- Keyence-class instrument stack for father/mother/stamper analysis (VK-X confocal sampled zones, VR-6000 wide-area, XRF thickness) with genealogy integration via middleware - Three-layer pressed-record QC: 100% inline optical inspection, per-cycle press telemetry, sampled automated audio comparison - Honest limits documented: no turnkey products exist for the optical and audio layers; 100% audio QC impossible at press speed
3.0 KiB
3.0 KiB
Process Logging and Traceability
Every step of production is logged continuously, so that every record is traceable end to end for the customer. This is a set requirement, and it is the core specification for the factory software this repository will eventually host.
What a customer can trace
For any order, the customer can follow the full chain:
- Audio intake: file received, checksums, versions, who handled it, approval trail
- Mastering: session log, engineer, settings, customer approvals
- Cutting: lacquer IDs, lathe parameters, stylus used, inspection result
- Galvanics: silvering and plating batch IDs, bath chemistry logs, father/mother/stamper genealogy (which stamper came from which mother from which father), or the external stamper supplier and batch if bridged
- Pressing: press ID, operator, shift, mold and stamper IDs, cycle parameters (temperatures, pressures, cycle times), PVC compound lot and virgin/recycled mix, label lot
- Quality control: test pressing approvals, inspection results, reject counts and reasons (the automated instrument layers feeding this are specified in quality automation)
- Finishing and packaging: trimming, sleeving, carton lot, packaging partner batch
- Fulfillment: warehouse location, shipment or dropshipping consignment, carrier tracking per end customer
Principles
- Log at the source: machine data comes from the machine (the presses and the plating rectifiers expose PLC data; the AD12 supports remote monitoring), not from manual transcription. Manual steps get simple operator check-ins, not paperwork.
- Batch and genealogy first: every physical artifact (lacquer, father, mother, stamper, press run, box) gets an ID, and every ID knows its parents. A customer complaint about one record resolves to a specific stamper, press, shift, and compound lot.
- Environment attached: the whole-factory HVAC monitoring (temperature, humidity, PM per zone) is logged on the same timeline, so any production window can be correlated with plant conditions.
- Immutable and retained: logs are append-only and retained for the life of the customer relationship; stamper genealogy is retained as long as the archive holds the metal parts.
- Customer-facing view: traceability is a product feature, not an internal file. Customers get a per-order view (portal or report) covering the chain above, without exposing other customers' data.
Open design work
- Data model for batch genealogy across all eight steps
- Which PLC/machine interfaces each vendor exposes (ask Newbilt, Pheenix Alpha, and Digital Matrix during procurement, before purchase)
- Retention, backup, and PDPA handling for operator-linked records
- Whether test-pressing approval workflows live in the same system from day one
This system should be specified alongside equipment procurement: machine data access is a purchasing requirement, not an afterthought.