Looking for different ideas from all you intellects out there on different ways to keep product from being mixed with similar product. Any simple ways? Thanks ahead, Dawn

How many --ways??
& how many Places are the being mixed now ??

Dawn,

It may help to know the type of product. Alloy Bar stock or Medicines?:bigwave: :smokin:

Wow! You guys are fast! I'm looking at powder metal product with parts that are being molded, sintered that are very similar to the part being molded and sinter right along side of it. We have been pretty good so far but will be looking at at large quantities which go to outside suppliers, inhouse tumble, etc. Currently we use Hey Look tags to prompt operators to look a little closer. Looking for preventive measures that have helped people in the past.

Dawn,

I worked in a sheet metal house where numerous look alike parts were fabricated for the Aircraft industry. Brackets, covers, etc.. There was no way to keep parts segregated without serious control of Lot Numbers and the material. Parts were not allowed to run side by side through their processes. Even orders for the same parts were separated by other jobs to minimize the confusion and possibility of mixing parts. Of course, the traceability requirements for this type of Industry is probably greater than yours. Maybe not. Material sent to External Heat Treatment, Inside Tumbling Department or External Electroplaters were shipped by Lot Number with strict instructions, to all, not to mix. We paid a premium for, say an order for 12 “A”’s that had another batch of “A”’s fairly close behind it. The supplier could have given a better price if he/she were able to combine like parts. This Company was extremely frugal with their processes. If there were a way for them to do it more cost effective they would find it. In my opinion, there is no easy way to run similar parts together through a process. At the very least someone has to segregate the components into separate containers after a process. I hope someone else has found a better way. Good Luck!
:bonk: :smokin:

Dawn - We use a "traveler" or "process status tags" on individual tubs (lots) for tracking

Customer - Part number - Print revision - work order number - Count
The back of the tags tells us how many were processed at the last operation what date and where the lot is routed for the next operation.

In your situation - I would think about adding a "mold number identifier as well (that would high-lite the fact that even tho they are similar - there is a difference.)

Our tags stay on each "batch/lot" at each stage of handling / storage / Packaging prep - so the identifiers can be confirmed prior to shipment. - We then have all the info we need to transfer when it becomes time for shipment.

Hope this helps

Thanks guys. This is stuff we already have in place. Maybe I'll try different colored tracer tags.

OR (if you have the option open)

Go to separate colored containers.

Don't know, but maybe increased training and internal assesment?

Jim,

I was thinking that, too. This sintering process with powdered metal may coat/color the container before it clears the "sintering". Don't know. When I read the original post, I imagined a conveyor line with a bunch of parts going along that looked similar with no current way to identify or segregate them.
Did you get what you wanted for your birthday? :biglaugh: :ko: :smokin:

Dawn - is your problem really with lot segregation or are you experiencing the occasional mixed part issue? While the suggestions made so far are great, they address the obvious lot integrity issues. I somehow got the impression you had "occasional" mixed parts.

If your problem is of the occasional variety, look at housekeeping. Clean-up of process areas between lots, inspection of containers and tumblers prior to use, and especially a "no pick-up policy". One of my biggest headaches at one time was helpful people finding a part on the floor and tossing it back into a bin they THOUGHT was the same part.

If the other is your problem, we use different colored containers as Jim suggested - works very well (till you run short of one color).

Dave

I have to agree. Having people pick up parts and trowing them in a bin they think contains the right products. We solve this with something very simple. The reason that people did this was because they were taught to keep the work floor clean. So they would see a part and trow it back. But since in our production some times reject parts that get automatically rejected also fall on the floor this was a real nightmare. We just put about 20 garbage containers on the floor so it is easier to trow things away. without having to walk, because you wouldnt want to walk darn bast**ds allready make you work and every thing. But anyway it really helped. Cost about $100 dollars at K-mart.

Another danger we had was that QC after they measured several shots they brought them back, to the production floor. For some parts this was very understandable because of the high costs. But when you calculate this over the cause of the year. it comes to about $1000 put one serious customer complaint against that... so we trow those away to now.

Another thing we did was getting extra scales on the floor, so the similar but different products stay away from each other (never get in the same place).

The last thing we did was purging our assembly lines before change over. Meaning two people check the whole line after the clean up of the last lot before the materials for the next lot get placed in the assembly area. Sure this takes about 2 minutes longer but with the one change over we have a day this really isn't a issue.

I hope it helps any one.

I have to third Jims color-coding the storage bins.

By standardizing a color recognition key breakdown (you define how to do this), familiarizing & training the operators, and maybe add a few visual inspections (if will add value - including keeping wrong stuff from going out the door!) during a transitional period I think you'd be on the road to improving your process and effectively dealing with the problem.