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Good planning of the manufacturing process will reduce waste. It is essential that an accurate working drawing with a parts list are constructed. This type of careful planning means that only the right amount of material and the correct sections and sizes will be ordered. Waste is reduced.

A working drawing shows the product from a number of angles and also has precise measurements. Working drawings are usually accompanied by a parts list. This details all the parts that make up the product. Measurements for each part are also included. The example opposite shows a wooden box which houses a game.




A parts sheet displays all the parts drawn separately. Precise measurements are included. This type of planning is useful, as it is possible to see all the parts before they are put together as a working drawing. Hidden parts are seen unlike on a working drawing.


Order the correct sections and lengths. Example 1: A length of pine is required to manufacture four legs of a table. The working drawing shows that the legs have a square section of 50mm. However, a larger section (60 x 60mm) has been ordered. This means that the section will have to be cut down on a circular saw and then plained, before it can be used for the legs.

Consequences: Material has been wasted. The large section is more expensive. Expensive time is wasted reducing the size of the materials. The table is more expensive as a result.

QUESTIONS: 1. Using the internet, find a wood suppliers. 2. Identify the different sections available for pine boards. 3. List the prices of the various sections you found in question 2. 4. Find the prices of the same or similar sections in two other types of natural woods.

MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS AND REDUCING WASTE - 2
USING AN ACCURATE TEMPLATE

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		When a product is manufactured, inevitably there is some waste. This is usually in the form of excess material. Good design and planning should lead to this waste being kept to the absolute minimum. For example, the unusual looking DVD holder seen opposite. The sides are manufactured from PINE, with dowel rod joining both.
STAGE ONE: An aluminiun template is used to draw round the shape. It can be used many times to help produce a high number of sides, depending on the number of DVD storage units being manufactured. The holes to be drilled later are also marked out using the template.		STAGE TWO: The shape is cut by hand using a fretsaw. This allows accurate cutting and shaping.

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When waste is created, every effort should be made to ensure that it is either reused or recycled. A good example of this is seen in the manufacture of the table seen below. The table is manufactured by a small company.

The table top is composed of four sides, with glass in the centre. One of the sides is seen below. It has been cut from a board of pine and the waste is two triangular pieces.


The company uses the waste pieces in four ways: 1. The pieces are used as scrap, for practice cutting and shaping. 2. They are used to protect the table when G Cramps and Sash Cramps are used in the gluing process. 3. They are burnt in the companies wood burner to produce heat for the workshop. Burning wood is looked upon as environmentally friendly as it saves the burning of fossil fuels such as oil. These produce more pollution than burning wood. 4. If the company produces too much waste than it can handle, it sells it to another company that converts it to wood chippings. This is used in the production of chipboard and MDF. The wood is simply recycled.


Waste wood being burned to produce heat and hot water for the workshop.

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Forward thinking companies, especially manufacturing companies, train staff to appreciate the importance of reducing waste. If staff are not trained in this important area they will not be aware of the cost of wasteful practices, such as throwing away reusable materials. Staff training is part of Continuous Improvement.

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Protection and care of the environment is usually of great interest to potential customers / clients. When buying a product, potential customers often investigate what environmental measures have been taken by the manufacturer and retailer, before deciding on a purchase. Many companies are proud of their investment in this important aspect of design and manufacture and it also makes sound commercial sense.

Potential customers / clients may ask some of the following questions:

Is the product made from recycled materials?

Has recycled packaging been used?

Has biodegradable packaging been used, rather than packaging that ends up in landfills?

Are the materials being used in the product and packaging sustainable or will they eventually run out?

Has it been manufactured in a factory that uses renewable energy or conserves energy?

Has the manufacturer and retailer taken measures to protect the environment, when making, packaging and distributing the product?

Product distribution: Is the product manufactured locally? This will save fuel and reduce pollution of the air we breathe, during transport.

Does the manufacturer supply refills rather than expecting its customers to buy full products with wasteful packaging?

Can the product be recycled at the end of its life cycle or is it going to be ‘dumped’?

Does the manufacturer and/or retailer support environmental initiatives such as the paying for the planting of trees or supporting the Rain Forest Alliance?

What is the carbon footprint of the manufacturer and retailer?

Is the manufacturer trying to reduce its carbon footprint?

Is the manufacturer and / or retailer actively involved in encouraging people, especially young people, to reduce the waste?

Does the manufacturer protect its own local environment, especially if its factories are located in the Third World? Some of these countries do not have the finance to protect their own environment?

Does the manufacturer invest in research into manufacturing technology that reduces damage to the environment even further?

The production of waste material has been kept to a minimum by using an accurate template. This has been designed to fit precisely in position, filling the rectangular shape of MDF. When the pattern is drawn round the template on to the MDF, only a small amount of MDF will become waste. Using a template reduces waste and saves valuable time.

A good designer and production manager would look at this design again. They may decide that the design of DVD holder is too wasteful of valuable materials. It may be possible to develop a new design that reduces waste even further.

QUESTION; Draw a new design for the MDF side that reduces waste even further and yet looks stylish.

Waste wood being used with sash clamps. The waste wood protects the surface of the piece being clamped.

Staff need to be: 1. Able to recognise which materials are reusable. 2. Aware of the cost of materials used to manufacture the product being made in their factory. 3. Aware of the importance of conservation and how being wasteful on the production line contributes to pressure on the environment. 4. Aware of how being wasteful adds to the cost of manufacture and the cost of the product they make. 5. Aware of the need to reuse or recycle as much as possible and how this benefits the company and them as employees. 6. Aware that their customers are increasingly selecting the products they buy on grounds of how environmentally friendly they are. 7. Aware the reducing waste is part of a global move towards protecting the environment.