Other Projects

Here is a list of past projects with brief descriptions.  The projects include product development, cost reduction, process development, competitive analysis, and failure analysis projects.  They are grouped according to the project focus.

Product development

Select material for bracket used in an appliance (070118-1)
An appliance had a bracket that needed to have high hardness and strength.  Also, the bracket had a 90 degree bend, requiring a relatively soft material that enabled formation of the bend.  A steel alloy was selected that was soft enough to enable the bend to be formed.  Also, a heat treating process was selected that enabled the alloy to be through hardened to the desired hardness, without causing the part to distort.

Metal plating for an electrical contact (020719-1)
An electrical contact device failed during product verification testing, putting the project 3 months behind schedule.  The root cause of the problem was determined to be an improper electroplating selection for the contacts.  We recommended that the parts be electroplated after forming the contact pins instead of electroplating the metal prior to pin formation (pre-plated).  The new plating passed the product validation testing.

Wire insulation degradation (021120-1)
A medical device consisted of an electrical wire with plastic insulation.  The application involved exposure to strong acid.  A test was developed and performed to expose ten devices to the acid, while measuring any degradation that took place.  Manufacturing defects were discovered in the samples, but no insulation degradation occurred.  The manufacturing defects were addressed by the client and the device passed approval for use.

Identify material for encapsulating electronics (050719-1)
An electronic device was being developed for an automotive application.  The application involved exposure to high temperatures and automotive fluids.  This required the use of a material to coat and encapsulate the electronics for protection from the hot fluids.  All of the design requirements (e.g. performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturing) were gathered for the encapsulating material.  Based on these requirements a few candidate materials were identified that had the greatest likelihood of meeting the design requirements and passing the product verification tests.

Ferromagnetic material selection, evaluation, and process development (051017-1)
A manufacturer of consumer electronics was investigating the use of an iron based ferromagnetic alloy to use in a product.  We identified the important metallurgical characteristics of the alloy which had a significant impact on the alloy’s magnetic properties.   We also provided recommendations regarding the steel processing, metallurgical evaluation, magnetic properties evaluation, and mechanical properties evaluation.  A test was also developed to evaluate that deflection force of the component being made.

Cost reduction

Update steel specifications for hand tools (060623-1)
A manufacturer of hand tools had specifications for a family of components.  The material requirements within the specifications were inconsistent, irrelevant, and overly restrictive.  After obtaining all of the application and manufacturing requirements the material requirements were rewritten.  During the process it was discovered that a range of steel alloys could be used, instead of just one alloy.  Specifying the range of alloys made it easier to obtain material and minimize the cost of the component.  Also, removing the inconsistent and irrelevant requirements enabled faster qualification of low-cost suppliers.

Identify metal alloys to replace US alloys (071001-1)
Using an overseas supplier often requires selection of a material made to overseas specifications to replace a material made to US specifications.  We have helped various clients, with a variety of products, identify Japanese and Chinese metal alloys to replace US alloys.

Determine feasibility of using stainless steel as an electrical contact (040927-1)
We worked with an electronics manufacturer to determine the reliability of an electrical contact to bare stainless steel.  This was part of a cost reduction effort involving the elimination of the use of a tin plating over stainless steel.  A test method was developed to measure the contact resistance to the stainless steel.  The electrical data was correlated with surface analysis of the steel.  It was determined that electrical contact to stainless steel was reliable as long as the applied voltage exceeded 4 volts.

Select, evaluate, and implement new solder paste
We worked with an electronics company to select, evaluate, and implement a new solder paste for four factories, resulting in annual materials savings of $500,000.  Other benefits included improved manufacturing yields, reduced testing costs, and commonality between 4 factories.

Competitive analysis

Competitive analyses were performed to evaluate the composition, microstructure, and material properties of the following:

• Components used in heavy vehicles (031008)
• Electrical contact components for electronics
• Components used in automobiles (040607)
  

Process development

Identify braze filler materials and brazing process (071018-1)
A titanium alloy component was to be brazed to a steel alloy component.  Potential braze filler alloys were identified and brazing temperature and time requirements were identified. 

Quality improvement

Determine sheet steel grain size requirements for deep drawn component (041004-1)
A deep drawn steel component for an appliance occasionally exhibited orange peel, a cosmetic defect that, when present, required the component to be scrapped.  A grid analysis was performed on samples in order to identify the regions of highest strain.  With this information grain size analyses were performed on samples of unformed sheet steel from known bad and known good coils of steel.  The analyses revealed that steel with grains above a certain size could not be used.  The specification for the material was updated to include this information.

Eliminate steel component cracking (041029-1)
A precipitation hardened steel component for a medical device was cracking during fabrication.  It was determined that the heat treatment selected resulted in the hardest and most brittle condition possible for the steel alloy.  The material had little toughness.  The heat treatment process was modified so that the steel had greater toughness, with a slight reduction in hardness and strength.

Specifications

The following specifications were written for various products:

• Materials requirements for a Pb-free solder paste material used for electronics manufacturing.
• Materials requirements for hot rolled steel tubing used for hand tool manufacturing.
• Mechanical and cosmetic requirements of the paint on a plastic electronics housing.
• Design and testing requirements for ultrasonic welded plastic components.
• Design and testing requirements for adhesive joints.
• Design guidelines for the selection of metal platings used for electrical contacts.
  

Environmental Compliance

Replacement of hexavalent chromium on fasteners
As part of an effort to comply with European environmental legislation we developed a strategy to eliminate hexavalent chromium from fasteners used in automotive applications.  The effects of the replacement coatings on corrosion protection and on the ability to assemble the product were evaluated.  The findings were used to support the transition to non-hexavalent chromium coatings across several different product lines, eliminating the need for individual tests.

Failure analysis

Identify particles clogging pumps (020913-1)
Pumps were being clogged by metal particles.  The particles were analyzed to determine their composition.  The composition of possible sources of the particles was also evaluated.  The information was used to correlate the particles with their sources.

Identify cause of metal softening (040716-1)
A steel component was supposed to have a hardness of Rockwell C 43-47.  It was found to be much softer.  A metallurgical analysis revealed that the component was exposed to excessive heating after the initial heat treatment.

Identify cause of intermittent electrical contact
A potentiometer in an electronic control unit was found to have intermittent electrical contact, resulting in unstable behavior of the product.  Analysis revealed that the carbon ink on the potentiometer circuit board wearing away during the motion of the metal wiper contact.  The ink wore away until the contact was in direct contact with the circuit board material, which was not conductive.