1) Don’t rely on the end of the line for defect detection

The quicker you can catch a defect, and the closer to its point of origin, the less costly it is to address and the less disruptive it will be to the production line as a whole.

While end-of-line testing for metal cap can making machinery production line plays a good role in verifying the reliable function of a completed assembly, relying on EOL testing alone can be costly, complex and often problematic if it’s your only process for defect detection. If a problem crops up at this point, the only recourse may be a costly teardown to trace the root cause with only educated guesswork to guide the process.

Meanwhile, the production line may be left idle while you try to identify the cause to avoid your other product being affected by the same problem—slowing production and affecting your bottom line.

Learn more about the benefits of in-process testing for defect detection in this post, “Why Relying on End-of-Line Testing is Bad for Your Bottom Line.”

2) Consider your options before ordering a rip and replace of your whole system

Many manufacturers are hesitant about updates to their process because they’re envisioning a deployment of a large, complicated enterprise system. But when it comes to deploying modern IIoT/I4.0 technologies, the deployment cycle doesn’t have to be massive and complex.

In fact, it can be measured in hours, characterized by small, manageable steps instead of giant leaps.

With today’s modular and additive technologies, it is relatively easy to install data collection and analysis capability onto problematic processes or stations and have it start yielding valuable insight to improve your line almost immediately.

Once you have proven the value of such an investment at one station, it’s easy to expand the deployment across the production line or the entire plant.