In a complex manufacturing setting, connecting the digital and physical worlds is essential. SAP Digital Manufacturing offers integration to ensure smooth and highly automated performance of production operations. You can implement real-time monitoring of machines and resources and read data from machines to make manufacturing decisions based on real data from the shop floor, such as in rework or repair situations. Watch the following video to learn how a manufacturing company uses SAP Digital Manufacturing to operate machines on the shop floor.
Use Case: Integration of Processes on the Shop Floor with SAP Digital Manufacturing
The following image shows an example of how you can integrate shop floor processes with operation activities in SAP Digital Manufacturing.
In the example, you see a list of operation activities in a production routing at the top. At the bottom, you see several production processes and automation sequences. The operation activities in the DM routing describe the steps the operator must perform, such as cutting, quality inspection, engraving, triggering goods receipt, and order completion. These activities are usually performed by the operator and started and finished using POD buttons.
The production processes and automation sequences are activities performed either automatically in the DM system (such as starting or completing SFC, operator notification) or by machines (moving to a certain position, grabbing an item). The operator triggers the respective process from the POD by clicking a specific button. It's also possible that one finished process or a status change of one machine triggers a subsequent process, resulting in a highly automated production flow.
Explore what happens, for example, during the engraving step:
- The operator starts the engraving operation by selecting a button in the POD. The POD button is connected to the first production process. Selecting the button triggers the first process, which performs these steps:
- Start SFC: The system changes the SFC status to in progress.
- Notify operator: The system sends a message to the operator with instructions.
- Fill workspace: The process calls the robot to transport raw materials to the assembly area.
- Notify operator: The system sends a message to the operator that staging is complete.
After completing the first process, the operator starts the second production process, which performs these steps:
- Operator notification
- Trigger engraving: The process calls the engraving machine to perform engraving.
- The system informs the operator that engraving is complete.
- After completing the second process, the operator starts the third production process, which performs these steps:
- Operator notification
- Trigger removal of engraved items from the workspace and transport them automatically to the next work area.
- Complete SFC: The system changes the SFC status to complete at this work center.
- The system notifies the operator to clean the work center for the next production operation.
Each production process running in the cloud performs a service call to an automation sequence on the production connector. This automation sequence represents the physical steps a machine must perform to complete a task, such as moving a robot arm to a specific coordinate, grabbing materials, or changing a tool.
Technical Implementation
Technically, you can implement processes on the machine level (for example the material staging or engraving process in the example shown above) as Production Process in SAP Digital Manufacturing. The solution offers a Low Code / No Code Environment where power users can implement their own production flows. To see this development environment in action, play this video. This interactive value journey shows how you can use a production process in a POD to check whether all BOM items have been assembled as required.