MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

Manufacturing the lawn mower requires precision inventory control, strategic placement of
parts and personnel, and synchronization of people and tasks. There are many
manufacturing processes involved in this production. Some of them are discussed below.

Raw Materials:

The typical gas-powered walk-behind mower may have as many as 270 individual parts,
including a technologically advanced two- or four-cycle engine, a variety of machined and
formed parts, various subassemblies purchased from outside contractors, and many pieces
of standard hardware. Most of these pieces are metal, including the major components:
mower pan, handlebar, engine, and blades. A few, however, are made of plastic, such as
side discharge chutes, covers, and plugs.

Manufacturing and assembly:

Various required components are manufactured separately and arrive at the plant for final
assembly. For example, steel bars, rubber and plastic parts are manufactured in respective
factories, and brought to the lawnmower plant. After arriving there, the components are
moved by forklifts or overhead trolleys to other centres for forming, machining, painting, or,
if they require no additional work upon arrival, assembly. Then, various parts are formed,
painted and assembled. This is where the various manufacturing processed come in.

The steel mower pan, the largest single part and one used in various models, is first
machine-stamped under great heat and pressure. The pan is then transported to a robotic
cell, where a plasma cutter creates apertures in it. (Highly ionized gases used in a torch for
both cutting and welding) The pan is the main component in the manufacturing, and other
parts are fixed to this in the process

After other elements such as baffles (deflecting plates) are welded on, the finished pan and
a number of other exposed parts are powder painted in a sealed room. Powder painting
entails thoroughly washing the parts in alkaline and phosphate solutions and rinsing them to
seal the surfaces. The parts are then attached to overhead conveyors and run through a
paint booth. Fine paint particles are sprayed from a gun that imbues them with an
electrostatic charge—opposite to the charge given to the part being painted—that causes
the paint to adhere to the surface of the parts evenly. Next, the parts are baked in ovens to
produce a permanently fixed, enamel-like coating. The pan and other parts are now ready to
withstand years of exposure to corrosive grass fluids and the constant peppering from dirt
and debris kicked up in the cutting process.

The shell is painted using electrostatic methods and then baked to seal the paint.
Meanwhile, the handlebar is bent and pierced by robots, and then the remaining
components are assembled, connecting them to the main part with the pan.
The bars and grips have to be carefully manufactured, taking ergonomics and safety factors
into consideration. The handlebar is usually created in a robotic cell whose mechanical arms
perform three operations. In a bender, the tubing is first bent in at least four places. A
second press operation flattens the ends, and a third pierces fourteen or so round and
square holes in the tubing. These holes will accommodate the starting mechanism, blade
and wheel drive control, and the pan attachment. The finished handlebar is then
transported to a subassembly station, where many of the controls are added.

The subassemblies used in this process are produced with formed and machined materials
and standard hardware. Parts purchased from outside suppliers include; engines built to
manufacturer's physical and performance specifications, tires, shift mechanisms, wiring
harnesses, and bearings. Injection-moulded plastic parts are purchased for use in side
discharge chutes, covers, and plugs. (Injection moulding is a manufacturing process in which
molten plastic is squirted into a mould and then allowed to cool. As it cools, the plastic
assumes the shape of the mould.)

Assembly teams put the six or more major subassemblies together on a rolling line at a pace
determined by the task and skills required. The engine is first placed upside down in a frame
fixture, and the mower pan is bolted down along with the drive mechanism. Then the rear
axle, brackets, and rods to secure the shift controls are assembled.
The blade and accompanying clutch wheels and parts are fastened to the engine through
the pan opening with preset air-driven torque wrenches. After another team member adds
hardware and wheels, the unit is flipped onto its wheels. The handlebar is attached, and
control cables are secured and set. Finally, the mower is performance-tested before
shipment to dealers, where some final set-up adjustments are made.

Inspectors monitor the manufacturing

process throughout the production run, checking fits, seams, tolerances, and finishes. In
particular, the paint operation is scrutinized. Samples of each painted part are regularly
pulled off the line for ultrasonic testing, a process that utilizes the corrosion activity created
in a salt bath to simulate 450 hours of continuous exposure to the natural environment.
Painted parts are also scribed and the deterioration of the exposed surface watched for tell-
tale signs of rust. If needed, the paint or cleaning cycles are adjusted to assure high quality
and durable finishes.

Final performance testing guarantees reliability and safety for users. A small quantity of a
gas/oil mixture is added to each engine. A technician cranks the engine and checks its rpm
with a gauge; drive elements and safety switches are also checked. As required by current
Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations, the mower blade, when running, must
stop within three seconds after the control handle is released. So here too, the safety and
ergonomics factors are taken into consideration.

The manufacturing process is an important feature in the building of any device. It is a

deciding factor in the cost, marketability, user friendliness and efficiency of a product. The
designing of a product is done taking it’s manufacturability into account. Improving the
efficiency of the manufacturing process is therefore an important goal for an engineer.