Assembly.

part handling

Introduction

In the past, heavy equipment manufacturing probably would not lead to thoughts of cleanliness.
The way our products are used - mining deep within a quarry, clearing land for a new road, or laying
pipeline to carry fuel is almost certain to provide challenging operating conditions. With the
passage of time, fuel, hydraulic, and electrical systems have gotten much more complex, resulting
in higher system pressures and tighter tolerances. This lesson will help you understand the
importance of controlling contamination – so our machines can keep producing – day after day.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson you will be able to:

Recognize the concept of contamination control at Caterpillar.Recognize several common

contaminants.Identify methods of preventing contamination in Assembly operationsDistinguish
acceptable practices in general assembly situations

What is contamination.

Contamination by definition is an impurity – something that doesn’t belong. By applying this

concept to our products and the systems that make them function, we define contamination as
anything that doesn’t belong in a system. This can include: dirt, paint flakes, cigarette butts, weld
berries, dust, metal wear particles and other things that are on surfaces. It also includes free-
floating particles contained in fluids, or other liquids that don’t belong.

Formula for Success

Caterpillar's Success Formula for contamination control: Clean Facilities, plus Clean Components,
parts, and fluids, plus Clean assembly Processes add up to Clean Products. Clean products run
better for our customers, and keep them coming back.

What is Clean?

Each person has a different idea of what “clean” is. You might think the water in a glass is clean,
until you look at it under a microscope. Then, you can see many impurities. Fortunately, there are
procedures in place to control the amount of impurities in fluids such as the water we drink.
Contamination control is a process to develop and maintain a standard for acceptable levels of
contamination in the fluids we put in our products. It also establishes practices that make those
standards measurable and attainable.
Focal Point of Quality

So, why is contamination control important to an assembler? Engineers design the systems and
planners implement the processes, but assemblers handle the parts, install components, fill fluids,
and make sure things run properly. You are the final point of contact before product goes out the
door and into the hands of dealers, customers, and end-users. Quality is truly in your hands.

Effects of Contamination

Cleanliness translates into a better product for our customers. When unacceptable levels of
contamination are present, the customer is not receiving the performance and productivity
purchased. High contaminant levels accelerate component wear and decrease service life. They
contribute to:

Cylinder driftErratic transmission shiftingSeizure of partsHigher fluid temperaturesSlower

performanceMore frequent service intervalsHigher operating costs, and ultimately – catastrophic
failure

Measurement

Overview

Now that you know its important to keep things clean, you also need to know what Caterpillar
means by the term “clean”. We used the term “acceptable levels of contamination” earlier, which at
Caterpillar requires an understanding of the term “micron”. If you were served a meal that had a
human hair visible, you’d probably describe it as “unclean”. Here are some sizes that relate to that
human hair.

Human Hair = 80 microns (approx. .0032")

.001" = 25 microns (1)1 micron (um) = .00004" (2)10 micron (um) = .0001" (3)

Microns

Let’s compare that human hair to the smallest visible particles, which are approximately 40
microns in diameter. Hydraulic and lubrication systems normally require control of particles in the
range of 6-15 microns. Fuel injection components and electro-magnetic control valves in hydraulic
systems have even less tolerance for contamination - so it is evident that even dirt u