My
November
commentary
was
intended
to make
you aware
of the
fact that
we now
have a
system
that can
produce
dimension
parts
almost
immediately
after the
parts are
entered in
the Rough
Mill
Manager
System
with
complete
control
over
quantities
so
shortages
and over
cuts are
eliminated.
This
month's
commentary
will
explain
how this
is
accomplished.
The rough
mill clerk
enters the
part
numbers
into RMMS.
He can
enter
one part
at a
time
manually
or he can
download
from the
company's
data base.
RMMS can
hold this
information
in the
system as
an
inactive
bill
until told
to begin
cutting
it. When
that bill
is
activated,
the
information
is sent to
the NOVA
Technologies
scanner so
it will
look for
and
optimize
for the
parts
required.
In our
recommended
system,
the
saw
with its
all moving
blades
requires
no setup
unless
there is a
thickness
change.
The saws
automatically
position
as
instructed
by NOVA's
Multi-Technology
Rip
Optimizing
Scanner
for each
board so
as to get
optimum
yield with
minimum
waste and
zero setup
time.
The MTS
strip
scanner
and the
optimizing
saws
likewise
require no
setup
other than
that
required
for
thickness
changes.
As the
parts
progress
through
the
system,
they are
counted at
the
optimizing
saws as
parts
acquired.
As the end
of a bill
approaches,
RMMS looks
to see how
many strips
have been
ripped and
are still
in
process
between
the rip
saw and
the
optimizer
and
suspends
ripping
more of
these
parts if
it looks
like
enough has
been
ripped to
complete
the bill
at the
optimizing
saws. If a
few more
strips are
required,
RMMS will
instruct
the saw to rip them
when that
is
determined.
All
of this is
done
automatically
by RMMS.
Now comes
the fun
part. In
the total
system,
each
position
on the
sort belts
has a
monitor
which is
told by
RMMS what
parts are
being
sent to
that sort
station.
These
parts are
displayed
on a touch
screen. If
the
operator
gets a bad
part, he
touches
the part
displayed
on the
touch
screen and
this
action
notifies
RMMS that
the
part
should be
deducted
from the
count RMMS
got at the
optimizing
saws.
The bad
part is
put on a
conveyor
going to
re-rip.
Re-rip
operators
are
provided
with
information
as to what
parts are
required
from them
and a
means of
providing
count
information
to be sent
to RMMS so
that
RMMS has
the total
picture.
RMMS keeps
solid
parts and
panel
stock as
two
separate
items.
For
instance,
one item
entered
into RMMS
might be
200 front
rails
2-1/4 wide
by 48"
long.
The next
item might
be 200
panels 18"
wide by
48" long.
So the
random
that is
occasionally
ripped in
order to
get good
yield
is going
to a
specified
panel. It
is not cut
in unknown
quantities
to be re-ripped
into other
parts as
is common
in the
rough end
systems
both cut
first and
rip first
previous
to this
system.
We have
several of
these
systems in
operation
now and
they are
performing
to the
satisfaction
of all
involved.
SUTTON
WOODWORKING
MACHINE
CO.
Claude S.
Sutton,
Jr.