Curriculum Vitae

Of

David Alkire Smith

530 Hollywood Drive

Monroe, Michigan 48162-2943

Phone 734-242-5589

Fax 734-242-8413

Cell 734-479-4686

E-Mail: dsmith@smithassoc.com

Web Site: http://www.smithassoc.com/

Education

Monroe County Community College, Monroe, MI
Associate of Applied Science, December 1975

Western Electric Company Columbus, Ohio Works

Journeyman Tool & Die Maker, February 1965
 

Memberships

Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Fabricators and Manufacturers Association

SAE International

ASM International

The Audio Engineering Society

The Society for the History of Technology

The Society for Industrial Archeology

American Radio Relay League

American Rifle Association

Public Service

Former Director, City of Monroe Economic Development Corporation

Member Monroe Zoning Board of Appeals

Synopsis of Work Experience

Prior to starting my tool & die apprentice, I worked as a press operator and diesetter on difficult compound, progressive die work as well as thermoplastic injection molding thermosetting phenolic transfer molding operations encapsulating nickel silver wires used in multiple contact wire spring telephone relays.  This included transfer line welding of gold, platinum and palladium.

The apprenticeship involved a rigid program of very traditional instruction requiring mastery of all tasks before advancement and graduation.  The apprenticeship involved making new dies and repairing the dies for the operations listed above performed in the pressroom.  Operations included profile surface grinders work using toolmakers microscopes.   The wire spring relays had many wires each of which had to bent to exceeding close tolerances involving 20 or more operations.

Automotive Experience

Employment commenced with Ford Motor Company as a diemaker 1965 through 1988.  I served much of my career as a die maker and die tryout group leader at The Ford Motor Company.  There I successfully completed many specialized assignments involving metal formability, electronic instrumentation of the stamping process, and quick die change involving progressive, tandem die and transfer press tooling.  I am still active with Ford as a consultant and trainer.

Consulting, Training and Writing Experience

In 1987, the consulting formed Smith & Associates, a sole proprietorship providing metal stamping, power press and allied topic consulting services.  This developed into a career change that has worked into a full time job, which included reference publications edition, writing and video development. 

As President of Smith & Associates, I consult on metal stamping process and press damage problems for all sizes and classes of work.  Providing customized training course manuals and or in-plant training on a variety of pressworking topics is a unique specialty.

These services are delivered to many Fortune 100 and 500 companies, as well as many small firms engaged in metal stamping.  The products they produce range from surgical goods to elevated water towers.  I have 45 years of experience solving press and die related problems.  The client base includes primary steel makers, steel processors, big three automakers, automotive contract stampers, general contract stampers, precision stampers, instrument manufacturers and explosive manufacturers.

Reference Publications

D. Smith, Editor, Die Design Handbook, © The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, 1990. 928 pages cloth-bound.

D. Smith, Author, Quick Die Change, The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1991. 357 pages cloth-bound. 

D. Smith, Developer, Video, Quick Die Change, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1992. Includes two and one half hours of video training and a 582 page soft-bound facilitator's guide divided into 26 training sessions.

D. Smith Author, Fundamentals of Pressworking, The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1994, 416 pages cloth-bound.

D. Smith Author, Optimizing Your Pressworking Operations, Custom Published by Smith & Associates, Monroe, Michigan, © 2001, 402 pages plastic spiral bound.

D. Smith Author, Die Maintenance Handbook, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 2001, 400 pages cloth-bound.

Note:  The above list may be incomplete because of many other works that have had chapters edited by the writer and video scripts that I have edited or proof read.  These may show up in literature searches

Technical Papers and Reports

D. Smith, Why Press Slide Out of Parallel Problems Affect Part Quality and Available Tonnage, SME Technical Paper TE88-442, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1988.

D. Smith, How to Improve Hit-to-Hit Time with a Tonnage Monitor, SME Technical Paper TE88-780, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1988.

D. Smith, Adjusting Dies to a Common Shut Height, SME/FMA Technical Paper TE89-565, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, 1989.

D. Smith, Reducing Die Maintenance Costs Through Product Design, SME Technical Paper MS89-759, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1989.

D. Smith, Continuous Improvement in the Stamping Plant Through Interactive Training., SME Technical Report MM90-05, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1990.

D. Smith, Using Waveform Signature Analysis to Reduce Snap-Through Energy, SME Technical Report MF90-11, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1990.

D. Smith, How to Solve Die Impact and Noise Problems With Automotive Pull Rod Shock Absorbers, SME Technical Paper MF91-259, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1991.

D. Smith, Installing and Leveling the Press on its Foundation, SME Technical Paper MF93-109, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, © 1993.

Note: A literature search may turn up more papers extracted from proceedings documents.  The writer has spoken at so many seminars, clinics, etc. that they have may not been accurately tracked.   

Articles

Adjusting Dies to a Common Shut Height, The Stamping Quarterly, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, Spring, 1990.
 

Slide Out-of-Parallel Problems: Why they affect part quality and available tonnage, The Fabricator, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, April 1990.
 

Quick Die Change & Just in Time, Midwest Purchasing Management, January/February 1991.
 

Reducing Die Maintenance Costs Through Product Design, The Fabricator, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, January-February 1991.
 

Quick Die Change & Just in Time, Purchasing Management Magazine, February 1991.
 

Controlling Snap-Through Energy with Waveform Signature Analysis, The Stamping Quarterly, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, Summer 1991.

Quick Die Change -- A Major Factor in JIT Stamping, Metal Forming, The Precision Metal-forming Association, Richmond Heights, Ohio, April 1992.
 

Visual Indicators in the Workplace, The Fabricator, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, January-February 1993.
 

Installing and Leveling a Press on its Foundation, The Stamping Quarterly, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, Summer 1993.
 

Securing Positive Location With Progressive Dies, The Stamping Quarterly, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, May-June 1996.
 

Controlling Bend Angle: The Effect of Pad Pressure Adjustment. The Stamping Quarterly, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, July-August 1996.
 

Reducing Setup Time Through Process Improvement, Metal Forming, The Precision Metal-forming Association, Richmond Heights, Ohio, March 1997.
 

Factors to Consider for Successful Deep Drawing, The Stamping Journal, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, May-June, 1997.
 

Forming, Bending and Straightening Operations, The Stamping Journal, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, July-August, 1997.

Troubleshooting Draw Bead Applications The Fabricator, The Fabricator's and Manufacturer's Association, International, Rockford, Illinois, Spring Issue 2000.

Die Maintenance--Documentation & Tracking, Metal Forming, The Precision Metal-forming Association, Independence, Ohio, April 1992.

Note: The above list may be incomplete because of the number of articles and the likelihood that some may have been reprinted.

American Tool and Die Stamping News Series Topics

1998-04-05 Punch Head Breakage

1998-06-07 Snap Through

1998-07-08 Press Tie-Rod Pre-Stressing

1998-09-10 Die Fastening Safety Applied to Quick Die Change

1998-11-12 Diesinking Before EDM—A Historical Perspective

1999-01-02 Buying A Used Press

1999-03-04 Improve Diesetting Speed & Die Alignment

1999-05-06 Press Foundations and Machine Leveling

1999-07-08  Control Bend Angles

1999-09-10  Power Actuated Die Clamps

1999-11-12  Designing EDM Dies For Reparability

2000-01-02  Starting Strips in Progressive Dies

2000-03-04  Die Parallels

2000-05-06  Avoid Improper Die Clamping

2000-07-08  Good Cutting Punch and Die Maintenance

2000-09-10  Bolster and Ram Improvements to Aid Diesetting

2000-11-12  Repairing Damaged Die Steels and Castings

2001-01-02  Diesetting Teams Can Excel (QDC-13)

2001-03-04 Basic Principles of Press Force Monitors

2001-05-06  Dieroom Organization and Work Practices

2001-07-08  Gap Frame Presses        

2001-09-10  Avoid Die Fastening Errors In Training    

2001-11-12  Look Inside a Strain Gage Lab

2002-01-02  What is Lean Manufacturing?

2002-03-04  The Best Stamping Lot Size?

2002-05-06  Running Used Dies in a Contact Shop

2002-07-08  Why We Use Metal Stampings

Note: The above series may be incomplete and the articles are known to have been widely reprinted in Chinese and other languages in some cases without permission.

Vulcan Press

The writer has provided articles for several trade magazines published by the Vulcan Group in Birmingham, Alabama.  These were published form approximately 1999 through the present.  The following list is as accurate as possible based on information in the writers records.  In addition, these materials may have been reprinted elsewhere with or without permission.  There are also some articles based on telephone interviews with the writer that were written by Vulcan Group staff editors.

Tool Engineering in a World Economy

Controlling Inventory Costs for Spare Parts

Buying a Used Press

Ready for A Laser in Your shop?

Is your Plant Culture Ready for a Transfer Press?

Accountant’s Guide to Welded Repairs

Use the Best Punch Cutting Angle

Waveform Signature Analysis

Dealing With the Unthinkable

How Die Clearance Affects Cutting Operations

Causes of Bend-Angle Variation

An Overview of Basic Die Operations 

Solving Punch Head Breakage Problems

Hydroforming—How the Process Is Advancing

Self Published Training Materials for Customized Training Manuals

Metal Forming Modules

An Overview of the Basic Die Operations
Bending of Metals Including Wipe and Rotary Die Operations
Forming Flanges and Process Limitations
Drawing and Stretching of Metals
Stamping Analysis Techniques
Pressworking Lubricants

Metals Shearing and Cutting-the Process

Basic Shearing and Cutting Operations
How Die Clearance Affects Cutting Operations
Calculation of Cutting Force Requirements
Die Shaving Operations

Understanding Basic Die Maintenance

Basic Punch and Die Maintenance
Solutions to Punch Head Breakage Problems
Cutting Force and Snap-through Reduction Techniques
Pressure Pads and Strippers
Compound Dies and Push-Back Operations
Anti Slug Pulling Methods

Accomplishing Effective Die Maintenance

Using Metallic Springs as Die Pressure Devices
Gas and Hydraulic Die Pressure Systems
Setup Blocks

Die Materials and Treatments
Procedures and Cost for Establishing a Die Maintenance Program
Examples of Some Generic Die Standards

Large Die Setup and Maintenance

Troubleshooting Hints for Large Dies
Bottoming Progressive and Tandem Line Dies
Repairing Damaged Die Castings
How to Setup and Adjust Draw and Stretch Form Dies
Setting Single, Double and Triple Action Draw Dies

Press Operation and Maintenance

Mechanical Press Types and Nomenclature
Basic Press Electrical Control Overview
Gap Frame Presses
Straightside Presses
Hydraulic Presses
High Speed Press and Die Operations
Transfer Press and Die Operations
Press Foundations and Bed Leveling
Achieving and Maintaining Good Press Lubrication
Press Tie Rod Prestressing Theory and Procedures
Press Load Cell Testing and Machine Failure Analysis
Informal and Formal Press Inspection Procedures
Press Counterbalance Adjustment & Maintenance
An Overview of Press Safeguarding

Basic and Advanced Diesetting

An Introduction to Reducing Diesetting Changeover Time
Basic Good Diesetting Practices
Die Parallel Applications
Die Handling Transporting and Storage
Accurate Location of Dies in the Press
Locating Dies With the Press Ram
An Overview of Die Fastening
Avoiding Insecure and Improper Clamping Methods
Light Duty Mechanical Fasteners
Heavy Duty Mechanical Fasteners
Power Actuated Die Clamps
Bolster and Ram Modifications to Improve Diesetting
Additional Diesetting Procedures
Strategy for Operating Dies at A Common Shut Height
Notes of Applying Setup Reduction to Forging
An Introduction to Quick Die Change
Reducing Setup Time Through Process Improvement

Coil Feeding Equipment Theory and Practice

Basic Equipment for Decoiling and Straightening Coil Stock
Press Stock Loop Control Methods and Devices
Press Coil Stock Feeding Devices
Setting Progressive Dies Quickly and Accurately

Die Sensing and Force Monitoring

An Overview of in Die Sensing Systems
Basic Principles of Press Force Monitors
Load Cells and Strain Sensors for Pressworking Applications
Waveform Signature Analysis
Special Tonnage Monitor Requirements for Underdrive Presses
An Overview of Pressworking Vibration and Shock Monitoring

The History and Future of the Industry

Historical Overview of Press Development
The Future of Metal Stamping

Disclaimer: This CV represents a working lifetime of as much practical technical knowledge put into print by a single individual with the help of friends in the industry.  The CV is as complete as possible and nothing has been omitted unless by oversight because of the extensive amount of writing intended to serve those who wish documentation of the metal stamping process.

HOME PAGE