Optimizing the W7 Production Process

For our diploma-project we are committed to enhancing the efficiency of the W7 production line in Glanegg for the Hirsch-Gruppe, to reduce waste and to ensure a more effective cutting-sequence. Initially, the cutting process was automated without a comprehensive evaluation of the workflow, leading to an inefficient cutting-sequence. This issue persists throughout most of the W7 process, resulting in additional maintenance time, increased plastic waste and ultimately higher costs for the company.

Reducing the amount of plastic waste generated by streamlining is essential for both cost-cutting and promoting sustainability objectives. Preventing customers from taking advantage of the cutting line problem which regularly results in multiples of four for some orders is another major concern. Our approach prevents the need for costly system restructuring by carefully reviewing and modifying the cutting sequences.

This project aims to deliver meaningful solutions that are in line with environmental and economic goals. It also shows how education can be put to use, even for problems at major companies.

Our project is being processed and created at the HTL Mössingerstraße

This project is carried out in collaboration with the Hirsch-Gruppe

Details

Here the project will be explained in further detail with the help of images and added descriptions.

System structure

Project overview in a detailed block diagram

The block diagram gives a depiction of the project overview and how the synergy between the different project-components looks like. The process starts with uploading an excel-file to the Frontend, this file is then sent to the Backend where it will be optimized with an algorithm. The now optimized excel-file will be stored in the database once again, before the Web-Application can access and display the data via the Rest-API. A cutting-sequence can be determined from the optimized data and be sent to the Hardware-Simulation, where it will then be cut.

Cutting-process

Structure of the W7 cutting-sequence in Glanegg

Here you can see one of many steps from the production process line W7 in Glanegg. The material used for the blocks is styrofoam and each block is approximately 1m (height) x 1m (width) x 2m (length). In the first step, the block is cut with numerous hot-wires, that are adjusted to a customer-order excel-file, which includes every piece of information needed for cutting the correct dimensions. Secondly the piece at the top is removed and recycled due to imperfections originating from the molding-process. Thereafter, parts from the left and right side of the block are removed as well for the same reason. Next, in order to guarantee a block free of flaws the front and backside are cut off and in the same step the block is cut in half resulting in two cubes with dimensions of 1m x 1m x 1m.

The short video displayed depicts the shaving process of the block as well as the recycling of the shaved-off pieces.