CHANNEL ISLANDS SECTION

OCTOBER 1998 NEWSLETTER

Inside this issue:  From the Chaiman,    Ventara County Start Tour,    Lean Mean Manufacturing Machine Program,    Teradyne Tour Review,    Channel Islands at the Regional Leadership Conference,    IMECE for Free!,    Young Engineers Forum,    Member-Get-A-SOG Paratool,    October Contest: Pumpkin Math,    Channel Islands Section Home

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

With the onset of autumn, your ASME section is moving into full swing. Just a few weeks ago we enjoyed an excellent beginning to the year with a tour of Teradyne. I especially thank those who attended this year’s opening event.

In November the 1998 IMECE, ASME’s premier annual meeting, will be held in Anaheim. Rarely is this event so nearby. As you may have noticed, registration is rather expensive. I encourage you to consider the opportunity you have to attend for free. You will greatly help the host section, while saving a bundle of cash.

Consider that nothing adds value to the passage of time quite like vivid memories – and that’s exactly what your ASME activities offer. I hope to see you at the next one.

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TOUR: VENTURA COUNTY STAR

PROGRAM:

Tour of local newspaper printing press.
DATE: Thursday, October 29, 1998
TIME: Assemble starting at 4:45 P.M.  Tour begins at 5:00 P.M. and lasts approximately 45-60 minutes.
WHERE: Ventura County Star, 151 Factory Stores Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010
COST: FREE

The Ventura County Star is the only daily paper written, published, and produced in Ventura County. The paper began in 1925 with a daily circulation of about 1,000. Today it boasts six editions with a daily circulation of over 100,000. The Star has kindly offered to host a tour for the Channel Islands Section of its latest production facility in Camarillo.

The tour will begin with a brief introduction to the newspaper. It will then proceed to the imaging room, the control room, and finally to the press. There the tour group will see the conveyor system, stackers, inserters, and all the equipment necessary to produce a newspaper in such high volume.

Reservations are not necessary for this event. Just assemble at the front patio between 4:45 and 5:00. Note that this tour is only about 1 week away. We hope to see you there!

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DIRECTIONS: VENTURA COUNTY STAR PRESS

SOUTHBOUND 101 (FROM SANTA BARBARA)

Exit Las Posas, straight through light onto Ventura Blvd

Right on Factory Stores Dr (just past Edwards Cinemas)

Drive to end of Factory Stores Dr., look for site on left

NORTHBOUND 101 (FROM THOUSAND OAKS)

Exit Carmen, turn left to cross over US 101

Turn right onto Ventura Blvd

Left on Factory Stores Dr (just past Camarillo Outlets)

Drive to end of Factory Stores Dr., look for site on left

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PROGRAM: LEAN, MEAN, MFG MACHINE

PROGRAM: Lean Manufacturing at B&B Mfg.
SPEAKERS: Fred Duncan, Vice Pres./General Mgr

Anna F. Sibilio, Business Systems Mgr

DATE: Thursday, November 19, 1998
TIME: 6:30 social, 7:00 dinner, 8:00 program.
LOCATION: Pierpont Inn, 550 Sanjon Road, Ventura
COST: $25.00, Chicken Channel Islands or Salmon Calabrasi. Vegetarian meal available on request. Student members half price. Pay at the event.
RESERVATIONS: Contact Kevin Manning by 11/12 with number attending and meal selection(s).

PHONE: 818.874.7119 or 310.457.3881

EMAIL: 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.

For our November event, two of B&B’s top managers will describe their operation and their proven approach to improving manufacturing efficiency. 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 present the strategies for overcoming obstacles and achieving success with Lean Manufacturing.

This special presentation is a joint event with the Channel Cities Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). In addition to providing insight on the synergy of mechanical engineering and quality improvement efforts, this event will be an excellent opportunity to meet people from another group of technical professionals in our area. Make your reservations today, and we’ll see you there!

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MAP: LEAN MANUFACTURING

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

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MEMBERS TOUR TERADYNE

On the evening of Wednesday, September 30, twelve ASME members and guests toured Teradyne’s printed circuit board foundry in Agoura Hills. Teradyne employees Thomas Dam, Todd Einess, Mike Lechman, Jay Russell, and Cheryl Stinson guided small groups through the production line.

The tour began at the first step in the process – solder pasting. Teradyne starts with a bare board (manufactured elsewhere) and applies solder paste to the areas on which components will be later attached. After pasting, the board is automatically conveyed through component placement machines. These high-speed robots quickly place the various electronic components at the appropriate positions on the surface of the board. Conveyors then move the board into an oven that cures the solder paste, securely connecting all the components to the board. Cleaning in a special washing machines follows.

For certain boards, additional processes are required to attach all the necessary components. To solder components with leads that pass through the full board thickness, a wave-solder machine applies molten solder to the underside of the board. The solder adheres to the protruding component pins.

Finally, each board undergoes a series of tests to verify quality and function. The tour concluded in this test area.

The Teradyne guides were very accommodating in answering the many questions posed by the ASME group. The Channel Islands Section sincerely thanks Teradyne for generously hosting this interesting introduction to the production techniques used in today’s high-tech electronics industry.

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CHANNEL ISLANDS AT THE RLC

On September 18 and 19, the annual Regional Leadership Conference (RLC) was held on the campus of Cal State, Fresno. Section Chair Kevin Manning, Vice Chair Alex Flores, and Program Chair Dale Lemon participated in this opportunity to develop leadership skills and to network with fellow ASME leaders from student and senior sections around Region IX.

Activities began Friday afternoon with demonstrations by several CAD vendors, including SolidWorks, Catia, IDEAS, Mechanical Desktop, and CoCreate. An exercise that emphasized the challenge of achieving effective communication followed. Friday’s activities ended with a barbecue.

After breakfast on Saturday, senior section leaders discussed strategies and techniques for effective section operation. Several speakers reiterated the resources available to sections. In the afternoon, the group participated in an exercise that taught skills for effective meeting management. The conference adjourned late Saturday afternoon.

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HOW TO SEE IMECE FOR FREE

The 1998 International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, November 15-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center, offers a wide variety of activities:

For FREE ADMISSION to the exposition, serve as a session aid for any of 457 technical sessions held throughout the week. Each session lasts 2-4 hours. Volunteers are paid $10 per session and are given free admission to the exposition for the day of the volunteer work.

NOTE: This amounts to an approximately $300 value!

Additional fees for tours and special events still apply. For more information or to volunteer as a session aid, contact Long Pham at 949.723.5349 or Leon Rafner at 949.358.2102.

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YOUNG ENGINEERS FORUM

Included among the activities at this year’s IMECE in Anaheim is the 15th Young Engineers Forum (YEF). This program is specifically aimed at engineers with 10 years or less of experience, but is open to everyone. Presentations will include:

This one-day event will be held on Sunday, November 15 at Exhibit Hall A/Room A-1 of the Anaheim Convention Center at 800 West Katella, Anaheim. Registration begins at 9:00am with opening remarks at 9:45. Activities conclude at 5:30pm with an informal reception.

To register, call 1-800-843-2763. The advance registration fee is $15. On-site registration is $20, and spaces will be limited. Don’t miss this chance to point your career in the right direction!

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MEMBER-GET-A-SOGÒ PARATOOLÒ

ASME’s "Member-Get-A-Member" (MGAM) program offers several different rewards for sponsors of new members. These include eligibility for prize drawings, special MGAM dollars that can be applied to ASME fees, and cash rewards for top recruiters. But perhaps the most tangible reward is the SOG Paratool pictured below:

Awarded to anyone who sponsors just 2 new members, the Paratool is also relatively easy to obtain. This American-made multi-tool includes over a dozen functions and retails for around $60. Find a couple new members, include your name and membership number on their application in the space provided, and take advantage of this great deal!

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OCTOBER CONTEST: PUMPKIN MATH

With Halloween approaching, young Keith decides that the time is right to buy a pumpkin. Now, anybody who knows anything about pumpkins knows that the best pumpkins grow in the famous triangular pumpkin patch of Farmer John.

So early on Saturday morning, Keith drives out to see Farmer John. The drive is long and arduous, and only Keith’s intense focus on the perfect pumpkin prevents him from turning back. However, after finally arriving at the patch, his eyes fall upon Farmer John’s fetching young daughter, and Keith immediately forgets about pumpkins.

"Please tell me, Farmer John, how old is your lovely daughter?" asks smitten Keith.

But Farmer John, wary of interest in his daughter, isn’t about to assist a suitor without first testing his mettle. So cagey Farmer John squints hard at Keith and replies, "My typical pumpkin has a diameter equal to one-tenth my son’s age. The side of my pumpkin patch that runs along the road is equal in length to twice the age of my nephew. In eleven years, I will be half the age of the sum of the ages of my son, my nephew and myself. Last year, my son was two-thirds the age of my nephew now. In another two years, the sum of the ages of my nephew and myself will be twice the sum of the ages of my nephew and my son now. The area of my pumpkin patch is equal to my nephew’s age plus my son’s age multiplied by my age in two years. The angle opposite the rock-walled side of my pumpkin patch is equal to my age two years ago. Now, if you were to lay pumpkins end to end along that rock-walled side, the number of pumpkins would equal my daughter’s age. So you tell me, how old is my daughter?"

Help young Keith and you could win 4 free movie passes. Mail the age of Farmer John’s daughter (showing your work) to ASME Channel Islands Section, c/o R.P. Morris, PO Box 73, Fillmore, CA 93016-0073 by November 30. One winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries. Good luck – and Happy Halloween!

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Last updated: 10-18-98

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