Enhancing the competitiveness of an SMME in the automotive industry through the introduction of laser based manufacturing. A case study

Abstract

The Automotive Industry uses large volumes of woven synthetic cloth in their paint shops. The cloth is used to clean the car bodies prior to painting. A basic requirement for this application is that the cloth is lint free to avoid blemishes in the paintwork resulting from adherent lint. The cloth is produced in large rolls and has to be cut to size before it is used. It is of paramount importance that the cutting process does not compromise the lint free quality of the cloth. Traditional mechanical cutting methods can not retain the lint free character of the cloth primarily because of fraying of the cut edges. Laser cutting is a thermal process where the cut is produced by melting and vaporisation of material. Where laser cutting is applied to synthetic fibre the cut is produced by melting the individual fibres resulting in a semi sealed cut edge that is totally free of fraying and lint. This paper illustrates how the introduction of laser cutting into the manufacturing process not only solved the lint problem but also improved the quality of the product as well as the productivity and profitability of the company