The largest bottleneck for most PCB manufacturers is drilling. Using software to monitor drilling allows PCB fabricators to make better—and literally smarter—production decisions.

This paper outlines specific features and benefits of implementing monitoring software to collect and analyze real-time shop floor data from drill and rout CNC machines. The software, SmartParts Monitoring, can be configured to address the unique requirements of each manufacturer, yet still works like an off-the-shelf, shrink-wrapped, software solution. This system also comes with support for three database platforms—mySQL, SQL Server and Oracle—to provide flexibility during the implementation process and an upgrade path as operational needs grow.

SmartParts Monitoring is a standalone application, although it may be fully integrated with other FASTechnologies products. SmartParts Monitoring is fully integrated with FASTechnologies DNC UltraServer and utilizes the existing DNC network for automated data collection from compatible CNC machine tools.

SmartParts Monitoring is a module within the SmartParts family of products which includes SmartParts Classics and SmartParts Cassetting. This article focuses on features in SmartParts Monitoring v2.3

Real Data Needed

Without data, you only have an opinion. You cannot improve your manufacturing process unless you know how to measure it. In PCB fabrication, many processes must be monitored and measured. Some areas are critical enough processes that they require real data in real time. Without monitoring your drill room real-time operation, utilization reports end up becoming more of an opinion than a fact sheet.

Figures 1 and 2. Smart Parts Monitoring

Moving from Opinion to Fact

Printed circuit board fabricators require a software application that collects, reports and graphs shop floor manufacturing data from the drill and rout production machines in real-time. One system, SmartParts Monitoring, helps improve productivity by empowering decision makers with reports and graphs based on actual shop floor data. This software provides real-time answers to many of manufacturer’s toughest questions, including:

• What jobs or parts are in production?

• How many drill bits have been broken?

• What machine(s) are in use and currently drilling parts?

• How is production time being used?

• Which machines are currently in setup, down or idle?

• Why is drilling production going down?

• What does drilling downtime cost?

• What is causing downtime and how can you fix it?

A good software system can give answers to all of the above. Not only that, but the answers can be displayed from any PC with the ability to drill-down to any level of detail on any of your manufacturing facilities. For example, a process engineer in Plant 1 can query the status of an individual machine in Plant 2, and he may find out if it is currently in setup, making parts, or down for maintenance. Answers are kept indefinitely, and current results can be compared with a previous job or part runs.

Real-time answers leveraged against actual production history are becoming critical as enterprises go global for engineering and manufacturing resources. Answers based on actual manufacturing details facilitate faster decisions and increase productivity for every manufacturer.

How Drill Operations Monitoring Works

Drill operations monitoring collects data from drill room machines without any operator input. In the case of SmartParts, the software is utilizing special communication protocols customized for each machine controller and vendor.

Seconds after any form of input is made, the data becomes available enterprise-wide via company networks. Reports and charts are either real-time or summarized. Both information sets have their benefits, and they complement each other.

Real-time reports and charts, known in this software as ShopView, process the collected data and accurately reflect the current state of shop floor activity. For example, the ShopView Status report displays the current status of every machine including if it is idle, in setup, production and down. In addition, it displays the current part number and the current time in the current state (see Figure 3). From here you can “zoom in” on any given machine to learn more details.

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