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Machine feeder setup reduction

Machine feeder setup reduction

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Has anyone looked at setup reduction for machine feeders. W... - Oct 09, 2001 by meowen

Most PIck and place manufacturers have off line feeder set u... - Oct 09, 2001 by

That's what we do with our MSHII's...setup one carriage offl... - Oct 09, 2001 by Steve Thomas

Unfortunately 95% of our runs require both sides of our Univ... - Oct 09, 2001 by meowen

You don't have enough feeders. ... - Oct 09, 2001 by davef

Hi mike The solution is simple but two fold, first your p... - Oct 20, 2001 by

Great advice!........Single tier feeder set-up carts are als... - Nov 09, 2001 by vickt

meowen

#17828

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 October, 2001

Has anyone looked at setup reduction for machine feeders. We have made some gains through changing the flow of work but as lot sizes decrease the number of parts required remains the same. We remove all reels from the feeders after a job is complete to free up those feeders for the next job. Our number of feeders limits us to setting up only @2 jobs ahead of the running job. This means that if we have two small lots they can be complete before the third setup is loaded. So our bottleneck is feeder setup.

Thanks, Mike

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cal

#17833

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 October, 2001

Most PIck and place manufacturers have off line feeder set up available. Dedicating common feeder types to one side and having the other side available for job specific is also an option.

*****note dedicating feeders can effect your throughput numbers.

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Steve Thomas

#17835

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 October, 2001

That's what we do with our MSHII's...setup one carriage offline while the other one runs. We also have setup carts to load the feeders ahead of time and haul them out to the lines.

Of course, when we exceed the carriage capacity of 75 slots for an assembly, our setups can go from minutes to hours.

We don't dedicate feeder slots to common parts for the reason Cal's probably suggesting....you can't optimize carriage travel if you dedicate locations on the carriage to specific parts.

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meowen

#17837

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 October, 2001

Unfortunately 95% of our runs require both sides of our Universal HSP's. We also have carts that hold one carriage worth of feeders on each side. Parts that carry over from one product to the next are flagged and relocated in the machine per the next program. The process that seems to take the most time is putting the reel on the feeder and doing so correctly so the machine doesn't fault out. The removal of the reel and shelving the feeder also seem to be time consuming. We do have a few feeders that stay loaded with high run parts but there are time when we need the feeder and must unload them too.

Thanks, Mike

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davef

#17838

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 October, 2001

You don't have enough feeders.

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kenbliss

#17965

Machine feeder setup reduction | 20 October, 2001

Hi mike

The solution is simple but two fold, first your process needs to be changed a bit, you need additional feeders to pre-stage the new P/N run and prestage the extra feeders for reload as certain higher volume components exhaust. The idea is to utilize a feeder staging cart that is set up off line. Basicly while job "A" is running you are setting up job "B" offline when job "A" is a few minutes from complete you roll the cart full of staged feeders onto the floor and swap feeder position for feeder position, typically this cuts your change over time to about 15 seconds per feeder. Once you finish the changeover take job "A" that is now on the cart back to your stockroom staging area and tear down the feeders there and begin staging the next change. A lot more process step by step detail is on our web site, it's free, and no registration required at http://www.blissindustries.com take a look at "Bliss University" and "It's not just a cart. I think you will find it helpful, call or email if you need more info.

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vickt

#18133

Machine feeder setup reduction | 9 November, 2001

Great advice!........Single tier feeder set-up carts are also available through Universal instruments directly for this exact purpose. Most people who really care about this changeover time have "pit-crews" that work in the component storage areas, or close by the equipment "out on the floor". These Pit Crews load feeders, put them in order, and can confirm set-ups offline, limiting the actual changeover at the machine to just removing and re-installing. Fixed set-ups are also great if your changeovers dominate your time. Your throughputs may suffer a bit, but your utilization can far outweigh this.

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