matthew_modi

Last Day at Caterpillar

Today was, sadly, the concluding day to my experience at Caterpillar, but was joyous nonetheless. We started by heading to Sanford, where their Skid Steer Loaders are made. This facility, in comparison to the Clayton assembly plant, is a powerhouse. They manufacture and assemble 140 machines every day, though the machines are significantly smaller. Today’s tours were also nearly entirely confidential, so I have instead opted for another Google maps representation.

After a brief presentation about the facility’s purpose, we went on a tour of the plant, beginning with building A. This is where the cab of the loader is made as a “subassembly” of the entire vehicle. It is made separately to keep the primary assembly line moving quickly. After the cab is fully assembled and tested, it is moved over to building B, where the machines are built from start to finish. This begins with a chassis—the large metal frame which holds the wheels on either side and the cab above it—then continues to the addition of the lifting arm, cab subassembly, wheels, engine, etc. Building B is entirely dedicated to constructing the skid steer loaders.

Aside from a few drivetrain components, Caterpillar also fabricates almost all of the machine at their Sanford facility. This includes the chassis, which is built from sheet metal in building A, specifically in the fabrication shop.

As we entered the fabrication “shop,” I was greeted with the caustic sting of smoke and vaporized metal, then a standing haze of grey exhaust. This was nothing short of an industrial welding factory. However, welding these sheet metal plates into chassis was not the duty of individual welders, but instead steel-

Image result for robotic welding reinforced, MIG wielding robotic arms! The self-governing welders were housed in individual black booths, each with its own in-progress chassis. Beyond just the welding robots, there were also forklift robots, which picked up sheet metal, incomplete chassis, or even tools. These hauling robots were akin to self-driving cars, but were instead guided by magnetic tape in the floor or laser guidance systems and retro-reflective targeting cylinders. Sound complicated? That’s what I thought too. Nonetheless, all these robots have improved production speed and accuracy and are therefore the basis of Caterpillar’s production.

After touring the production plant, we went to lunch at Fat Juniors, a great little burger shack right outside the facility.

We then returned to the plant for a presentation on finite element analysis by Ms. Mayuri—it’s like stress testing a component but on a computer. She explained some of the ways parts can break by using paperclips. They can be pulled apart, bent in half, or snapped after repeated bending. It was very informative and gave me a great picture of how math and physics are used in engineering.

Finally, we went to the VR room, which houses an HTC Vive. During this wonderful excursion, we all got to fly around a backhoe loader in VR, and even fly inside the engine! Virtual Reality is a new tool to Caterpillar, but could be very useful for testing and validating designs quickly.

After the VR room, we said our goodbyes and drove home. Thank you to everyone at Caterpillar for teaching me just about everything I’ve ever wanted to know. I had a great time this week!

Day 3 at Caterpillar

Today’s trip to Caterpillar was once again in Clayton and at the CMDC, like yesterday. We began by meeting Jake in the lobby and being signed in, then split up to meet with various engineers for Caterpillar machines.

I worked with one of the engineers who designs engines for the Small Wheel Loaders. As it turns out, he did robotics in high school just like me! He taught me so much about Cat’s CAD software and cooling systems, and stressed the importance of working within tight constraints and with other team members. He also took me out to the testing fields so that we could inspect the components he designed.

After that, we had a meeting to discuss Caterpillar’s automation and remote control initiatives. It turns out that Caterpillar has remote operating stations which allow machines to be controlled from nearly anywhere on earth. (Here’s an interesting article about this) They also have remote controls to be used with line of sight to machines.

After discussing the various technologies Caterpillar offers, we were taken out to the testing fields to try the remote controls! One of the engineers set up two cones and Leonora, Atticus, and I all completed a figure eight around them.

Next came the main attraction “stick time,” the two words from our agenda which resonated with me most deeply these last three days. Jake drove us out to one of the more isolated testing fields, revealing two machines, one of which I’m allowed to show you.

After a brief overview of the controls, it was my turn to try out the 13 ton apparatus. It was so fun! After operating the machines for only around half an hour, I gained enormous respect for the people who use them daily, and the people who design them. The machines were extremely powerful and ripped through any earth in their way.

(Video of me using the backhoe loader.)

After our time with the machines, we ventured back to the offices for an engineering challenge and a tour of the 3d printing space. The engineering challenge was to find a way to fit a toolbox into one of the Small Wheel Loaders. The three of us brainstormed ideas, weighed their pros and cons, then chose the best solution. It was a great activity to understand how the engineering design process works in the real world.

We then looked at Caterpillar’s 3d printer, which extrude plastic out of a fine nozzle to create 3d plastic parts. It is used very often for rapid prototyping and testing within the design departments.

Thank you to everyone today for teaching me so much! I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn about Caterpillar’s engineering work and to try out the machines for myself.

Day 2 at Caterpillar

Today we ventured across the street—that street being NC highway 42 business—to the Caterpillar Clayton Machine Development Center (CMDC). This facility is home to the many engineers who design and test the smaller machinery that Caterpillar offers. Sadly, nearly all of my great picture taking opportunities were staunched by confidentiality. So instead, I have drawn up a satellite photo of the design domicile.

We began our day at location A, the design center. This is where all of the engineers reside to draw specifications and model solutions for Caterpillar’s machinery. The first place we went was a meeting room, for a safety briefing. Though the briefing was lengthy-around 15 slides of a PowerPoint-it was entertainingly detailed and thoughtful.

Soon after our briefing we went out for a tour of area B, the “fields.” These fields are the testing site for nearly all of the small Caterpillar machines. While many tests are brief, such as those measuring engine temperature, load on hydraulics or braking speed (notice the oval, that’s a full speed testing track, though the full speed happens to be 15mph for these 19 ton beasts), there are also endurance tests which take place. The endurance tests are often during daytime and overnight, and simulate normal operating conditions for long periods of time. For example, a small wheel loader moving gravel from one pile to another.

After touring the testing facility, we came back to building A and completed an engineering challenge. The challenge was to build a bridge out of spaghetti which spanned 40cm. Our design ended up quite strong, even though the approach seemed rather simple. It held over 2.5kg, and only fell off the tables after bending too much, rather than breaking (I’m still proud).

We then had lunch in the “Town Hall” room, which tells you quite enough about the significance of Caterpillar.

After lunch, we moved to area B briefly, where we saw some employees manufacturing and assembling prototype machinery. This is also the place where they install the many sensors required to properly perform tests. Though it sounds trivial, the sensors are actually very expensive and complicated. To demonstrate this to us thoroughly, we headed back to building A for a sensor cart instrumentation challenge.

This is the steering cart, with a steering wheel up top, hydraulically connected to the yellow cylinder in the front. The bottom box and nest of wires measures things like pressure, angle, and displacement of the system. To be clear, all of this is to teach and test the equipment. After getting a brief overview of the system, we were tasked with installing one of the sensors and initializing its software interface.

Today was a great day, I learned swaths of information and saw real-world applications of engineering. For this, I can’t thank Collin and Viviane enough.

Hello, Caterpillar!

Though I left Apex Tool Group to move on to bigger and… similarly amazing things, I’ve had a great first day at Caterpillar. This Cat facility in Clayton, NC manufactures and designs some of the “smaller” machines in Caterpillar’s global lineup, most notably: the “SMALL” wheel loader. (I’ve attached a promotional image below to give you some scale. It’s around 12 feet tall and authoritatively robust)

Image result for cat 938m

This morning we began by looking around the Product & Applications Training Center with Jake and Elizabeth, two engineers at Caterpillar. This is where Caterpillar dealers are sold and trained on new machinery in their lineup. Caterpillar works by distributing their products to dealers, who then sell them to individual customers. Therefore, the training center provides helpful information and comparisons between Caterpillar products and competitors, so that the dealers can more compellingly sell the machines.

We even got to sit in the cabs for some of Caterpillar’s popular machines!

After touring the training center, we had a pizza lunch with Jake and Elizabeth!

We followed that up with a tour of the assembly line at the Machine Development Center. While I’m not allowed to show you any pictures or discuss the assembly line, I can use ambiguous, thought provoking adjectives: gargantuan, rapid, loud, professional, sophisticated. The manufacturing was stunning, especially in comparison to the small-scale machining operations I saw last week.

I had a great first day at Caterpillar, I hope that I’ll learn just as much tomorrow!

Day 4 at Apex Tool Group

Day Four. My final day. Although I am thoroughly disheartened that my time at Apex Tool Group has ended, I am ever thankful for what I have learned here. Today I got an even deeper glimpse into the designing and manufacturing of tools.

I began work with Mr. Thompson, a Senior CAD Engineer at ATG. He gave me many insights into the most viable and strategic ways to design products for continuous design and iteration. He also gave me a challenge, to design a seal in CAD based only on a paper engineering drawing. I gave it my best effort, and he offered me tips and suggestions along the way; eventually, we finished.

Mr. Thompson then took me to the machine shop, where that very same model was being 3d printed and machined. The 3d printers used by ATG are not the ones you are familiar with at CA, however. They are polyjet printers-similar to the inkjet printers you could find at home- with more than a thousandth of an inch accuracy.

I then got to see the part get milled on ATG’s CNC milling machines. It only took around ten minutes for the part to transform from a block of aluminum stock into a precision manufactured product.

After the adventures in CAD and machining, we went out for lunch at Mr. Dumpling, where we ordered a heaping family style meal. It was delicious!

Finally, Cecil and I wrapped up our last day with another discussion on research on development. This time, we were doing research on competing products to improve ATG’s versions. It was, once again, fascinating.

I had an amazing time this week at ATG, I met so many new people, saw new machines and workflows, and learned far too much to detail on this blog. Thank you to everyone at Apex Tool Group for making my week phenomenal!

Day 3 at Apex Tool Group

My third morning at Apex Tool Group centered around the other side of their business. Project management (shudders). These are scary words for the engineer in my heart, and rightfully so. Project managers have the delicate challenge of balancing the technical and pecuniary aspects of a tool-making operation.

I worked with Donna today, a project manager for various tool development teams, such as cutting and wrenches. She explained three important factors to balance in a business like ATG’s: Cost, Schedule, and Quality. While it is often easy to accomplish two of these goals, attaining all three is ideal, and she seems to manage it! Donna’s role as a project manager seems very wide reaching because she has to communicate with so many different groups: industrial design, engineering, marketing, the list goes on. She told me how she often communicated with manufacturers to identify defects in prototyped tools, or with industrial design to assist the texturing and coloring process. In balancing the three factors of a project-cost, schedule, and quality-she reached out to the various design groups to expedite their processes any way she could.

After discussing project management with Donna, Leonora and I had lunch in the courtyard, as usual.

My afternoon was spent with Zack, a packaging engineer at ATG. He showed the complicated process of designing packaging for tools in CAD. I wasn’t previously aware that packaging was such a large portion of manufacturing. However, he explained that it isn’t just designing boxes for tools, but also coordinating the production of the packaging, communicating with graphic designers about their goals for a product, and even testing packaging for strength and protection. I learned a lot about packaging today!

Zack then took me to the distribution center, the second half of the ATG facility here in Apex. It was massive! I took some photos, but I’m sure that they can’t properly convey the scale of the building. There were multiple sections, such as delivery bays and sorting conveyors; it was like an Amazon warehouse. To truly convey the scope of the facility, let me leave you with this: that warehouse on Lufkin road is the distribution center for all of North America. That means any Crescent, Lufkin, Weller, Wiss, etc. product you buy will have come through the warehouse at some point in its life.

My day at Apex Tool Group was once again amazing! Thank you to Donna and Zack for making it so informative and fun.

Day 2 at Apex Tool Group

Today’s proceedings with Apex Tool Group were once again fascinating. I spent my day with Cecil as we explored all the challenges associated with engineering good quality tools.

We began with a detailed overview of the seemingly verbose documents needed to communicate product goals from department to department, for example: a chart where end-user goals are ranked by importance then communicated to industrial designers and engineers. It seems, as I look over this process, that each department has its own responsibilities and fights for its own benefit. The industrial designers always want the tool’s aesthetic to be perfect, the project managers want it to fly off the shelves, the engineers want it to be manufactured just like they specified, and the manufacturers want it to be cheap.

On that note, Cecil decided to show us “THE VAULT” in the dingy, dusty corner of ATG’s warehouse. The vault, which is really more of a closet, stores old drawings for 20th century Lufkin tools, all handwritten and exceedingly detailed (think of a blueprint). Since I’m not allowed to show you an authentic Lufkin drawing, I’ve pasted one from Google below. These drawings are used to communicate the tool’s exact geometry and tolerances from the engineers to the manufacturers.

After discussing the intricacies manufacturing, Cecil and I had lunch in the breezy courtyard.

Soon after lunch, Cecil and I found ourselves somewhat unsure of what to do. So, Adam, another engineer on Cecil’s team, dared me to assemble one of the company’s new tape measures. I gladly accepted the challenge, assuming it would be four simple screws and a smear of grease. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Indeed, the process of assembling a tape measure requires one to carefully and tediously wind up a coiled spring of nearly twenty five feet. Better yet, the spring is razor sharp and thinner than a human hair (this hair analogy really couldn’t be more useful when shadowing at an engineering firm). I did, of course, wear proper safety gear, and the process took me over twenty minutes. However, at the end, I got the gift of a new tape measure; I couldn’t be more excited! Side note: if you ever need to buy a tape measure, buy the Lufkin Shockforce, it’s clearly the best option.

At the very end of the day, Cecil allowed me the reigns of his CAD software, PTC Creo. He challenged me to model a Sharpie from his desk, and I gave it my best attempt. While I have used CAD software before, and did manage to model almost all of it, Cecil gave me many expert tips to optimize my modeling process. I ended up learning a lot about CAD and design.

After only two days shadowing various people at ATG, I have already begun to get a deep understanding of all the interactions and challenges involved in manufacturing tools. Not just communicating with other engineers, but also meticulously documenting one’s work through drafting, communicating exact textures or colors through industry standards, and sending dozens of prototypes to be tooled and manufactured.

At the end of my day, one of the engineers actually gifted me a set of dial calipers! I am so excited to start using them, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have been given at Apex Tool Group.

Day 1 at Apex Tool Group

I began my first day shadowing at Apex Tool Group with enthusiastic zeal. Not so much because I thought I should, but rather because tool making has always seemed like the job for me. There’s designing, CAD’ing, measuring, arguing with the marketing team, CNC milling, and even 3d printing; what’s not to like! As I would come to find, these were, indeed, many of the tasks a mechanical engineer at Apex Tool handles daily.

Leonora and I began our day with a tour around ATG’s distribution and design facility, located unsurprisingly in Apex, NC. We got to see the sizable development team, consisting of mechanical, electrical, and packaging engineers who all work hand-in-hand to create new tools: most recently, a tape measure. Mr. Wilson (Cecil), a mechanical engineer, led our tour and hosted me for most of the morning. He led me through the meticulous design process each product must go through when being developed, from initial artist’s renderings, to CAD mock ups, to prototypes, and eventually final products. What was most surprising to me was how much time is taken to both research current patents, and file original patents to protect the specific design of a tool. Although Cecil’s chief duty is creating 3d “CAD” models of tools, he also has to consider the technologies and patents which are involved in successfully capturing market share.

After my morning with Cecil, we went to lunch with Mr. Welch, the Sr. Director of R&D, and Leonora and her mentor Heather.

Following Lunch, I was brought to the Modeling Shop by Mr. Guillou, an Engineering Manager for ATG. The Modeling Shop is a machine shop which houses 3d printers, lathes, CNC mills, and much more. It is mainly used to produce rapid prototypes of the tools which the development team has created. Brett, a machinist in the shop, began to walk me through the process of creating a nut from scratch. While we didn’t end up machining it, we did go through the steps of precisely centering a piece of metal stock in the CNC mill, a task which is much more difficult than I would have thought. With some help from Brett, I even had the chance to move the machine around, using a dial indicator to fine tune the position. One thing that makes the task so difficult is the 0.0005″ tolerance that CNC mills posses; that’s smaller than a human hair. Hopefully, no one breathes on the machine before we get a chance to machine the nut tomorrow.

After we finished centering the metal, I got a chance to work with Scott from the testing lab. His job is to ensure that all the finished tools-which aren’t actually manufactured at this ATG location-are within tolerance. The lab has to test numerous factors for each tool, including its strength, hardness, dimensions, scratch-resistance, durability, corrosion-resistance, and even chemical composition. I was quite impressed by how thoroughly the company had to test their products. In fact, they weren’t only testing the products for their own brand reputation, but also because of standards by the ASME, a regulatory body for machine manufacturers. Tool making, as I learned today, is a meticulous process and involves many different people with many different skills.

Thank you Cecil, Mr. Welch, Mr. Guillou, Brett, and Scott, I learned a lot today! I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn tomorrow.