Capabilities w/ a Machine Shop

We have a machine shop that we are trying to set up with capabilities and resource groups/resources in order to schedule out our parts. We have multiple CNC and Manual Machines of different types. The issue we are running into is that just about every machine has size limitations and operation limitations for what it can do.

Therefore when scheduling a part, 2 boxes need to be checked for it to be scheduled properly. Can the resource do the operation? Can the part fit on that resource?

We are just looking for some advice on how you would structure this. We have about 30 different machines, Mills, VTLs, Surface Grinders, VBMs, CNCs etc.

EDIT: Also, we have operations such as Drill & Tap, Face, Turn, Thread, Horizontal Face, Mill, Tap and some machines can do a handful of these operations, but they are consistent across the board.

First question. Do you have Advanced Planning and Scheduling?

1 Like

John, yes we have Advanced Planning and Scheduling licensed and enabled.

1 Like

Ok.

So what you want to do is to create your Operations to be pretty vanilla. It looks like you already have.

Then, the Resource Groups do not really matter here. You can have every resource in one RG or multiple. When you create a Capability, you need to enter a default RG, but then can add resources from any RG. So, I’m not sure what the point of the default RG is.

There are 2 things to consider when making the Capabilities. The first one is order of equipment for the system to select. I am going to make some assumptions, so sorry if I am wrong. You say you can Tap, I would create a Capability called Tap, add the Tap operation, and then some RG. Then I would add all of the resources to the capability that can Tap. I imagine you would want your Drill Presses to be the lowest priority (lowest means picked by the system first). Then you may want your old manual Bridgeports as the next priority. Then you would want your mills as the highest priority.

You want to put ALL resources that can do the operation as an available resource. More than likely, you will never use a mill to just tap something, but just in case you actually have that much tapping work, the system will schedule them.

The second thing to consider is size. I work better with brakes, so I am going to use them for my example. You have 3 brakes, one 10 foot, one 6 foot, and one 4 foot. Here is where you would create Capabilities that call out length. You would have your generic bend/form operation with any RG again. But you would create 3 separate capabilities; one 10 foot and under, one 6 foot and under, and one 4 foot and under. The resources for the first one would be the 10 foot brake only (and yes, you want to create capabilities with only one resource as it is easier to just add a new resource if you buy one than trying to convert a resource to a capability). The resources for the next one would be the 6 foot brake as the priority with the 10 foot as secondary. The final one would have all three brakes with the 4 foot as priority, the 6 foot as second, and the 10 foot as last.

Now, using the second type of Capabilities requires your MOMs to be created differently. You cannot just Add Operation and select the Operation. Technically you can, but then you would have to go and change the scheduling resources. Instead, you want to use the Engineering tab to drag and drop your Capability to the tree. This will ensure the correct Capability is chosen as the person needs to consciously select one of the Capabilities with a length that will help the system select the resources based on capacity and load.

Sorry, I tend to ramble, so let me know if you have any questions or if I missed anything you were looking for.

3 Likes

I like the way you laid out the 2 ways of making the capabilities, but my question about this is, how do I combine these 2 in a single operation on a single MOM? For a simple example, I have a piece of 40" Square plate steel that we need to face off. First, I need a machine that is capable of facing, then I need a machine that is capable of a handling a part that is 40". When setting up an op 10 - Turn, I go to scheduling resources and can pick only a single capability.

How do I get the system to consider both capabilities and schedule accordingly?

First question you need to ask yourself, are there situations where I only want to face in a lathe or only in a mill. Next question is, do I face in both lathes and mills. Let’s assume all of the above. I put together an example of how to set it up below. First is the Capability table.

CapabilityID Cap Description Op RG
Face40 Face Under 40" Turn RG1
Face100 Face Under 100" Turn RG1
Face200 Face Under 200" Turn RG1
Face40Lathe Face Under 40" Lathes Turn RG1
Face100Lathe Face Under 100" Lathes Turn RG1
Face200Lathe Face Under 200" Lathes Turn RG1
Face40Mill Face Under 40" Mills Turn RG1
Face100Mill Face Under 100" Mills Turn RG1
Face200Mill Face Under 200" Mills Turn RG1

Next is the Resources for each Capability.

CapabilityID Resource Priority
Face40 Lathe1 10
Face40 Mill1 10
Face40 Lathe2 20
Face40 Mill2 20
Face40 Lathe3 30
Face40 Mill3 30
Face100 Lathe2 10
Face100 Mill2 10
Face100 Lathe3 20
Face100 Mill3 20
Face200 Lathe3 10
Face200 Mill3 10
Face40Lathe Lathe1 10
Face40Lathe Lathe2 20
Face40Lathe Lathe3 30
Face100Lathe Lathe2 10
Face100Lathe Lathe3 20
Face200Lathe Lathe3 10
Face40Mill Mill1 10
Face40Mill Mill2 20
Face40Mill Mill3 30
Face100Mill Mill2 10
Face100Mill Mill3 20
Face200Mill Mill3 10

Does that help?

3 Likes

I think that helps and we will try to build something out to work like that. Thank you for detailed and thought out example