Mr. Karsten Fischer, Fischer Consulting, GERMANY

Andreas Meyer, AUT-FIT Automatisierungstechnik GmbH, GERMANY

To fulfill the customer requirements concerning pad delivery within six sigma quality range, it is mandatory to control the process parameter and check product properties according to a control plan.

The purpose is to launch an integrated quality control process;

`integrated quality process´ indicates a process, where quality checks are taken in earlier state of manufacturing linen, not only after the final completion;

Manufacturing lines in single piece flow need to use handling- or robot systems to manage the hand over operation from process step to process step; in this configuration it is possible to use hand over- and/or Robot systems to feed additional measurement stations as well.

Dimensional checks of backing Plates or Friction blocks could be done integrated in the material flow direction and within the cycle time/piece to piece time; other checks with a longer measurement cycle time can be realized by doing integrated sampling operation with the assistance of Robot System (for example: Compressibility Ex Post Curing);

In case we detect variances or trends on the product characteristic during process line operation, it would be possible to improve the quality for following semi finishing goods by fine tun the process parameter;

The introduction of an integrated quality system would generate a great benefit under economical aspect!

In the following you will see an overview concerning possible Quality Controls for a process line from molding to assembling;

Grinding:

Press Curing Post Curing thickness scorching powder paint assembling

oven slotting paint curing

chamfering

Below the process flow diagrams is a list with parameters which could be measured (list is not complete, because every producer has his specialties) and how it would be possible to arrange that kind of measurements between named manufacturing steps;

Definition:

Manual sampling: manual sampling, manual measurement beside the Line or in Laboratories

Integrated sampling: sampling with robot, automatic measurement

Integrated 100%: 100% integrated Quality control

(Flow diagrams are not shown with this report)

As mentioned before: the challenge is to do quality controls in early state of manufacturing!

I´m looking forward receiving new information and concepts on EuroBrake 2020 concerning:

New measuring methods (optical dimension measurement system)

New measurement positions inside manufacturing flow

Possibilities to keep process date stable for each process step (process capability)

Overall Process Data management system for complete process line

Overall Quality data report for all measurements

Mr. Karsten Fischer, Fischer Consulting, GERMANY

The objective for the brake pad industry in near future is to be CO2 neutral by producing brake pads, which are made of thermoset compounds. Reduction of carbon dioxide pollution requires a reduction in energy demand; especially the usage of fossil fuels needs to minimize; the generation and usage of renewable electrical energy is mandatory and without any alternatives;

On the other hand, it is necessary to consider that Friction Material Production is a chemical process with temperature; a defined energy amount is requested to enables the cross-linked reaction of phenolic resin matrix;

Whatever we like to do to improve the energy efficiency, the product properties need to meet the customer requirements!

That may seem to be a contradiction, but we must find some realistic ways to slow down energy demand to produce brake pads;

In this paper, I report on possible fields of improvements concerning energy demand reduction. Manufacturing Lines for production of friction pads made of thermoset compounds are equipped with 4 process steps with temperature. Based on this fact, I suggest combining processes with temperature and in doing so to reduce numbers of process steps and consequently to achieve a reduction in energy demand.

A crucial factor concerning CO2 pollution is the usage of thermic afterburner keeping the emissions of reaction gas within the legal limits. Thermic afterburner is using natural gas which is a fossil fuel. The combustion of fossil fuels creates an additional CO2 pollution which is counterproductive in terms of CO2 footprint improvement. Therefore, a new treatment technology is strongly requested.