How to increase the productivity of machinery in the plant

Increase the machinery productivity This is the goal of all machinery and manufacturing workshops. However, manufacturers know that the more work that can be completed in each setup, the more value and precision can be obtained from the machine and staff. On-site machinery can be manufacturing quality parts and generating profits, or it can be idle and costing the manufacturer money. Reducing downtime is the key factor in getting better jobs, completing them faster, and earning more money.

Reducing downtime can improve machinery productivity, but shift the bottleneck to the next operation. Although there are many possible solutions for improving the productivity of a single machine, improving the machinery productivity throughout the entire plant is the real goal and, in fact, saves money compared to other options that cost more. First, several questions must be considered:

• How long is the machine running in a 24-hour period?
• How long is the machine out of action when changing jobs?
• How long is the machine out of service for repairs and maintenance?
• Why should the operator stop the machine?
• Are there better tooling options?
• Are there better options for securing/handling materials?

Increase operating time to improve machinery productivity

If a machine has the capacity to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, but only operates for 8 hours or one shift, the opportunity to triple the machinery productivity. Competitors may have more shifts or be automating processes to run the machine as much as possible, so it is important to take this factor into account in order to avoid falling behind.

Reduce downtime to improve machinery productivity

If the machine is idle for more than 15 minutes to change jobs, it means that the wrong tooling, fixtures and software are being used. The technologies available in tools with presetters allow the tools to be preset off-machine with all compensations loaded automatically. Changing tools should take only a few minutes and be ready to operate without having to use indicators to align them. It is recommended to consider a mounting base plate with pre-set holes and pins to quickly locate your fixtures. Only with these measures can an improvement in machinery productivity real, and to this end it may be useful to know the Benefits of monitoring downtime of industrial machinery and equipment.

Improve checks and repairs to increase machinery productivity

If the time spent on repairs and maintenance exceeds one hour in a 24-hour period, something is wrong. For example, instead of shovelling chips or scrap, you should invest in a chip conveyor, as it is a thankless job that drags or accumulates scrap that damages track covers or other components. In addition, it is recommended to add automatic lubrication functions if the machine is lubricated manually, as the reservoir can be filled while the machine is in cycle. Therefore, to increase the machinery productivity, The repairs that need to be made must be carefully analysed and the cause identified, as abuse or lack of maintenance can be easily resolved by providing more uptime, all the time. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out predictive maintenance work and assess how to make condition-based maintenance more effective.

Minimise interruptions to improve machinery productivity

If an operator has to interrupt the machine, for example to change parts, it is worth considering basic, low-cost automation, such as a pallet changer or a robotic parts loader. If the operator frequently changes tools during a production job, they are using the wrong machine. Each part should be preset in a tool and each tool preset in a tool holder, and both should be loaded and ready for quick exchange in the machine's work area. To maximise machinery productivity, can be used this Selection of collaborative robots: Industrial uses and applications.

Best tooling options to optimise machinery productivity

Indexable inserts and hardened tools can provide 10 times the service life of standard cutting tools, while hardened and ground tools for press brakes fit in the same place in the same way, every single time. It is advisable to invest the extra money up front to improve the machinery productivity since in the end you will save more than the initial investment.

Explore other options for improving machinery productivity

There are currently many new options available to manufacturers. Before purchasing a new machine, it is advisable to check all the available workpiece holder options. Attending local trade shows is a good way to learn about new developments and products that work and can be tested on site. Many of these new products do not make it to machinery dealers' showrooms or are not well marketed, but they can offer perfect solutions for reducing downtime and improving machinery productivity.

Other ways to increase machinery productivity

There are other ways to increase the machinery productivity And although these suggestions require a significant investment, they may be the solution that best suits your needs.

• Add capacity to increase machinery productivity

  Consider adding additional machinery of the same type or adding another process that may help, such as water jet cutting or vertical machining to a horizontal machining centre process. In any case, adding capacity expands opportunities along with improving machinery productivity machining or manufacturing.

• Upgrade technology to improve machinery productivity

  Replace old technology with newer, faster equipment that has better tools and is more accurate than the current process. Although this option may involve a significant investment cost, it may actually provide the best solution for the machinery productivity immediately. Specifically, look for ways to reduce or eliminate manual handling of parts, as any loss of time or precision is usually related to a part being changed manually.

• Identify bottlenecks in order to increase machinery productivity.

  To increase the machinery productivity, You have to look for bottlenecks in the factory. If there is a process that is running at full capacity and cannot go any faster, there is no point in focusing on speeding up other areas of the factory. They will go faster and faster, but they will have nothing to do because there is an area of the factory that is a bottleneck and cannot keep up.

  Therefore, to increase the machinery productivity, All efforts should be focused on finding bottlenecks, looking for areas where there is excess work in progress, and looking for places where there is excess downtime.

• Reduce the workload of bottleneck assets to increase machinery productivity

  If you have a machine that has been identified as a bottleneck in the process, you should identify the truly essential tasks that only that machine can perform. Anything extra should be removed from that area of the process.

  For example, if there are mixed debarking or cleaning processes, they must be eliminated. Have someone do it manually afterwards or purchase another cheaper machine to do it. If they are removed from the bottleneck area as soon as possible, an additional 10% or 20% of availability can be freed up on that machine to perform the main function that only that asset and that machine can do.

• Upgrade equipment to increase machinery productivity

  Once the bottleneck has been identified and the workload reduced to only the essentials, improvements can be made to increase the machinery productivity.

  Even in machines that are only two or three years old, sometimes the pace of technological change means that there are much more efficient engines, more efficient methods of cooling or lubrication.

The machine manufacturer can perform some simple upgrades to increase efficiency by 5-10 per cent. If this is a bottleneck, that could mean a 10-20 per cent increase in product performance. Therefore, you should speak with the maintenance technicians for key machines and find out what upgrades are available and what they can offer.