President’s Message Steve HansonIndustrial Rubber Sheeting, Extruded & Molded Products Phone:...

President’s MessageSteve Hanson

In This IssuePresident’s Message

Future Meeting SchedulePage 2

Membership AnniversariesPage 2

New Association MembersPage 2

Company Pro� lesPage 3

Press ReleasesPage 5

UV (Ultraviolet) CuringPage 6 & 7

Static Electricity & Ways to Prevent ItPages 7 & 10

Fall Meeting PhotosPages 8 & 9

Design of Experiment Pages 11, 13 & 14

Benchmarking ReportPage 15

Volume 29 Number 3 December 2010

To all GFA members and associates who bene� t

from the GFA; the “take-home” is there in the work.

• Expect a lot from the GFA.

• Invest your attention in a GFA meeting, website,

newsletter, committee, project or networking event to make

sure you get what you expect.

Here is to acknowledge all GFA members for your

business leadership at the front end of the recovery of our

economy! Gratefully, and given the status of the economy, the

September 2010 GFA meeting in Las Vegas was attended by

more than might come in a much stronger economy.

The GFA meeting content lifts our skills up to a higher

level. These skills must turn into “deliverables” to our individual companies when we return

to lead after a GFA meeting. How do we each demonstrate what we learned at a GFA

meeting to our people who are back running the company? How do they get to bene� t

and know what we learned?

One approach is to establish and improve processes and proactives to help us

compete. For me, it can be a challenge to deliver all the GFA “take-homes” when I return

to the o¤ ce. I quickly get distracted by all the action that was there before I went to the

meeting. But, I’m not giving up!

In order to support your success at delivering business leadership knowledge,

the GFA’s website (www.gasketfab.com) now has numerous resources available to you.

The Members Only area features an archive of technical webinars, including the � rst series

on an Estimator’s Guide to Basic Gasketing, and presentations given at past meetings.

Topics include Converting Methods, Laser Cutting Technology, Waterjet Technology,

Nanotechnology, Business Continuity After Disasters, Doing Business in China, Marketing &

Sales E¦ ectiveness, Sustainability, and Human Resource Issues.

Past newsletters, which feature technical articles in each issue, are also available

for downloading from the website. The vision is that the GFA will o¦ er tools that are

speci� c to our industry, as well as for any type of business. Some tools are for the entry

level employee and some are updates for the seasoned veterans.

The GFA’s Programs and Locations Committee develops the topics, and the

website is the collection site for them. Become a super-user of the GFA website and a part

of its development.

Please give me your feedback about the tools and how you’ve used them in your

business. Here’s to successful leading!

NewsletterThe Gasket Fabricator is published by the GFA and is distributed

to all members and prospective members.

President ............................................................................Steve Hanson

Vice President ..........................................................Terry S. Galanis, Jr.

Executive Director/Newsletter Editor...........................Peter Lance

Management Advisor.................................................Robert H. Ecker

Communications Committee Chair...........................David Soliday

Members are encouraged to contribute articles and items of

interest to the Gasket Fabricator. All contributions should

be addressed to: Executive Director, GFA, 994 Old Eagle School

Road, Suite 1019, Wayne, PA 19087-1866, Phone (610) 971-4850,

Fax (610) 971-4859, E-mail: [email protected].

Articles appearing in this publication may not be reproduced

without written consent from the Association. Articles appearing

in the Gasket Fabricator are the views of the authors and

not necessarily those of the Association.

© Copyright 2010 Gasket Fabricators Association

NewsletterThe Gasket Fabricator is published by the GFA and is distributed

to all members and prospective members.







interest to the Gasket Fabricator




in the

not necessarily those of the Association.








. All contributions should




Articles appearing in this publication may not be reproduced

without written consent from the Association. Articles appearing

are the views of the authors and


December 2010

SuppliersThe Biltrite Corporation

Waltham, MA

www.biltrite.com

Kingwell Industries Group

Langfang, China

Lever Manufacturing Corporation

Mahwah, NJ

www.levercorp.com

GFA Future Meeting Schedule

March 29-31, 2011

PGA National Resort & Spa

Palm Beach, Florida

September 20-22, 2011

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa

Austin, Texas

Gasketing/Converting Expo

March 20-22, 2012

Hilton Orlando

Orlando, FL

New Association Members

Membership AnniversariesIn 2010, the following companies are celebrating

anniversaries as members of the GFA. We would like to thank

them for their ongoing support.

30 Years

Everseal Gasket Inc.

20 Years

Creative Foam Corporation

15 Years

Gaska Tape Inc.

10 Years

Adhesive Applications

Griswold Rubber Co.

Jacobs & Thompson, Inc.

Rogers Corporation

Sekisui Voltek

5 Years

Chambers Gasket & Mfg. Co

Ludlow Composites Corporation

December 2010

Aerospace, Military, Power Generation, Medical, Mass

Transporation, Agricultural and Construction, with many

customer representing the top companies in this these

industries.

For more information about Polymer Technologies

contact us at: 1-800-850-9001, or visit our website at

www.polytechinc.com.

Lever Manufacturing has been a premier designer

and manufacturer of single knife roll slitting machinery

since 1910. Lever manufactures a complete line of lathe

slitters from manually operated units to fully automatic,

programmable logic controlled models with easy to use

color touch screen operator control panels capable of

storing up to 1,000 recipes. Lever slitting machines are

capable of slitting a wide range of materials such as foam,

cured and uncured rubber, felt, foil, � berglass, graphite, cork

and PSA tapes on a variety of core sizes.

Lever maintains an experienced sta¦ of engineers,

sales professionals and after-sales service support personnel

to provide our customers with innovative roll slitting

solutions and superior technical support. We maintain a

large in-stock inventory of replacement parts for Lever

machines from the earliest manufactured to present-day

models.

Lever corporate headquarters and manufacturing

operations are located in New Jersey, about 35-miles

Northwest of New York City. This facility also houses

our Experimental Slitting Laboratory and Equipment

Demonstration Room. Customers are invited to submit

sample material for slitting analysis or to visit us for a

personal equipment demonstration.

If you want the very best in single knife roll slitting

machinery built to the highest quality standards, contact

LEVER.

Company Pro� les

Polymer Technologies is the most dynamic

manufacturing company in the Acoustical and Thermal

Composites Industry. Since 1989, we have dedicated

ourselves to providing our customers with the best

customer service, technical support and product quality

available in the industry.

We are locatd in Newark, DE, a short distance to

large metropolitan cities like New York, Philadelphia, and

Washington, DC. Our Polymer Molded Products plant

established in 1995 is located in Bound Brook, NJ, just

outside New York City. Both facilities are conveniently

located for truck, rail and ship, and are equipped with state

of the art equipment that includes: 3 laminators; 3 high-

speed die cutters; 2 water-jet cutters, including a dual-

head 5-axis machine; 2 table saws; 4 molding lines; and

hydrophobation, a patented process and resulting product,

Polydamp® Hydrophobic Melamine Foam.

Our company employs over 90 dedicated

associates. Thecnical engineers o¦ er over 100 years of

collective experience, while the Sales sta¦ has been in the

acoustical and thermal insulation industry for a minimum

of 15 years each. All are available for in-house and on-site

seminars, design engineering consultations, and equipment

testing.

Polymer Technologies’ quality management system

consists of procedures that are tailored to satify customer

requirements which ensure product reliability. As an ISO

9001-2008 and AS9100 registered manufacturer, we are

strongly committed to ensuring consistent product quality

with each shipment.

We provide acoustical, thermal, isolation,

gasketing, � ltration and molded foam materials. Materials

are purchased from quali� ed vendors and are custom

engineered to a customer’s speci� cations and applications.

Customers include a vast range of OEM industries, e.g.

December 2010

ACRYLIC & RUBBER BASED GASKET ATTACHMENT SOLUTIONS

800-343-1076www.venturetape.com

Industrial Rubber Sheeting, Extruded & Molded Products

Phone: (262) 786-5300 Fax: (262) 786-5503www.frenzelitsealing.com [email protected] West Ryerson Road New Berlin, WI 53151

Bringing German Engineered Materials to the North American MarketCompressed Non-Asbestos • Beater Addition • Modified and Expanded PTFE

Mica • Expanded Graphites • Metal Reinforced Materials • Mill-Board

December 2010

Argent International Has Spare Capacity in Their Tool Shop!

Press Releases

At Argent International, we design and build

Blanking, Forming and Progressive tooling such as Wire EDM

Tooling, Match Metal Tools

and Combo Tooling for any

vertical punch press, such

as Precos. Typically we do

this for our own purposes

and consumption; however,

occasionally we do it for

other fabricators as well.

As mentioned previously,

we have spare capacity and top notch tool makers. And

what’s better than having a fabricator make tooling for a

fellow fabricator. We know

the business and cutting

challenges better than a

standalone tool shop ever

would! So...Let us give

you a quote; you will be

pleasantly surprised with

our competitiveness. For

more information please

contact Argent at (800)223-9890 or visit us online at

www.argent-international.

com.

Con� dentiality Note:

All tool designs and any

information associated

with the tooling would

be held in the strictest of

con� dence. Argent will

gladly sign individual non-

disclosure agreements if and when necessary.

Thermoseal Inc. Introduces KLINGER® Quantum, A Second Generation

Compressed Fiber Gasket Material

Thermoseal Inc., a leading manufacturer of ° uid sealing materials

for a broad range of applications, has announced a new product

to the market: KLINGER Quantum, the � rst � ber-reinforced

gasket material that is exclusively HNBR-bound. KLINGER

Quantum o¦ ers a level of

° exibility at continuously

high temperatures that

is unknown in today’s

market. In addition to

improved ° exibility, this

gasket material can be

used with a much wider

range of media than any other � ber reinforced gasket material

that is currently available.

The HNBR (hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber)

binder provides Quantum gaskets

with exceptional temperature and

chemical resistance so Quantum

gaskets perform even after prolonged

use at higher temperatures while

other gaskets become brittle

reducing the gasket’s ability to

adapt to changing temperatures and

pressures. Quantum gaskets adapt to

conditions caused from ° ange irregularities and misalignments

and absorb additional forces in the gasket connection.

Quantum gaskets ensure a safe connection, and the

extended service periods save time and money.

KLINGER Quantum gaskets are already successfully

sealing an array of applications in Europe’s chemical,

petrochemical, energy, and food industries, and now this

revolutionary gasket material is available from Thermoseal’s

centrally located factory in Sidney, Ohio for applications in

the United States and Canada. For detailed information about

KLINGER Quantum gasket material, call 800-990-7325 or visit the

company’s website at www.thermosealinc.com.

December 2010

It was said previously that UV light has two

important characteristics (wavelength and intensity). For the

photoinitiator to react properly, it must be exposed to light

of the correct wavelength and of su¤ cient intensity and

duration. Otherwise, the reaction will not happen completely

or quickly. The result will be poor or inconsistent curing or will

take an extremely long time to a¦ ect the cure.

Types of UV adhesives and Coatings: There are a

wide variety of UV-curing materials available for a broad range

of applications. UV-curing likely has been used to protect

laminated ° ooring or to coat “peel and stick” labels.

Some of the most common types of adhesives and

coatings are:

• Epoxy adhesives which use a catalytic cure mechanism

are available. The catalyst is a by-product from the

reaction of the photoinitiator to the UV light. (A catalyst,

by de� nition, is something that promotes a chemical

reaction but is not consumed in the reaction.) One

consequence of this is that UV-curing epoxy adhesives

can exhibit a shadow curing capability. In other words,

material that is not exposed to UV light will cure

eventually. Epoxy adhesives are easy to modify for special

purposes. They can be � lled with carbon, silver or gold to

provide electrical conductivity. Other addititives can be

used to enhance thermal conductivity while maintaining

electrical insulation.

• Acrylic adhesives result from an entirely di¦ erent

chemisty and a di¦ erent type of photoinitiator. A free

radical mechanism performs the curing. The free radicals

are produced by the photoinitiator when it is exposed to

ultraviolet light; however the free radicals are consumed

in the cure process. This means that the acrylics adhesives

can only core where UV light is delivered. At least one of

the components must be UV-transparent to some degree.

• Speci� cally formated silicone coatings will cure with

UV exposure. It is intended primarily as a protective

coating for both rigid and ° exible printed electrical

circuitry. It is usually applied by dipping, spraying or

brushing. It has also been used extensively as a gasket

coating and can be applied by dipping, spraying or

UV (Ultraviolet) Curing By: Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies

Materials that cure using ultraviolet light provide a

convenient cure on demand capability. Other compounds that

cure at room temperature must be mixed and used within an

often tight time window to obtain optimum properties and

results.

Typically there is no mixing necessary for UV-curing

materials and there is no requirement to use the dispensed

material within a certain short time period. It is more convenient

for the user.

UV curing materials are typically adhesives, inks and

coatings.

What is UV light?: Ultraviolet light is a particular part of

the light spectrum, typically considered to be in the wavelength

range from 200nm (nanometers) to 400 nm. Light in this

same range is also useful in water puri� cation, semiconductor

lithography, sun tanning and ahhesive and coating curing. Since

UV light falls below the visible part of the ligth spectrum, UV

light cannot be seen. This is an important consideration since

another important factor is the intesity. Special equipment, a

radiometer, is required to measure the intensity of UV light. The

intensity of light falling on a surface is measured in milliwatts per

square centimeter (mw/cm2).

UV-Curing Adhesives and Coatings: Virtually every

high performance adhesive has at least two components. An

example of this is Epoxy and the most notable exception to

this is contact cement, where only a single material is handled.

For the contact adhesive to work, a solvent must evaporate

from the product, leaving the actual bonding resin behind.

This evaporation also produces a volumetric loss so that the

thickness of adhesive laid on the surface will diminish with

the evaporation. The solvent carrier is often an environmental

hazard.

In an ultraviolet curing material, there are also two

components. One part is the resin itself and the second

component already mixed in, called a photoinitiator. The secret

of the photoinitiator is that it will not react within the resin itself.

The photoinitiator must absorb ultraviolet light before anything

happens. When the UV light is delivered, the photoinitiator will

undergo a chemical reaction and produce by -products that

cause the material to cure the coating to gel.Continued on Page 7.

December 2010

Static Electricity and Ways to Prevent It

By: Michael Thyberg, Technical Service Manager, Adchem Corp.

Edited by: Gary Guzek, Sealing Devices, Inc. As users and converters of pressure sensitive tapes

and other rolled materials, we need to understand electricity:

where it develops, the dangers associated with it, and, of

course, ways to control it. Static electricity is much more

prevalent in low humidity conditions and the coming months

are typically the driest months of the year.

What is static electricity?

Static electricity builds up when one surface is

positively charged and the other surface is negatively

charged. Nature’s desire for balance causes the charges to

attract one another, resulting in the discharge that we call

static. On a small scale, you see static discharge in the form

of a spark when you touch a doorknob after walking across a

carpet. On a much larger scale, when the electrical potential

occurs between clouds and the Earth, the resulting discharge

is in the form of a lightning bolt.

What static has to do with the use of a PSA tape or plastic

� lm?

The act of unwinding and winding a rolled product

like a pressure sensitive tape or a plastic � lm creates a build

up of positive and negative charges which, eventually, may

lead to a static electricity discharge. This discharge can be

small and simply go unnoticed or it may be very large and

potentially dangerous. If you have ever felt the hair on your

arms stand up when near an unwinding roll of tape, you have

felt static electricity. Films are particularly prone to creating a

static build up.

Why is static a problem to me?

• The discharge of static electricity may be only a small

shock or build to the point that a lightning bolt-like spark

will reach out and strike the operator, delivering life

threatening voltage.

• Static discharge is a spark. Areas with ° ammable liquids

or gases must remain spark-free at all times. A static build

up in such areas can be potentially life threatening.

• The accumulation of electrostatic charges can cause

problems, even if ESD events do not occur. If static

charges are not neutralized, sheets of materials will stick

together, creating jams in downstream processes.

• Electrostatic � elds also attract dust particles, � bers, bugs

and hair, which result in surface contamination. This

causes obvious quality problems in printing, coating and

laminating, as well as cleanliness problems with medical

PSA applications. Moreover, static charges can cause

uneven coatings and “wicking” of inks, and pressure

sensitive tape carrying a static charge can damage

sensitive electronic components.

• The release of energy seen and felt in a static discharge

can damage the release liner of the product being

unwound. When the silicone is disrupted by static, it will

no longer function as a release system in the area a¦ ected

by the discharge.

• For example, if you are rewinding large rolls of tape to

Continued on Page 10.

UV (Ultraviolet) CuringContinued from Page 6

brushing. It has also been used extensively as a gasket

coating and can be applied by roll coating (if the viscosity

is adjusted properly) at a thickness of .0005” to .0001”.

With the proper UV exposure equipment, cures can be

accomplished in as little as one minute. A typical silicone

based coating features: Rapid UV cure; Solvent free;

Shadow cure; Variable viscosites when viscosity control is

required for the application method.

UV Cured silicone gasket coatings have excellent

performance in a wide variety of gasket applications.

Conclusion: The use of ultraviolet light to cure

adhesives and coating has many bene� ts to product

manufacturers. Among them is ease of use, ° exibility,

reduced environmental considerations (no solvent), process

consistency and availability. When proper material slection is

made and best practices for curing are made, the potential for

consistent, high quality, high performance products can be

obtained.

December 2010

Fall 2010 Meeting PhotosJW Marriott Resort & Spa - Las Vegas

Steve Hanson, GFA President, at the Semi-Annual Dinner Don Scantling with Ecore International acknowledged as a

long time GFA Member at the Semi-Annual Dinner

Chuck Keeley with CGR Products presenting

at the General Session

First Time Attendees: J.G. Koehnemann, 3M; Mike Brock,

Rogers Corporation; Joe Matthew, AM Rubber & Foam Gaskets;

Ted & Dianne Flewwelling, I.R.P. Industrial Rubber Ltd.

First Time Attendees: Fred Perenic, Argent International;

Bill & Linda Cline, LGS Technologies;

Stephanie & Jason Henderson, LGS Technologies

First Time Attendees: Tom Miller, Arlon;

Lynn Perenic, Argent Tape & Label; Rich Parry, MACtac;

Mary Kay Renaud, Argent International

December 2010

December 2010

smaller rolls, your customer may have defective material

because it will no longer unwind properly at that spot.

How do I deal with static?

The � rst step is to identify the ‘hot’ areas, those

that seem to be generating the highest static charge. This

can be accomplished with a small, inexpensive handheld

electrostatic � eld meter. You will reach your own comfort

level but in general, action should be taken when the charge

approaches 10 (either +10 or -10). There are numerous ways

to control static in your facility.

Humidity

Keeping the relative humidity above 50% will

lessen the likelihood of static. This can be accomplished

with a humidi� cation system such as a simple series of water

misters.

Static Control Devices

Three types of static control devices are commonly

used in production facilities where tapes and other rolled

goods are used and converted: grounded pads, passive

ionizers and active ionizers.

Grounded pads, also called antistatic protected

° oor mats, provide operators with limited protection

from ESDs due to induction charging of the human body.

If the operator is standing on a properly grounded pad

(connected to ground with a proper current-limiting

resistor) and with conductive footware (not rubber soles),

the pad can reduce operator shocks. But grounded pads do

not eliminate the other problems caused by static electricity

and do not protect the operator from direct discharge from

a highly charged unwind or rewind roll for example.

Ionizers o¦ er a more e¦ ective approach. Ionizers

produce large quantitites of both positive and negative air

ions. These ions are directed to areas where electrostatically

charged surfaces require neutralization. The ions of opposite

polarity are attracted to the charged surface until electrical

equilibrium is achieved.

There are two general types of ionizers and active

ionizers. Passive ionizers, also called induction ionizers,

include static tinsel and static string, which are simply grounded

emitters placed parallel with and close to the charged material.

The electrical energy of the charged material will excite the

passive ionizer, causing it to generate air ions of the opposite

polarity. If properly positioned, a passive ionizer can successfully

reduce bulk electrostatic charges. Typically, an active ionizer

may follow the induction ionizer to “clean up” residual charges,

especially in critical applications.

Passive ionizers have the advantage of low purchase

costs. However, a passive ionizer is highly operator-dependent.

It must be positioned at the correct distance from the web,

and not come in contact with it. If it comes in contact with the

charged material, it may become ine¦ ective and the � laments

will wear o¦ and contaminate the web and the machinery. If

positioned too close, it can overcompensate and result in a

charge of the opposite polarity. It must be replaced whenever

it becomes dirty or damaged. Active ionizers have a higher

purchase cost, but are much more reliable and require minimal

maintenance. Unlike the passive ionizers, they are electrically

operated or use radioactive materials for the ion source, and are

not dependent on local conditions or the electrostatic charge on

the web.

The most common type of ionizer for PSA and � lm

applications is the high output static neutralizer bars. They are

highly e¤ cient, electrically powered bars which are permanently

mounted across the web. Another type of active ionizer is a

static blower, which uses fans to blow positively and negaitvely

ionized air at the moving web, thus neutralizing the charged

surfaces.

Consult a trained static control engineer to evaluate

your facility and determine the best option for controlling

static on your equipment. For the safety and well being of your

employees, your products and your customers, maintaining a

static free environment is critical.

Static Electricity and Ways to Prevent It(Continued from Page 7)

If you have questions you would like to see answered in future issues, please send them

by email to [email protected].

static on your equipment. For the safety and well being of your static on your equipment. For the safety and well being of your

employees, your products and your customers, maintaining a employees, your products and your customers, maintaining a employees, your products and your customers, maintaining a

static free environment is critical. static free environment is critical.

If you have questions you would like to see answered in future issues, please send them

by email to [email protected].

December 2010

Design of Experiment (DOE)By: Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies


Note: I o� er information on this subject only so that

you are aware of the use of this technique by others. The scale

of your processes may not warrant its use. It is however widely

used in large organizations to help in their design of costly

processes and in the development of new products. During this

research I found the widespread use of DOE in:

the initial applications in the � eld of agriculture. Other

contributiors to Designed Experiments have included Rao,

Plackett, Burman, Box, Taguchi, Barker, Derringer and many

others. Until the early 1980’s, Designed Experiments were

usually set up and run by specialists within an organization.

Today, with the advent of readily available software, the non-

statistical person can successfully set up and analyze simple

but powerful experiments. Design of Experiments has been

used extensively by DuPont, Dow Chemical, BF Goodrich and

others for over 30 years. DOE was introduced in Japan in the

early 1960’s. Taguchi’s methods became known in the USA

in the early 1980’s when Toyota, Honda, Canon and many

others overtook their American counterparts with high

quality products.

DISCUSSION

Many processes can be complex with a lot of

independent variables or relatively simple with few variables,

but the production equipment involved in creating the

� nished product can be complex and expensive. The need

is to design the process to produce the highest quality and

lowest cost � nal product.

You may be struggling to answer these questions

on your key precuts:

• Which experiments do I run?

• How do I analyze data?

• What are the key relationships?

• What is the optimum?

• Will the product be consistent?

Is there internal pressure to:

• Reduce time to market?

• Develop custom products quickly?

• Develop products faster?

• Improve R&D productivity?

• Run your process more e¤ ciently?

It is smart to develop a pilot production capability

to determine the optimum conditions before incurring the

great investment in fully capable high volume equipment.

• Plastics

• Marketing

• Pharmaceuticals

• Sports Equipment

• Medical Equipment

• Paint and Formulations

• Paper

• Adhesives

• Automotive Parts

• Printers and Inks

• Packaging

• Semiconductor Devices

• Food and Beverage

• ...more For those wanting to get their feet wet, there is a lot of

information on the web including sources for training and

software.

INTRODUCTION

The term experiment is de� ned as the systematic

procedure carried out under controlled condition in order to

discover an unknown e¦ ect, to test or establish a hypothesis

or to illustrate a known e¦ ect. When analyzing a process,

experiments are often used to evaluate which process inputs

have signi� cant impact on the process output and what the

target level of those inputs should be to achieve a desired

result (output). Experiments can be designed in di¦ erent

ways to collect this information. Design of Experiments

(DOE) is also referred to as Designed Experiment or

Experimental Design.

Experimental design can be used to reduce

design costs by speeding up the design process, reducing

late engineering design changes, and reducing product

material and labor complexity. Designed Experiments are

also powerful tools to achieve manufacturing cost savings

by minimizing process variation and reducing rework, scrap,

and the need for inspection.

HISTORY

Design of Experiments has been in practice since

the early 1900’s. Developed in England, R.A. Fisher led

December 2010

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December 2010


Design of Experiment(Continued from Page 11)

This pilot process should have the wide range of parameter

control.

The basic steps involved in DOE are the following:

• De� ne the control variables (Typical control parameters

might be time; temperature; speed; atmosphere;

pressure, etc. )

• Determine desired outputs

• Design Model for the experiment. Below is just one

typical model for a certain set of parameters. Make the

range of each variable as wide as possible.

• Randomize the order of the testing. This is important in

screening out unknown parameters.

• Analyze data through regression analysis.

• Plot appropriate results (DOE software will do this as well

as set up the model)

• Verify � ndings.

Below is one design of a DOE model:

Each set of experiments requires a Design Model.

Because each product and process has a di¦ erent set of

input and output parameters. I will sight one example

as it would be applied in gasketing. Proper analysis will

dictate the particular model design bases on the number

of variables and the number of repeated data points. One

of the fundamentals of the conduction of the test phase is

that the order of experiments are completely randomized.

If the model calls for each set of identical parameters to be

repeated three times, they must not be three samples taken

from the same setup, but one from three random separate

setups.

The reason that there are multiple data points is to

determine the consistency and repeatability of outputs and

to be able to determine statistics of the process.

GASKET RELATED EXAMPLE

There is a UV (Ultra-Violet) activated silicone gasket

coating. The process consists of roller coating a gasket and

then passing under a series of high-intensity UV light source

on a moving conveyer. The UV light activates the curing of

the coating. Once activated, the coating will change from a

liquid to a solid with time. The control variables in the set of

experiment would be:

• Coating thickness (controlled at the roll coater)

• UV intensity (controlled at the light source)

• Conveyer speed (in feet/minute)

The output variable would be time to complete

the curing process in seconds. The object is to � nd the

appropriate conveyer speed and UV intensity which will yield

a fully cured coating without undesireable attributes such as

bubbles. The UV light produces a lot of radiant heat which

can cause bubbling or burning if the speed is too low and

the intesity too high. The importance of determining the time

to cure is that the coating must be cured before turning the

gasket over and coating the other side in the same process

so duing the curing process the gasket must remain on the

conveyer. The time to cure will determine the physical length

of the conveyer thus ° oor space required for the process.

Through computer statistical analysis of the data gleamed

from these experiments, statistical curves such as the ones

on the next page can be generated.

NON-GASKET EXPERIMENT: (THE BASIS OF THE EXAMPLE

AND RESULTS WERE TAKEN FROM A PRESENTATION OF

REGIS BETSCH, PhD OF VELOCITY POINT)

Here is an example of results from a DOE to determine

the proper process parameter levels for the bond strength for

potato chip bag seals.

The problem was de� ned as:

• The bag of potato chips MUST stay sealed during

shipment and stocking of shelves

• The bag should easily open when the customer wants a

chip

• It was initially determined that a bond strength

speci� cation of 82+-5 psi would meet the above criteria

The control variables were duration of clamp

pressure (0.2 seconds to 2.0 seconds) and temperature (120C

to 180C) and Clamp pressure (50 psi to 150 psi) were chosen.

It was determined that an experiment which would

predict the desired results would require an experiment with

20 runs (15 unique and 5 replicated).

The 20 trials were run and the data analyzed to give:

What is plotted in the � rst chart the family of

constant bonds lines represent the bond levels as a function

of Temperature and Duration with a clamp pressure of 100

psi. The process will yield the desired 85+-5 psi with a process

temperature of 120C and duration of 1.75 sec, OR at 160C and

.4 seconds.

SOFTWARE

There are a lot of good software providers with

programs speci� cally designed for the Design of Experiments.

This software can do the modeling and the analysis of your

data and most providers o¦ er training for the users. I attended

courses given by DuPont Chemical and by one of the initial

software developers for the Design of Experiments, Velocity

Pointe with their ECHIP software.

Design of Experiment(Continued from Page 13)

December 2010

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December 2010

Below are the results from the Benchmarking Survey,

which was undertaken to give GFA members a thumbnail

sketch of how other members are fairing at this time.

We had 25 out of 59 Fabricator responses.

1. Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to

Previous Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

22 1 2

88% 4% 8%

2. Current Quarter Sales Projection Compared

to Last Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

17 3 5

68% 12% 20%

We had 28 out of 68 Supplier responses.

1. Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to

Previous Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

24 1 3

86% 4% 11%

2. Current Quarter Sales Projection Compared

to Last Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

18 2 8

64% 7% 29%

Benchmarking Report

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December 2010

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