Real-time performance data supports machine tool management
Color-coded plant-floor monitoring software provides production managers with 24/7 intelligence.
New color-coded plant-floor monitoring software from MAG Industrial Automation Systems provides production managers with 24/7 intelligence on machine uptime, and identifies and categorizes downtime events by color for analysis. Freedom eLog resides in a server, is Web-based, and connects through Ethernet to virtually any industrial asset, including PC-based, PLC-based, and relay-logic type machines. The software automatically collects data for in-cycle and NC program start/stop events, then transforms data into
The software links all machines on the plant floor to allow real-time checks of total production activity or individual machine status, generate alerts, and accumulate data for report generation in a variety of formats. Using algorithms based on an AMT standard and equivalent European VDI standard 3423, the software categorizes time into six different areas: plant shut-down, scheduled down-time, delay time, repair time, not in-cycle process time, and in-cycle time. Real-time calculations show how much time is being spent in each of the categories.
Delays can be classified and placed in proper perspective by operators or maintenance personnel to identify delay time, repair time, scheduled downtime, etc. Freedom eLog can be set up to send an email or text message to a mobile phone, alerting maintenance managers when a machine is down for a specified amount of time, and allowing corrective action to take place because data is placed in the hands of the right people in real time.
Some of the standard reports available in Freedom eLog include: Top 25 Alerts to target the most frequent alert occurrences, Top 25 Events to see what has kept machines out of cycle, Top 25 Programs by duration or by count, and a Daily View to see the activity over a 24-hour period. A Tapestry Report for day-by-day comparisons and analysis of productivity variations at different times of the day to understand trends of a machine or series of machines. The software can also integrate a CAD/CAM drawing of a shop floor for a Shop Today screen that shows each machine and the machine status in real time through the use of live icons. Freedom eLog also supports multiple languages, including: French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, and more.
– Edited by Renee Robbins , senior editor Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.
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