Article Topics
This article includes the following topics:
Accessing the System Settings Page
To navigate to the 'System' settings page, hover over Settings in the main navigation and select System from the dropdown menu as pictured below.
System Settings Page Layout and Functions
The settings in the System page are divided into the following functional categories:
The following figure shows the general layout of the System settings page, and the following sections describe the purpose and function of each of the above setting categories.
Display
This setting is used to designate to MachineMetrics the Region (country) where your MachineMetrics environment is located.
Data Entry
The settings in this category tell MachineMetrics how to read and display your job information. The following sections describe the system impact of each setting.
Cycle Time Entry
Your Cycle Time Entry selection determines how MachineMetrics translates cycle time entered by users for jobs. The MachineMetrics options for Cycle Time Entry include:
- Single Part Duration: Treat cycle time entered by users as the average time to produce a single part during each cycle. This is the most common selection.
- Full Cycle Duration: Treat cycle time entered by users as the total time to complete all parts in each operational cycle.
- Parts Per Hour: Treat cycle time entered by users as the average number of parts produced in an hour. This is often the preferred cycle time setting for manufacturers with very high volume jobs.
IMPORTANT! Your ideal cycle time that is used in your Job Import CSV file should always be single-part duration data regardless of the Cycle Time Entry setting you select in this field. If you select Full Cycle Duration or Parts Per Hour here, MachineMetrics will make the necessary adjustments and calculations based on the Single Part Duration for your ideal cycle time that you have in your Job Import CSV.
Job Name Display Format
This setting controls how job names are displayed in MachineMetrics. You can set up your job name format to conform with whatever information an operator needs to know to recognize a job and what makes sense for your operations team. You can include whatever information you want to be pulled from your CSV job import file and add it to the field in curly brackets { } in whatever order you would like each piece of information to be displayed. The text inside the curly brackets must exactly match the text in the desired field of the CSV file. Multiple values should be separated by semicolons (;).
Example
Name: {name}; Part: {part}; Operation: {oper}; Lot: {lot}
In the above example, MachineMetrics will take the value from the CSV name field and display it with the job Name: field in MachineMetrics, followed by the Part: field displaying the CSV part field value, and so on.
Learn more about Jobs below
Guide to Jobs in MachineMetrics
Dashboard
The Dashboard settings allow you to set your default MachineMetrics Dashboard view as well as set the warning and failure thresholds for your performance goals that the Dashboards display.
Default Dashboard
Allows you to select the Dashboard that displays when you first log into MachineMetrics and when you come back to your Current Shift Dashboard from another Dashboard view. The Dashboard options include the following:
- OEE
- Parts Goal
- Utilization
- Downtime
Companies that have begun importing their jobs usually set their default Dashboard as either Parts Goal or OEE.
Parts Goal / OEE / Utilization Warning and Failure
These fields are used to set the default warning and failure performance threshold percentages that MachineMetrics will use for the OEE, Parts Goal, and Utilization Dashboards. These settings control when any configured notifications are sent, and change the display color of Dashboard machine tiles and individual Machine Views to indicate a warning (orange) or failure (red) condition when compared to the performance goal.
Example
If you enter 90% in the Parts Goal Warning field and 80% in the Parts Goal Failure field, any machine operating at 80-89% of its parts goal will display orange in the Parts Goal Dashboard and any machine operating at <80% of its parts goal will display red.
The settings you enter in these fields should be determined in consultation with your MachineMetrics Customer Success Manager and based on your best estimate of performance expectations. These settings can and should be adjusted based on actual observed performance. For example, if all your machines are always red, your thresholds are probably too high, while if all machines are always green (operating at or above your performance goal), the performance thresholds may be too low.
IMPORTANT! These are the default performance goal threshold settings. Performance goals configured for a specific job or machine will override the performance goals set in these fields.
Parts Goal Warning/Failure Fields
Enter the numbers here that represent the warning and failure percentage thresholds that you want MachineMetrics to use based on the parts performance goal for a configured job.
OEE Goal Warning/Failure Fields
Enter the numbers here that represent the warning and failure percentage thresholds that you want MachineMetrics to use based on the OEE performance goal.
Utilization Goal Warning/Failure Fields
Enter the numbers here that represent the warning and failure percentage thresholds that you want MachineMetrics to use based on the utilization performance goal (% In-Cycle) for machines.
Downtime
The Downtime settings are used to set the Microstop Duration and Downtime List Filter settings for MachineMetrics to use.
Microstop Duration
In MachineMetrics, every downtime event qualifies as either long or micro. The Microstop Duration field is where you set the threshold that determines whether a downtime event is micro or long. Any downtime event with a duration less than the Microstop Duration value entered here is considered micro, and any downtime event with a greater duration is considered long.
IMPORTANT! What should qualify as a micro or a long downtime event will be unique for every manufacturer. Consult with your MachineMetrics Customer Success Manager to help you determine what setting in this field will work best for your operations.
Both micro and long downtime event types are recorded and available for review in the Downtime Pareto Chart for a machine, but only long downtime events generate a MachineMetrics prompt to an operator to select a downtime category.
Downtime List Filter
The Downtime List Filter setting hides all downtime events shorter than this duration from the downtime list that is presented to operators in the Categorize Downtime screen. This screen is displayed in the Machine View when an operator clicks on the Downtime section. Most customers set the Downtime List Filter setting to be the same or less than the Microstop Duration.
Machine View
These Machine View settings determine how your operators will interact with MachineMetrics through the tablet interface. These settings allow you to set specific rules and designate the functions that are available within the Machine View that are presented to machine operators through the tablet interface.
Downtime Categorization
If the Hide Close Button check box here is checked, the Close button in the Categorize Downtime screen will not display, so operators will not be able to leave the screen until they select a downtime category. This can be a useful setting to select if you notice a large percentage of your downtime events are not being categorized.
Downtime Underlay Delay
The amount of time between when a downtime event starts and when the initial modal prompt to categorize is displayed to the Operator. Setting this value to more than the Microstop Duration will ensure the initial modal prompt is never shown to the Operator.
Rejected Parts Removal
If the Hide "Remove the part from good parts" Checkbox is checked, an operator will not be able to decide whether or not a rejection affects good parts. Any and all rejects will be deducted from good parts.
Machine Switching
If the Allow Operators to switch between machines check box is checked, a button will display in the bottom left-hand corner of the Machine View that will allow operators to pull up information from a different machine and display it on the current tablet. This is a useful feature if you have individual operators in charge of multiple machines, as they will not need to move around to different tablets.
Downtime Categories
The Downtime Categories section of the System Settings page allows you to view, manage and add new downtime categories for operators to select when a long downtime event occurs. These are the categories that display in the Categorize Downtime screen of the Machine View.
Visit this article for a list of commonly used Downtime Categories.
Managing Downtime Categories
Click on an individual downtime category in the Downtime Categories section to display the settings for that category. In the Downtime Category dialog, you can edit the name, associated color, and the behavior of the category in terms of how the category is marked in MachineMetrics as planned or unplanned. You can also archive the category so that it is no longer presented to operators.
Adding New Downtime Categories
Click the Add Category button at the bottom of the Downtime Categories section to create a new downtime category. You will be presented a Downtime Category dialog with the same fields to specify the category name, color, and behavior as described in Managing Downtime Categories.
If you're unsure of what downtime categories to add, see the attached Sample Downtime Reasons document at the bottom of the page for inspiration.
Downtime Category Behaviors
In the Downtime Category dialog for a selected downtime category, you can choose from the following MachineMetrics system behaviors for the category:
- Mark as Planned or Unplanned: This setting allows the operator to select whether planned or unplanned best applies to a downtime event in this category.
- Mark as Unplanned: This setting will cause MachineMetrics to automatically mark any and all downtime assigned to this category as unplanned.
- Mark as Planned: This setting will cause MachineMetrics to automatically mark any and all downtime assigned to this category as planned.
- Mark as Planned with Limit: This setting will cause MachineMetrics to automatically mark any and all downtime events assigned to this category as planned up to a certain downtime event duration limit. Once a downtime event in this category exceeds the limit, MachineMetrics will mark the downtime as unplanned.
- If you choose this behavior, you will be presented a Planned Limit field requiring you to specify the desired downtime event limit (in minutes).
Archiving Downtime Categories
In the Downtime Category dialog, click the Archive button to archive a downtime category. An archived downtime category will no longer be available for operators to choose, but will still appear in historical downtime reports that include that archived downtime category. You can also click the Include Archived button to display the archived downtime categories in the Downtime Categories section along with the current downtime categories.
Adding Downtime Categories While Using Machine Groups
If you have set up any Machine Groups within the Groups section of the Machine Settings page, the new downtime categories you create will not be available or selectable for any machines within a group until you add them to the machine group's unique settings.
To add a new downtime reason to a machine group, do the following:
- Navigate to the Machine Settings page
- Select the machine group you want to have access to your new downtime category to launch the Group Dialog
- Select any new downtime reasons that you want to apply to the group.
- Click the Save Changes button.
IMPORTANT! If you do not check any specific downtime reasons, all downtime categories will remain available for the group. However if you only want a subset of downtime categories to be available for this machine group, every downtime category you want them to use needs to be checked off.
Reject Reasons
The Reject Reasons section of the System Settings page allows you to view, manage and add new reasons for operators to select when they reject a part.
Managing Reject Reasons
Click on an individual reject reason in the Reject Reasons section to display the settings for that reason. In the Reject Reason dialog, you can edit the name, associated color, and the behavior of the reason in terms of how the reason is marked in MachineMetrics as scrap or non-conforming. You can also archive the reason so that it is no longer presented to operators.
Adding New Reject Reasons
Click the Add Reason button at the bottom of the Reject Reasons section to create a new reject reason. You will be presented a Reject Reason dialog with the same fields to specify the category name, color, and behavior as described in Managing Reject Reasons.
If you're unsure of what reject reasons to add, see the attached Sample Reject Reasons document at the bottom of the page for inspiration.
Reject Reason Behaviors
In the Reject Reason dialog for a selected reject reason, you can choose from the following options to designate how the MachineMetrics system behaves when that reject reason is selected by an operator:
- Mark as Scrap or Non-Conforming: This setting allows the operator to select whether a part that is rejected for this reason should be considered scrap or non-conforming.
- Mark as Scrap: This setting will cause MachineMetrics to automatically mark all parts rejected for this reason as scrap.
- Mark as Non-Conforming: This setting will cause MachineMetrics to automatically mark all parts rejected for this reason as non-conforming.
Archiving Reject Reasons
In the Reject Reason dialog, click the Archive button to archive a reject reason. An archived reject reason will no longer be available for operators to choose, but will still appear in historical downtime reports that include that archived reject reason. You can also click the Include Archived button to display the archived reject reasons in the Reject Reasons section along with the current reject reasons.
Setup Stages
The Setup Stages section of the 'System Settings' page allows MachineMetrics customers who have complex and/or lengthy machine/job setup procedures to track multiple stages within setup. The Setup Stages feature is optional and will not display in the 'System Settings' page unless it is specifically enabled by MachineMetrics at the request of the customer.
IMPORTANT! Once the Setup Stages feature is enabled, it cannot be disabled.
Setup Stages Purpose and Function
The Setup Stages feature enables companies to use MachineMetrics to track the setup activities in their environment by each setup task, such as tearing down the machine setup from the previous job, retooling the machine for the next job, and so on. Using Setup Stages, companies can identify which machine setup tasks are associated with extended downtime. Companies can then analyze those tasks, determine how to improve setup process efficiency, and thereby reduce machine downtime.
Setting Standards for Setup Stages
The Setup Stages feature allows companies to set standards for how long each setup task involved in a machine setup should take so that MachineMetrics can then measure and report on the reality of setup task performance against the standards/expectations that were set.
To set the standards for MachineMetrics to use in Setup Stages, companies must do the following:
- Determine which standard machine setup tasks are to be represented by Setup Stages in MachineMetrics, and what those tasks are to be called ("Teardown", "Retooling", and so on).
- Determine how much time each individual machine setup task should take.
- Add the times for all the individual setup tasks to determine the total length of time the entire machine setup process should take.
- Configure the total setup time in all Jobs and machines that require the standard setup. This can be done in either of the following ways:
- Using the Setup with Expected Time option for individual Jobs and machines on the Jobs page.
- Using the setuptime field of the Job CSV Import File.
- Add a Setup Stage for each setup task as described in Adding New Setup Stages.
- Communicate the Setup Stage usage, functionality, and expectations to the machine operators. See Setup Stages in the Operator Tablet Interface.
Setup Stages Feature Limitations
The Setup Stages feature has the following limitations:
- Non-Standard Setups are not Supported: The settings for Setup Stages are system-wide, meaning they apply to all MachineMetrics machines and all Jobs that use the Setup with Expected Time option. If you have some machines that require a different set of setup tasks than your standard setup, you will need to decide whether and how to track setup activities on the Jobs run by those machines.
- Setup Pause/Resume is not Supported: If you stop a Job that is in setup, when you start that Job again, the setup counter starts over. For example, consider the case where an operator stops a Job at the end of a Friday shift in a shop where no operations are run over the weekend. The Job is configured for four hours of setup time, has been in setup for three hours, and has only one hour of setup left when the operator stops the Job on Friday. When the operator starts the Job on Monday and selects the Setup Stage, the Setup counter will have started over, with 4 hours remaining.
- Operator Errors and Job Stop/Start will Impact Setup Reporting: Unlike Job Runs, operator mistakes in setup stage tracking, such as forgetting to change stages in a timely manner, and the impacts caused by Job stops/restarts during setup described above, cannot be corrected after the fact and will impact the accuracy of MachineMetrics reporting on setup activities. Operators must be trained to always change stages in the MachineMetrics tablet interface at the same time that they change to the next setup task on the machine. See Setup Stages in the Operator Tablet Interface.
Adding New Setup Stages
To add a new setup stage, do the following:
- Click the Add Setup Stage button below the Setup Stages table.
- In the Add Setup Stage dialog, enter the name of the stage per your company's naming convention.
- Enter the percentage of the total setup time that the stage is expected to take. This percentage should be based on the ratio of Individual Setup Task Time/Total Setup Time described in Setting Standards for Setup Stages. The total of all Setup Stage percentages must equal 100%.
- Click the Done button to create the stage.
- Repeat for all required stages. Ensure that the total of all the setup stage percentages is equal to 100%.
- Once you have added all the required setup stages, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the Setup Stages table.
Setup Stages in the Operator Tablet Interface
To successfully track and report on setup stages, companies must communicate the following to their machine operators:
- The name and meaning of all Setup Stages and the corresponding machine setup tasks on which they are based.
- The critical importance of changing stages in the tablet interface as the operators progress through the corresponding setup tasks on the machine.
When Setup Stages have been added as described in Adding New Setup Stages, the machine operators will be presented with those Setup Stages when they start a Job, as shown in the following example.
Once a Setup Stage is selected, the Start Job window will close and the tablet interface will display similar to the following:
The above example shows Job FAU228 in the Teardown stage. With Setup Stages implemented, the MachineMetrics tablet interface will present operators with the following information and functionality:
- Setup Stage Name: "Teardown" in the figure above.
- Time in Setup Stage: Time counter indicating how long the Job has been in that Setup Stage out of the total expected time for the stage.
- Total Time In Setup: Time counter indicating the total time the Job has been in setup (for all stages) and the total setup time expected for the Job (for all stages).
- Change Stage: Button that operator must click to advance the setup to the next stage or to production after the last setup stage.
IMPORTANT! To ensure accurate and useful setup reporting by MachineMetrics, operators must be effectively trained to always click the Change Stage button and change stages in the tablet at the same time that they move to the next setup stage/task on the machine, or when they move from the last setup stage to production.
Managing Setup Stages
To change an existing setup stage, do the following:
- Click on the setup stage in the Setup Stages section that you want to edit.
- In the Edit [setup stage name] dialog, make the desired changes to the setup stage and click the Done button.
- Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the Setup Stages section to apply the change.
Ordering Setup Stages and Job Tracking
A job is tracked by MachineMetrics through the different setup stages in the order they are listed in the Setup Stages section, from top to bottom. To change the order of your setup stages, click, hold and drag a setup stage to its correct place in the stage order, and release. Once you are satisfied with the new sequence for your setup stages, click the Save Changes button.
Archiving Setup Stages
To archive a setup stage that is no longer applicable, click on the setup stage in the Setup Stages section to open the Setup Stage dialog for that stage and click the Archive button. An archived setup stage will no longer present itself to an operator during setup, but will still appear in historical downtime reports that include that archived setup stage.
Have Questions?
Reach out to support@machinemetrics.com
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