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QUALITY cutting the hides into the various shapes needed for creating the interior components. Shurling says that most—as in some 90 percent—of all hide cutting is done with steel rule dies. Operators must position the dies carefully so that defect zones are avoided during the cutting process. However, he points out that sometimes the workers are paid on an incentive system that is based on the number of hides processed or pieces produced, which means that some of the workers might be inclined to not be quite as diligent as they otherwise might be. "A big tanner is cutting somewhere between 3,000 and 8,000 hides per day, so there are hundreds of people, with all different skills, placing dies every day. Maintaining quality is very hard," he says. The Lectra alternative is based on a system that optically scans the surface of the hide, picking up the chalk mark that indicates a defect. Then it calculates the best nesting and it also determines quality zones (e.g., usable, unusable, and different grades). For example, an area of a knee bolster or glove box that isn't readily visible can be cut out of a piece of material that isn't the top grade. The actually cutting is performed with a "very small knife" that operates at 20,000 strokes per minute. Shurling says that the kerf with the knife is almost zero, whereas the steel rule dies can create a 2- to 3-mm gap. So the automated system can cut closer to defects, resulting in less overall waste. "Ninety percent of leather is still cut with dies," he says. Clearly, a lot of upside opportunity for both cost and quality. using leather for interior applications is that unlike steel or plastic, it is a natural material. "Even though it has been tanned and finished and they try to take out a lot of the quality issues, you can't avoid some things like brands and bites and veins and things that appear in the leather. That has to be taken into account during all stages," Shurling comments. "The quality output is really based on the skill set of the people who mark the hides and look for the defects," he adds. But then there is the next step in the process, which is If the task is to develop an entire interior in leather, the software can save from four to six weeks in development time. RESEARCH & DEVELOPME You may know the work we've done. You may not necessarily know the work it took to get there. You may just see the bucket, but we see a dedicated team of chemists, engineers and researchers. All working together to develop, manufacture and manage real-world surface protection solutions for a variety of fastener needs. A team that listens to the customer and tailors the coating to meet specific challenges. A team that knows how to choose the right coaters that provide best-in-class operation for consistency and quality. And a team that helps you realize the performance you expect. That's quite a lot from a bucket. From the start, it's all about the finish. www.doerken-mks.com 517.522.4600 Dörken DELTA-PROTEKT ® Inorganic coating systems Dörken DELTA ® -TONE Non-electrolytic zinc flake basecoat system Dörken DELTA ® -SEAL Topcoat systems for a variety of metals Dörken DELTACOLL ® Clear and black topcoats for zinc and zinc alloy electroplating DELTA-MKS ® coatings & finishing systems product line includes: 22