Logiciel SPC
Statistical Process Control

During the first quarter of 2021, we deployed the Ellistat SPC tool on all our production lines (8 stations) and in the quality control laboratory (4 stations). We already had long experience of using SPC software. The Ellistat application is more user-friendly and easier to use than our old tool, especially for the parameterisation part (creation of sites, workshops, machines and parts (we have a lot of references to manage and the duplication was a great help)). The Ellistat team helped us in this implementation phase thanks to their accessibility, competence and responsiveness (as well as their friendliness). Even though Davy sometimes 'pulled his hair out', developments and improvements to meet our own needs were quickly implemented and others are planned with the Ellistat team.

Equipping our workshops with Automated Process Control via Ellistat has radically changed the way we set up and control our machines. We have been able to develop a new culture of variability control that is more dynamic and efficient, with tangible results in terms of quality and productivity. Production staff are working much more comfortably, and we can easily envisage greater complexity - the possibilities are enormous!

At our Melisey site, the APC is interfaced with LISI's MES and corrections are transferred directly to the multispindles. Implementation is fast and the software intuitive. It surprised the LISI team with its ability to make the manufacturing process autonomous. Adjustment used to require several iterations that consumed several parts to reach the required level. Now, a single part is enough. The reduction in set-up time achieved by using APC represents approximately 75%. In January 2021, the scrap rate fell from 3.5% to less than 0.1%. This is because the algorithm auto-corrects the machine tool in near-real time as soon as it deviates, resulting in a reduction in the scrap rate of around 95 %. At the beginning of 2021, the APC solution will be deployed on around twenty CNC machines of different makes and generations. Deployment will be rapid, requiring little equipment or investment.

All you have to do is measure the part and enter the data into the APC, which automatically makes all the corrections in one go. This makes the work of the employees much easier. Before APC, if the drift remained within tolerance, the setter had two options: re-centre the dimension or leave it within the acceptable limit. With APC, the dimension is always centred. We've achieved our quality objective and improved our productivity by reducing set-up time by around 50% and the company's overall scrap rate by around 30%.

With the implementation of APC on our multispindle lathes, we have achieved very convincing gains on several levels: reduced machine downtime, an improved OEE and a very clear reduction in the scrap rate. What's more, our scrap rate has fallen from 4% to 1.5% and we can space out inspection times because the software guarantees us stability in machine variability.