A method includes receiving a plurality of operations in a sequence recipe. The plurality of operations are associated with processing a plurality of substrates in a substrate processing system. The method further includes identifying a plurality of completion times corresponding to the plurality of operations. Each completion time of the plurality of completion times corresponds to completion of a respective operation of the plurality of operations. The method further includes simulating the plurality of operations by setting a virtual time axis to each of the plurality of completion times to generate a schedule for the sequence recipe. The method further includes causing, based on the schedule, the plurality of substrates to be processed or performance of a corrective action.

A method includes identifying a bottleneck operation of a plurality of operations in a sequence recipe. The plurality of operations are associated with transporting and processing a plurality of substrates in a substrate processing system. The method further includes determining, based on the bottleneck operation, a takt time for the plurality of substrates. The takt time is an amount of time between a first substrate entering the substrate processing system and a second substrate entering the substrate processing system. The method further includes determining a plurality of queue times. Each of the plurality of queue times corresponds to a respective operation of the plurality of operations. The method further includes causing, based on the takt time and the plurality of queue times, the plurality of substrates to be processed by the substrate processing system.

When a control message is determined and sent from a master system to a slave system, the control message is accompanied with a time stamp, indicative of the master model version of the environment which was applied when the control data was determined by the master system. When data, triggered by data provided from the environment to the slave system in the form of updated sensor data is provided from the slave system to the master system, also that data, indicative of an updated slave model version of the environment made by the slave system, is provided to the master system, together with a time stamp, indicative of when the update of the slave model version was made. By applying the suggested time stamp, a coordination of model versions can be obtained between the master system and the slave system.

A universal machining system capable of accommodating multiple small-batch or one-off machining jobs, involving workpieces of different diameter and composition, comprises a rotating chuck having multiple jaws that may be adjusted positionally inward or outward towards the longitudinal centerline of the workpiece or removed entirely, and a tool turret capable of holding a variety of socketed tools. System also comprises a measurement sensor, which may be separate or comprise one of the socketed tools. A control program collects machining instructions for a series of workpieces, and directs the chuck, the tool turret, the measurement sensor, and at least one robot to load/unload workpieces and tools from the chuck and turret, respectively, measure workpieces and tools for quality control, and track available storage, overriding or skipping individual machining instructions as dictated by safety parameters and the availability of raw materials and tools.

Various embodiments enable batch inspection of a plurality of workpieces by and inspection instrument such as a coordinate measuring machine. Some embodiments present user interfaces, including graphical user interfaces, to enable an operator to configure a batch inspection system and a batch inspection job, and to monitor and control execution of a batch inspection job.

A system and method are described herein for tracking and instructing assembly of flexible modular products on a single assembly line. The systems enable methods for tracking components and procedures as well as tools used in the assembly of components using various sensors and devices along the line. The systems also enable methods for instructing and tracking usage of tools for procedures. Data from various sensors, stations, nodes, and relating to each particular assembly item are stored in a distributed ledger that is verified and secured for use as a production log including each action taken on the assembly item which may later be used for audit purposes as well as to increase confidence in the assembly of product variations on the assembly line.

A machine tool which is designed to carry out a specified sequence of work steps is provided. A tool and a processing time is assigned to each work step. A tool magazine is designed to keep a number of tools ready for the machine tool and includes a feeder for conveying tools from and to a transfer point for the machine tool. In a method for assigning tools to spaces of the tool magazine, a number of work steps are determined from the sequence, the respective processing time of each work step being shorter than a specified cycle time of the tool magazine. A work step is iteratively selected from the number of work steps; a previously used tool and a subsequently used tool are assigned spaces of the tool magazine; and the work step is removed from the number of work steps.

A method for improving a cycle time of a process of a product is provided. The method includes: collecting process profile data from a plurality of tool groups running the process, and calculating values of a plurality of key-performance-indicators (KPIs) of each tool group including calculating a standard deviation of an output of a stage of a bottleneck tool group of the tool groups; feeding the values of the KPIs and a work-in-progress (WIP) of each tool group into a neural network model in order to output an impact on the WIP for each KPI of each tool group by the neural network model; selecting a set of major KPIs of each tool group from the KPIs according to the impact of each tool group; and controlling the tool groups according to the impact of the set of major KPIs of each tool group in order to reduce a total WIP.

The invention relates to a method for determining the geometry of a raw part, which is shaped to form a finished part in a hydroerosive grinding method, comprising the following steps: (a) creation of a structural model of the finished part to be produced, the structural model of the finished part to be produced being used as an initial model for the first execution of the next step (b); (b) mathematical simulation of the hydroerosive grinding method, with which an intermediate model with a modified geometry is produced starting from an initial model; (c) comparison of the intermediate model produced in step (b) with the structural model of the finished part and determination of the distance, orthogonal to the surface of the structural model of the finished part, between the structural model of the finished part to be produced and the intermediate model at each node of the structural model, and comparison of the orthogonal distance with a predetermined limit value; (d) creation of a modified model of the component by adding from 5 to 99% of the distance determined in step (c) with the opposite sign at each node on the surface of the model which is used as an initial model in step (b), orthogonally to the surface, and repetition of steps (b) to (d), the modified model created in step (d) being used as a new initial model in step (b) if the orthogonal distance determined in step (c) at at least one node is greater than the predetermined limit value; (e) termination of the simulation when the orthogonal distance determined in step (c) between the structural model of the finished part and the intermediate model at each node falls below a predetermined limit value, the initial model of the step (b) carried out last corresponding to the raw part geometry to be determined.

A production asset monitoring system, for monitoring current operating states of one or more production assets, associates a respective state machine which each asset in the one or more production assets, where each state machine implements a plurality of operating states, out of which operating states at least one state is categorized as a productive state and at least one state is categorized as an unproductive state. The production asset monitoring system further comprises a sensor system configured to detect a current operating state for each state machine, and the production asset monitoring system is configured to aggregate the states of a plurality of assets into a report indicative of production asset utilization.