Track: Lean Six Sigma

Abstract

The overall equipment effectiveness is an indicator of the improvement of the process. This paper focuses on overall equipment effectiveness. This paper aims to improve the digital patterns' production by extending the computer numeric controlled (CNC) router capability. It would help to capture the day-to-day fluctuations in the manufacturing process and performance of the CNC router. In this research, the CNC router's performance was analyzed, and the root cause was identified as it was the bottleneck of the process. For data analysis, checklists were designed which identified the value-added and non-value added activities that resulted in underutilization of the "Availability." After studying the current scenario, it was justified that the CNC router was underutilized, so the focus was to optimize the utilization of the router's availability. There were six significant problems identified from the checklist: machine breakdown, low air pressure, management loss, unavailability of the operator, unavailability of the tool, and heat up due to high feed. After identifying the significant problems, Pareto analysis was conducted to check each problem's impact on utilizing the "Availability" of the CNC router. The Pareto analysis results indicated that 49% of the total loss time was due to the machine breakdown, whereas 11% of total loss time was due to low air pressure. These two problems were significant and targeted for improvement. After selecting the significant problems, a cause and effect diagram was used to identify the reasons for these losses. It was observed from the cause and effect diagram that the machine breakdown's possible causes were maintenance problems, flawed method or delay in lubrication, and poor mechanism of the dust collector. For process optimization, preventive maintenance was adopted to reduce the maintenance's impact on the machine breakdown. A checklist was maintained, which helped to improve the utilization of "Availability" by 10%. A dust collector was installed to make the machine tidy, which improved the utilization of "availability" by 4%. As a result, the percentage of “Availability” increased to 90% from 61%.