Moving Right Along

Abstract: The concept of machine order of operation, a method used to better understand machine sequential motion, was developed in 1996. The machine order of operation analysis is a visual management tool to be used during machine delay troubleshooting. The method drew its…

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Good article, but I want to see more of the Machine Order of Operation Analysis example. The figure was not very helpful. Too many questions come to mind. The author probably should have described a simple situation, matched the chart/figure to the situation and then described WHAT was done with the findings.
--Jim Fogarty, 10-28-2009

Maybe I am backward, but it seems to me the statement in the second paragraph "...you can't measure what you can't control..." should be "...you can't control what you can't measure..."
--Robert Forkins, 10-27-2009

Except for the PLC descriptions, the article has merit. As for the PLC part, I find it amusing. However, it shows the disconnect between machinery manufacturers and the end users.

I have been on both sides of the fence, but mostly with machinery manufacturing. Being a Controls Engineer with a BSEE degree, I never could understand how end users look at a control function so simply. They have no clue what is happening underneath and why it must be that way. To them, it becomes a simple task. This is where the problem is. Instead, end users simply want to offload the task of a manufacturer designing a machine for their use, yet they don't even know what they want. This is the disconnect.

If the studies in this article were used and practiced by end users in factories, then everyone's jobs would be better and more efficient. Instead, OEM'S get vague standards, poor explanations and little input. The end user knows their product best. Instead, the equipment is designed and approved, but later the end user says, "I never envisioned it like that," or asks, "Why is that taking so long?"

For once, I would like to see a factory team taking the time to study what they really want and need. It takes time and a thought process to do so, and unfortunately I don't see it enough. The end users don't need to know how to program, but they at least need to be able to say what they want and why, and that takes time. This task is not what they want to spend time on.
--Mike Korkowski, 10-23-2009