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- Walls that Stood in the Way of Final Specifications (Story)
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| Walls that Stood in the Way of Final Specifications |
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Eventually, the prototype stage was completed, and a new team was formed in order to finalize the E300's specifications. Personnel from the Design Studio, Engineering Design, and Testing departments of Honda R&D, as well as from Production Engineering at Hamamatsu Factory, began working together to prepare for mass production. However, the team found itself up against unexpected difficulties. In particular, the team members acknowledged three major problems blocking their way: these were related to the split-type crankshaft, maintenance-free continuous operation and reactor. The team found, however, that the problem of a tapping noise in the split-type crankshaft could not be solved until mass production was under way. Consequently, the shaft had to be changed to a single-piece type during production. The goal of maintenance-free continuous operation was hindered by decreased output resulting from carbon deposits in the combustion chamber. To obtain approval for mass production, the requirement of 300 hours of maintenance-free, continuous operation had to be met. The team cleared that hurdle by increasing the bore size from 50 cc to 55 cc and adopting a squish-type cylinder head. The reactor used to maintain constant voltage was the source of a problem in the generator section. The problem was a rather complicated one caused by the resinous material used as the core of the coil in the constant-voltage device. The coil would break when the resin was subjected to heat, ultimately leading to product failure. To tackle this problem, a group of production engineering personnel (electrical specialists) from Hamamatsu Factory, including Michiharu Kitamura, an electrical engineer, worked with Koyama in coordinating the matter with the manufacturer in charge of the generator section. Finally, the problem was solved through the adoption of injection resin with a lower threshold of thermosetting. The mass-production drawing was eventually sent to Hamamatsu Factory, after which not a day went by without the project team struggling to solve problems. On the day that mass production began, Koyama said to himself, "We've finally made it." Koyama also acknowledged that the new generator would not have seen the light of day without the teamwork of the various staff members, who with their wide-ranging expertise devoted their knowledge and energy to the project. |
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