quote:
Originally posted by Hajoca:
The difference in GM or Toyota Engine blocks is not the difference in the designed thickness, between cylinders, and from cylinder wall to oil passage, or water jacket.
Instead, I have seen casings pass through a more vigorous screening for quality, and they also have a higher scrap rates.
I have been at Ford in Windsor Ontario, Canada, where the 6 sigma quality assurance system is touted, even on the internal TV network at teh Ford plants, but I do question the actual productivity if the shipped product is held to the 6 sigma standard... which targets 3 to 4 scraps per million pieces. I have studied aluminum castings for years and still cannot figure that out, It is an ambitious taarget to say the least. Just the weather variations can affect that number!
Aluminum is a very picky material that needs the right amount of alloying to cast properly. Especially the harder alloys with more Si.