Manufacturing process Development

Your design team is considering a series of changes for a high performance automotive exhaust system with the objective to improve component performance and reduce cost. The list of process changes being considered includes:
• Welding of the exhaust tubes to the header assembly from the current TIG welding
• Casting of the header structure from the sand casting process to one less labor intensive
• Forming of the header tubes from a manual system to an automated system
• Nondestructive inspection for tube welding from magnetic particle inspection
• Machining of the header mating surfaces
Choose one of the above changes being considered and provide the following analysis and information:
1) Provide a technical description of the process change being evaluated
2) Summarize the affects of the process change on the component performance when used in-service (if the change would allow the exhaust system to work better, add durability, reduce weight, etc.)
3) Identify any equipment, tooling, and/or building changes that would be necessary
4) Review and provide any worker safety considerations with the proposed change
5) Outline any worker training needed to implement the new process
6) Document the key process economic aspects to be considered with the proposed change
Provide this information to your team in both a “standup” presentation and written 1-2 page technical report (no specific format is required).