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Tool Management

Tool Management

Improve the management of tools with Shopfloor-Online MES

 

Is the performance of high-value tools affecting your production and product quality?

Press tools, moulds, extrusion tools, fixtures, jigs are but a few examples where the tooling has a considerable effect on the process. Many tools produce more than 1 part at the same time e.g. multiple cavities, dies. Each of the cavities have their individual effect and must be managed accordingly. Use the Tool Management software module to:
  • Build a tool asset library, with information about each tool, including each cavity
  • Track where and when tools are used
  • Support faster change-overs
  • Use the tool information to improve your production scheduling
  • Manage the state of tools, know when they are good to use
 

Create a tool library 

  • Record information about each tool
  • Tools can be grouped into sets, where collections of tools are used together

Manage multi-cavity/die tools

  • Record information about each cavity/die where tools are multi-head e.g. injection moulding tools
  • Record when cavities are blocked and re-opened

Track tool usage and life

  • Track tools as they are used in processes – when they are loaded and unloaded
  • Know how many parts, cycles they have made to monitor tool life
  • Monitor the status of the tools - when they are unusable, when they need repair
  • Know where the tools are by tracking locations

Reporting

  • Insight into current level of tool inventory
  • Complete traceability history of each tool
  • Multi-cavity tool performance (cavities open/closed history)
  • Efficient tool tracking – track your tools, know where they are, where they have been used
  • Go paperless – if that is how you record the use of tools today
  • Faster change-overs – see when tool changes are coming up and mobilise accordingly
  • Visibility – everyone can see where the tools are and what state they are in
  • Reduce losses with multi-cavity tools – track the history of all cavities, when they have been opened and closed, make better decisions about when tools should be repaired rather than run with some cavities blocked
  • Improve quality – track measurements by tool and cavity, monitor degradation, make better decisions on when to maintain
  • Traceability – know what products were made with what tool and when
The Tool Management module of Shopfloor-Online MES is really powerful when used in conjunction with other modules and is rarely used stand-alone:
  • Scheduling – to plan the use of specific tools on production runs
  • Job Tracking – to know when and where tools were used or changed on each production run
  • Asset register – to capture more detail about the tool
  • Production Counting  – to capture life-time cycle and part counts, if multi-cavity tools are used the cycle counts can be converted to piece counts
  • Quality – to record measurements against the tool and cavities and track performance
  • SPC – real-time SPC charts from all quality data to alert operatives if measured values break control limits or trend rules
  • Maintenance – to plan maintenance for your tools