Low-Volume/High-Mix Manual or Semi-Automatic Production Test

How to use automated testing when the cost of automation seems hard to justify

What You Care About

Your company manufactures small to medium quantities, and you’re challenged to justify the expense of a fully automated test system, so your parts are assembled manually and tested manually. But, you still want to be able to:

  • Merge the assembly instructions and testing steps into one system – so the operator doesn’t have to flip back and forth (ease of use and less prone to error)
  • Track assembly status and test results across multiple assembly cells
  • Aggregate results – so you can look for efficiency gains
  • Have a simple way to manage the work instructions for all the different types of parts you make – electronic docs simplify the setup of the assembly & test for each part so you don’t have to physically locate the assembly manual for the part being built.

Rather than check that the assembly was done correctly after the fact, you want to focus on reducing assembly errors before they happen.

A test system can often be cost-justified when it combines step-by-step work instructions and step-by-step feedback from the operator along with semi-automated measurements.

How We’ve Helped Our Clients

Our clients used our test systems to merge assembly instructions with step-by-step operator checks in high-mix, low volume scenarios. The benefits they’ve seen include:

  • Better management of work instructions by having a single location for electronic documents, thus reducing multiple printed versions on the shop floor
  • Verification that every step was executed, especially critical when traceability is important or required by their customer
  • Reduction in operator errors by automating the setup and reading of any computer controllable measurement equipment
  • Cost savings based on increased efficiency in operator performance and ability to identify prominent reject modes by analyzing the electronic records produced by the test station
  • Coordinated test results according to a part’s serial number when a particular part is tested at several test stations

Case Studies