Set up time in production and intralogistics

When a machine or production site, i.e. individual facilities or entire production lines, is set up for a specific machining operation and equipped with the necessary tools, the duration of this conversion is referred to as the set up time. As a rule, the set up time occurs between the production of different parts, which means that the production facility is at a standstill during this time. The set up time thus includes the time between the production of one part and the production of another on the same machine.

During the set up times, generally nothing is produced, which is why the reduction of set up times in a value chain always represents an optimization potential and is a crucial factor for flexibility in manufacturing.

Set up time or the set up process

Generally, the set up process involves the following four steps:

1. set up preparation

2. tool change

3. adjustment

4. testing and adaptation

Set up time in practice

  • The finished parts A are removed and the order is logged off in the system, whereupon the new order is logged on. Then the new materials and machines needed to produce parts B are provided (see just-in-sequence, just-in-time).
  • The tools and devices required for parts B are attached; this process, the tool change, takes up the least time in most cases. Once the new tools have been set up, they are adjusted and the corresponding process parameters are set.
  • The last step, testing and adjustment, usually takes the longest. Test pieces are produced, which must be checked and evaluated, which may then lead to a correction of the parameters and another test run.

The advantages of low set up times

Short set up times are essential for flexibility in manufacturing. They enable smaller batch sizes, and thus faster response to customer requests and short-term order changes. The machine running times are extended by shorter set up times and the production capacity is increased. Likewise, the throughput times are reduced, as are the storage and buffer stocks.

Optimization of set up times

Optimization of set up times is an important factor for companies in terms of profitability and competitiveness. A reduction of set up times is achieved by standardizing the set up process. There are several specific methods for doing this, such as the SMED method (Single Minute Exchange of Die) or standardization in other areas that also affect set up time, such as the 5S method. The aim is to reduce set-up times through both organizational and technical measures.

Editor’s note: In some factories, production is specifically scheduled to prevent ‘man-intensive’ set-up times. For example, if production takes place at night, orders that can be produced fully automatically are shifted during this time for cost reasons.

Set up time in intralogistics

Normally, logistical operations (replenishment, material supply) and the production line are planned in parallel, since retooling facilities within the logistical processes is hardly conceivable for cost reasons. In some production facilities, such as bicycle manufacturing, it is possible to buffer the need for retooling with a so-called pre-assembly or intermediate assembly. In this process, zones are provided in the warehouse where work processes that actually require a set-up time are outsourced. After pre- or intermediate assembly, the product, in this case the bicycle, is returned to the actual production line.

Summary of set up time

Set up time is not one of the value-adding process steps within production and logistics. If machines need to be retooled, it is usually because different products are manufactured within this facility. In order for the owner to still be able to produce different products and thus serve different markets, he has to continuously optimize his set up time.

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