First of all, be safe. There may be a lot of different people working on the same project, so you might finish wiring the panels and pneumatics on the machine that someone else started. After the machine is complete and before you power up the whole machine, start your check out by pulling all the fuses, circuit breakers and such one at a time. This way you can check different parts of the machine at different times, which can save you from running into bigger problems. If you just power up the machine without doing this step and there’s something wired wrong, you could create a problem throughout the entire machine.
When you power up the machine, check the voltage one step at a time by plugging in the fuses and circuit breakers for the area you are checking one by one. Check each component for their power, check the D/C (direct current) power the same as the A/C (alternating current). If it doesn’t smoke you did a Good Job!
If it does smoke, look for what smoked. Look for blown fuses or circuit breakers and such. Look for incorrect wiring or voltage. If the problem is found, fix the problem. If no problem is found it could be a defective part.
Troubleshooting is just that, looking for the problem and going step by step to find out what is causing the problem. Each machine is unique and different, sizes and ranges of voltage can differ as well as components.
Waste elimination is one of the most effective ways to increase the profitability of any business. Processes either add value or they add waste to the production of a good or service.
To eliminate waste it is important to understand exactly what waste is and where it exists. While products significantly differ between factories, the typical wastes found in environments are quite similar. Anything that is unproductive, or doesn’t add value that a customer will pay for is considered muda or waste. For each waste there is a strategy to reduce or eliminate its affect on a company, thereby improving the overall performance of the company.
Inventory is a waste that you see in many companies. Inventory is the amount of materials or work-in-process (WIP) within the system. Materials or work-in-process that hasn’t been sold to a customer represents unrecognized value. Accelerating the process of converting raw materials into a product or service helps increase cash flow. Reducing inventory or work-in-process reduces lead times and the amount of labor and capital. There are many reasons why companies have excessive amounts of inventory, but in a lean system the reasons need to add value.
Examples of inventory waste could include some or all of the following:
Parts not needed (over-orders or not figured out yet)
Material ordered too soon
Material and tools on hand but not being used (spares)
Material and tools not needed (extra)
Material and tools over-purchased
Material and tools purchased for “just in case”
Material and tools lost, or not returned
Not returning excess for return credit back to a vendor
Not completing paperwork associated with returns to vendor (RMA)
Over-purchasing of supplies, forms, envelopes, marketing material, etc.
In today’s economy lean automation provides a better solution to manufacturing than its non lean counterparts. In our newest YouTube Setpoint talks about SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) and has a great video clip from a recent machine of the tooling change out. We also talk about Poka-Yokes and making sure that the pieces you add to the machine can only be fitted in one way. Making a machine portable with easy access for maintenance is also another important lean feature. One of the biggest differences lean can make is the size of the footprint. We have a picture of a functioning machine produced in Europe and an overlay of the lean system Setpoint designed and built that does the same thing.
Though tools are expensive, it’s important to use the proper tools for the job you are doing. If you don’t have the right tools you can run into many problems. Rounded off or stripped out bolts, wrong sized holes, and broken taps are a few of the problems you may face.
Using the wrong tool for the job makes disassembling parts, or changing out parts difficult. Also, the cost of replacing parts that may be ruined by using the wrong tools is avoided by using the proper tools.
Using power tools and air tools when possible is more efficient and can lower your costs in hours. Who wants to stand around and build something using a hammer and nails when you can use a nail gun instead?
Having the right tools for the job helps everybody deliver a quality professional product for their clients and reflects well on your company.
My experiences working with industrial companies over the past fifteen years has aided me in my understanding of the importance of lean manufacturing. In the early 1990’s overhauling a company to run lean manufacturing practices might not have seemed practical to many. The cost of upgrading and maintaining such ideas would be enormous and the thought of employees being displaced from their jobs was taboo. During this period of time the companies that have been unwilling to make the changes necessary to work towards the lean goals were going out like the dinosaurs that they were. The global economy now demands more. Competition and profitability are huge factors in what makes a lean business practice essential.
Working for a lean company that provides lean automation is a great thing. There are always new business theories and practices surfacing. It’s exciting to work for a company where approval of ideas is asked of everyone. All financial information is reviewed in a group meeting. Any of our ideas to better the company and the products are taken in and analyzed. If an idea is beneficial, everybody involved is rewarded and the company is bettered. It’s a good feeling to be part of such a team.
At Setpoint we have been building lean automated equipment for over 16 years. One of the lessons we have learned is the importance for engineers and assembly technicians to work together to get the job done efficiently and give the customer the best possible quality, price, and on-time delivery. Many times if the two don’t work together things tend to have to be redone, redesigned, or ideas scrapped all together. I’ve seen this time and time again, which in turn affects the quality and price and doesn’t make anybody happy.
For many years I have maintained and assembled machines and have seen many designs and working environments that most design engineers aren’t even aware of. Because of this experience that myself and other assembly technicians have we can often give insight to these facts.
Working together also makes installation easier and better. Engineers don’t tend to think of having an easy connector to two parts of a machine so that they can be easily separated for shipping or how the air hoses or electrical components are connected so when the machine is prepared for shipping you don’t have to rewire part of it at install. When examples such as these are not kept in mind during the design phase, the onsite installation can take much longer to get the machine up and running on the customers’ floor than need be, which costs us more and doesn’t look good to the customer.
At Setpoint we follow the 5 S’s system, as the shop manager here is my take on how we are able to implement this in our assembly shop.
Sort - This is the hardest part for me. I have a hard time throwing things away that could be very expensive or hard to get. But, if I haven’t needed it in a long time, it ends up costing me more to store it than to buy it new when we need it. By doing this you will free up more space, make your shop look more organized and less cluttered, make it faster to find what you are looking for, and end up costing your company less in the long run.
Straighten - For this you need to find a place to put everything you have decided to keep. Look around for the best place to put the item, once you find that place mark it with tape or outline it so everyone knows where to put it away. This needs to be done with everything, make it so at a glance you can tell if there is something left out or not put back where it belongs. Think of it this way, if you have a new employee you would like them to be productive as quickly as possible so they can start working without looking for the tools they need.
Shine - Just like it sounds, keep it clean. This could mean sweeping, putting tools away, or taking out the trash. The more organized you are the less time it takes you to clean up. It should look the same when you leave work as it did when you got there.
Standardize - This could mean using all the same brand of drills or tools so they are interchangeable and you can replace them as they wear out; using the same vendors so they are familiar with your shops lay-out and how you like things, and where to put the items they are delivering. Also, by using the same assembly and staging methods each time, this will help everyone get accustomed to the rules and guidelines your company has set up. These guidelines can be followed without thinking about it or asking someone where to put a tool away.
Sustain - This is another hard one because when you have a lot of work to get done you tend to skip over some things that may not seem that important at the time. When you let this happen it can get out of hand very fast, making a habit of cleaning and putting things away makes it easier to maintain them. This is critical to the five S’s system; if you let it slip you end up doing the first three over and over. Don’t be afraid to change something that just doesn’t feel right, find what works for you and your company.
We have had some questions lately as to what types of industrial automation Setpoint is capable of so below I have listed some of the capabilities that Setpoint has.
Filmless X-Ray Inspection Machine
We developed a non-destructive test and inspection machine using filmless x-ray technology. This automated testing system was integrated on a high volume assembly line with complex equipment. It was inserted in an already lean facility without any problems. The end result was reducing wasted floor space by 75%, combining two machines into one automated machine, and decreasing labor minutes per unit by 50%. Follow our link to learn more about filmless x-ray inspection using real time radiography.
Flexible Manufacturing Systems
A specific client needed a flexible torque station that would be able to accommodate quick model changeovers and be able to be modified for future growth and development. The nesting system was developed so it could be swapped out in less than 30 seconds without needing any tools. The end results were an auto cycle rate of 3-5 seconds, 30 second tooling changeovers, and orientation part sensing. You can see a photo of the machine and more details about this flexible assembly equipment.
Turnkey Automated Swage Machine
We developed a hydraulic tube swage machine that came with quick change tooling, was able to process a wide range of bottle lengths, had a vision system verification of final product, and positive head pressure that prevented pump cavitations. This swage machine had a high overall efficiency and a cycle time of less than 7 seconds per part. This is another example of how custom automated machines can help increase efficiency and speed.
Lean Production Systems
We have many cases where lean automation and production were critical to the success of the project. In each system we ensure that turn-key solutions can fit in as little space as possible while maintaining high quantity output and quality. Tooling changes that can be done quickly ensures the systems are flexible. A few examples of lean production systems we have developed are the real time radiography x-ray inspection and pyrotechnic powder loading and assembly machines.
I’ve been in the Industrial Automation business for over 15 years now and have seen quite a swing in the way manufacturers produce their products. About 12 years ago I was working for a major tier 1 automotive components supplier as a process engineer. The production lines were comprised of these large sophisticated machines that were all linked together with conveyors. Parts were transported from station to station on small conveyor pallets and would stop at each station to either have value add work done or some sort of test or inspection performed.
There were several key issues with the large fully automated systems that produced our company’s products.
The lines were very expensive. Many times ranging between $10-$15 million each.
The lead time for getting a full production line in place was anywhere between 15-24 months.
The machines were very complex and required a high level of engineering and maintenance support to keep them running.
The inventory of spare parts required to keep the systems up and running was huge
The systems, although “fully automated”, required more operators and support than expected to keep the systems running and clear all the faults, jams and other issues related to a complex system.
Changeovers took shifts if not days in some cases. (Loss productivity and lots of labor for the CO)
The overall systems up time was terrible and in most cases ran in the 60-65% range
If one machine in the overall system went down, the entire line stopped while issues were resolved
The lines took up a huge amount of floor space and impeded process flow in many areas
Nice overview of traditional factory automation huh? Well, the leaders of the company realized that this was not working out. By the time a system was ordered, built, installed and commissioned, up to 2 years had gone by and many changes in both their product’s technologies and customer demands had changed.
So lean thinking was introduced into the company and embraced by senior management. This is ABSOLUTLY!! key for lean thinking to even have a chance. The first task, after the basic 5’s stuff was out of the way was to find a better way to manufacture parts with simple, flexible equipment solutions that would address all the above listed issues. Here is what happened. I actually took part in this transformation and can vouch for how real and powerful Lean is.
The cost of the manufacturing lines went from $10-$15 Million to $850k-$2.5 million
Lead time for a lean line was around 6 months instead of 1.5 to 2 years
Machines were simple, flexible and easily reconfigurable because they were no longer connected via a vast network of conveyor systems. Most machines were set up in cells in some sort of “U” shaped arrangement that allowed for easy access, flow and visual reference of what was going on in the cell at all times.
Spare parts inventory was cut by over 80% due to simple machine solutions.
Operators worked on the line to pass parts through the process but it offered the flexibility needed to handle a huge variety of products within a family. We found that even though there was a manual interface requirement, the overall labor minutes per unit actually went down dramatically.
Changeovers from one model to the next were fast, efficient and mistake proofed.
Because the equipment was simple, easy to maintain and far less complicated, the overall uptime typically went from 65% to near 95%.
If one machine in the overall system went down the other machines had small buffers that allowed the cell to keep running while individual machine issues were dealt with.
The floor space required for the cells was cut by over 75% in most cases. This freed up valuable floor space for expansion for future business.
All in all, Lean Automation has made a huge impact for those manufacturers who have adopted the Lean philosophy and have strived to keep their competitive advantage intact through out the years of their specific business evolution.
So the theme I’m seeing here is, Go Lean or Go to China. You decide.
How are you going to take your business into the future? How will you compete with price-cutting competitors? How will you reduce overhead costs and increase profits? Every business struggles with these same questions. The book The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker suggests that the answer to all of these questions is operational excellence. What is operational excellence? It is being the best at what you do, improving the speed of your business processes, improving the quality of your products and services, and cutting unnecessary steps and costs from your operations.
The Toyota Way lists 14 management principles that Toyota uses to achieve operational excellence. These principles focus on eliminating waste, standardizing processes and learning from experience. They facilitate a continuous flow of quality parts and information precisely when they are required. By following these principles, hidden problems are brought to the surface and employees are trained to solve these problems. The best part is the process is circular, it’s continually improving. Kaizen!
Setpoint believes in Kaizen, which is a Japanese term that roughly means “continuous improvement.” As part of the continuous improvement here at Setpoint, we have studied this book to identify ways to implement these 14 principles within our own company and for our customers. One area that we are focusing on is the way we receive parts. We are moving towards Just in Time so the parts are available to the assembly technician precisely when they are ready for them rather than having them sit for a week or two before they start working on the project.
