REDUCE DOWNTIME FOR REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE
The Terminator is famous for saying,
<i>“I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.”</i> We
still have a long way to go until robots achieve this level of
sophistication, but they are now starting to replicate the skills
of experienced craftsmen at a growing rate. Although process
improvement through robotic automation continues to be a hurdle,
an even larger robotics industry challenge currently rests within
the setup and maintenance of robotic equipment.
But if your company is still using paper-based work instructions,
then you’re operating at a significant disadvantage. Given the
complexity of manufacturing machines, capturing best practices in
machine installation and preventative maintenance with VKS digital
work instructions can mean billions of dollars in savings.
With the implementation of visual step-by-step instructions,
companies can rest assured that all the required manufacturing
steps and operations are followed as outlined. In the event of any
human discrepancies, the VKS software offers the unique advantage
of guaranteeing employee accountability through Efficiency Markers
that track productivity.
Having work instructions available in digital format also
minimizes expert travel time. Safeguards can be created and steps
put in place to troubleshoot any issue that may arise with
concrete steps on how to solve them.
INCREASE WORKPLACE SAFETY
Elon Musk once stated,
<i>
“There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot can’t do
better.”
</i>
And while –despite recent news of the beginnings of it—we’re still
far from powering our brains with computers, another robotics
industry challenge remains ensuring that people who work alongside
robots stay safe.
Although industrial automation is on the rise because of the
provided boost in productivity, the human hand in these cannot be
removed just yet.
This is where the VKS software comes in. As one of the pioneers of
visual work instructions, we make it our priority to ensure the
safety of anyone who uses our software. Using our versatile Smart
Forms, you can easily set up checklists to appear on the screen at
any point during the manufacturing process to verify that the
station or machine has been properly set-up before use or that all
the necessary equipment is being worn at the moment (safety
glasses, boots, gloves, etc.)
By applying the VKS Auto-Advance feature, safety is further
assured by enabling the software to automatically cycle to the
next step in the operation after a pre-determined amount of time.
Combined with VKS Connect, it also has the exclusive advantage of
advancing on its own when a given torque value is achieved.
RAISE QUALITY STANDARDS FOR INSPECTIONS
Along with machine setup and maintenance also comes the challenge
of getting the right product manufactured on time. At the end of
the day, robots are by no means perfect. Post-manufacturing
inspections are required even for the output produced by the most
advanced machines on the market.
More specifically for the robotics industry, supervisors may
configure the aforementioned Smart Forms features to display a
visual inspection checklist to acknowledge before proceeding to
the production of the next item or next step in the procedure.
Likewise, the Rule Engine helps confirm that actions are only
displayed when specific conditions are met.
To ensure that the right operators view and use the appropriate
work instructions, the Certifications feature locks Guidebooks by
only allowing operators with specific certificates and clearances
to access and perform the necessary repairs or machine changeover.
As an infinite quantity of work instruction guidebooks can be
created and duplicated with the VKS software, finding a particular
process is as simple as finding the right steps through the help
of tags.
Reducing errors and increasing quality throughout the assembly
lines then becomes as easy as monitoring KPIs and viewing SPC
charts. As a result, you can implement modifications early on in
the manufacturing process by tracing the exact root causes of
defects.
