HO POLYTECHNIC

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is great opportunity to have an industrial attachment with the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service(GRATIS) Foundation,Ho,a renowned industry in the country. Thanks to God almighty and secondly to the entire administration and staff of the company for this honor given me despite the challenges faced by the organization. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people, MR AMPOFO(Regional Manager),MR. DANSO,MR TWUM,MR ANUMU, [Link] , [Link] and the Security Staff, it was through their restless efforts that I had a very successful attachment. To all the staff of GRATIS FOUNDATION, I say may God richly bless you for your cooperation, time and any other thing you sacrificed for my sake throughout my attachment period.

INTRODUCTION Production Engineering is an aspect and a branch of Mechanical Engineering. It deals with the manufacturing and management of components and devices. One form of Production Engineering is metal work and its fabrication process. As a Production Engineering student, industrial attachment is an important exercise in my course of study, It enhances my knowledge and skills and it also helps me to relate what I have learnt in class to my practical experience. I took part in several production works together with other attachment personnel under the supervision of technician engineers. Lectures were administered as to when and where the need arose. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF GRATIS FOUNDATION GRATIS Foundation evolved out of the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service(GRATIS)Project, which was established by the Government of Ghana in 1987 and mandated to promote small- industrialization in Ghana. T o accomplish this mandate, GRATIS established Intermediate Technology Transfer Units(ITTUs) now designated Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs) in nine regions of Ghana to transfer appropriate technologies to small-scale industrialists through training, manufacturing and the supply of machine tools, plants and equipments. GRATIS co-ordinates the activities and provides backstopping to its network of RTTCs and also supports the activities of the pioneer ITTU established in 1980 at Suame in the Ashanti Region

by the Technology Consultancy Center(TCC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST). Initial funding for the activities of GRATIS and the RTTCs was provided by the Government of Ghana(GOG),The European Union(EU) and the Canadian International Development Agency(CIDA). Shop floor technical assistance and funding for specific projects have been provided by the British Voluntary Service Overseas(VSO),The British Department for International Development(DFID), The German Agency for Technical Cooperation(GTZ),The German Development Service(GDS),The Netherlands Development Organization(SNV) and The Canadian University Service Overseas(CUSO). Instead of phasing out GRATIS after the establishment of the RTTC network, The Government of Ghana(GOG) and the other stakeholders agreed that it should be incorporated as a company limited by guarantee called GRATIS Foundation. This is to enable the Foundation to ply a key role in Ghanas plans to become a middle-income country by the year 2020. VISION Become a reputable technology development and skills transfer organization in Africa. MISSION Develop, promote and disseminate marketable technologies and skills for the growth of industry particularly micro-small and medium scale enterprises in Ghana and West Africa. ORGANISTIONAL SETUP ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT GRATIS operates through five functional divisions at head office who co-ordinate activities of the of the Regional and District Technology Transfer Centers. An 11 member Executive Council is responsible for formulating major policies and guidelines for implementation by the Foundation through the Executive Director who is assisted by two Deputy Directors. FUNCTIONAL DIVISIONS The GRATIS Foundation has five functional Divisions: 1. Consultancy and Technical Support Division This Division supervises and coordinates the activities of the regional RTTCs in the area of training,management,manufacturing,procurement,installation and maintenance of equipment. It also has a Gender and Development (GAD) Unit, which provides technical and entrepreneurial skills to both men and women.

This is achieved through the implementation of development projects and extension programs in rural communities. 2. Engineering and Industrial Design Center(EIDC) serves as the nerve center of the GRATIS and RTTC technology development and transfer program. This is by spearheading the identification,adaptation,design and development of new products. It also undertakes the modification of existing product and the development of basis engineering standards in the country as well as the documentation of technologies developed by the RTTCs for replication. 3. Personnels and Administration manages and coordinates the recruitment,renumeration,promotion and motivation of personnel. It is also responsible for human resource development activities such as training to ensure consistent standards throughout the network. In this, it undertakes the assessment of training needs, prepares annual training plans, ensures the implementation of the program and thereafter evaluates training activities. In addition the division is responsible for coordination annual work plans and bulk procurement for the network. This division is also responsible for the implementation and evaluation of all training programs including clients and apprentices. 4. Marketing and Business Development Division (MBDD)is the business development, marketing and communications wing of the GRATIS Foundation. SECOMs activities include promoting the corporate image, products and services of GRATIS and RTTCs,the conducting of market,socio-economic,industrial and feasibility studies for the development of new products ,provision of business advisory services to clients, production of impact assessment reports, in-house production of publications, video documentaries and public relations services. 5. Finance Division provides financial management services and advice to the entire RTTC network and GRATIS Foundation. This includes financial reporting, co-ordination of the disbursement and utilization of funds by the RTTCs preparation and consolation of budgets and accounts. The Lending Section of the Finance Division co-ordinates and manages credit schemes such as working capital loans, equipment purchase and turn key packages implemented by the [Link] section co-ordinates and supervises credit services and assist the RTTCs with credit appraisal, delivery and monitoring. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Through its operational wings, GRATIS undertakes the following: ENGINEERING AND NON-ENGINEERING TRAINING ENGINEERING

Technical Apprenticeship and Engineering Skills upgrading. NON-ENGINEERING Agro-Food Processing Rural Enterprise Training such as Bee-keeping, Grass-cutter rearing. Snail farming, Mushroom cultivation. Textiles Production(Batik Tye and Dye, Broadloom Weaving) Soap, Pomade and Powder making. MANUFACTURING Plant and equipment for cassava, palm oil, palm kernel,cashew,shea-butter,ground nut,fish,cereal and grain processing, fruit juice and honey extraction, ovens and dryers. Farm implements, Animal Traction equipments, Intermediate Means of Transport(IMT) Open and closed solid waste containers, garbage push trucks, litter bins. Spare parts. Equipment specification, Plant layout and installation,Technolical Support, Repair and Maintenance Services. ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CENTER The Engineering and Industrial Design Center of GRATIS Foundation,Ho has a mechanical workshop, apprentice training center e.t.c. I happen to find myself in the mechanical workshop. During the period I had the privilege of being taken round most of the components in the establishment and getting to know briefly their functions and contribution to their setup. I also observed that bold and visible notices were placed at various points in the shop for the safety of the workers in the workshop. The mechanical workshop consist of two sections. The Machining Section. The Welding and Fabrication Section.

THE MACHINING SECTION This section comprises of most machine tools such as the Lathe machine, Pillar drilling machine, Milling machine, Grinding machine, Shaping machine, Power hacksaw .e.t.c. These section does all manner of jobs such as thread cutting, diameter reduction(turning),length reduction(facing),drilling, boring holes and many more.

These are some of the machines found in the machine shop.

PILLAR DRILLING MACHINE

LATHE MACHINE

LATHE MACHINES

MILLING MACHINES

THE WELDING AND FABRICATION SECTION They takes care of all fabrication and welding processes in the workshop. These section comprises of welding machines(Electric-arc welding and the Gas welding machine),Shear cutter, Bench fitting section e.t.c Shown in the picture are two electric-arc welding machines.

ELECTRIC-ARC WELDING MACHINE

During my attachment period I was involved in many activities. Some of the activities are: Using of dies to cut external thread rods. Cutting an internal thread with tap. Cutting of galvanized pipes on the bench with the hacksaw to different lengths. Setting of materials for welding. Painting of welded joints to prevent rusting. Drilling of holes in plates,bars.e.t.c. Turning of Wooden drum for cassava grater in the lathe. Extracting of pulleys, bearings with an extractor. Setting of work in the lathe for turning. Using of the angle grinder. Cutting of materials in the power hacksaw. Cutting of keyways in shaft, pulleys on the shaping machine.

Shown iin the picture are some activities been done in the fabrication section.

Technician welding an elbow-joint for a fish cage

Technician welding a galvanized pipe.

Two tacked elbow-joints ready for welding

LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of the attachment period I was able to: Have general understanding of Production engineering. Acquire knowledge and skills. Solve problems related to my field. Produce quality and standard job. Have practical experience of what have been taught in class.

The experiences have actually built my confidence and exposed me to a lot in the industrial field during the period of attachment. The realities and the practicality of engineering are most knowledgeable in the industry. It enable me to understand and experience the practical aspect of what have been taught in class with the engineering principles at the work place. Handling of different tools and equipments and working with the principle of modern technology brightens my chances in the field of work.I have the opportunity to work on components brought in by customer and it helped me to acquire knowledge and developed my confidence as a student. I was able to acquire knowledge about some machine tools and their mode of operation. An example is the Hydraulic Power hacksaw. It was during the attachment period that I was able to know about it. I also have the opportunity to see some engineering materials and know their differences and purpose in engineering. An example of such materials are brass, mild steel, cast iron,copper.e.t.c.

CONCLUSION This attachment has been a nice experienced and a very great challenge for me as far as my education career is concern. I wish to have opportunity to work with another similar field of industry to broaden my skills in another area of mechanical engineering. It is my desire and will that GRATIS FOUNDATION will continue to be in good shape and even with more advance technology to be impacted to the youth for a better future of manufacturing technology in the country. RECOMMENDATION