Customer Requirement & Initial Situation
- A leading Automotive OEM approached AMSOL for the development of precision gear components.
- Their initial request: Manufacture gears through conventional machining processes.
- Customer’s challenges with conventional gear machining:
- o High production cost due to multiple machining operations.
- o Longer cycle times for each gear.
- o Difficulty in meeting high-volume demand.
Limitations of Conventional Gear Machining
- Material wastage due to subtractive machining.
- High tooling cost for large production volumes.
- Slower production cycle, making it hard to scale.
- Cost inefficiency for long-term supply programs.
AMSOL’s Innovative Solution
- Proposed Powder Metallurgy / Sintering Process for gear manufacturing instead of machining.
- Key advantages of sintered gears:
- o Near-net shape manufacturing → minimal machining required.
- o Lower material waste, hence reduced cost.
- o High repeatability & precision suitable for automotive standards.
- o Faster production cycle for high-volume supply.
Execution Steps by AMSOL
- Conducted feasibility study comparing conventional machining vs. sintering.
- Developed sintered tooling and process parameters for gear production.
- Manufactured prototype gears and validated them for:
- o Dimensional accuracy.
- o Hardness & mechanical properties.
- o Performance under load.
- Customer conducted technical evaluation and approved the sintered solution.
- Secured a long-term supply contract for 1 million gears over the next 5 years.
Achieved Results
- 35–40% cost reduction compared to conventional machining.
- Faster production cycle, meeting OEM’s demand for high volumes.
- All technical requirements met, ensuring OEM approval.
- Secured 5-year business commitment – 1 million parts to be supplied.
- Strengthened AMSOL’s position as a trusted innovation partner for automotive customers.
Customer Benefits
- Lower cost of ownership due to reduced part cost.
- Reliable high-volume supply chain with AMSOL’s sintered process.
- Faster time-to-market for their automotive programs.
- Assurance of consistent quality across all supplied gears.
AMSOL Value Proposition
This project demonstrates AMSOL’s ability to :
- Adopt advanced processes like powder sintering to replace conventional methods
- Deliver cost, speed, and quality advantages in high-volume automotive components.
- Partner with global OEMs for long-term supply programs.