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(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) S.M.I.L.E(sm)
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Setup Minimization Improves Line Efficiency
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) The Quick Changeover e-letter
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Published monthly by Changeover.com
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Written by John R Henry, CPP
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### JULY 2003
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SOME THOUGHTS ON…
OPERATING AND SERVICE MANUALS
One of my pet peeves over the past 25 years has been machinery operating
and service manuals. They range in quality from excellent to almost
unusable with most somewhere in the middle with lots of room for
improvement. A good manual will make a machine easier to run, maintain and
repair and over time can be worth it's weight in gold. The Packaging
Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) www.pmmi.org has published an
excellent book on writing manuals (Available at
http://store.yahoo.com/pmmi/pmmitecdocco.html While aimed at packaging
machinery, it is useful for almost any other type of machine manual as well.

If you need detail, read it. In this newsletter I intend to mention some
of the things that I think are key to a good manual.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A good manual, unless it is only a couple pages long, will also have a good
table of contents. This allows the user to find things quickly. Remember,
many times when a manual is actually in use, it is because a machine is
down. Time spent fumbling through the manual looking for the information to
get it back up and running can be very expensive time indeed.

INTRODUCTION

If people operating and servicing the machine fail to understand it's
function and logic, they will have a hard time of it. The introductory
portion of the manual should give a clear description of the machine's
logic. This can take a narrative form or be in a flowchart as appropriate.
For example, the logic for a simple labeler might be as follows:

1. The product photoeye is activated by the product

2. A start delay cycle (controlled by trim pot #2) is activated. This
delay controls the position of the label on the product.

3. At the end of the delay, the nip roller brake is deactivated and
the clutch activated causing the roller to rotate, pulling the web and
dispensing the label.

4. The nip roller continues to turn until the label photoeye senses
the end of the label. At this time, a stop delay (controlled by trim pot
#3) is activated. This delay controls the label stop position.

5. At the end of the stop delay, the clutch deactivates and the brake
activates stopping the nip roll and label motion until the next cycle.

I don't think it is possible to overstate the importance of this point.
Once people understand how a machine is supposed to work, which is not
always as obvious as it may seem to the builder, they can do a much better
job of figuring out why it does not work.

LANGUAGE LEVEL

Manuals need to be written in a language appropriate to the people who will
be using them. Most readers will be high school, not university, graduates.
For some, English may not be their primary language. Keep sentences and
paragraphs short and too the point. Avoid using complex jargon and, where
necessary, provide definitions. These can be either in the text or in a
separate glossary.

PICTURES

Lots of them, along with drawings. When a manual says "remove the framis
spring" it may be perfectly obvious to the writer but totally mystifying to
the mechanic who has no idea what a "framis spring" is. I like to see lots
of pictures, suitably annotated, right in the body of the text. In addition
to pictures, a complete set of exploded view drawings should be included.
These drawings should show the part, a reference number and then a list,
preferably on the same page relating the reference number, part name and
manufacturer's part number. The amount of time lost each year simply trying
to identify replacement parts is probably staggering. This is especially
true where there is a language difference such as a German machine shipped
to the US or vice-versa.

The drawing set should include a complete set of electrical drawings as
well as any logic diagrams for PLC's and the like.

If drawings are reduced in size to fit in the manual, be sure that they are
still legible. It is a humbling experience to be trying to trace wiring and
not be able to tell if the drawing says "blue" of "black".

SAFETY

Somewhere near the very beginning of the manual should be a section on
safety. This should detail any particular hazards, such as high voltage,
presented by the machine. Safety issues should also be addressed throughout
the manual using a safety symbol to highlight them.

CHANGEOVER

Changeover is a major source of downtime and the manual needs to explain
clearly the steps involved. This needs to be detailed, in the correct order
and needs to specify the correct settings and/or changepart for each
product. Serpa Packaging does this using a product specific machine
schematic drawing with each adjustment/change numbered. These correspond to
a list on the same page and the mechanic merely needs to follow the list in
sequence.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting guides are very helpful. These will list typical common
problems, their possible causes and solutions. Don't discount the obvious.
Some of us may have laughed at guides that say "be sure the machine is
plugged in" but I have seen cases where the machine was unplugged this was
not discovered immediately.

OEM COMPONENTS

Most machines will include components made by others than the builder.
These will include sensors, motors, controllers, drives and the like. The
manual should include the instruction manuals and/or data sheets for each
of these components.

MANUAL FORMAT

Many manuals are published in 3 ring binders. These have the advantage of
being easy to update but the disadvantage of pages being removed or torn.
Other formats include spiral or even hardcover binding. The paper used
should be of a good quality, able to stand up to heavy use.
One problem with manuals is availability. They need to be protected from
damage and kept under control but they also need to be available for use as
needed. These two goals seem to be in conflict and compromises need to be
made.

Some builders are now putting their manuals on CD. This may be the ideal
solution. The electronic manual can be placed on a central plant server and
the technician can then access it via a terminal right at the line.
Wireless technology has improved dramatically of late and this allows a
further extension. I am currently playing with an Ipaq handheld (similar to
a Palm Pilot but using Windows) and using it to access, wirelessly, manuals
located on my laptop. There are still some bugs and I would be interested
in hearing from anyone else who is doing or thinking of doing this. (Or
just wants to discuss it further)

As I mentioned, there is a lot more that can be said about manuals but for
that I will refer you to the PMMI manual mentioned above. Of course, I am
always happy to discuss this further with anyone, just e-mail me at
john@... Manuals are important and cannot be overlooked when
purchasing new machinery. Where they do not exist or are not available from
the original builder, it is probably worth the effort to develop them in-house.

TIP OF THE MONTH…
AIR DRYERS

In some plants part of the changeover cleanup will involve a complete
washdown of the room. Depending on the room design, it may then take an
hour or two for all the water to evaporate. If the reassembly of the
equipment can't begin until all the water is gone, this can cause a serious
delay.
One way to speed this process is by using a desiccant type dehumidifier.
Cargocaire www.muntersamerica.com is one brand with which I have had some
personal experience but there are others that are also good. Desiccant
dehumidifiers contain a porous wheel of silica gel and 4 air ducts. One set
of ducts intersects about 75% of the wheel. As air is drawn from the room,
it passes through the silica gel, gives up it's moisture and is then
returned to the room. The other set of ducts intersects about 25% of the
wheel. Hot air is blown through the wheel, drying the silica gel. The now
most air is exhausted outside.

Desiccant dehumidifiers can be permanently installed or they can be
portable and moved from room to room as needed.




Best,

John R Henry CPP