Worksite Improvement Case Studies
Pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical workplaces
Semiconductor and precision instrument workplaces
Factory Equipment Hose Examples
Semiconductor and precision instrument workplaces
- Noise and coupling disconnection caused by vibration eliminated
It was very noisy in factories due to piping vibration.
Also, sometimes the arm type coupling’s arm disengaged due to vibration, causing fluid leaks and disconnected fittings that required tiresome cleanup. In severe cases the couplings were damaged.
- Damage avoided by preventing incidents caused by hose coupling leaks and disconnections
A PVC hose had been connected with a cap nut coupling, for use as a pipe carrying coolant for a system used to manufacture precision parts. However, fluid began leaking from the hose connector. In addition to stopping the manufacturing system, damage caused by leaking fluid resulted in massive damage to the line (which operated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year). Urgent measures were required.
- An abrasive compound clogging inside a hose stops the production line
At a plant that manufactures silicon wafers, PVC hoses were being used to feed silica grinding powder used in their wafer grinder. But the silica powder got clogged in the hose, causing the production line to stop. The workers would use a hammer on the hose to get it running again.
- Hoses for discharging chemical waste degrade quickly, requiring frequent replacement.
At a factory producing printed boards, the effluent had to be brought to a certain pH level in the discharge process to prevent water pollution. Their process involved injecting sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH level. This caused their PVC hoses to become brittle and otherwise degrade quickly. Because they needed the hoses to be flexible, they had to replace the hoses frequently.
- Condensation on cooling hoses drips onto the work floor, making it dirty and slippery
A customer was using ordinary PVC hoses to deliver coolant for semiconductors, and condensation would collect on the hoses and then drip onto the floor. This made the floors dirty and dangerous to walk on. They were already implementing 5S methodology, and had to solve this issue.
- Improved installation efficiency using an open-ended wrench
TOYOCONNECTOR coupling installation was performed using an adjustable wrench. Because adjustable wrenches tend to be loose and slip easily, installation took a lot of time. Moreover, the hexagonal cap nut could only be grabbed from the side, making installation difficult in narrow spaces.
- Reduced replacement frequency for even greater cost reductions
When reusing TOYOCONNECTOR couplings, the sleeves needed to be replaced every time. They needed to be replaced even after short periods of use, such as during water flow testing, increasing costs and driving our desire to reduce the replacement frequency.