CHANNEL ISLANDS SECTION
NOVEMBER 1998 NEWSLETTER
Inside this issue: From the Chairman, PROGRAM: Lean, Mean, Mfg Machine, Ventura Star Report, ASME Web Resources, Congratulations Dr. McMeeking, October Contest Reminder, Welcome Newcommers, Septermber Contest Winners, History & Heritage Tours, 1998 IMECE Reminders, Channel Island Section Home
Think back to your high school days. If you were like me, you spent a fair amount of time learning some downright obscure mathematical techniques. Now, even as an engineer, you probably directly apply just a fraction of those techniques on a regular basis. Nevertheless, I am sure you recognize that those mathematical exercises established a solid foundation for future engineering education and practice.
But back in high school you probably had your doubts. I distinctly remember asking myself multiple times, "Why am I studying this?" It was a common question among my peers, and we tended to be skeptical of our teachers’ replies.
Then one day my trigonometry teacher interrupted his lesson plan to allow his brother to deliver a guest lecture. His brother was a practicing engineer, and he described for us some basic applications of trigonometry to actual engineering problems. He also described some memorable mistakes: the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and the catastrophic failure of the hotel walkway in Kansas City. That brief presentation was an interesting glimpse into the real world of applied math, and it intensified my focus on trigonometry.
Some things have changed since then – now I am the practicing engineer. But high school students are still studying trigonometry, and they are still asking themselves, "Why?"
About a week ago I had the privilege of attending the Oxnard Union High School District’s Pre-Engineering Program Luncheon. At this event a panel of speakers described a program sponsored by the Point Hueneme Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (PFD NSWC). Every Monday for 12 weeks, that program brought high school students together with NSWC engineers. With the engineers’ guidance, the students participated in a variety of exercises designed both to increase the students’ appreciation of math and science, and to foster an interest in engineering.
In the spirit of the NSWC program, I believe our section should participate in activities that will increase high school students’ interest in math and science. I invite all of you to consider contributing to this effort. In the coming months I hope to offer you specific opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of local youth.
As an engineer, you have enjoyed the benefits of recognizing the value of math and science. Many young people do not understand that value. I hope you will offer your time to enlighten a young person, and perhaps inspire a student to pursue the challenges and rewards of a career in engineering.
PROGRAM: LEAN, MEAN, MFG MACHINE
| PROGRAM: | Lean Manufacturing at B & B Mfg. |
| SPEAKERS: | Fred Duncan, Vice President / General Manager
Anna F. Sibilio, Business Systems Manager |
| DATE: | Thursday, 19 November 1998 |
| TIME: | 6:30 Social, 7:00 Diner, 8:00 Program |
| LOCATION: | Pierpoint Inn, 550 Sanjon Road, Ventura (Click here for map) |
| COST: | $25.00, Student Members Half Price.
Pay at the event |
| MENU:
|
Chicken Channel Islands,
Salmon Calabrasi, Vegitarian Meal available on request |
| RESERVATIONS:
|
Contact Kevin Manning ASAP with number attending and meal
selection(s).
818.874.7119 or 310.457.3881 or kevinmanning@asme.org |
Forty years ago, B&B Manufacturing began in a small garage.
Today, B&B’s world-class facility in Valencia employs over 200 people and
contains over 100 NC milling machines. Among the latest additions to the
production floor is a revolutionary Toyota machining cell. The cell contains 4
horizontal mills, 1 5-axis machine, a cleaning station, and an inspection
station – all connected by a high-speed pallet changing system. To minimize
setup time, each machine stores over 100 tools.
As their list of capital equipment has grown in sophistication and capability, B&B has focused attention on improving their production philosophy. By practicing Lean Manufacturing techniques, B&B has significantly increased process efficiency. Kaizen events, in which concerned parties participate in intense sessions of brainstorming and problem solving, have yielded radical improvements in processes ranging from the receipt of raw material to the shipment of finished goods.
Fred Duncan, Vice President and General Manager, has over 20 years of experience at B&B. Anna Sibilio, Business Systems Manager, has been leading continuous improvement efforts in the industry for over 10 years. Together they will describe B&B’s operation and proven approach to improving manufacturing efficiency.
As a joint event with the Channel Cities Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), this event will also be an excellent opportunity to meet people from another group of technical professionals in our area.
If possible, please call to make your reservations before November 12 so we can make appropriate arrangements with the site. Do not hesitate to call after that date, as a limited number of late reservations will be accepted. We’ll see you there!
SOUTHBOUND 101 (FROM SANTA BARBARA)
Exit Seaward/Harbor
Right on Harbor
Right on Sanjon to Pierpont
NORTHBOUND 101 (FROM THOUSAND OAKS)
Exit Sanjon
Left under freeway
Right on Harbor
Right on Sanjon to Pierpont
On the evening of October 29 nine members and guests of the Channel Islands section toured the Ventura County Star’s new production facility in Camarillo. Director of Marketing Jack Phillips led the ASME group on the approximately 1 hour tour.
Mr. Phillips began with a brief overview of the company, and then introduced the site. The 80,000 square foot facility, with over $23 million in capital equipment, has been in full production only since last May. From the beginning, the facility was designed with features to ease future expansion.
After the introduction the tour group proceeded to the paper storage room. Replenished daily, this room contains stacks of paper rolls in excess of 20 feet tall. Each roll weighs 2200 lbs, and the newspaper consumes about 37 every day.
The group then viewed the film room. Here the newspaper begins as black and white negatives. The negatives, one per newspaper page, are used to mask metal plates treated with a photochemical coating. After exposure, ink adheres to the plates only in the areas appropriate for the desired page layout.
Following the process flow, the tour then proceeded to the printing press. This large contraption, several stories tall, consists of printing drums and an array of paper handling machinery. The exposed plates from the film room attach to the printing drums, which roll through ink and across blank paper to create the printed page. This particular press consumes about 10,000 gallons of black ink per month and is capable of producing 60,000 copies per hour.
As the tour was ending, the evening’s printing began. The tour group watched as the press slowly came up to speed, delayed just long enough for technicians to check and adjust the print quality.
The Channel Islands section sincerely thanks the Ventura County Star and Mr. Jack Phillips for generously hosting this interesting tour.
Have you checked out ASME’s comprehensive web site lately? There you can access a wide variety of resources, including:
Take a quick look, and you will find that the above listing just scratches the surface. The site address is: http://www.asme.org/
Each year, ASME elects a group of Fellows from a pool of nominees. The Fellow distinction is ASME’s highest grade of elected membership. To be eligible for nomination, a candidate’s membership must currently be of Member grade, and the candidate must have at least 10 years of active practice and continuous ASME membership. Election recognizes those with significant engineering achievements and contributions to the profession.
This year the Channel Islands section is proud to welcome a new
Fellow from our midst. Dr. Robert M. McMeeking is a professor at the University
of California, Santa Barbara, in the Department of Mechanical and Environmental
Engineering. He specializes in the field of Solid Mechanics, Materials, and
Structures. Here is the description of his accomplishments from ASME:
Robert M. McMeeking earned a B.Sc. (with 1st class Honours) in mechanical engineering at the University of Glasgow, Scotland in 1972 and then completed his Ph.D. in solid mechanics at Brown University in 1976. He was at Stanford University for 2 years. After seven years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he came to UCSB in 1985 as Professor of Materials and of Mechanical Engineering. He was Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering at UCSB in 1992-1995. He has published over 150 scientific papers on such subjects as fracture mechanics, computational methods, glaciology, tough ceramics, composite materials, materials processing, structural evolution, ferroelectrics and nanotribology. In 1983, he was a Science and Engineering Research Council Senior Visiting Fellow and in 1995-1996 a Visiting Professor, both at Cambridge University. He was Plenary Lecturer at the Seventh International Congress on Fracture in 1989 and was honored as a Midwest Mechanics Lecturer in 1992-93. Dr. McMeeking is active in consulting for medical devices manufacturers on topics of mechanical stress, fatigue life and fracture. He was Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics, 1987-93.
Congratulations Dr. McMeeking!
You still have time to take a shot at last month’s newsletter contest. Help young Keith compute the age of Farmer John’s daughter, and you could win 4 free movie passes (one winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries). If you can’t find your October newsletter, look for the online version at our section web site (follow links from www.asme.org). The deadline to enter is November 30.
Upon graduation from college, ASME student members are upgraded automatically to their local professional section. We are excited to welcome the following newcomers to the Channel Islands section:
Jennifer Fowler
Greg Rutland
Dougal Gardyne
Bastian Sarh
Amy Grimshaw
Marin Sigurdson
Rohit Gupta
Matt Sprankle
Steven Lee
Dan Sullivan
Joshua Little
Christopher Taylor
S. Matthew McAfee
Our new members represent the future of our section and of ASME. To all our new members: please accept our sincerest welcome to the Channel Islands section. We hope to see you at our next event, and look forward to meeting you!
We are happy to announce the winner of our September newsletter contest. Our readers were presented with 3 sets of orthographics, and challenged to determine the corresponding part geometry. Only one reader was brave enough to tackle the daunting challenge, and he did so successfully. Congratulations to Derek Castellano for his winning entry, shown below. Have fun at the movies!
Among all the activities at the 1998 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition are two special tours: the History and Heritage Landmark Tours of the Mount Wilson Institute 100-inch telescope and the Disney Monorail System.
The 100-inch telescope on Mt. Wilson near Pasadena enabled groundbreaking advances in cosmology between 1924 and 1930. The tour is scheduled for Sunday, November 15, from 8:30am to 1:00pm. Buses will provide transportation from the IMECE to the observatory.
The 2.5-mile Disney Monorail System opened in 1959 and achieved ASME landmark status in 1986. The tour is scheduled for Thursday, November 19, from 7:00am to 9:00am.
Both tours are free of charge to interested Congress attendees and guests, and include a continental breakfast. Advance registration is required. Register online at http://www.asme.org/sections/channel_is/newsletters/98-11/www.asme.org or call 1-800-THE-ASME. For additional information contact Kimya Morris at 212.591.8301 or morrisk@asme.org.
Already the 1998 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition is just next week. A few critical reminders:
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Last updated: 11-10-98
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