A Stroke of Shear Genius: The Development of the Blade Bandit - SMBHC Thesis Repository

This thesis describes iterations of the Blade Bandit, the business model used and the changes made along the way. The panel then provided their feedback on the design, function and manufacturing of the product.

TPS and Lean Manufacturing

The open end of the U is generally designed for loading raw materials and removing finished products for shipment. Other principles used include simplifying the assembly processes (sometimes at the expense of complicated manufacturing processes), standardizing operations and minimizing the number of parts.

Ideation

It is especially difficult to achieve a consistent and sharp edge on a blade at the optimal cutting angle. It will create a sharp cutting edge on any type of blade at the optimum angle, and it will do so safely and quickly.

Figure 1: Original Concept of the Blade Bandit

Business Plan

Executive Summary

This means that companies that have never purchased a knife sharpener will be inclined to give the Blade Bandit a try. The remaining $7,839 will be used to purchase the raw materials needed to manufacture the first products and to cover other unexpected expenses.

Operational Plan Description of Business

For the base plate process, the belt sander will need to be placed to the left of the panel saw. This same drill press will be used to drill the two holes in the bottom of the side brackets.

Figure 2: Sharpening a Lawn Mower Blade with a Bench Grinder. [2]

Marketing Plan Target Market

When your lawn needs to look its best, trust the Blade Bandit for the cutting edge.” [1]. Shear Genius also realized that potential customers may not be immediately interested in the Blade Bandit. A team member brought the Blade Bandit to the customer's business or store and offered to sharpen a dull blade.

When lawnmower dealers or repair shops buy a Blade Bandit, they would be offered. Blade Bandit's competitors in the market are products such as Work Sharp, Magna Matic and Yellow Hornet. The Blade Bandit provides a combination of safety, consistency, quality, customization and affordability unmatched by any of its competitors.

Financial Plan

Since demand for the Blade Bandit is expected to be 500 units in the first year, Shear Genius employees are only part-time. Direct labor for Blade Bandit is determined by first estimating the total cycle time of each product to be 1.2 hours, multiplying by 500 units, and multiplying by the Shear Genius labor rate of $10/hour. During the first year of business, Shear Genius is projected to have a profit of $8,801.

For the next five years, Shear Genius will grow by expanding its market into new geographies. At the end of the first five years of business, Shear Genius expects to have enough sales to support four full-time employees working on the assembly line. At the time, it seemed appropriate because of the potential growth suggested by the CME panel and the Shear Genius team.

Prototyping

This material was cut to the same size of the wooden board using hand shears. Once the team was satisfied with the size of the sheet metal and base plate, the two pieces were clamped together with EZ-Grip clamps. The parts were then disassembled and the team moved on to machining the slide bar assembly.

The two pieces were then bolted together and placed in the drill press to allow a ½" hole to be drilled in the center of the sub-assembly. At this point, it was found that one of the holes in the bottom of the side bracket it wasn't. The team felt it offered the best overall use of space and the most flexibility of the proposed layouts.

Figure 17: First Prototype of the Blade Bandit

Optimization

Introduction

Description

A lot of research was done and several changes were made regarding the sale of the Blade Bandit since the original plan was submitted in October. This calculation assumes that landscape services are equally distributed among all US citizens, but they will be more concentrated in suburban areas, with some also in rural areas and few in urban areas. The decision to only sell the Blade Bandit with the angle grinder included was made with more than just revenue in mind.

Not only does it increase the profitability of each unit, it also ensures the quality of the customer experience. The placement of the grinder on the mounting plate is crucial for the correct grinding angle and must be set during the production process. In addition, the on/off switch must be located on the top of the grinder and the perimeter of the grinder must fit within the hose clamps.

Table 7: Equipment List Factory Floor Equipment Qty Rate Per

Product Description and Process Layout

Design Changes

In the earlier design, the ends of the spindle were tapped so that it could be bolted to the side brackets. After reducing the length of the spindle, the length of the bottom plate was reduced from 24" to 18". To solve this problem, the height of the spindle was raised from 7" to 9-⅝" to provide the necessary clearance.

With this spindle location adjustment, the base plate had to increase in width from 12" to 13". With the new design, the grinder is positioned in front of the spindle, pushing it closer to the blade. The tool was needed to adjust the position of the grinding wheel in the pipe clamps and to adjust the vise.

Process Changes

The templates for all band saw operations are strictly for line tracing; they should not be placed on the part during the process, as with a drilling machine. The same template is used to trace the length of the nylon support and its through hole. The through holes in the side brackets and the nylon bracket are drilled on the same drill press.

The holder is first drilled so that it can move on the semi-automatic CNC milling machine, while the operator continues with the side brackets and mounting plate. The first worker cut the base plate on the two saws, placed it on a cart and passed it to the next worker at the foot shears. The equipment is arranged so that the work interfaces are in the same plane, eliminating zigzags when the operator moves between machines.

Figure 24: Manufacturing Process Layout after Optimization

Gantt Chart

He or she would place the base plate on a cart after it is cut and place it in a holding area and retrieve it before it reaches the shears. The U-shape allows all workers to easily communicate with each other visually and audibly, so that defects can be detected and corrected immediately, or the line can be stopped if a safety problem occurs. The values in the "Total Qty" column are based on the amount of raw material required, and the price/unit is based on the cost of the raw material required to produce a Blade Bandit.

The material production sheet is divided into side beam assembly, base plate assembly and ceiling stock. Raw material costs for Blade Bandit have been reduced by 10% since the original business plan.

Figure 28: Gantt Chart 6.7 Manufacturing Bill of Materials

Cost Analysis

Nylon rod is the raw material used in the current prototype and design for the slider. The steel bar, item #7, was purchased as raw material for the prototype on the current model that functioned as the side bracket and mounting plate. The 17/32” drill was purchased to drill the shaft attachment for the metal slide on the first prototype.

The 33/64” drill bit was ordered to drill the holes in the side brackets to ensure a tighter fit for the spindle. The mill tip was ordered to provide the necessary length to drill through the nylon rod for the slot during production. The overhead for the equipment is determined by the hourly shop rates for the equipment used in production.

Safety, Instructions, and Assembly Notes

Shear Genius has greatly simplified the design of the Blade Bandit in terms of its manufacturability and assembly time. The required value-added time was reduced from 54 minutes at the December presentation to 19 minutes, a 65%. Shear Genius is confident in its ability to produce quality parts efficiently in its production.” [6].

Production

Week 1: Final Preparations and Trial Run

Plywood is used at the panel saw, which is the first station on the process. A shelf was also placed on the final assembly table to keep the screws and grinders within easy reach of the worker. Lastly, the logo and grade scale decals did not adhere well to the base plate casing due to oil and dirt on the casing.

McClurg pointed out that the tolerances on the side brackets may be too tight to match the holes on the "L" brackets. This requires the cover to be centered perfectly on the base plate for both aesthetic and safety reasons. The worker aligns the cover on the base plate by hand and clamps the two together with an EZ Grip clamp.

Week 2: Improvements and Final Production

The first two carts remained in front of the panel saw and band saw with no change in loading. The third carriage was moved so that it sat in front of the CNC and the nylon block that rested on it still had to be ground. Another change was the labeling of the L brackets in the handover from the first operator to the third; to ensure that the brackets used to mark the holes in the base plate are located in the same.

It was deemed necessary to use the waiting time created by the speed of the third operator, so a detailed quality control was added to the process. The last, more significant change was the removal of the center punch in the marks for drilling at the base plate. He then took one of the parts from the safety stock into the cart for.

Figure 32: Cart Used in Manufacturing Process.

Conclusion

On several occasions, the team had great confidence in the product or process, but it did not work properly or produced a poor quality part. These examples provided a reality check for the team and introduced the types of issues that will arise in real production applications. However, the Shear Genius team always worked together and formulated solutions until a satisfactory product and process was achieved.

These types of issues happen daily in startups and in manufacturing plants around the world. The members know how to address the fundamental issues encountered with Shear Genius before they happen in the real world, and they know how to solve new problems as they arise.