Topic > Performing a SWOT Analysis: A Case Study of Precision Castparts Corporation

IntroductionPrecision Castparts Corp. (PCC) is a global manufacturer of multifaceted products and metal components serving diverse aerospace and general industrial needs. PCC is focused on manufacturing investment castings for customers in the energy and aerospace industries. Filtration is a fundamental requirement for any operation limited to the manufacturing sector. This capstone project proposal seeks to address the filtration crisis faced by the PCC by designing an apparatus to evaluate the performance of casting filters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay According to PCC Structurals, PPC manufactures industrial fluid-handling pumps for a wide variety of target customer needs, along with post-purchase services. Furthermore, the company produces refiner plates, refiner regenerations and anilox rolls for the paper and pulp industry. These production processes involve the integration of numerous raw materials with a substantial production of by-products (PCC Structurals). These unwanted materials must be separated from the desired inputs to ensure a cost-effective, quality product that meets industry and market standards. The separation of these materials is aided by filters which tend to reduce the efficiency attributed to wear, tear and clogging (Li, 2010). Therefore, it is critical to design an apparatus that periodically evaluates the performance of casting filters to ensure that only the desired materials are used in the manufacturing process. Kuang et al. (2012) state that most manufacturing companies apply automated filters and component systems to ensure their operations comply with various regulations and testing standards. These regulations are formulated by various stakeholders in the manufacturing industry and serve to manage operations in the industry to ensure that they are consistent with the structural, mechanical and chemical properties required for their effective use. According to Furuuchi et al. (2010), the design of filter testing solutions should be such that the filtration efficiency of air filters and other media can be easily measured, including respiratory effects, ultra-high efficiency filters, protective clothing and cartridges. Li (2010) alludes to the fact that most apparatus used to determine the efficiency of jets use monodisperse or sodium chloride aerosols which have a greater ability to separate materials depending on the particle size. The project will involve the design of a reliable, durable and automated filter testing device with minimal maintenance requirements. The design of the apparatus will be such that it can be easily integrated into the high-volume production lines that are rampant at PCC Structurals. The project aims to achieve a testing efficiency of 99.999% by integrating the instrument's hardware with a properly coded program that will have the ability to transform the device into an autonomous apparatus. The operation of the machine will depend on monodisperse particles whose function will be to determine the size of the most penetrating particles (MPPS) in the range 15-800 nm (Kuang et al., 2012). For effective determination of MPSS, the project aims to combine a dual condensation particle counter (CPC) with an electrostatic classifier. The apparatus will be equipped with a polydispersed oil aerosol generator, a property that will make it a perfect choice for PCC Structural as it has numerous high-efficiency filters (Kulkarni, Baron and Willeke,.