Die and Punch Wear Reduction in Stamping Process by Lean Six Sigma Approach

Abstract

This research aimed to reduce die and punch wear and improved the quality of the production process with the application of the Lean Six Sigma methodology. Die and punch had limited capability in cutting material edges in the case study company. The root-cause analysis showed a correlation between the hard coating and the lubricant effect on wear reduction using the design of experiments and DMAIC based on the Six Sigma approach. The results indicated that a combination of AICrN-PVD coating and aloe vera oil provided the most outstanding results in terms of wear reduction. Moreover, it had the potential to minimize the cost of product defects or repairs significantly. These findings showed the effect of the Lean Six-Sigma approach at the die production process, which increased operational efficiency and consistency to enhance business performance and meet customer requirements.