.

Softwares
CAD/CAM/CAE softwares assist to make 3D models, analyse the design for various parameters, virtual simulation, generating programs for CNC machines etc. With these softwares, we can test and simulate the product even before manufacturing it. These facilities are also useful during the reverse engineering.

Dedicated Aerospace Manufacturing in Walchandnagar

Skilled manpower
For all the above areas, skilled manpower is the most essential. Through exhaustive training/trials, guidance, the skills are developed. However, retention of skilled manpower is one of the greatest challenges in high tech manufacturing. With proper knowledge of management systems, skill losses due to manpower attrition, can be compensated to some extent.

Strengths of Walchandnagar Industries
Walchandnagar Industries Limited is well equipped with state of the art manufacturing facilities to meet diverse product requirements.

Some of the strengths are as listed below:

Sophisticated welding systems & other fabricationfacilities to undertake fabrication of various ferrous & non-ferrous metals.
Large Sized Heat Treatment Furnaces with data acquisition systems.
Robust Quality Systems to meet National & International Standards.
Highly skilled manpower
Knowledge of working on exotic materials like Stainless Steel, Maraging Steel, Super Duplex Steel, AB2 Steels, 15-5PH, Inconel, Monel, Titanium and so on.

Pressure parts manufacturing

Significant Achievements of WIL in Hi-tech manufacturing:

Zeroth Stage strap on boosters and First stage Main boosters for Launch Vehicle for India’s first Moon mission “CHANDRAYAAN-I” and Mars Mission “MANGALYAAN”
Solid propellant Rocket Motorcasings for India’s first ICBM “Agni-V”
Design / Engineering, manufacturing, supply and installation of transmission gear box, weapon systems, critical plant equipment and aggregation & integration of plant for Nation’s Strategic Program of Submarine building.
Core Equipment like Calandrias, End Shields, Heat Exchangers for 235 MWe, 500 MWe and 700 MWe Nuclear Reactors & Nuclear Power plants.
Combustion Chambers for “Akash” Surface to Air Missiles in batch production mode.
Main propulsion Gear boxes for Indian built Navy frigates, Corvettes, Survey Vessels, ASW Corvettes, Fleet Tankers and Submarines.
Exported Complete Cement Plant with the largest Kiln ever manufactured by any Indian Company.
First Indian Company export Sugar Machinery and built a complete turnkey project.
First Indian Company to develop Independent Power project on Municipal Solid waste.
Dia 2.3 Mtr Optical Telescope (then Asia’s Largest Telescope)

Awards

DRDO Technology Absorption Award 1998
Indian Nuclear Society’s “Industrial Excellence Award” in 2006

Web: www.walchand.com

Walchandnagar Industries Ltd.