Door Panel Assembly Scheduling System
The Door Panel Assembly Scheduling System (DPASS) was designed and developed for a tier-one automotive supplier in Detroit, Michigan. The system provides the operational and administrative tools necessary to schedule and build door panels, enter and maintain the supporting data needed, and provide report and export data for build-to-order assembly activity. The basic functionality of Smart Frame Designer is included to facilitate Smart Frame configuration and pick sequence definition.
The system is controlled by two plant floor PCs that operate the right and left hand assembly lines, respectively, with the shared data files located on a file server. One PC controls assembly operation for the right front and rear door lines, with the other PC controlling assembly operation for the left front and rear door lines. Communication from the PCs to the Smart Product Controllers is via Ethernet and IP addresses.
Both of the front door lines control four Smart Product Controllers, and both of the rear door lines control three Smart Product Controllers. The pick sequences for these lines include on/off for stack lights, transmission of particular bar code identifiers to bar code printers, transmission of the style of assembly machine to be initiated, etc.
Using assemblies and pick sequences set up in the software, the operator selects the assembly and quantity to be built for a particular line. That assembly number is transmitted to the first Smart Product Controller in that line at Station 1, and the pick sequence is initiated. Results from the assembly process at each of the three or four workstations are sent back to the PC for processing and logging. The assembly is scanned at stations subsequent to Station 1, and validation of the assembly is performed. As each assembly is completed at the last station, the quantity in the build request is updated until all assemblies have been completed.
A variety of reporting, export, and support data maintenance functions are provided with some operations requiring password entry for security.