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Using the above chart of your bill of material becomes a useful graphic for reviewing and analyzing your structured bill of material. Each block in the chart represents a corresponding part in the production flow. With this mapped out, we can now add the routing steps to move from one block to another. For example, going from the sheet metal and tube stock in the lower right area, we add shop labor to create the finished handle. This labor can be reflected in our project management plan as fabrication time. Combining all the jobs into a single Gant chart plan, we can get an instantaneous manpower plan for the entire shop. Most important, we can review this production flow and look for ways to cut time and streamline the flow.

Keep an open mind and try new ways of achieving the status quo.

1)     Consider outsourcing if there are benefits to be obtained.

2)     Add fixtures if time can be saved and the quality can be improved.

3)     Engineering, look for ways to use subassemblies across product lines

This printed structure will help with your reviews.

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material" and “FEA Applications in Machine Design”

There were several key witnesses in and around Dealey plaza that day. One of the most important is Victoria Adams.

As the motorcade proceeded around the sharp corner from Houston to Elm, a police officer on a motorcycle (Marion Baker) felt shots may have come from the roof of the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD). He was back in the motorcade and he then accelerated up to the building. There he met Roy Truly, the building manager, and together they went up the stairs towards the roof. Both freight elevators were down at this time, so they used the stairs. At the same time, Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles (located in the fourth floor window) witnessed the activity going towards the grassy knoll area and wanted to join in. They both found the elevators to be down as well, so they used the stairs. As Baker and Truly were proceeding upward, they confronted Oswald in the second floor lunch room, either buying a coke or holding one in his hand. Adams and Styles never saw or heard anyone on their way down the stairs.

The problems occurred later when the Warren Commission took over the case. They ran time trials careful to duplicate all conversations and delays that Baker and Truly experienced. The time for them to get to the second floor lunchroom was determined to be 90 seconds, after the first shot was heard. The above picture shows the theoretical starting position for both groups, Oswald supposedly on the sixth floor and Adams and Styles on the fourth floor. The construction of the stair well is such that the parties would have to exit onto to each floor to go around to the next set of stairs. An employee on the fourth floor saw Baker and Truly coming up after Adams and Styles entered the stair well. The conclusion can be made that Oswald was never on the sixth floor at all.

An excellent book on this part of the story is “The Girl on the Stairs” by Barry Ernest. It covers this part of the story in detail along with several other aspects of the case. The Warren Commission’s handling of this key witness is very concerning to the point Adams felt fear for her life and left town. At a minimum, you would expect her to be included in the time trials, but she was not.

 From Anthony Rante, Author of “The JFK Assassination: A Technical Review of the Evidence”

For more information, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_P9Cry73vg&t=495s

This plate is supported on the four corners from a tie rod nut. The applied pressure is due to a hydraulic cylinder that mounts on the underside of the plate at the center. For the reactions in the corner, one might think this should be downward boundary constraints. However, this would be a mistake. It is much better to balance the applied loading in the vertical plane such that the tie rod nuts each apply one fourth of the upward cylinder load. Rather than a rigid constraint, an applied downward pressure is recommended.

However, to keep the model stable, boundary constraints are required. A recommended option is to select a node in each corner and constrain it in Y, or vertical in this case. Next add X constrains to the two rear corners, which are into the page. Finally, fix Z (left to right) in the left rear corner. When the model runs, we should see very low loads at these nodes since the applied loading is balanced, but the model should not have a rigid body movement. Furthermore, the upward deflection (shown above) has a reference in the corners of zero where the Y constraints are located. I hope this is useful for your simulations.

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material" and “FEA Applications in Machine Design”

Understanding how documentation flows thru your company is an important first step in streamlining your project flow. Every company has a unique way of processing the documents. These include items like ordering the material, developing the Manufacturing routings, and when necessary processing change orders. With “made to order” equipment, each order has its own characteristics. The Operation sections (Engineering, Material Control, Manufacturing Departments) all need to clearly understand how things move thru the company, in order to reach greater efficiency.

The example above is a basis starting point. Gathering with the principals in each department, this flow chart can be expanded and many surprising details will be added. Every time I was part of this exercise, surprises, rarely good, were discovered. When developing this flow chart, use the following objectives.

Watchout for back tracks in the flow – Once the documentation leaves one department, you want to be sure it should not be going backwards for more information. The only real exception is if Customer changes are presented. Best examples of back flows I have is Manufacturing instructions from Engineering (fixture designs, burn paths, etc). These items need to be with the initial release. Going back into Engineering causes the job to stop on the shop floor.

The flowchart needs to be developed by hands on staff with detailed knowledge of the processes – Rather than relying on section managers, the task force needs to be staffed by key “hands on” personnel. These could be people who have processed these documents for years. This is the best way to develop a true working detailed flowchart.

Once you chart is accurate and finalized, optimization is the next step – From this exercise, you will no doubt see new areas of possible improvement which are new opportunities for adding efficiency.  Ask the team, “what is the best way to get from step A to B”.  Beware of the feedback “well we always have done it that way”. Consider adding paperless tools like read terminals on the shop floors, etc. Use the flowchart as a way to test out new ideas.

Always challenge the States Quo.   

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material."

 

This case is over 60 years old and a common question is “what new information has come out?”. Even considering the data dumps and the interesting information found there, I think the two most significant releases over the last several years are the following.

1)     James Jenkins book “At the Cold Shoulder of History” – Jenkins was 21 years old when he was called into the autopsy at Bethesda hospital. He was required to assist and stood very close to the body and helped with many of the procedures. Immediately following the autopsy, he signed an NDA to stay quiet about what he saw. He finally released his observations in an excellent book in 2018. I think his statement that JFK got hit by three shots is significant; one entry at the throat, one entry in the forehead at the hairline, and an entry in the back that did not penetrate the lung cavity.

2)     Paul Landis’s disclosure about the bullet found – As he approached the limo at Parkland hospital, secret service man Paul Landis found a bullet wedge into the seat behind JFK. As he helped Governor Connally and JFK be removed from the back seats, Lanids placed the bullet on JFK’s stretcher. Emergency room nurse Phyliss Hall talks about finding this bullet and that it was never seen in any future photographs related to this case. Her testimony about these details can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShTpQAWM9O8&t=163s.

 The new information noted above pertains to the wound locations on JFK and the overall number of shots fired.  I regard these details consistent and important because they add to the evidence of more than three shots fired. The alleged weapon could not have achieved this feat.

From Anthony Rante, Author of “The JFK Assassination: A Technical Review of the Evidence”

For more information, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_P9Cry73vg&t=495s

The best way to plot or graph a structured bill of material is to use a series of blocks that represent the critical areas of the process of creating a component or building a sub assembly. It takes the form of a company organization chart with the final product, component, or assembly at the top, and the manufacturing and material flow closer to the bottom. This has several advantages that are listed below.

Graphically shows the flow of material at each step in the process – The bottom area of every leg in the bill structure shows a “buy” part, whether it is purchased from a vendor or taken out of stock. If raw material is first pulled out of stock, it is shown in this block. Everywhere above this point is considered a “make” part. In the above example above, we are buying the engine complete. Nothing is shown below. At the engine maker’s company, they would have a detailed structured bill of material for their use.

Moving from one block to the next one above requires shop labor of some type – In the legs between the blocks, you can attach information for the transition to occur. This could be a visual aid in the form of Engineering documents and drawings, and Manufacturing routings for creating the next block above.   

Building a manpower plan and schedule using this document is easily visualized – In each of the legs between blocks, schedule time in the form of shop labor can be assigned. Combining all the legs can identify bottlenecks and identify manpower requirements. Transferring this to a Gant chart is a natural transition.

Engineering can Identify standard subassemblies for other products – Designing legs or entire assemblies in standard modules that meet customer specifications is identified during design reviews.

Engineering and Manufacturing can use this document to identify inefficiency and create value improvement - When product design Engineers look at the product in this form, together with the Manufacturing group, value improvement can be identified.

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material" and “FEA Applications in Machine Design”

Several films and pictures were taken in Dealey Plaza during the time of the assassination. These items become important technical evidence to be analyzed when reviewing this crime. The above frame from the Robert Hughes film shows both the president’s limousine and the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD). Very shortly after this turn onto Elm street, the first shots were fired. The angle of the first shot from this sixth floor window and the horizontal would be around 60 degrees. The angle becomes shallower as the limo progresses down Elm.

What we do not see in this picture is the barrel of the rifle protruding from the window. In fact, for someone to shoot from this window, at this point in the sequence, will require the shooter to almost hang out of the half open window. The angle to the traffic below is that steep. We can see the half open window and the stack or boxes, but nothing else is clear in this picture.

This corner of the sixth floor has been referred to as the Sniper’s nest. This area is part of the entire sixth floor and is in one open space. There are no dividers for offices. Also note that the boxes are stacked right up to the half open window. The rifle could not be propped on the top of the box stack without obstructing the view thru the scope. The window ledge in this building is about 12-14 inches from the floor line. This ledge would be the only logical area to support the rifle. Supporting the rifle on the boxes is totally blocked by the half open window. Even if the barrel of the rifle protrudes just under the half open window, the view thru the scope would be obstructed. You can see the sniper’s nest online, or by visiting the museum where they preserved it behind glass.

https://preview.redd.it/ez8r508t3fbh1.png?width=518&format=png&auto=webp&s=db38b39d63dfbc6987b8d7189030b6cb5cf0bc09

The following frame is from the Alkin’s photo taken shortly after the neck wound shot.

https://preview.redd.it/2v3rhx7t3fbh1.png?width=683&format=png&auto=webp&s=0a0ff5a214588afc3a3c71d23b235135f62ea176

If you zoom in, you see both the JFK reaction and Jackie Kennedy grabbing for JFK’s arm. This indicates the shot was fired before this location in the above photo. The current location in the photo is just past the TSBD. Backing it up to the location of the shot, you can again verify the steep angle from the TSBD sixth floor window.  

When you review the evidence we have, it does not support the first shots coming from this location. It would be much more logical to shoot inline with Elm street rather than a location where the target is transverse to the viewing field. This review is a focus on the technical aspects of this complicated crime. It adds more doubt to the theory of the Sniper’s nest as the location for the shooting, especially for the initial shots.

From Anthony Rante, Author of “The JFK Assassination: A Technical Review of the Evidence”

For more information, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_P9Cry73vg&t=495s

If you are a new Design or Project Engineer, you are probably given the task of preparing the documentation for job releases to the Production groups of the company. The documentation will  include various drawings, which include the assembly layouts, schematics, detailed piece parts, and some specialized customer drawings like general arrangement, etc. Along with these drawings, should be a detailed structured bill of material. This document must be input into the production control system and will be used by various sections of the Production areas. Making this document follow the company flow and “as bult” conditions is highly recommended to achieve efficiency in the execution. These steps will help you with your part of the responsibility.

Understand the Capabilities and Practices of the Shop Floor – Every shop floor is different. They have certain ways they fabricate and assemble the company’s product. You need to understand this. For example, if the company is utilizing laser cutting, understand the limitations of the thickness and what to expect. Will you need a finish after the cut? For shipping, are there limitations for the size? Are fasteners purchased specifically for each project, or does the shop use a floor stock method? These types of answers require you to pick up on as you walk thru the shop.

Where does your documentation go after approved in Engineering – Typically, the next stop is a Material Control department. Here, the bill of material is reviewed for “make” and “buy” parts. Buy parts will need to be purchased and the make parts are made on the shop floor. Selecting components not in the company inventory, or that have a long lead time, could create delivery issues. Sometimes, the end user (customer) gives you a list of preferred vendors for these parts that you need to follow. Seeing the make part details can also help you understand the methods and procedures of the shop floor. If a routing is created you can quickly see the various stops a piece part will go thru to be completed and sent to the assembly floor. If you design can streamline this path, savings and efficiency is possible.  

Is your Production Release Complete – Worst process issue is when a job has to go back to Engineering to be completed. Are these certain Manufacturing Support details that need to be added back in Engineering (i.e. burn paths for lasers, special fixture requirements, etc). Using Flowcharting can help locate these backtrack issues ahead of time and create a more efficient release.

When Engineering releases a project to production, 80-85% of the cost is already dialed in. Working to make the bill follow the “as built” characteristics of your shop is important. If you are new on the job, show a proactive attitude and focus on this aspect of the job.  

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material."

Several years ago, the powerful computer simulation tool Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was primarily used in the aerospace and nuclear industries. Over the years, the capability was made available thru timesharing and then finally on standalone systems. Today, we have access to this powerful tool through integrated CAD programs like INVENTOR and SOLIDWORKS. The is great. When designing we can access deflection and stress contour plots instantaneously. However, with this great capability comes a responsibility to use it properly.

Capability – How did we reach this point? To answer this question, I think it helps to review the historical record of stress analysis methods and how these were developed. I think an early turning point in stress analysis was the development of the Euler – Bernoulli equation of the Flexural Formula which occurred in the year 1750. We know this as stress = Mc/I. This method equates the beam deflection to a radius. Integration of this foundational equation, we then arrive at the Flexural Formula. From this point, many various conditions of support and load application have been developed, all based on the concept of beam theory.

Many Engineering designs can still be solved using basic beam theory. The I beam in the basement of your house is likely selected this way. Using basic beam theory end supports and a center support located at the round column, together with the floor above “worst case” floor loading; the beam can be safely selected. This is great for a basic problem like this application. But what above short deep beams that may not conform to the basic assumptions of beam theory.

In the early years of 1900, the Russian Scientist / Engineer Stephen Timoshenko laid down the fundamental equations for a new stress analysis method called Theory of Elasticity. This method looked at the same beam using a differential equation element for the deflection rather than the entire beam shape following a radius. For deeper beams, we could apply this method to pick up the web compression and shear deflection that exists. However, I find the math gets so complicated for solving simple 2D structures that it makes this method impractical for design Engineering. Nevertheless, these basic equations have led us to many plate and shell equations and other important findings in Engineering Mechanics.

The solution we now have available for today’s Engineering of structures is Finite Element Analysis (FEA). This method is based on matrix algebra and solving massive matrixes. The size of these matrixes makes this approach a computer based solution. The method includes various element types and has applications in stress, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and advanced methods that combine all of the above.  As noted above, the method is integrated into CAD systems making this tool available to generate output very quickly. Along with this powerful capability, we have a responsibility to be sure this data is accurate.

Responsibilities – Using FEA requires an accurate model that represents the real world. Here are a few tips that should be considered. Note this is only a brief list, but it is a starting point.

1)    Boundary Constraints – Boundary constraints must be accurate. If possible, I like to use the boundary constraints to just keep the model stable. If you use this approach accurately, the solution phase should be left with little residual reaction at these locations.

2)    Peak Stress Levels at a Boundary Constraint Location – If you see peak stress levels at a boundary constraint location, this is a red flag. Resulting stress could be incorrect.  

3)    Avoid Loading Models with a Single Force at a Single Node – This is likely excessively deflecting the corresponding corner of the element. Look at the part you are modelling. The loading likely comes into the part as a pressure and not a point load.

4)    Verify Your Results – Use another method to confirm the FEA output. If it is a pressure vessel, check the output with a theoretical stress equation.

FEA simulations now allow us to solve 2D and 3D random shapes that do not conform to any traditional design. It is very powerful, but the responsibility to use it correctly is a real aspect of this approach.

From Anthony Rante, P.E.  Author of “FEA Applications in Machine Design”

The single answer to this question is the most likely result you can achieve once you commit to this effort. “The development, review, and execution of the structured bill of material creates teamwork across department lines.” The process of developing or reviewing your structured bill of material requires the following fundamental steps.

Assign a Production Team to this Task - It requires representation from Engineering, Purchasing Material Control, and various shop sections depending on the area of the review. In many cases, this chore is left up to the Engineering department to work out in a vacuum. Utilizing the team approach makes sure it is truly “as built”.

Flowcharting Gets Things Going – Sitting down with the group and mapping out the path of each section of the bill helps get the process rolling. This step alone will locate inefficiencies that must be addressed. Back tracking and unneeded locations will alone save money that will easily pay for this effort.

Understand the Meaning of “as built” – Engineers like to organize the bills like they design them. But for production requirements, this needs to follow the way the material will arrive and be utilized on the shop floor. The “as built” condition must represent the true activity.

Establish Engineering's Internal Customers - Once you understand who your internal customer's are, much of the demands on your documentation are identified.

Standardization – Standardizing around various sections of the overall assembly has value throughout the organization. Finding ways to achieve this has value in what you stock and how dynamic your inventory is to your production needs.

Manpower Planning and Staffing – Using the bill of material becomes a solid planning document for many needs across the organization.

from Anthony Rante, P.E. author of "Managing Company Production thru the Bill of Material."

Shortly after the assassination, the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, appointed the Warren Commission (WC). The WC was intended to investigate the assassination and help the American people, and the world, understand what happened on that day. However, the deputy Attorney General (Nicholas Katzenbach), issued a memo to the WC that gave them the following objective. “The public must be satisfied that Oswald was the assassin; that he did not have confederates who are still at large; and the evidence was such that he would have been convicted at trial.” Note that Oswald was he himself assassinated within 48 hours from the JFK assassination.

One of the early problems for the WC was the alleged weapon. The rifle was a bolt action rifle that required shifting the bolt carriage once to eject the spent shell and then again to load a new shell. Using the Zapruder film, the shooting is estimated to occur with in 6-6.5 seconds. This is based on the head shot being the final round. Several rifle experts tested the weapon and it was estimated that each shot requires 3 seconds to fire. This estimate allows for minimal time to refocus and fire at the moving target. Doing the math, the weapon can produce a maximum of 3 shots within the time frame.

The problem that the WC soon faced is that three shots cannot account for the separate individual wounds at the crime scene. A bystander, James Tague, was hit by a deflection from a bullet that hit the curb at the triple underpass. Governor John Connelly was seated in front of JFK and was severely wounded by at least one round. JFK had at least three separate entrance wounds; one in the throat, one in the head, and one in the right side of the back. This totals five separate shots, which is not possible with the single bolt action rifle. In the end, the WC proposed a shot entered the back of JFK’s neck, and went thru into Connally (the single bullet theory). This reduces the count to four. Finally, the back wound was lined up with the center neck wound on JFK to get us to three.

Without a balance between the capacity of the weapon and the wound count, the WC’s case falls apart, and we have to believe that multiple shooters were involved. There is many other facts and testimony surrounding these details which need to be considered.

From Anthony Rante author of “The JFK Assassination: A Technical Review of the Evidence”

More information available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_P9Cry73vg&t=33s