Manufacturers can improve quality, cut defects and reduce rework by 15% if they deploy the latest error-proofing technology, according to assembly technology provider (and newly renamed) Atlas Copco Tools & Industrial Assembly Solutions.
Based on in-the-field research from across Atlas Copco’s broad global customer base, it was found that manufacturers using the company’s Smart Connected Assembly technology were addressing the challenge of striking the right balance between cost and quality (so said the brand).
One of the surveyed customers reported a reduction in rework by 15% by applying Atlas Copco’s Pick-to-Light technology. The solution ensures operators continuously pick the right parts for assembly to mitigate defective batches of products.
With error-proofing in production a key concern for manufacturers, Atlas Copco has published a whitepaper which introduces a range of measures that deliver quality efficiently and profitably based around current and future production needs. The paper has insights on implementing strategies to improve quality and efficiency based on level of complexity in the assembly; Basic Needs, Complex Needs and Very Complex Needs.
The whitepaper details Atlas Copco’s Seven Steps to Securing Product Quality which aim to provide manufacturers with a scaleable and flexible roadmap towards securing product quality in assembly. Illustrating a structured approach to introducing error-proofing into every aspect of assembly, the steps build on one and other, enabling organisations to adopt tools and technology with a view to handling increasing demands for traceability and control in production.
The Seven Steps to Securing Product Quality:
- Classify Joints
- Introduce Torque Control
- Introduce Joint Control and Angle Monitoring
- Introduce Process Error Proofing
- Introduce Reject Management and Part Control
- Secure Process Reliability
- Use of Data for continuous improvements
“Maintaining quality is an essential aspect of the assembly process, as both the direct and indirect cost for product quality issues can be immense,” said Paul Clark, Business Line Manager for Atlas Copco Tools & Industrial Assembly Solutions. “As a result, error-proofing is now a core focus for manufacturers seeking to strike the right balance between cost and quality, regardless of their scale or the complexity of the products they assemble. Our new whitepaper aims to provide manufacturers with an informative guide to error-proofing that fits with both their current and future assembly needs.”
You can download the whitepaper here: http://go.atlascopco.com/2019-03-UK-LP-SCA_03-SQS-White-paper-Request.html
There’s more from Atlas Copco in the latest edition of Torque Magazine, which is hitting desks right now. Don’t get the mag? Apply for a free subscription here.