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Reducing Cost With Real-Time Drill Room Data
December 20, 2007 |Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Abstract
The largest bottleneck for most PCB manufacturers is drilling. Using software to monitor drilling allows PCB fabricators to make better--and literally smarter--production decisions.
This paper outlines specific features and benefits of implementing monitoring software to collect and analyze real-time shop floor data from drill and rout CNC machines. The software, SmartParts Monitoring, can be configured to address the unique requirements of each manufacturer, yet still works like an off-the-shelf, shrink-wrapped, software solution. This system also comes with support for three database platforms--mySQL, SQL Server and Oracle--to provide flexibility during the implementation process and an upgrade path as operational needs grow.
SmartParts Monitoring is a standalone application, although it may be fully integrated with other FASTechnologies products. SmartParts Monitoring is fully integrated with FASTechnologies DNC UltraServer and utilizes the existing DNC network for automated data collection from compatible CNC machine tools.
SmartParts Monitoring is a module within the SmartParts family of products which includes SmartParts Classics and SmartParts Cassetting. This article focuses on features in SmartParts Monitoring v2.3
Real Data Needed
Without data, you only have an opinion. You cannot improve your manufacturing process unless you know how to measure it. In PCB fabrication, many processes must be monitored and measured. Some areas are critical enough processes that they require real data in real time. Without monitoring your drill room real-time operation, utilization reports end up becoming more of an opinion than a fact sheet.
Figures 1 and 2. Smart Parts Monitoring
Moving from Opinion to Fact
Printed circuit board fabricators require a software application that collects, reports and graphs shop floor manufacturing data from the drill and rout production machines in real-time. One system, SmartParts Monitoring, helps improve productivity by empowering decision makers with reports and graphs based on actual shop floor data. This software provides real-time answers to many of manufacturer's toughest questions, including:
* What jobs or parts are in production?
* How many drill bits have been broken?
* What machine(s) are in use and currently drilling parts?
* How is production time being used?
* Which machines are currently in setup, down or idle?
* Why is drilling production going down?
* What does drilling downtime cost?
* What is causing downtime and how can you fix it?
A good software system can give answers to all of the above. Not only that, but the answers can be displayed from any PC with the ability to drill-down to any level of detail on any of your manufacturing facilities. For example, a process engineer in Plant 1 can query the status of an individual machine in Plant 2, and he may find out if it is currently in setup, making parts, or down for maintenance. Answers are kept indefinitely, and current results can be compared with a previous job or part runs.
Real-time answers leveraged against actual production history are becoming critical as enterprises go global for engineering and manufacturing resources. Answers based on actual manufacturing details facilitate faster decisions and increase productivity for every manufacturer.
How Drill Operations Monitoring WorksDrill operations monitoring collects data from drill room machines without any operator input. In the case of SmartParts, the software is utilizing special communication protocols customized for each machine controller and vendor.
Seconds after any form of input is made, the data becomes available enterprise-wide via company networks. Reports and charts are either real-time or summarized. Both information sets have their benefits, and they complement each other.
Real-time reports and charts, known in this software as ShopView, process the collected data and accurately reflect the current state of shop floor activity. For example, the ShopView Status report displays the current status of every machine including if it is idle, in setup, production and down. In addition, it displays the current part number and the current time in the current state (see Figure 3). From here you can "zoom in" on any given machine to learn more details.
Figure 3. ShopView ScreenFigure 4. "Zoom In"Feature.
Summarized reports speed up the reporting and charting process by processing the numbers according to daily or shift-level detail. For example, the Production Summary chart displays the amount of time spent in production, set-up, error and end of load per day, week, and month. Summarized reports and graphs are typically used when the required date range is per day, week, month, quarter, or year.
Summarization offers the added benefit of allowing a SmartParts Monitoring administrator to correct any errors found in the collected data prior to generating any reports or graphs.
Getting Specific Data CollectedMonitoring software is designed to track machines and standard manufacturing processes. In the case of SmartParts Monitoring, standard data collection events include the following:
* Time per Part Number
* Set-up Time
* Cycle Time
* Idle Time
* Machine Downtimes
* Unlimited number of machine errors
What Data Collection Methods Are Used?Most of the newer drill machine controls and other machines (laser drill machines, electrical testers, etc.) are able, during the production process, to send information upstream and report their current status. SmartParts Monitoring together with UltraServer DNC can monitor machine specific events such as cycle start, cycle stop, errors and events. These signals can be automatically sent by the CNC controller as they occur in real-time.
Drill machines or other shop floor devices will be connected through the DNC network using either DNC protocol or Ethernet protocols and PC networks. There is no limit to the number of machines that can be tracked at the same time. Monitoring the manufacturing process is supported via Hitachi, Excellon, Posalux, Schmoll, Trudrill, Dynamotion and Pluritech machines using Sieb & Meyer controllers. Older CNC controls can be upgraded with a SmartParts Monitoring MDC hardware feature that facilitates the collection of cycle start and stop but no other events. Automatic data collection at the machine eliminates the need for bar coding by shop floor personnel.
Figure 5. Data collected
Reports Generated by Monitoring SoftwareAll monitoring software should generate reports that facilitate understanding the data. In the case of SmartParts Monitoring, standard reports are included. The software supports two methods of reports: real-time and summarized. Real-time reports process the real-time data events as they occur on the shop floor and can be run at any time. The following real-time reports are included:
* Current part number
* Current machine status (up to the minute) and how long it has been in the current status
* 10 recent machine events or errors
* 10 recent part numbers that ran on the machines
SmartParts Monitoring reporter generator supports a unique summarization process that can be run at any time to "crunch the numbers." Once summarized, additional reports are available:
* Daily/Monthly/Hourly Summary Utilization
* Production details per machine
* Production details per part number
* Error reports
* Broken drill bit report
NOTE: Each of the above reports has the option to filter and to drill down to the appropriate data.
All reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel compatible files for further analysis or processing.
Tracking Machine StatusMonitoring machine status provides shop foremen, manufacturing engineers, process engineers or management a quick summary of the state of the shop floor without leaving their desk.
SmartParts Monitoring can be used to analyze machine status for an entire department or a specific machine. This real-time report displays an overview of which machines are currently idle, in setup, in cycle, or down. In addition, it displays the current part number running on each machine.
Tracking Machine TimeAnalyzing machine time and its utilization provides shop foremen, manufacturing engineers, or shop owners a real understanding on how resources are used and provides knowledge of how to improve the process or improve productivity. Even more importantly it shows where production improvements can be made to reduce setup time, down time, and idle time.
SmartParts Monitoring can be used to analyze machine time for the entire department or a specific machine per day, week, month, quarter, or year.
Figure 6. Summary Report
This summary report displays the how machine time is spent per machine. It tracks every part number and how long is it running on a machine was used. For example, for each machine how much time was in setup, cycle, down, and idle.
In addition, you can also run this same report grouped by machine types or locations. The advantage of this report style is to display all the machines used in an area or by machine vendor.
Tracking Utilization DetailsAnalyzing production details provides a real understanding on the quality and efficiency of production resources. In addition, it shows where improvements can be made to increase both quality and production percentages.
SmartParts Monitoring can be used to analyze production and quality details for an entire department or a specific machine per day, week, month, quarter, or year. This summary report displays the number of panels per hour, and production percentage per machine.
In addition, you can also run this same report and filter the results by part number, error codes, and machine. The advantages of these other report styles are to display the results within a more usable context. For example if you experience a lot of part number broken bits, you might need to change the "feed and speeds" table for the specific part number.
Tracking Productivity and DowntimeSince the value of time cannot be overstated, analyzing overall productivity and how a machine's time is spent is critical. Identifying when and why set-up time, downtime, and idle time increases and production times decrease start with SmartParts Monitoring's Utilization Summary chart.
Figure 7. Productivity Chart
For example, the chart on the left identifies that error accounts for about 10% of the time with change of load is about 25%. With a few mouse clicks, you can drill down to the errors chart on the left to identify additional specifics and details. With further use of SmartParts Monitoring, unplanned downtime can be lowered with better production policies for access to tooling, increased preventive maintenance, or whatever solutions are found to fix root causes.
ConclusionSmartParts Monitoring is a stand-alone application that typically runs on FASTechnologies DNC UltraServer. This common platform is a shared foundation to an entire suite of SmartParts classic and SmartParts cassetting applications. Shared common data improves overall productivity and minimizes implementation time when adding additional applications.
Whatever the software solution, a drill room should not run on opinion alone.
Ofer Ton has 24 years experience in the PCB industry and is currently the president of FASTechnologies, Corp. an industry leader in the drill and rout fabrication process.