The Day Job - We hit Ludicrous Speed

[imschur]

Last year the company purchased a used paper slitting machine to add some capacity. The boss is pretty cheap so this machine was an early 70's era dinosaur. While he got it for a fair price I know inevitably there is an underlyng story that will become my headache, blood and ass. End of April we took delivery of what I refer too today as the 72 Camaro. After about a week of installation woes we fired the machine up. Aster a few hours of operating every hydraulic cylinder began leaking, belts started cracking. Some of the controls were installed to look as they they worked when in fact they did not. It was like a comedy show. Now began the task of restoring the Camaro. As luck would have it every cylinder on the machine was custom in one way or another. Several drive belts were custom lengths and types. Then while sorting through all of this the 40 year old Reliance DC Drive developed a mind of it's own. For all intents and purposes the machine needed a complete rebuild. Now because my direct boss is clueless and the business owner lives in a fantasy world where he believes all parts are a day away and everything is easy the give me and my guy until June first to get the machine running. On several occasions I was quoted as saying "are you people fuking nuts". My words fell on deaf ears. So finally I sat to my direct boss. Here's your choice. Do you want it running on June 1 or do you want the machine running properly on June 1. He chose option 1. True to my word I had the machine running. Once again It was comical to watch as stuff kept breaking. The machine stopped returnng to a zero speed. Now to make it more interesting they hire a new guy to replace my direct boss who's retiring. They stick this poor bastard on the machine to gain experience. He is an accountant by nature. To say he learned an experience was an understatement. The machine plugs along producing product that needs to be reworked on other machines for about a month. At this pont, last week of June my direct boss says "you know July is usually slow I think we should shut the machine down and fix everything else thats wrong with it" At this point I laugh in his face and ask him once again if he is "fuking nuts" That we really needed to make this decision 6 weeks ago to schedule the work that needed to be done by others as well as get parts on order that take 4-6 weeks to get. This is after all when a lot of companies shut down and a busy time for the specialty machine shops that do things like re-cover rubber rolls or centerless grind steel rollers.

Two weeks go by. The Friday Im heading for vacation they call me into the office for a meeting to discuss shutting the machine down. I finally get them to understand we need to "schedule" with others and just offering the vendors an extra $100 to "squeeze us in" is laughable.

Upon my return from vacation we start taking the machine apart. On day three we remove this big pain in the butt roller that needs resurfaced and crate it up for shipping. Next day the VP from sales calls me and my direct boss for a meeting. We got a hot rush from a customer and we need to run it on the slitter. Now keep in mind we have the pain in the butt roller out of the machine. The motor and drive have been removed and numerous control ripped out. They ask me how long to assemble the machine back. To their horror I tell them 5 days minimum as some of the items there is no going back. So now they tell me to not do anything. The machine sits idle why we see if we can figure out another way to "slit" the rolls. (Ill post that video next week"

So finally I get the all clear this past Friday to continue restoring the 72 Comaro. As a side bar I noticed Thursday that my future boss has cleand out his cubicle and all personal effects are gone.

I think tomorrow will be interesting and I will be back to living at the office.

BTW did I mention the weather has been brutal, we have no windows, fans or AC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymzh7YAlZng

[98Z5V]

I might be able to help with the hydraulic cylinders, custom or not.  <thumbsup>

[unforgiven]

That was great <laughs>,second vid, no shortage of those guys VERY BIG family. <lmao> The project I'm on now the architect has up hanging duct in open area [nothing to hang from] under escalators skyhooks on order :o.And black iron from hoods runs into steel girder,can't set underneath and come back up because a trap will be created.Those muckity mucks at the top don't have a clue and the contractor wants to know why the job ran out of time. :cookoo:I feel your pain brother Drew at least taking thier money to fix the screwups softens the agravation [more suppressors] arms. <thumbsup>

[shepp]

wow id be busting peoples skulls!! being cheap is never the better route!!!

[imschur]

Cylinders were done first go around, thanks though. Even have a few spares because I think my lack of digits caused me to count incorrectly...twice  <laughs>

This time its about restoring massive rollers so they are round, flat and balanced and  bringing the electonics  up to at least Y2K standards.  <lmao> Ac motor, drive, closed loop tension control, safety devices etc.

I think Edgecrusher can relate to what is important on this type of machine and the fits imperfection can create.

We have one rubber covered roller, "The Bitch", it's about 7" diameter 6" of which are steel and about 85" long. It is worn about .060 in the center 60 inches or so. The geniuses cant grasp the speed relationship is different at the two diameters. Not to mention the surface contact is uneven and causes issues. "Well we are going to let you fix this but we dont think it's the big deal your making out of it"  :cookoo: and my favorite "can you mount some sort of lathe tool in the machine and move it by hand to recut the rollers?"  :o

You cant make this stuff up.

I forgot to mention while I was on vacation they managed to break the 2 ton hoists at both ends of the machine. This really blows my minds as our heaviest rolls are only about a ton. AND the hoists are designed to slip under excessive load, not break teeth on gears.

25 Years of doing this and I have never seen hoist failures like ths.

On top of all this I am head of IT, an army of one, and we are implementing a new weighing, barcode/labeling system begining this week.

Did I mention I havent seen a salary increase in over 10 years  >:(

I might be able to help with the hydraulic cylinders, custom or not.  <thumbsup>

[Microgunner]

The boss' screw ups = job security.

[edgecrusher]

Drew, are you sure are jobs don't mirror each other? that thing isn't an old Jagenberg is it? our job is trying to buy some center wind drumless winders, and they probably paid double the price to make the one run they bought. I'm glad we share the same problem with management. We are slow right now yet i've worked five weeks straight, 72 hr/6 day weeks, them having me train idiots who put their hands in places they don't belong while the machine is chugging along between 2000 to 4000 fpm. Can't wait till we get together, uoght to have some good stories!

[imschur]

Our machine is unique ripoff of a Cameron 3 drum made by Arrow.