Quality control
Integrate quality management in and across processes.
Inspection orders
Plan, Execute, and Control QA checks using the standard inspection module.
Inspections can be initiated based on a fixed schedule, ad-hoc, or triggered by events (e.g. cycle times, production registration, etc.).
Execution of the plan is handled by the QA engineer using a mobile app, for a more efficient and digitized process.
Process Integration
Using dynamic workflows that are triggered by system events or external robot signals, QA activities can be initiated automatically and conditionally.
The PearlChain Shape-IT rule engine is used to maintain the business rules that govern the QA process, defining the flows using modeled conditions.
Weight monitoring
Inline registration of production metrics such as weights can be digitized using the configurable functionality with the operator's dashboard:
Configure the frequency of registrations, number of measurements, and high/low limits for validation.
The results can be visualized directly inline and analyzed using dashboards and reports.
Ideally, the registrations are captured automatically via ALC, directly from the PLC. This will provide the most accurate data but isn't always possible. In such cases, having the option to revert to operator input will allow us to make the best product, regardless if registration is automated.
Scrap and Waste
Similar to weight registration, registration of scrap and waste can be handled by the operator, or via machine integration.
Combined with the registration of cycle times, these metrics provide a data set that is used for OOE/OEE reporting via real-time dashboards.
Of course, the raw data is also analyzed to drive continuous improvement processes.
Reporting
The dashboarding and reporting functionality within the PearlChain application itself creates ad-hoc overviews of quality metrics, as well as providing the data for management and auditing purposes.
Using the embedded configuration tooling, the dashboards can be maintained by the users themselves, reducing the cost of IT maintenance.