【正文】 ese engineers are backed by first a regional , then a national advisory and development organization employing experts in the many fields of electrical utilization and supported by an information center.Many of the problem s put to the engineers are concerned with improving the quality of product as well as the production efficiency resulting from existing processing methods . Bu t eve n where quality is no t the prime objective, an improvement of product quality is often found to be a wele byproduct of a new electrical process, even where this has been introduced originally for other reasons .development workPractical development work may be undertaken by Electricity Boards in response to problems put to them by industry . This i s often the extension of a known technique to suit a special production problem but it can also involve the development of a new process equipment where this is not mercially available. The problems tackled may be large or small . For example , in response to a request for help a small hand tool was developed for cutting consisted of a handgrip to which could be fitted a variety of different shapes and sizes of hairpin elements manufacture d from piano wire and fed from a low voltage transformer. Shapes could therefore be sculpted from the solid block of material . Engineers in one board area have developed a resistance heating element sheath suitable for use as an immersion heater in pH2 liquids. Towards the other end of the scale is the development of a type of low thermal mass furnace for stress relieving large fabricated boiler shells . The reliability of these high pressure boiler shells in service demands a precisely specified heating and cooling cycle for stress developed furnace provides a high quality heating process and one boiler firm alone has reported a saving of 163。 R team must nevertheless , also ensure that any planned increase in output from existing production lines does not produce a corresponding fall in quality. In some cases pletely new thinking on the production technique may be necessary to achieve the necessary in productivity with the same or an improved quality of product.Many panies have,or are planning to appoint,quality and reliability engineers,or an executive with general responsibility for matters affecting Q amp。 R Year is concerned with maintaining or improving the quality and reliability in present day methods of working, the problems of increasing production will also have to be met by many panies. While it is true that improvements in productivity could follow naturally from reduced scrap and wastage due to right first time manufacture,a pany39。s tool, costs have been reduced primarily because of the reduction in the labor force required. Previously the finishing process required nine operators, now, one woman loads and another unloads after the final stoving operations. The foregoing examples show not only the part electricity is playing in helping to achieve quality and reliability right first time , but also the help which is available from the electricity supply industry in seeking to apply electricity in the most efficient and advantageous way.assessing the problemDevelopments i n established types o f manufacturing equipment and the introduction of new techniques utilizing electricity are constantly takin g place. These are occurring at a rate which makes it difficult if not impossible for those concerned with the problems of Q amp。4 . Efficient utilization of paint 。2. Even deposition over the whole surface。 R in finishingThe quality of a product39。 s costs.control and inspectionProcess control systems are now universally accepted a spart of the production pattern. There are of course many different levels of control and the system adopted can have a profound effect on the quality of the product.One system, which probably goes further than most in production quality control is that installed in the tinplate factories of a pany in South Wales. This system is based on the Arch digital puter of Elliott Automation Ltd., and devised entirely by the tinplate panys39。 R with electric heatingProcess heating is a field in which electricity excels in achieving high product quality due to its cleanliness and controllability. Pottery firing ——When their old tunnel kiln was reaching the end of it s useful life,a nationally known pottery manufacturing pany, based in Dorset, in consultation with the Southern Electricity Board decided to replace it with three Top Hat electric kilns , each rated at 220kW. Each kiln has two heated bases which are used alternately and enable work to be unloaded from one base and reloaded while heating is carried out using the other base. The firing cycle is automatically controlled by a specially cut cam which determines the rate of rise, and takes between 10 hours and 11 hours to bring the kiln up to a temperature of 1050 deg. C. A further seven hours is required for cooling. A very even firing has been achieve d with these kilns making it possible to improve the quality of the ware and reduce the quantity of seconds . Induction billet heating—In the highly petitive market of extruded aluminum for the architectural and motor industries quality of extrusion and finish are of prime importance. To ensure high quality, one leading aluminum extrusion pany use all electric methods to process the raw aluminum through to the finished product. These methods, it is claimed, allow flexibility of operation and accurate quality control while at the same time offer savings in floor space, labor costs and reduced scrap. One important featu