Cutting Tool Traceability Using Marker-to-Carrier Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manufacturing processes for cutting tools lack traceability, making it difficult to identify issues after the tool is produced, as information from each process step is not linked, and handwritten protocols can obscure the cause of problems.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a reader capable of identifying unique machine-readable codes on cutting tools and carriers, tracking their position and orientation, and associating this data with manufacturing process information to facilitate troubleshooting and improve manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual review of manufacturing protocols is used to identify problems, then problem identification is possible, but the process is time-consuming and error-prone due to handwritten protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical review of handwritten protocols with an automated electronic identification system using readers, memory devices, and processing circuits. The system automatically captures identification data from cutting tools at each manufacturing stage, eliminating the need for manual reading and analysis of handwritten records.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates electronic copies of manufacturing data through automated identification markers and memory devices. Instead of manually transcribing handwritten protocols, the system generates digital records that can be instantly retrieved and analyzed, ensuring accuracy and reducing time loss.
2Ease of manufacture
If information from each manufacturing process step is kept separate, then each process step can be managed independently, but traceability of the cutting tool through the entire manufacturing process is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate manufacturing process information into a unified traceable record. The system associates identification data from multiple process steps with the same cutting tool through consistent identification markers, creating a connected information chain that maintains both independent process management and overall traceability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces identification markers and memory devices as intermediaries between manufacturing processes. These intermediaries carry information across process boundaries, linking separate manufacturing steps together while allowing each step to operate independently.
3Device complexity
If no identification system is used on cutting tools, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but it becomes impossible to track the tool's history and identify issues after production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies identification markers and memory devices only to specific locations on the cutting tool where they are most effective, rather than complicating the entire manufacturing system. This localized approach adds minimal complexity while maximizing traceability benefits.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
An electronic device (100, 200, 300), a method and computer program product (500) for managing traceability of at least a first cutting tool (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) in a manufacturing process, the method comprising (S1) obtaining information related to at least a first identification marker (41, 42); (S2) decoding the at least first cutting tool identification marker (41, 42) to determine at least first cutting tool identification data (1ctlD, 2ctlD); (S3) obtaining information related to at least a first carrier identification marker (43, 44) of at least a first carrier (30a, 30b) in the manufacturing process; (S4) decoding the at least first carrier identification marker (43, 44) to determine at least first carrier identification data (1clD, 2clD); and (S5) generating a first association data (1AD) indicative of the at least first cutting tool identification data (1ctlD, 2ctlD) and the at least first carrier identification data (1clD, 2clD).