Digital production control for moulding shops
Multi-cavity moulds, weight counted in tenths of a gram, frequent mould and raw material batch changes. Quality separately for every cavity, pieces counted from the moulding machine cycle and batch genealogy from granulate to pallet.
Sound familiar?
High volumes, multi-cavity moulds and tight weight tolerances. A small deviation multiplies by thousands of pieces per shift. On the left the problem, on the right what the system does with it.
One cavity spoils the result of the whole mould
In the average of ten cavities you cannot see the problem. You see it only when every measurement has a cavity number.
You tick measurement per cavity in the control plan. The system guides the operator cavity by cavity, every result has a cavity number, and Cp and Cpk are calculated separately for each. You point to the guilty cavity by name.
The weight drifts quietly
After a heater replacement or a raw material batch change the weight slowly rises. Every measurement is still in tolerance, but the trend is not.
Cup on the scale, button, result in the system. The I-MR control chart shows the trend and raises a Nelson rule alarm while measurements are still in tolerance. The quality manager gets an alert, not a reject.
The mould runs on part of its cavities
A blocked cavity is everyday life. If the system does not know about it, the piece count and performance are false.
Smart Monitor knows the mould and the number of active cavities. One moulding machine cycle is as many pieces as cavities actually running, so OEE and the plan add up even with blocked cavities.
The mould changeover eats the shift
The plan says an hour, it takes two and a half. Without measurement nobody knows how many hours a month you give away over the assumption.
A mould change has a start, an end and a plan on the timeline. The changeover report shows the hours over plan per month, broken down by mould, machine and shift.
A granulate and pigment batch change
The defect shows up a week later. You need to know which pallets were made from that delivery and which were not.
The delivery gets a batch number and a label, the operator scans it at the hopper. On a defect you open the pigment batch and see the moulding batches and pallets it went into. You hold only those.
The hourly inspection depends on memory
The operator runs several machines. An inspection nobody reminds them about simply does not happen.
The system reminds about the inspection on the tablet every hour, every set number of pieces or after a changeover. In blocking mode production will not start without a first article inspection.
One shift with DiGi
Moulding machine WT-05, cup KB-300, eight-cavity mould. Data from the demo company.
The operator starts the mould change. A changeover with a 60-minute plan appears on the machine timeline.
The tablet requires an inspection after the changeover. Eight cavities on the scale, each OK. Only now is the "Start production" button active.
The operator scans the label of the granulate bag and the pigment. From this moment the moulding batch has recorded what it is made from.
Cavity 6 weighs 8.71 g with a tolerance of 8.5 ±0.25 g. The result is in tolerance, but the control chart shows six rising points. An alert goes to the quality manager.
Moulding machine OEE for the day, the WT-05 changeover took 85 minutes instead of 60, a loss list ranked by recoverable hours. The report arrived by e-mail before the meeting.
Modules for this industry
Every module works on its own, and together they run on one operator tablet and one register of products and moulds.
DiGi Smart Control
Quality control
Quality control that understands multi-cavity moulds. The operator measures cavity by cavity, the scale and the caliper send the result at the press of a button, and process capability is calculated separately for every cavity.
One option in the control plan. The system guides the operator through the cavities, and every result has the cavity number saved.
Cup on the scale, button on the scale, value in the system. No keyboard and no retyping, with an immediate verdict against the tolerance.
The control chart shows weight drift after a heater replacement or a raw material change while measurements are still in tolerance.
Every hour, every number of pieces or after a changeover. In blocking mode production will not start without a first article inspection.
DiGi Smart Trace
Batch traceability
Granulate, pigment and cartons as batches with a supplier and a quality status. The system links them to moulding batches and shipping pallets, together with the consumed quantity.
A customer reports a bad pallet? You open it and see the granulate and pigment batches, the machine, the operator and the quality inspection results.
A bad pigment batch? The system shows all moulding batches and pallets it went into. You hold exactly as much as needed.
A delivery with a doubtful incoming inspection result waits for the quality department's decision and does not go to a machine.
We are planning a module where the recycled content share follows directly from the raw material batches consumed on the machine. If this matters to you, write to us.
DiGi Smart Monitor
Production efficiency
Pieces are counted from the moulding machine cycle signal: it reaches the system through a gateway, and the operator only describes the downtime reason. The system knows the mould, so the piece count adds up even with blocked cavities.
One machine cycle is as many pieces as cavities actually running. Results stay true even when the mould runs on part of its cavities.
A mould change has a start, an end and a plan on the timeline. You see how many hours a month you give away over the assumed time.
Every machine and its result live. You see whether the problem is no order, no material, no packaging or a breakdown.
A slower cycle and micro-stops are a loss nobody measures. The loss list ranks itself by recoverable hours.
What your customers and auditors require
The system does not "grant compliance". It provides the records the auditor and the customer want to see, with a date, an operator and a gauge.
ISO 9001, IATF 16949 (automotive suppliers)
A control plan per part, the history of every measurement, NCR, CAPA and 8D workflow, a gauge register with a calibration due date.
Food packaging (BRC Packaging, ISO 22000)
Raw material batches with a supplier and quarantine, genealogy from delivery to pallet, inspection results attached to the batch.
Customer requirements
A Cp and Cpk capability report per characteristic and cavity, measurement history and the batch tree to PDF on a single request.
PPWR and recycled content
Planned: recycled content calculated from the raw material batches consumed on the machine. If this matters to you, write to us.
Questions we hear in this industry
Yours is not here? Write or call, we reply within 24 hours.
Manufacturers that work with us
Let's talk about your production
We reply within 24 hours
Piotr will help you pick the solution that fits your production processes.
Phone: (+48) 668 211 736
Email: digismartcontrol@gmail.com