Machine operators interact with MachineMetrics through a tablet PC that is assigned to and co-located with each machine in the environment. This article explains how Executive and Manager users can also access and use the operator tablet interface view, as well as explaining the information and functions that the interface provides.

Article Topics

This article covers the following topics:

• Accessing the Operator Tablet Interface View
• Operator Tablet Interface Layout and Functions
  • Machine & Job Identification
  • Operator Tablet Interface Background Color Code
  • Operating Status
  • Part Production
  • Utilization Performance
  •  Parts Performance
  • Cycle Time
  • OEE Summary
  • Downtime Totals and Categorization
    • Categorizing Downtime
  • Operator Tablet Interface Functions
    • Changing to Dashboard or TV View 
    • Changing to Different Machine Operator Tablet Interface View
    • Starting and Stopping Jobs
    • Rejecting Parts
    • Operator Login

Accessing the Operator Tablet Interface View

MachineMetrics Excecutive and Manager users can access the operator tablet interface view for any machine through the Current Shift Dashboard interface as follows:

1. Login to MachineMetrics. 
2. From any Current Shift Dashboard view, click on the tile for the machine that you want to view.
3. The machine tile will change to display several icons. To change to the operator tablet interface view, click the expansion arrow icon in the bottom right of the tile as highlighted below:
   
   
   
   
4. The operator tablet interface view will display similar to the following:
   
   

Operator Tablet Interface Layout and Functions

The MachineMetrics operator tablet interface view provides the following information and functional capabilities:

• Visual indicators of machine operating and parts goal status
• Machine performance data for the current shift in a variety of metrics
• Ability to categorize downtime 
• Ability to start and stop Jobs
• Ability to reject parts
• Ability to login as the machine operator for the shift (if Operator Insight is enabled)

The following figure highlights the information and functions provided by the operator tablet interface. 

Machine & Job Identification

 The top left of the operator tablet interface displays the machine name and the name of the Job currently running. "No Job Running" will display if no job is has been started.

Operator Tablet Interface Background Color Code

The background color of the operator tablet interface view indicates the current Parts Goal status of the Job being run.

The operator tablet interface background color code is the same as that used in the Current Shift Dashboard tiles:

• Green/Goal: Machine is performing at or above the Parts Goal for the Job.
• Orange/Warning: Machine is performing below the Parts Goal for the Job but above the Failure threshold, and may not meet the goal under current operating conditions.
• Red/Failure: Machine is performing below the Warning threshold for the Job and will fail to meet goal under current operating conditions.
• Grey/No Job Running: No Job has been started on the machine.

Operating Status

The top right of the operator tablet interface displays the machine operating status (in text and colored indicator dot) with a time counter indicating the length of time the machine has been at that status. 

The possible machine operating statuses (and corresponding dot color codes) include:

• Active (Green Dot): Machine is actively processing parts. 
• Idle (Blue Dot): Machine is functioning properly but is not processing parts.
• Setup (Yellow Dot): Machine is in Setup stage in MachineMetrics.
• Not Reported (Grey Dot): Machine is not responding to MachineMetrics communications.
• [Error Text] (Red Dot): Machine is not processing parts because of an error condition. The text next to red dot will be the name of the error condition.

Part Production

The middle left area of the operator tablet interface provides graphic progress indicators and data related to part production.

This area provides the following information:

• Job Progress for Current Shift: A progress indicator loop is used to indicate Job progress for the current shift. A continuously updated progress bar begins at the top of the loop when the Job is started and progresses clockwise around the loop as parts are produced until the end of the current shift. A white dot indicates the location in the loop where the progress bar would be if it were producing parts at 100% of the Parts Goal production rate expected for the Job during the shift.
• Parts Produced/Expected/Rejected: The numbers inside the progress indicator loop show the following:
  • Number of parts produced since the Job run start
  • Total number of parts expected to be produced by the end of the current shift
  • Total number of parts that have been rejected during the run.
• Parts Produced Compared to Parts Goal: The number beneath the progress indicator loop indicates how far the number produced so far during the Job run is ahead or behind compared to the parts goal production rate for the Job. 
• Total Job Progress: At the bottom of the part production area is a progress indicator bar that indicates the progress of all Job runs by all machines compared to the total number of parts required for the entire Job. Below the indicator bar are displayed the number of parts produced so far by all Job runs and the total quantity of parts required that was specified when the Job was created (see Quantity Required in the Jobs article).

Utilization Performance

The Utilization bar chart in the middle center area of the operator tablet interface displays the machine utilization percentages for each hour. Displayed to the right of the Utilization bar chart is the average utilization percentage for the machine since the start of the current shift. 

 Parts Performance

The Parts bar chart below the Utilization bar chart displays the number of parts produced by the machine for each hour passed so far in the shift. Displayed to the right of the Parts bar chart is the Parts Goal performance percentage for the machine since the start of the current shift. 

Cycle Time

The bottom left of the operator tablet interface displays the information related to machine cycle time for the current shift.

This area provides the following information:

• A time counter indicating the length of time of the current machine cycle. The counter resets to zero with the start of each new cycle.
• The expected cycle time configured for the Job or calculated based on the Parts Goal.
• Cycle time for the cycle immediately preceding the current cycle.
• Average cycle time for the last few cycles.
• Average cycle time for the entire shift since the Job start.

OEE Summary

The bottom center of the operator tablet interface displays the information related to machine Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) performance for the current shift.

This area provides the following OEE-related information for the machine in the current shift at the time of viewing:

• OEE percentage
• Availability percentage
• Performance percentage
• Quality percentage

Downtime Totals, Categorization and Splits

The bottom right of the operator tablet interface displays total amount of machine downtime for the current shift and the total amount of downtime that is uncategorized, and provides the capability to categorize uncategorized downtime. 

Categorizing Downtime

Correctly categorizing machine downtime events is the essential first step in analyzing, understanding and minimizing the occurrence of these costly events. Ideally, every downtime event is categorized at the time it occurs by the operator. To facilitate this, when a machine enters a downtime event, MachineMetrics displays an Add Downtime Reason button in the operator tablet interface that allows the operator to select the reason for the downtime.

Note the following about the function of the Add Downtime Reason button:

• This button may display immediately upon the start of a downtime event or after a configured delay. The setting for the duration of the delay is entered in the Machine View section of the System Settings page.
• If the operator does not click the Add Downtime Reason button, the button will display for a period of time (also set in the System Settings page) before automatically changing the operator view to the Categorize Downtime dialog listing the downtime categories as presented in the following procedure.

Categorizing Downtime After the Event has Occurred

Executive and Manager users as well as operators can categorize downtime in the operator tablet interface after the event has occurred. Executive and manager users can also categorize downtime after the event in the Timelines Dashboard.

To categorize downtime in the operator tablet interface after the event has occurred, do the following:

1. Click anywhere in the Downtime area of the operator tablet interface.
   
   
   
   
2. The Categorize Downtime dialog will display all the uncategorized downtime events for the current and most recent preceding shifts. 
   
   
   
   Note the following about the Categorize Downtime dialog:
   
   
   • You can click the Select Multiple button to categorize more than one event with the same category.
3. • You can click the Filter button to have the dialog display all downtime events (Long and Micro) and also display already-categorized events. You can use this feature if you want to categorize one or more Micro downtime events, or if a previously categorized downtime event is incorrectly categorized and you want to update the event to the correct category. By default, the dialog displays only Long downtime events and only uncategorized events. 
   • The example of the Categorize Downtime dialog shown above contains a Close button. You can click this button if you want to close the dialog without selecting a downtime event to categorize. This button can be hidden from users (through a setting in the System Settings Machine View section) so that the user is forced to select a downtime event before continuing.
     
     
4. Click on the time period representing the uncategorized downtime event you want to categorize. The Categorize Downtime dialog will display all of the downtime categories configured for your environment similar to the following figure. Click on the downtime category that most closely resembles the reason for the selected downtime event. 
   
   
   
   
5. Enter an appropriate description that expands on the reason for the downtime. Click the Save Downtime Reason button when done. 
   
   
   
   
6. The Categorize Downtime dialog will again display the list of all uncategorized downtime events with the downtime event you just categorized removed.

When categorizing downtime, you also have the option to split it.  If a downtime event occurs and there is more than one reason for the downtime eg. loading material runs into a lunch break, there is an option to split the downtime.  After a downtime category is selected, the operator screen will display Split Downtime At the top of the screen.  You can select Split Downtime, then add the downtime reason.  You can also add a comment along with it.  This allows for more precise tracking of a machine's downtime.

Operator Tablet Interface Functions

The operator tablet interface function buttons and icons are arranged along the bottom of the interface view: 

These buttons and icons provide the following functions:

• Change back to Dashboard view or change to TV (view-only) view
• Change to different machine operator tablet interface view
• Reject one or more parts
• Login as Operator (requires Operator Insight)

Changing to Dashboard or TV View 

 Clicking this icon will open the Options dialog that allows you to go back to the Dashboard view or to open a full-screen, view-only "TV Mode" view:

Changing to Different Machine Operator Tablet Interface View

 Clicking this icon will open the Choose a Machine dialog that allows you select a different machine operator tablet interface to view (check mark indicates current machine view):

Starting and Stopping Jobs

In the bottom center of the operator tablet interface is the button that allows users to start a Job if no Job is currently running, or stop an already running Job. 

Starting a Job

When the Start Job button is clicked, the Start Job dialog opens listing the available Jobs in the environment. Users can scroll through the Job list or use the search field to find the Job they want to run:

When a Job is selected, what happens depends on the following conditions: 

• If the Job is not configured to have a Setup phase, clicking the Job name in the preceding figure will immediately start the Job in Production.
• If Setup Stages are configured, the Start Job dialog will display the buttons that allow the user to choose the appropriate Setup Stage (see figure below), or to click the Production button to start the Job immediately in production.
  
  
  
  
• If the Job is configured to have a Setup phase but not for individual Setup Stages, the Start Job dialog buttons will be Start Job In Setup and Start Job In Production.
  
  

Stopping a Job

When the Stop Job button is clicked, the Stop Job dialog opens with a prompt allowing the user to confirm that they really want to stop the Job. Click the Stop Job button to stop the Job, or click the Close button to close the Stop Job dialog and keep the Job running. 

Rejecting Parts

 The Reject Part button next to the Start/Stop Job button can be used to reject one or more defective parts as follows:

1. Click the Reject Part button. The Reject Part dialog will display all the general part rejection reason categories that are available for your environment similar to the following figure. Click on the rejection reason that applies to the part(s) being rejected. You can click the Close button at the bottom of the dialog if you want to cancel the part rejection.
   
   
   
   
2. Enter the number of parts being rejected and an appropriate description that clearly specifies the reason for the rejection. Click the Reject [#] Parts button when done. 
    

Operator Login

If the Operator Insight feature is enabled in the environment, the bottom right of the operator tablet interface will contain an operator login button. If no operator is logged in, the button will display No Operator as shown above. If an operator is logged in, the button will display the name of the operator. If Operator Insight is not enabled, this button will not display in the operator tablet interface. See the Operators article for complete information on using the Operator Insight feature.