My contract with Sportsman Boat has concluded, and I’d like to summarize the contributions I made:
Testing and Analysis: Conducted comprehensive permeability testing on the fabrics used in infusion and calculated the permeability for all laminates and sandwiches, validating results through sample testing.
Process Optimization: Simulated the infusion process to determine the most effective process for over 20 unique parts. Each optimization was tailored to the specific realities of the production environment, accounting for material layout, feed and vacuum lines, and possible deviations from theoretical models.
Supplier Collaboration: Engaged in negotiations with resin suppliers to recommend adjustments for gel time and viscosity, tailored to seasonal temperature variations (winter-summer) to enhance process performance, repeatably, and simplify.
Cost, Material, and Environmental Efficiency Recommendations: Proposed improvements for parts by altering laminate and sandwich compositions, enabling significant cost savings without compromising structural strength or reliability.
Reduced Hazardous Waste: Through the removal of mesh and optimization of feed lines in most designs, we not only achieved substantial material savings but also reduced hazardous waste associated with composite production. Although the environmental impact isn’t yet quantified, the reduction of auxiliary materials and resin waste contributes to safer waste management and a lower environmental footprint.
These process changes are projected to yield annual savings exceeding $400,000, considering reduced auxiliary material use, minimized resin waste, and labor savings. Of course, this value is specific to high-performance production environments like Sportsman Boat company.