Setup Reduction Planning Form

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Instructions: Use this form to help you document current methods, brainstorm for improvements, assign and implement changes, and gauge the impact of a change (the four steps to setup reduction).

My intention is that you use your word processor to fill in this form – as opposed to printing and writing on it. This provides the best potential entering information and making changes. If you are working with a group, it would be helpful to use a multimedia projector to display this form for everyone to see.

This is a template file that provides the general tasks required to complete a setup in the approximate order that setups are made. You should start by re-saving it under a different name to keep from destroying the template file.

Assuming you are targeting entire setups for improvement, we recommend that you begin by documenting every detail each step along the way. While you may be able to remember suggestions from memory – or with the help of all of your setup people, it may be wiser to record a video of a setup or two being made first to avoid missing something. While watching the video, you can easily fill in fill in this form.

We have provided some sample answers in a special font to help you recognize information you are supposed to supply. You will overwrite our sample answers. Once you get started, it should be pretty easy to follow and fill in.

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Setup Reduction Planning Form

Machine/department/job name targeted for setup reduction:(Specify the machine, department, or job you are targeting for improvement)

Step one: Evaluate current methods

In this section, document the tasks that are performed in the approximate order that they are performed.

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Setup Reduction Planning Form

Bottlenecks and obstacles:

When I’ve led meetings on setup reduction myself, I have found that setup people are eager to relate the problems they have. Indeed, the initial meeting can turn into a bit of a gripe session. People are quick to list things that keep them from being able to do a good (and timely) job. And of course, many of these things are obstacles that must be addressed by your setup reduction program. I provide this space to document obstacles first so you can quickly find it as you go through the tasks in your setup reduction program. I have included some examples of what I’ve heard in past sessions, but of course, you can delete any that don’t apply – and add more of your own.

Issue one: Customers require first article inspection (of their own). This could require from 24 hours to five days and a machine sits idle for this time.

Issue two: We don’t have enough coolant lines.

Issue three: Laptop computer (for transferring programs) is in use or the battery is dead.

Issue four: Tooling list doesn’t match what is used in the program.

Issue five: Cutting tools must sometimes be modified (grinding for clearance) before they can be used.

Issue six: First shift doesn’t tell second shift what is happening.

Issue seven:

Issue eight:

Organizational issues:

The level of organization in just about every area of a company can usually be improved. List any issues that may cause duplicated effort, wasted time, or anything else that lengthens the time it takes to make a setup. We list a few common ones. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Issue one: Hand tools are all thrown in a drawer. The setup person must dig around to find every needed tool.

Issue two: Work benches are cluttered, being used more as storage shelves than work areas.

Issue three: People are not putting needed components back where they belong. Setup people must search the shop for needed items.

Issue four:

Issue five:

Issue six:

Immediate suggestions for improvement: Frankly speaking, if this is your company’s first attempt at an improvement program, it is likely that you will find that organizational issues must be dealt with before any thing of value can be done to reduce setup time. Indeed, many companies are so disorganized that the single-largest improvement will come from improving their organizational pit-falls. Before continuing with your setup reduction program, consider first solving problems with organization.

Solution one:

Solution two:

Solution three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to organizational issues:

Comment one: We never want anyone having to search the shop in order to find something they need.

Comment two:

Comment three:

Gathering that is done prior to setup:

List the items and components(if any) that are gathered and available to the setup person as soon as they begin a setup. We list some items that are commonly gathered prior to setup. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue listing items that are currently gathered.

Item one: Job packet (with print, process sheet, and other documentation)

Item two: Raw material

Item three: Finished workpiece storage container

Item four:

Item five:

Immediate suggestions for improvement: List components that could be gathered. Think about times when the setup person must leave the machine to go get something. What would have to be gathered in order for the setup person to complete the setup without ever having to leave the machine?

Item one:

Item two:

Item three:

Item four:

Item five:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that come up that relate to gathering:

Comment one: We must get to the point that setup people can complete every setup without having to leave the machine in order to get a needed component.

Comment two:

Comment three:

Tear down the setup for the previous job

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to get the machine ready to begin a new setup. The related tasks can vary among jobs since certain jobs, when run consecutively, require more or fewer tasks to be done (like running consecutive jobs that require many of the same cutting tools). Since you are trying to improve the overall task of tearing down a job, be sure to list all tasks, even though some may not be necessary if a similar job was just run. Again, we list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Remove the work holding device if it’s not required for the next job.

Task two: Clean the machine’s work area (table, bed, etc.).

Task three: Remove the cutting tools that are not required for the next setup.

Task four: Disassemble removed cutting tools and put everything away.

Task five: Save the program (if it has been changed, and then delete it from memory.

Task six:

Immediate suggestions for improvement: While you shouldn’t dwell too long on improvements (yet), some ideas for improvement may come up as you develop this list of tasks. By all means, document them so they cannot be forgotten.

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that come up that relate to tearing down the setup for the previous job:

Comment one: We must come up with a list of tasks that can be postponed until after the machine is back in production (like putting components away).

Comment two:

Comment three:

Make the workholding setup

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to make a workholding setup. Note that workholding setups vary dramatically among different types of CNC machines (like machining centers and turning centers) – and even among jobs run on a given machine. So limit your list to a given setup or type or setup (as would be done for a family of parts) in order to minimize the number of tasks to be evaluated. Or – limit your list to include only those tasks that must be done for all setups. Then come back later (after you’ve made your initial set of improvements) to add tasks that are not done in every setup. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Mount the vise on the machine table.

Task two: Square the vise with the table.

Task three: Mount the end stop on the vise.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to making the workholding setup:

Comment one: Will qualifying workholding devices eliminate the need to square them with the machine’s table?

Comment two:

Comment three:

Program zero assignment

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to make assign program zero. Methods vary among different machine types (machining centers to turning centers) and among setups for a given machine (round versus rectangular workpieces on machining centers). So limit your list to a given method of program zero assignment. Once you have come up with ways to improve it, don’t forget to come back and tackle other methods used for program zero assignment. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Place an edge finder in the spindle.

Task two: Using the axis displays, measure the program zero assignment values for each axis.

Task three: Enter measured values into fixture offsets.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Improvement one: If we can justify what it takes to qualify setups, we can eliminate the task of program zero assignment.

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to assigning program zero:

Comment one:

Comment two:

Comment three:

Cutting tools

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to make assemble, measure, load, and enter offsets for cutting tools. Methods for cutting tool tasks vary among different machine types (machining centers to turning centers) and among the different cutting tools used on a given machine (drills to taps, to boring bars, etc.). So limit your list to include cutting tools used on a given machine type. Once you have come up with ways to cutting tool tasks for one machine type, don’t forget to come back and tackle the cutting tool tasks done on any other machines your company owns. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Place straight shank tools into collet holders.

Task two: Place the correct pull stud on the tool holder shank.

Task three: Place end mills into end mill holders.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to cutting tool issues:

Comment one: The list of related tasks is getting pretty long. We may want to concentrate on but one or two types of cutting tools to get started.

Comment two:

Comment three:

Program creation

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to get the program created. Note that this task will be of more importance if programming must be done while the machine is down between production runs. Possibly production runs are very small and you have a lot of new jobs. In this case, you may not have time to prepare programs off line. We list a few common tasks related to shop-floor programming, just to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Step one to creating a conversational (Shop floor) program: define the raw material.

Step two to creating a conversational (Shop floor) program: define the finished workpiece.

Step three to creating a conversational (Shop floor) program: define the machining operations.

Step four:

Step five:

Step six:

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to program transfer:

Comment one: Can one person be creating the program while another is working on the setup.

Comment two:

Comment three:

Program loading

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to get the program loaded into the machine. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Get the machine ready to receive a program.

Task two: Go to the DNC-serving computer.

Task three: Make the command to send the program to the machine.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to program transfer:

Comment one: With background edit, all program transfers can be done while the machine is in production (off line).

Comment two:

Comment three:

Program verification

In this section, document the tasks that are done in order to verify that the program is correct and to machine the first workpiece in a way that it will pass inspection. This can be a time-consuming process in some companies. That is, all of the physical tasks (that get the job to the point that a workpiece can be run) may take less than an hour. But three hours later, the setup person is still trying to get a first workpiece to pass inspection. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Dry run the program.

Task two: Carefully run each tool, trial machining when necessary (small tolerances).

Task three: Measure each workpiece attribute just after it is machined.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Immediate suggestions for improvement: While you shouldn’t dwell too long on improvements (yet), some ideas for improvement may come up as you develop this list of tasks. By all means, document them so they cannot be forgotten.

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to program verification:

Comment one: We’ve got to come up with a way to get the first machined workpiece to pass inspection – maybe programming the trial machining operations?

Comment two:

Comment three:

Program optimizing

In this section, document the tasks that are done when it is necessary to optimize the program’s machining time. We list a few common tasks to get you started. Delete them if they don’t apply and continue with your own list.

Task one: Eliminate wasted motions in the program.

Task two: Eliminate unnecessary spindle range changes.

Task three: Modify cutting conditions.

Task four:

Task five:

Task six:

Improvement one:

Improvement two:

Improvement three:

Other comments: Document any thoughts or comments that relate to program transfer: