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Analytics
Manufacturing, machine downtime and tool breakageCase study draft, anonymisedRead the error code before a $5k tool breaks.
The machine raised error codes. Operators reset them and carried on, and running on led to broken tools at $5k each, plus downtime. Once we found the patterns in the machine data that lead to a breakage, breakages fell from 24 a year to 5.
24 to 5Tool breakages a year, before and after
$95kSaved on breakages: 19 fewer at $5k a tool
1 dayDowntime saved per machine
10Machines of this kind at the client
WhoA manufacturer running 10 machines of this kind. Name not published.
BuiltData capture from the machines, the patterns that lead to breakage, and a way to spot them early
NoteFigures from our brief, to be confirmed by the client before publishing
The warning that was reset
The machine warned. The operator reset it. The tool broke.
Pressure, cycle time and force were drifting before every breakage. The error code was the machine saying so. Now the pattern is spotted before it is too late.
One machine, before a breakageSchematic, no values
Pressure
Cycle time
Force
- Pattern spottedNow caught here
- Error codeReset, ran on
- Tool breaks$5k + downtime
Error codeReset, ran on
Tool breaks$5k + downtime
Pattern spottedNow caught here
Before and after
From resetting the warning to reading it.
Before
- Error codes were reset and the machine ran on
- Tools broke 24 times a year, at $5k each
- Each breakage brought machine downtime
- Nobody knew what led to a breakage
After
- Machine data is captured: pressure, cycle time, force and more
- The patterns that lead to breakage are known
- The warning signs are spotted before the tool breaks
- Breakages fell to 5 a year
The problem
The machine warned, and the warning was reset.
A machine raises an error code. The operator resets it and starts working again. Running on like that led to broken tools, at $5k a tool, and to machine downtime. It happened 24 times a year.
What was broken
- Error codes were reset directly and work carried on.
- Running on led to tool breakage, at $5k a tool.
- Each breakage came with machine downtime.
- What led to a breakage was not known.
You might be here if
- Your operators reset error codes and run through them.
- A broken tool costs thousands, and the machine stops with it.
- You only see the breakage after it happens.
- You run several machines of the same kind, and it happens on each.
The approach
The error code was not the problem. Running on blind was.
We captured details from the machines' PLCs, picked out the pressure, cycle time, force and other tags, and found the patterns that come before a breakage. That gives the team a way to see what leads to tool breakage and downtime, before it happens.
The machines
10 machinesSame kind
Machine PLCsPressure, cycle time, force and more
Built by woodfrog
Capture machine dataFrom the PLCs
Find the patternsWhat comes before a breakage
Spot them earlyBefore the tool breaks
The result
Fewer broken tools24 to 5 a year
$95k saved on breakages
The old wayReset the code and run on
The solution
Machine data first, then the patterns.
What was built
- Capture of details from the machines' PLCs: pressure, cycle time, force and other tags.
- A best-performing machine identified, to compare the others against.
- The patterns that lead to tool breakage and machine downtime.
- A way to identify what leads to a breakage, before it happens.
The result
Tool breakages fell from 24 a year to 5.
Tool breakages per yearBefore and after the patterns were found
Before
24
After
5
$95ksaved on breakages: 19 fewer, at $5k a tool
1 dayof downtime saved per machine
The impact
Fewer broken tools, less downtime.
To confirm with the client before publishingDraft
24 to 5 a yearPer machine, or across all 10
$5k a toolTool price only, or the full cost of a breakage
1 day of downtimePer machine, per year or per avoided breakage
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