Method for improving the utilization of manufacturing machines in manufacturing processes

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for improving the utilization of manufacturing machines in manufacturing processes. In a typical implementation, manufacturing machine utilization is improved by publishing a schedule of Production Events, accepting customer orders within Production Events, and calculating prices for the customers modified based on the customer orders.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority to US Provisional Application No. 61 / 880,042, filed September 19, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. technical field [0003] The present invention relates generally to manufacturing processes, and more particularly to methods for improving the utilization of production equipment. Background technique [0004] Commercial production processes in many areas, such as machine tool production of metal parts, glass lens production and lens coating processes, and others, are often most efficiently performed when economies of scale are leveraged. There is often a floating calculation for pricing products produced by such commercial production processes, where the price may drop sharply as the order quantity or the batch size of orders for the process's products increases. This optimizes by the approximation of demand to the capacity of the process, optimizing eco...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0012] The second type of efficiency involves machine capacity, where idle machine capacity increases the unit cost of producing a product using a process

[0017] Often, specialized production processes cause real inefficiencies, i.e., inability to take full advantage of economies of scale due to mismatches between the capacity of a machine or process and immediate client demand

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