The Running of Parts
There are three key components involved with running parts. Once you know and understand them, running parts at rate becomes a whole lot easier.
3 Key Components to Running Parts:
- System – “How things are done at the company you are working.”
- Routine – “The load, unload, deburring/cleaning, and inspection of the part.”
- Rhythm – “The combination of the system and the routine into a highly predictable, methodical way of making, cleaning, and checking parts the same way all the time.”
System – “How things are done”
- Be aware of the way a company like to process parts.
- Understand the reasons why.
- Make sure to work within that system.
System examples consist of the following:
- Use of routings, ok to run tags, information boards, etc.
- Frequency of inspection, methods of checking and gaging parts, as well as how you record those results.
- Preferred work holding methods such as manual clamping due to the size, shape, or cycle time of the parts. They may use hydraulic or air clamping because of the quantity and volume.
- Skid and part bin placement, as well as who is responsible for moving product throughout the plant.
Routine – “The load, unload, deburring/cleaning, and inspection of the part”
Loading of Parts…
- Understand and be comfortable with the load and unload of each specific part you are running.
- Load raw material. Clamp in chuck, fixture, or vise as quickly as possible.
- Make sure your part is up against the stops or properly on the locators. Take the time to check your stops.
- Hit cycle start!
Unloading of Parts…
- Be at the machine and ready to open the machine door or on the horizontal platform immediately when the cycle ends.
- Blow off chips and debris as quickly as possible.
- Have the next part you are going to load near you and in the same place every time and ready to go.
Deburring and Cleaning…
- It’s crucial that parts be cleaned and deburred properly. That involves attention to detail.
- Always verify that the cleaning and deburring was actually accomplished.
- Your greatest assets in this regard are your eyes and hands. Use your eyes to look close at the holes and your hands to feel or touch the edges to ensure that what you wanted to happen really did happen.
- Don’t just go through the motions.
- Just because you blew the part off doesn’t mean there is still not chips, coolant or other foreign matter on the parts. Verify!
- Just because you ran the deburr tool or whip blade around a feature doesn’t mean it did the job. Verify!
Gaging and Inspection…
- Understand your gages and inspection equipment. Ask questions if you are uncertain.
- Be aware of the key characteristics you are inspecting.
- Always fill out your inspection documentation as instructed.
- Never “pencil whip” a report by putting false numbers down that you feel won’t raise any suspicion.
Rhythm – “The combination of the system and the routine into a highly predictable, methodical way of making, cleaning, and checking parts the same way all the time.”
- Do things in a methodical and consistent way. This sets the pace and the tempo to make a predictable amount of parts in a certain amount of time.
- Process parts in such a way that inspection, deburring, or other activities are always occurring at the same time during the cycle.
- Know your cycle time and be ready to load your machine immediately when the cycle ends.
- Never make the machine wait for you. If you are running double pallet, the next pallet should go in and be running before you start any deburring, cleaning, and inspection.
- Use any free time during the machining cycle to minimize downtime. Go get a drink of water or ask for a more raw material or a chip hopper to be emptied while the machine is running.
- All this leads to consistent results and will help determine when and where process improvements can be made.
What was my rhythm?
When I ran parts I was so fanatical with developing a rhythm that I made sure I was always doing the same things during the same part of the machining cycle. That may mean checking the part with a thread gage at the same time of the cycle, every time or always setting the part on the skid while I could hear the same cut tool performing a milling operation. Let me explain further. I’ll use a simple vise job as an example. I’d be standing right in front of the machine with the air hose in one hand and the next part I’m going to run placed right next to me on the bench. I always put the next part in the same place all the time. You want to be able to easily reach it so you can load and unload as quickly as possible. Once the cycle ends…pull the door open…blow the part off…open the vise…blow the jaws off…load the next part…clamp it…take the part that was just machined…set it on the bench in the same place you had the raw one you were loading…close the door…hit cycle start. I would stick to that sequence every time a part needs to be loaded. I’d then start cleaning and deburring. Let say this job required seven tools to machine the part. If the third tool was a tap…and it was at that point in the cycle that I was able to complete the deburring, I’d always make sure that I was done deburring during that part of the cycle. If I had any inspections to perform and I was able to get that done by tool 5, I’d strive to always have the checks done while tool 5 was in the spindle. Then, I’d place the part in the finished bin or on the skid and have the next raw piece placed in the same spot on the bench next to me. The time I’d have from then until the end of cycle was my time to help myself. Maybe I’d wipe the outside of the machine down, request a chip hopper get emptied, or request more raw materials. If the cycle was predictable enough and could be left unattended, I’d even use that time to get a drink of water or use the bathroom.
While this may seem a bit obsessive, it was my way of maximizing machine uptime. This is how you ensure you are making the most parts you can on a daily basis. Your goal is to make rate every day.
