New Software Promises to Increase Quality, Flexibility and Resilience
In the factory of the future, software will be every bit as important to product assembly as robots, riveters and nutrunners. Software is helping manufacturers with a range of applications, from error-proofing individual workstations to analyzing the performance of assembly lines or entire plants.
Whether you’re looking for enterprise resource planning software or paperless work instructions, you’ll find it at The ASSEMBLY Show South. Here’s a look at some of what’s on offer.
Click on the headings below for product information.
1Factory software speeds up quality control (QC) tasks, from drawing ballooning through inspection data collection, analysis and reporting. The software reduces time spent preparing inspection reports. It helps to identify problems at the machine, so corrections can be made early in the manufacturing process.
Engineers can choose between fully automated or point-and-click ballooning. With either option, engineers can instantly balloon a drawing, and extract features to a quality control plan with just a few clicks.
The software enables fully automated comparison of PDF drawing revisions, so personnel can instantly find changes across multiple drawing sheets.
The software automates the process of creating a quality control plan, defining what to measure, the associated specifications and tolerances, inspection methods, and sampling rules. Plans can be version-controlled to track changes to inspection methods and sampling rules that need to be made independently of changes to the part design. If a drawing includes a table of configurations or variants, engineers create a single QC plan for the base part, and then load the configurations into the software’s “table of sizes.” The software automatically generates the inspection plan for each configuration.
The software’s “spec library” capability allows engineers to balloon industry standards and create a library of plans that can then be incorporated into many different part plans without having to balloon the standard for every part.
1Factory
www.1factory.com
LinePulse software uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze the vast amounts of product and production data generated during the manufacturing process of components for automotive and off-highway vehicles. A software as a service technology, LinePulse combines the strengths of traditional analysis techniques, such as statistical process control, with the advanced analytics capabilities of AI. The software monitors production in real time, alerting engineers to potential quality issues before they occur. The software removes data silos by connecting all data in one place.
The software automates root-cause analysis. Machine learning algorithms instantly calculate the most likely causes of a defect in a prioritized list. It removes unrelated signals from the list to improve the results and allow engineers to focus on solving problems, instead of analyzing data.
Acerta Analytics
https://acerta.ai
Aegis Software and Arch Systems have established a partnership to digitize continuous improvement of factory operations. Manufacturing excellence relies on proactively identifying issues and implementing corrective action. Effective identification requires analytics fueled by maximum breadth and depth of data. Corrective actions rely on revealing insights within those analytics, and then ensuring action is taken on the shop floor. How quickly a manufacturer moves from issue identification to action, and the effectiveness of those actions, is what separates a world-class operation from the rest.
Aegis and Arch have partnered to deliver a AI Copilot to guide manufacturers toward the right actions and, if desired, implement those actions automatically via FactoryLogix on the shop floor. This expedites the cycle of continuous improvement. By augmenting Arch data sources with the contextualized product design and human operator interaction data provided by Aegis’ FactoryLogix, the Arch Insight Engine becomes even more powerful in suggesting targeted operational and process improvements. The results of those actions are then available for both Arch and Aegis systems to assess the efficacy of the corrective action.
Aegis Software
www.aiscorp.com
PG quality software guides employees through the entire process chain. Visual work instructions guide workers step by step through the assembly process, providing flexible support for all production processes. The software connects to hardware from all manufacturers. The software also documents that each assembly step was performed correctly.
CSP US Inc.
www.csp-sw.com
eFlex Kitting provides an environment to configure, connect and error-proof part picking and material handling. This flexible, plug-and-play software can be used as a standalone, self-contained system with minimized floor space or combined with other eFlex modules for more extensive error-proofing and quality management.
A large selection of kitting products range from digital displays with kit images and instructions, to pick lights, sensors, bar code scanners or vision inspection. All products are available on one, easy-to-use application interface and can be changed or added in minutes. Engineers can easily set up visual displays at the kitting station to prompt the operator for correct picking as well as what the finished kit should look like.
Integrate lights and sensors to verify correct part picking and prompt the operator to move to the next task as completed. Collect process data and key performance indicators along the way. Engineers can apply their own rack design or eFlex can provide a turnkey system.
As one last check, vision inspection or image capture of kits could be completed for further verification and archive needs. Engineers can integrate their bill of materials or model specifications for part proliferation and specific kitting needs based on orders.
When combined with Job Element Monitor, eFlex’s digital work instruction module, engineers can quickly set up kitting process control, part picking instructions, images and visual guides for operators. No programming is necessary.
eFlex Systems
www.eflexsystems.com
The MV2 manufacturing execution system connects, monitors and coordinates manufacturing systems, data flows and people on a shop floor. This cloud-based software provides the ability to “clock in” to specific jobs through a touch screen, so managers can understand how labor time is spent in real-time and analyze labor usage over time.
The software alerts managers when machines or workstations are down, so actions can be taken quickly rather than finding out about issues only at the end of shifts or weeks. Managers can also receive immediate alerts to failure rate increases and connect these failures to specific inventory batches. The software can trace labor resources to scrap production to pinpoint the source of scrap.
The software can replace shop floor paperwork for kanban cards, labor tracking, and quality and testing processes. It is compatible with many popular ERP systems.
Paper-Less LLC
https://ise-erp.com
Pico MES software is enabling the digital transformation of small and medium-sized manufacturers. Pico MES is an affordable no-code, IOT platform that creates a digital twin of assembly processes and integrates with factory tools to boost efficiency and output. The software helps manufacturers increase and measure productivity.
Pico MES is designed for the average factory worker, connecting tools and machines with the people who use them, measuring shop-floor processes, and digitizing assembly lines. It is faster than legacy methods, and it has an open API for connection to other critical systems.
The software starts at $24,000 per year, with unlimited users. Users also receive access to a device library of more than 1,900 common factory tools that can instantly be integrated into their processes. All hardware integration is free as long as the tool is commercially available.
Pico MES
www.picomes.com
MyRTLS Care is a set of subscription services and software to help manufacturers make the most of their UWB-based real-time location systems (RTLS). The package includes more than 15 features that enable manufacturers to monitor the health of their systems, including real-time notifications, weekly reports and predictive alerts. Should any issues arise, advanced device care and customer support are available to subscribers for expedited resolutions.
The package gives manufacturers greater control and advanced analytics for their systems. For example, during maintenance, it’s possible that an anchor is accidentally hit, which could affect the accuracy of the location data. If maintenance is unaware of the mistake, this unreliable data can go unnoticed for weeks. The “Alert” feature immediately notifies maintenance personnel that an anchor is sending inaccurate location data so it can be fixed.
SEWIO
www.sewio.net
VKS work instruction software enables manufacturers to centralize the collective knowledge of their organizations. The software helps companies to effectively share best practices with their entire workforce while maintaining a flexible process flow. With interactive, step-by-step work instructions that leverage pictures, videos and annotations, employees gain access to comprehensive knowledge, empowering them to perform their procedures with precision and consistency. This accelerate training times, advances standardization, and increases operational resilience.
VKS Visual Knowledge Share Ltd.
https://vksapp.com