Page 68 - MTW JANUARY 2022 Digital Magazine

TECH INNOVATION

Can forge shops be clean and hygienic?

by Srikar Shenoy, Director, Steel Plant Specialities LLP

ost forge shop owners
understand and appreciate
Mthe need for maintaining
cleanliness in their production zones.
Having a clean and healthy workshop
is a major milestone when it comes to
running a successful business. However,
most business owners take notice of
cleanliness issues only when they get
completely out of hand.
Audits like OHSAS, ISO 14001, ISO/
TS 16949, 5S and many others lay
down stringent rules for maintaining
cleanliness in production areas too. Dirty, oily forging machinery. Cleaned in minutes with O-CLEAN3
A number of overseas customers effectively and effortlessly
and reputed Indian automotive
manufacturers conduct their audits with
very high importance to cleanliness in
forge shops.
Hence, it is imperative to regularly
clean and maintain forge shops,
heat treat shops, machine shops and
assembly areas to ensure that your
employees are happy, healthy and
productive while it also leaves a good
impression on existing and potential
customers. create black deposits on dies, presses, used. These stains cannot be removed
forge shop floors and nearby locations. easily. Tramp oil getting leaked from
Challenges faced by a forging Maintenance of forging presses requires centralized lubrication areas increase the
organization in maintaining degreasing of parts, which is sometimes dirtiness in machine shops.
cleanliness done in kerosene or thinner based
Forge shops are pre-disposed to products. This is not advisable due to Small forged parts are often moved in
being dirty owing to factors such as various reasons. plastic bins that gather oil and dirt over a
use of various oils for fuel, machinery period of time. Due to oils, metallic burs
lubrication, rust prevention, use of Die shops face cleanliness issues due to get stuck in plastic bins. Such metallic
graphite as die lubricants, oil leakages handling and storing dirty dies covered burs create scratch marks and damages
during production and maintenance, in dense oil and graphite. Cleaning forgings that are carried in such dirty bins.
etc. Almost each area of a forge of dies consumes time and efforts. Areas that are used for applying rust-
shop presents its own challenge in Sometimes, dies are stored with layers of preventive on forgings are also prone to
maintaining cleanliness. Some of these oil and graphite present on them due to oil spillages and become very dirty and
are: previous production run. This also dirties oily over a period of time.
Forging presses: Oil and grease used for floors and nearby areas. To add to all the above problems of
centralized lubrication eventually spills cleanliness, the tyres of forklifts gather
on and around the forging machinery. CNC/ VMCs develop oil stains over a oil and graphite and deposit them all
Graphite based lubricants used for dies period of time due to the coolants being over the area during movement.

64 MACHINE TOOLS WORLD JANUARY 2022 www.mtwmag.com