In the world today, nearly every market is saturated with similar products all aimed toward solving a common problem. Being part of a competitive market, manufacturing companies know that to stay relevant and profitable, they have to make products of top quality.
However, during the manufacturing process a number of unplanned variations occur from time to time and predicting these events accurately is quite difficult. These variations often lead to an increase in the cost of production due to lost man-hours and excessive waste.
Fortunately, this problem has been solved by statisticians who have helped developed a methodology for controlling and measuring the quality of products during the manufacturing process known as Statistical Process Control (SPC). This methodology is complicated, but its complexity is drastically reduced thanks to SPC software developed for just monitoring manufacturing processes. This software collects performance and quality data in real-time that are used for in-depth statistical analysis. Click here to learn more about the pioneer of the SPC.
Many manufacturers nowadays utilize SPC software to identify process variations and product quality issues in order to correct any errors before they become complicated. This is another of the many ways technology is helping mankind through advanced software and computer programs.
This software works effectively in monitoring machine performance and many other manufacturing tools as well as product quality control data which it is chiefly used for. Whenever machine performance or product quality falls below the required standard, the appropriate service personnel are immediately notified. As a result, manufacturers are able to reduce waste and rework, increase production, and improve efficiency.
The data collected by this advanced computer program is plotted onto graphs that are user-friendly and easy to interpret. With easy-to-interpret data like this, workers are able to detect when there are variations significantly different from what is required.
Some of the notable benefits of incorporating this software into the manufacturing process include:
# Reduce rework
# Reduce scrap
# Efficient management of machine life cycle
# Improved productivity
# Development of new products with existing machines and equipment.
How to Tell A Good SPC Software
For manufacturers who are new to this technology, they may be unable to tell which is the best for them. However, these few points should provide some clarity. A good SPC computer program should:
# Be easy for every member of the manufacturing process to use, from shop floor operators all the way up to company executives.
# Record data in real-time, giving workers valuable insights into variations that need to be corrected.
# Be made to suit your unique needs.
CMMs and SPC Software
While SPC is used in making quality products, it doesn’t help in inspecting quality products. That is because it wasn’t designed for that purpose; CMMs are. Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are used to monitor the quality of finished products and are incredibly efficient in separating products with defects.
When utilized, they can tremendously reduce inspection costs, while improving the quality of the final products. Although they are efficient in sorting defective products from the good ones, they do not help save the cost of raw materials, wages, energy, and time invested in making these products. This means that CMMs on their own do not improve yields.
Companies that have succeeded in linking CMMs to SPC software have significantly improved their production strategy. By analyzing the accurate data retrieved by a CMM with an SPC software, manufacturers can accurately pinpoint the causes of many variations that lead to extra production costs, and more importantly offer solutions.
By combining these two powerful technologies, manufacturing companies will be able reduce defects to the barest minimum, improve the overall quality of products, reduce down time, and ultimately gain an edge over their competitors.
However, linking a CMM to a practical software SPC isn’t an easy task. Several factors need to be taken into consideration before the statistical process control program is even purchased. Manufacturers should carefully consider:
If both technologies will sync properly: Most CMMs have outputs that have been standardized to follow industry guidelines. Before the statistical process control system is purchased, the manufacturer should be certain that it is able to support various outputs, that is, it is compatible with any coordinate measuring machine brand.
This is extremely important as there are SPC software that are only compatible with certain CMM models. These shouldn’t be bought because a company may decide to use a different model in the future, or they may need a CMM brand which is not listed among those supported by the software.
To save cost and to get the value for what is being paid for, make sure to get a statistical process control software that supports a wide variety of CMMs and their outputs.
How both technologies will be linked: Normally a CMM operator is responsible for the daily activities of the CMM, similarly, quality managers are responsible for SPC software. Therefore, linking both of these systems may pose a challenge to both professionals since they aren’t trained to do so. The solution to this problem is adopting a method that utilizes a zero administrative strategy. Essentially a system that can automatically create tags, variables, and parts whenever new ones are encountered.
How accessible is the CMM data: The difference between incurring extra production cost and saving money lies in the company’s ability to correct variations in a timely manner, which is only possible if the data gathered can be accessed easily and in real-time.
Data should be stored in a database like MS-SQL or similar databases and should be centrally located for quick access by appropriate personnel. For data from the CMM to be efficiently analyzed, a specific time interval should be set for which it is transferred from the CMM database to the SPC database; this could be done once every hour, or once a day depending on the type of data being collected.
Visit https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/SQL-Server to learn more about MS-SQL.
Conclusion
Thanks to technology, new ways to improve production and standard of living generally are invented on a regular basis. With powerful computer programs like CMMs and SPC software, production cost can be kept at a minimum since waste and rework time can be eliminated.
