Internship-Week 12:Tuesday-Friday

Well, it proves resentment do run deep as the technician decided to settle an old score with a leaking grease dispenser by effectively using 2 assembly machine that are not running today. In general, when a grease dispenser is assigned to an assembly machine it is for life (in this case until it wears out), this is where the first attempt went to determine whether the problem is located on the assembly machine or the dispenser itself. Hence, the grease dispenser is quickly cleaned out and relocated to a vacant assembly machine, guess what ? *drip drip*. Second attempt, the top portion of the dispenser is replaced entirely, swapping it with another not in service dispenser and operate it on the same assembly machine yet the problem persisted. Well, three times the charm, the successful attempt comes from replacing the entire lower section. Further inspection ends up with the conclusion that the that are gaps where the gears operate due to mechanical wear, the difference is so little but a gap means a leak.

As I was summing it up for the week to get my last signature, another interesting phenomena occurs. Under hues and cries, I finally spotted the spectacle of a dedicated worker. Well, no strings attached, a worker is actually hoisted up with the ceiling crane which is usually used to hoist mould in and out from the double injection unit. No surprise there since a mould easily weighs more than a 100kg. From that height, it is certainly no task for someone with height phobia aka vertigo although his task is just simply to carry out maintenance on the rail which the ceiling crane operates.

Finally, the finale of them all, I was caught by surprised the last few comments that my supervisor left me with to chew on, it's surprising hard to digest. The point is, the so-called assignment which he blurted out somewhere during our initial encounter and conversation, was conveniently never mentioned again in later days. Conveniently as well, he is resigning to operate his business somewhere in Sunway, he was saying he don't have time (actually not bothered) but is is my fault that I can't accomplished my assignment when he himself can't even handled it during his 1-2 years tenure. That he rattles on, doing overtime is commitment and should not get paid (I like to see him do that, usually he's the one going back 5pm sharp), the last blow when he told me for the first time what he want to see in the report, yeah, that's great tell the person when the time expires up.

It took me some time, but I decide to be honest, so if you are reading this, Mr. Adlan, this is the final blog piece and I am going to deliver me logbook under your office door. I am sorry that I lost your contact number, resulting to communicate with emails.

Internship-Week 12:Monday

As the end is coming near, I begin preparing in earnest of the report that is due to come. Well, since camera is practically forbidden (exception cameras on phone for personal usage), so my greatest resource come from none under than the company website. Basically, I need quite a lot of material for my report and presentation. It is kinda sad to find it a under-maintained, little bit outdated with a lot section under construction, at least there are still plenty of assorted information around. The section I took particular interest is the company's history but sadly too are only several statements available.

At the same time, I planned to do a tribute for my fellow coworkers with a short movie clip, alas I hope there are enough time to collect all the pictures I need for the project in mind.

Internship-Week 11:Friday

Usually, the climax occurs when a movie is typically reaches the end and that is exactly what happened today. The latest customer complaint came in, thankfully this time the amount is so much lesser than the previous one but I doubt the effect is greater rather than less. After listening in to grasp the situation, the technicians mutually shared a general opinion that the operators in charge of undertaking inspection of the product is not to be put under too much blame. This is due to the fact when the customer tried to insert it onto a metal rod, the product stuck halfway and checks reveal using camera flashes that the hollow area was blocked. Personally, my untrained eyes under the light can't even see that far inwards yet how better is expected of a trained pair of eyes? Regardless, the person in charge of all the operators decided its about time to gather everybody around for some serious talk. A test is also handed out on that day to gauge inspection personnel capability which requires them to sketch and explain the NG stated. In order not to disturb the mood, I didn't manage to get a snap on the exam papers.

The picture belows depicts the full assembly of inspection's operators as the day shift were about to leave and the night shift checking in, considering the bus doesn't wait for latecomers, it is considerable shorter version of the afternoon scene.

Internship-Week 11:Thursday

When you thought things won't get any worse, as you planned to sit out your remaining time at the company like a pensioner, it just did. Middle inspection couldn't choose a better timing as the section announces a low height error detected on a particular assembly machine but kept to themselves for some time. So, havoc breaks loose with almost every available personnel pull off to do jigging (manual height inspection) and even my fellow coworkers from night shift are roped in earlier to assist. Predictable, blames shifted as the technician understandably can't attempt much at this point since they are not made aware at that time. Therefore, it also becomes harder to locate the root of the problem and rectify it.

Luckily, my days sweeten up by meeting with my visiting lecturer, Dr. Adlan Shah. A charming young man, he inquire about my daily task and role in the department, taking notes, he also tries to ascertain how well informed I am on my company's background and operation. After that, I kept the tour at HBD brief since Mr. Adlan seems to be in a hurry as well. He asked some questions along the way which I am confident that I provided very satisfactory replies. I gave a general outlook for the hybrid damper and all the manufacturing processes associated. Then, he took his leave as I tried to help amidst the crisis.

Internship-Week 11:Wednesday

Another bleak outlook for a day, a big customer complaint dropped in like a bombshell, well I am not so sure about the customer's company size but the amount of NG detected is certainly big. Though I am not in the manufacturing line but I can tell it is a serious blow to the company's reputation especially a lot higher ups subsequently turned up at the assembly area. Later checks will reveal that the product originates from the production period of between March to May. So, the next course of action that the assembly supervisor take is to sort out all past assembly machine settings which includes the bulk I contributed from April to May. The documents are needed to respond to the customer's complaint, by checking for discrepancies can only the error be located. I am quite sure if the error can't be located it will affect future dealings with the corresponding company.

At the bottom is a sample picture of a customer complaint on a future date (didn't remember to take one on that particular day) and a closer up version of it which there is a red box highlighting the location the NG is detected.

Internship-Week 10:Thursday

After a bad experience yesterday, one would have thought that ill fate will not come knocking back again so soon. While I was responding to an alarm, I was the one actually alarmed (an attempt on humour) to find the index table covered with grease stains. The phenomena itself is not uncommon but the sheer quantity just bogs down the mind. Soon I spotted the leaking grease supply line and quickly inform the assembly supervisor. However, owing to tight production schedule, production must go on so the problem cannot be rectified immediately until the green light is given from the assembly supervisor. Then, the supply line is stopped and disconnected to allow further inspection. Unable to find a leaky fault on both connecting ends, the technician opt to fastened both ends even more tightly and succeeded in ending the leak. I am actually quite relieved a there is no repeat of yesterday situation because you can't be sure to be lucky to have a spare part lying around somewhere in good condition.

Internship-Week 10:Wednesday

A hectic morning and what a way to begin a new day. There was a slight malfunction on one of the assembly machine, well it wouldn't actually resulted in a NG product but having a caretaker by its side 24/7 ain't a good option either. The robotic arm is supposed to pick up the futa from the feeder and placed onto the index table. Somehow, when the arm travel downwards, it's smooth sailing but it can't return back to its original position, got stuck 3/4 of the way back. A common practice is to replace the part with a existing functioning part from another assembly machine, due to some circumstances the part cannot be remove and the move aborted. So, we literally hunted around all the toolboxes and fortunately to have found some in different sizes. The attempt to remove the spoiled mechanism- a linear bearing failed and ended up unable to salvage it, leaving no choice except replacing it entirely. Most importantly, the situation shows how hopeless when we are up against uncommon malfunction as not all spare parts are readily available. Not to mention the bureaucracy tape and cost cutting method of top management that is ever frustrating.

Internship-Week 10:Monday

With the assembly supervisor slightly more free time to spare, I noticed him shifting through a stack of documents which turn outs to be QAir forms. Everyday, there are always some of these documents sitting on his desk but he is addressing them for the first time. So, he told me that these forms are prepared by the middle inspection to inform the supervisor of NG products detected on that day. The form will depict the nature of the NG products and sometimes attached with some sample, it is the supervisor's duty to determine the course of action to rectify the problem. Nothing is perfect in this world, the piling documents shows that the assembly is short-handed to address all of the task at hand. Judging by the dates, there are sure a lot of work ahead

Internship-Week 9:Wednesday

As suitable materials used in reports dwindle down, inspiration came to me when I collect vacuumed lots from the vacuum chamber. The design looks simple and not attention-worthy at first, but if you consider that these can be stacked up to 15 boxes vertically and still sturdy, it becomes a different matter. Usually it is used to collect the product at the end of the conveyor belt as the picture below depicts. Before inspection commence, it has to be vacuumed so that no leaks and weak welding will gone undetected. Rotating it by 45 degrees, it can still be stacked up alternately in the vacuum chamber so that every lot is still vacuumed. So, there are little worries if you need to carry 3 or 4 of these at a time, since it doesn't slip or overturn easily. Dropped products are considered NG in this case, now operators only have to watched out for tripping on the ground.

Internship-Week 9:Tuesday

I spotted that coworker of mine tending to an order from the night technician to clean up a grease pump. I never shy away when it is a new task that I am capable of especially since it reminded me about the grease pump maintenance list that I completed but not yet executed by the HoD. The task is rather time consuming not to mention dirty because we don't have the proper solvent and the cleaning process is done using cloth rags which are abundant. This particular grease is viscous and there is no helping getting some over your hands. An interesting fact that I picked up along the way, there are actually companies set up to handle grease pump professionally. The team will come well equipped and lowering the lower body of the pump into thinner, makes cleaning much easier and efficient. Also, the cleanup job without troubleshooting any problems with the grease pump already cost a few hundred ringgit, if it isn't due to the fact grease pump rarely needed attention, I would really agree that the profession is indeed a very lucrative business. Although we used up a lot of cloth rags in the process, I like to think it is justifiable because we help the company to cut some cost, hehe.

Internship-Week 9:Monday

What a turn of surprise.!I didn't mentioned before but I was visited once by a personnel of the Human Resource Department to reprimand me for being caught dozing in the early days ( wrong decision to sit down and trying to study a manual in my tired state when I should have been scampering around). Actually, the point is I accepted the offer for a chance to switch department and most importantly put up a request to visit all accessible location in the company. I swear my coworker could read my mind or simply being generous of his time as my initial request to visit the material store (which I knew he had access) becomes a tour of the entire block which is known in the company as Plant 1 except the office area.

First stop, the material store is where all the purchasing orders are delivered, processed and picked up at the loading bay where you can see forklifts moving about. Next, the single injection and general rubber production area. It is kinda similar to the double injection I witness everyday except single injection's robotic arm moves way faster. The product uses only 1 material such as keypads and futa, while general rubbers has all these rubbery stuff I can't begin to name. After that, a stop at the general rubber assembly area. I spotted quite a number of machine operator wearing gloves and top it all one of them even need both glove and a facial mask, talk about hazards. Lastly, the keypad assembly area that occupies most of the 2nd floor, it kinda resembles the HBD itself but each assembly machine has a working team between 4-6 operators and a faster pace (I wonder what will happen if there are a few members too short). However, the keypads are not used in local product since the I can't identify the hand phone model as well. A little bit short of a full tour, Plant 2 has fingerprint security and a visit requires special passes, but I am glad to be able to explore that much in a day already

Internship-Week 8:Thursday

Not much of a big news but its something new for a change, one of the operator responsible for packaging took half a day off and in short of manpower. So, called in and armed with a cellophane tape on a roller (try imagine painting your house with a roller) my task is to pack up 20 boxes or so at a joint room co-owned by the HBD and Car Button Department. Since it is only meant for product storage, the room was unfortunately not equipped with air conditioning system and before I knew it I was sweating all over. The roller is kinda easy to use, mastering it in no time which I am grateful to take my leave after about half an hour work. Stacking it up gets harder as you tire down, so I was thinking if I do this often enough I might just build up the right kind of muscle. *laugh out loud*

Internship-Week 8:Wednesday

As the conclusion of my training is coming closer and closer still, I found out there is actually a process that I neglected to elaborate which is the reason I am going to bring it out now. The process is know as annealing and for those who are versed in material properties and its manufacturing processes should grasp what I am going to explain later. It is only used on futa with edges and in this case there are 2 type which is currently under production, a 2 edge futa and a 3 edge futa. For your information, the sole reason that brought upon annealing is due t the fact that these futa has the tendency to crack after undergoing ultrasonic welding, unable to withstand the force of the downward horn. The working principle behind annealing is that the structure of a material is strengthen when it is heated up and rapidly cooled down to room temperature. Besides that, I also spent a lot of my hours hanging around the assembly machine solely responsible for the production of the 3 edge futa because of a unique problem of its own. As it moved along the conveyor belt, the futa tends to spin and got stuck on one of its edges. Then when an operator comes along move it back into position, there is a possibility that the edge will be dented unintentionally resulting in a NG product. However, since the root of the problem is the nature of the design, there is nothing much one can do about it unless there is a specifically design conveyor belt for it which is uneconomical in terms of flexibility.

The first picture depicts the jumpsuits you are required to wear in order to enter the area and the latter is the interior of one of the oven's chamber

Internship-Week 8:Tuesday

It's been weeks when this day was over but the events are clear as day as this is the first time I have to enter for the afternoon shift (3pm-11pm). Well, it is less hectic for one since most problems are already addressed during the morning and running more smoothly hopefully for the remainder of the day. Instead I was given a new task which only people on night shift will do.The task is counting -up to 40 pieces into a slot, there are a total of 8 slots in a tray, together with a production sheet and 3 other trays are considered a 'lot'. There is a target given for that night and I was lucky to finish some 15mins short of 11pm. I was rewarded with a slight migraine for swarming my head with more numbers than my brain can handle. In that period, I finished in between 5 to 6 lots but I am not so sure because I was a blur that time. At the same time, if the occasion were to repeat itself I also want to find out how fast can I actually go when I attempt it more seriously. Lolz.

Below is a sample of what a tray looks like.

Internship-Week 7:Saturday

Another working saturday for the company! Working, the term means that the day is planned ahead by the company management and unlike overtime on some weekends which only the production crew will be around to meet exporting demands. Apparently, there are a few differences that one can sum up between working and overtime weekends. One, on working weekends (certain saturdays) motorized vehicle are permitted to be parked in the company compound which the entrance is manned by a personnel in a guard post, hence more security. Two, daily meal subsidy still apply but usually there are less lunch taker because normal hour crew prefer to dine with their families at the end of their half day shift (ends at 1pm). But, there is irony in a sense the canteen is fully operational only whenever the normal crew is around, so overtime workers must have their own means to satisfy their hunger or thirst (at least there are still vending machines around) which is hard because most are without their own transport.

Internship-Week 7:Friday

After some considerable time, a task that is handed down by my supervisor himself. Well, actually there isn't much thinking on my part because my supervisor planned the layout for which I completed 2 list as follows: grease dispenser maintenance list and grease pump maintenance list. Detail wise, both list are similar except that servicing a grease dispenser comes more often than a grease pump. Since a grease dispenser has to be serviced every 80k shot dispensed, that's why the number of shots has to be recorded daily and a carry forward shot column is included only for the purpose of totaling the total of shots from the end of the previous month at the beginning of a new month. There are also other details recorded in the list for example, listing of all dispenser/pump in or not in use, associated assembly machine (ROT) and its grease. As for the grease pump maintenance is simpler in a sense that only the date needed to be recorded when there is a cleanup operation or when a technician made a full checkup on its present condition. However, I am unable to attach a picture of the completed list since the computer doesn't recognize my pendrive and the data is sent via network to a printer at the office.

Internship-Week 7:Wednesday

Being fortunate to be born in a time with more opportunity to be computer literate, I am somehow grateful to be able to contribute some of it when problem arises. The situation is like this, a keyboard and a mouse of a computer attributed to Middle Inspection malfunctioned, I was called in as the most suitable individual for the task at hand. However, if u consider the price of a keyboard and mouse nowadays, applying to Facilities Department for an instant replacement doesn't seemed that tough, yet bureaucracy and all brought a popular phrase into mind "too much work and too little time". Well, it took about half an hour or so, correcting the half crooked pins on both items (not USB products). After that, it took another friendly reminder from a colleague and restarting the older Windows98 OS to finally get it running again. Middle Inspection thanked me for the work but I doubt that middle will push for a replacement now and it's a matter of time before I am called back in again.

Internship-Week 7:Monday

If recording assembly machine setting is the most frequent task that I performed in HBD, then coming in second is surely grease-changing operation. After 2 months of countless attempts and constant observations, I daresay I can complete it without a snag. The following procedures cover the entire process in 9 simple steps. One, identify cause of alarm at assembly machine is grease finished. Two, note down corresponding grease lot number and head towards the grease degassing area to lift out a new one back. Three, swap the old can for the new can and secure it in place. Four, there are a total of 3 purging processes. Five, purge grease from grease pump via tap. Six, disconnect grease supply line from dispenser and start purging. Seven, reconnect grease supply line and purge via dispenser. Eight, record grease lot number onto production sheet and sent some for inspection. Nine, given green light by middle inspection will resume operation.

Internship-Week 6:Thursday

The few forms of liquid ever used in the assembly area, saves those bottled drinking water at the back area are only grease and methanol. Most followers of my blog should be a bit familiar with the usage of grease at this point. As for methanol, it is mainly used as solvent to remove stubborn stains and adhesive marks while another least known application is clearly demonstrated in what I observed to be a SG Test in progress. At the same time, I've taken the liberty to attach to this post a picture of the apparatus itself because simply put, it's a metallic structure residing in a plastic cylinder filled with distilled water on a perspex tank and all on a digital weighing scale. First thing first, the product has to be secure within the metallic structure in order to obtain an accurate reading of its volume. However, difference in density dictates that the product will float and that's why methanol is applied onto both ends of the product with a syringe, keeping the product submerged in distilled water. Then, the digital weighing scale will display the result in 4 decimal places