MoldMaking Technology

FEB 2018

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moldmakingtechnology.com 37 The goal is one documentation station for every two benches. Ideally, one per bench. This ensures that no one is waiting to use it, which is the point of consistent data entry. documentation would be more valuable and eventually ingrained into the daily maintenance process. The Documentation Station Breakdown Mobile Computer Stand. A documentation (doc) station must have the correct stand type with room to place other neces- sary equipment. Many mobile stands are available, but only a few would work well in a shop environment. The station stand must be strong, stable and lightweight to move safely around the shop. It must have a relatively small footprint with no legs or casters protruding from the bottom. It also should have a suitable height and weight for stability, shelving for additional equipment and large, soft, lockable rubber wheels to ease movement around a typical shop floor, over floor mats and other small debris without catching and tipping. After much research, we recommend a stand from Unline. It is 24 inches wide by 18 inches deep, stands 42 inches tall and has two additional shelves to hold a laptop or desk- top computer, printer and a battery pack. The slide-out keyboard tray puts the keyboard at 40 inches, which is the ideal height for the average individual to use while standing. For taller techni- cians, the wireless keyboard can be placed on the top surface (which is at 42 inches). Both heights work nicely if the user wants to sit on a standard height bar stool (at 30 inches) while working at the station. 24-Inch Monitor. Small screens (at 15 inches or smaller, or the screens on phones) do not cut it when entering or viewing maintenance data. Squinting, scrolling and zooming make them painful to use. We recommend a 24-inch monitor for easy viewing and less scrolling. These monitors are worth the expense to reduce eyestrain and continuous zooming to view image details. These monitors can be mounted on extension posts and bolted to the back of the stand, which makes it possible to fasten the screen more securely, prevent- ing someone or something from accidentally knocking it off while the station moves around the shop. This puts the mon- itor at eye level, or about 20 inches from the user. It can also be tilted to a more comfortable viewing position, if necessary. Desktop or Laptop. A laptop or desktop may be read- ily available in most companies, as many have old, unused desktops. If that is not the case, a shop does not need a large-screen, high-dollar laptop with a ton of programs. The machine will serve only as a means to access an enterprise resource planning system or other maintenance workorder system and to view images stored on the network or CONTRIBUTOR Steve Johnson is president of MoldTrax Maintenance Solutions, which provides specialized course work, hands-on bench training, maintenance software, maintenance products, toolroom design and maintenance efficiency auditing. FOR MORE INFORMATION MoldTrax Maintenance Solutions / 419-281-0790 steve@moldtrax.com / moldtrax.com simultaneously at multiple stations without using terminal services. A wireless internet connection might be necessary. Battery Pack. The battery power pack (CyberPower) enables the doc station to be completely mobile and untethered from a wall. This easily rechargeable battery can power the 24-inch monitor and the laptop for up to eight hours. It is quite heavy, which helps to balance the stand and to prevent tipping. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse. These typical attachments are inexpensive purchases that are readily available. Using a full-sized keyboard is helpful for those who are not the most proficient typists. Printer. For a complete workstation, we recommend includ- ing an ink-jet printer to print worksheets and not simply rely on when the "community printer" is available. It is possible to run the printer from battery pack power only when the printer is in use, so draining the battery is not an issue. Inexpensive printers are available, but we recommend the Brother printer. It is just the right size to fit on the bottom shelf and has a flip-up key- board for easy viewing, which workers can push out of the way when they are not using it. The total cost of this full system is about $1,500. It could be less if the company already has some of the components on hand. As inexpensive as these are, we prefer one doc station for every two benches. Ideally, one per bench. This ensures that no one is wait- ing to use it, which is the point of consistent data entry. The location of the doc station is also important to alleviate any risk of damage. For shops concerned about inadvertent water, oil, cleaning spray, dirt or other contaminant damage, simply wrap the stand with a heavy mill plastic sheet and secure it with magnets or install sections of plastic laminate around each shelf. Use protective covers for keyboards and monitor screens as well. We unveiled the documentation station at Moldtrax Maintenance Solutions during a hot runner course late last year, and it received great reviews. Attendees pulled the stations right up to their benches during a manifold teardown and took advan- tage of many images and disassembly instructions while they were working. Data entry became so convenient that a couple of teams created step-by-step disassembly guides for their respec- tive manifolds, complete with captioned images. Mold performance and maintenance/repair data is one of the most valuable tools in a shop. Shops need to use data every day on every mold, not just when molds crash. Do not discount the physical side of using this tool.

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