The Unicorr Packaging Group wanted to increase the cost-effectiveness of their manufacturing process. Three parts used in corrugated cardboard manufacturing, the feed roller, small roller, and tamper, were redesigned and sourced from alternate locations to decrease cost by at least 20% and decrease the failure rate by at least 10%. Material analysis and testing showed that the rubber coating used in the feed roller should be Natural Rubber (NR), Neoprene (CR) or Polyurethane (EU/AU). Polyurethane is currently used, but NR and CR have similar attributes at similar price points. The MEM portion of the team redesigned the small rollers to achieve 98% cost reduction per year due to stronger parts reducing machine downtime and costing less. Based on manufacturability and strength, the metal used in the redesigned tamper is 7075 Aluminum. Further, Ansys simulation of deflection on the tamper under 96 psi showed that adding a bottom support bar measuring 1.5” by 3” to the base of the existing tamper design and decreasing the height of the vertical portion to 4.5” decreased deflection by 95.4% compared to the original design. The original cost of the tamper was $4.4k, with the production method and material unknown. Requesting quotes from local companies for the improved tamper design showed an average price decrease of $2.7k using various manufacturing methods. The cheapest fabrication method to be considered involved the use of additive manufacturing techniques like FDM and SLA. Investment casting options were overall better for bulk purchasing, and CNC was a cost-effective choice as well with an individual price decrease of $700. Overall, the redesign exceeded the initial goal of lowering the part cost by a range of 16.03% to 89.2%.

Our team collaborated with Management & Engineering for Manufacturing 11 on this project.