On the road to the Smart Factory, there are several steps to having a smart integrated assembly. After you’ve upgraded your tools and integrated vision technology and automation into your daily assembly processes, the next step is to connect your stations through software.
Software plays a vital role in your production. By using software to connect your stations, you get a full view of the whole assembly process. This helps you to understand where quality issues are happening and how often, giving you the information you need to transform your assembly. Keep reading to learn more!
The benefits of software
Smart tools and solutions are a great start to improving your production. They have the ability to catch quality issues when they occur and keep your assembly running smoothly. However, they are just the start of creating a Smart Factory. You still need software integrated into your daily assembly.
Even with smart tools and solutions on the line, quality issues can still occur; when it does, you will have little understanding of the quality issue. Software is ready to change that. By connecting each of your stations with software, you can have a full view of your entire manufacturing facility and its history.
As quality issues arise, software solutions will keep track of the tightening data, enabling you to better understand the quality issues you’re experiencing. With this information, you can identify where the issues are occurring and make plans to correct them.
Track quality issues as they occur
There are a few software solutions that can help you keep track of your assembly. The first one we’ll discuss is Smart Factory Overview. With this innovative solution, you will be able to visualize the complete line directly on your computer. This enables you to see exactly where your stations are on the line, if everything is running smoothly, or if you’re having errors and where.
Additionally, you can view basic analytics about each station with a simple click. There you will see all the data collected including basic results and the station’s NOK percentage. This will help you to figure out where the quality issues are occurring and more. However, if you need to dig deeper to solve your quality issues, you will need a software solution that can collect more data and provide process improvements.
The complete assembly process improvement solution
To continuously enhance your processes, you will need ToolsNet 8. This software collects production data, giving you full control and resulting in less rework, higher quality, and maximized uptime.
With this software, you will be able to recognize what types of NOKs are occurring, when they occur, and where. With this data, you can identify tightening trends, so if there is a common issue, it will be abundantly clear, and you will be able to correct it.
Take line management to the next level
Once a solution to your problem is identified, ToolsTalk 2 enables you to configure any station by making the proper changes right from your computer. ToolsTalk 2 has many innovative features that will help you to manage your entire plant. One of these features is the ability to adjust the programs whenever you want.
ToolsTalk 2 also keeps track of the history of each station, enabling you to know what changes were made and when. This makes it easy to switch between programs if you find that you want to revert to a previous program.
ToolsTalk 2 also has other features such as the ability to perform controller updates, review programs before they’re implemented on the line, and more. This provides you with greater control and flexibility on the line.
Why choose Atlas Copco?
For over 150 years, we have supported customers in many different industries, enabling them to produce quicker, safer, and smarter with our innovative tools and solutions. We specifically develop solutions with our customers’ challenges in mind in order to streamline production processes.
Are you on the road to creating a Smart Factory or eager to get started? Contact us today to speak with one of our experts.
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