Challenge:

The end customer was carburizing small cylindrical shaft type parts with intricate machined surfaces.  The parts were racked to stand on end to retain a ridged straightness specification and prevent surface damage. The original design had the parts racked into small divider screen fixtures and placed six fixtures per layer in baskets that were stacked four high.  The weight of the parts in the top two baskets would cause the top baskets to sag.  The sagging baskets would contact the parts racked in the lower baskets damaging the machined surfaces and distorting the straightness beyond the specification.  All parts had to be 100 % sorted after processing to prevent non-conforming straightness or damaged surfaces parts from reaching the end customer.

Solution:

Weave Alloy Products Co. straightened and modified the existing design of the racks and baskets by adding supports and reinforcement. This prevented the top layers from sagging and maintained separation of the parts. Weave Alloy worked with the customer to schedule the complete revamping of the racks and baskets around their production schedule to avoid interruption of delivery.

Result:

Damage to parts due to sagging top layer baskets was eliminated.  The customer was not required to purchase new baskets and will get an extended life from racking fixtures and baskets currently in use.   The revised design will be used when current racks and baskets finally do reach the end of life and must be replaced.  100% sorting of parts is no longer necessary and quality issues have been eliminated.

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