It is good to keep production running at constant capacity. To produce high quality products is better. But learning from mistakes is best. MPDV’s HYDRA X Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can meet all three challenges. This article focuses on the In-Production Inspection and the associated opportunities for optimization.
For a long time, quality assurance was regarded as an independent discipline and consequently mapped in a separate (IT) system, but today this is regarded as outdated and inefficient. MES HYDRA X can implement a supporting quality assurance system that allows manufacturing companies to reduce waste and learn from errors.
First plan and inspect
As in many other disciplines, quality assurance also requires planning:
- Which products should be inspected at which points in the process?
- Which characteristics are important?
- At which intervals is an inspection useful?
- At which production events should inspections be performed?
- What needs to be done in the event of a deviation from specified values?
In HYDRA X, inspection plans can be created for specific articles or article families, defining which characteristics are to be inspected when and how often. HYDRA X distinguishes, for example, between variable characteristics, meaning measured values expressed in numbers, such as a length or a diameter, and attributive characteristics like quality inspection to determine whether a scratch is visible, or a function is fulfilled. The inspection interval can be either a period of time or a quantity. Integration of production data makes it easy to inspect every hundredth part or schedule an inspection after every hour of production or at specific events in the shop floor. Such an event might be the change of the machine status from malfunction to production or the changeover to a new input material.
Check and react
Pending inspections are displayed to the operator as an icon and in tabular form. Once started, HYDRA X guides the operator through the inspection. Measured values of digital test equipment can be transferred directly, which prevents numerical errors and typos. Data is consistently collected and immediately available for analysis. Deviations in quality are highlighted by colored symbols. Ideally, automatic systems collect data for evaluating the quality; these can be measuring devices or cameras with image recognition. There are no limits to innovation when it comes to collecting quality data.
If deviations are detected, predefined processes ensure that the failure can be eliminated as quickly as possible. The HYDRA X Complaint Management also gives support.
Quality at a glance – more than In-Production Inspection
Independent of a single complaint, analysis tools in HYDRA X provide more transparency. Examples for the analysis of inspection data are control charts, graphic histograms, calculation of KPIs, and the failure mode analysis. These tools can be used for further improvement, especially if defects in certain materials or at certain workplaces accumulate. A common database is beneficial as the knowledge gained can be employed directly in production to increase production efficiency in the future, detect deviations at an early stage, and consistently avoid rejects. HYDRA X uses for this purpose the Manufacturing Integration Platform (MIP).
Consistent and digital quality assurance provides greater transparency in production. As a result, manufacturing companies can reduce time and effort spent on rework and scrap. In the end, production companies can save hard cash with manufacturing IT. The Complaint Management system also promotes cooperation between different areas within production and beyond.
Good manufacturing companies not only improve with an integrated quality assurance but get better all the time. If the control loop is followed consistently, they could soon be among the best in the industry.
You can find out more about In-Production Inspection with HYDRA X on the MPDV website.
