Dotson Iron Castings Case Study
Sinto America continues to pave the road for smart foundries by integrating Industry 4.0 Analytics in manufacturing plants throughout North America. In the beginning of 2019, Dotson Iron Castings actively began using Sinto’s ePVS system on three of their equipment lines: molding machines, transfer stations and turn tables. In one year, Sinto has helped Dotson achieve improvements in their production, downtime, cycle time, visual targets, maintenance scheduling, and communication.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE:
Situation:
Customer needed cycle time to be at 120 molds per hour to meet demand.
Outcome:
Sinto Service Technician and Sinto Data Analyst worked together to identify areas for cycle time reductions. Team was able to reduce cycle time by 5 seconds (over 14%) in 2 hours, exceeding customer molds per hour needed.
| PVS Benefits to Existing System | Before Analysis | After Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Molds per Hour | 105.3 | 122.7 |
| Cycle Time | 34.16 | 29.34 |
| Molds per Shift | 842.4 | 981.6 |
| Net Molds per Shift | -- | 139.2 |
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE:
Situation:
Customer had warning indication for “Sand Gate Close” operation.
Outcome:
Many issues could cause this delay, by investigating history of sand gate close and several related operations, it was suggested that sand was clogging the sand gate. Fixed before any downtime incurred from 3.9 seconds to .49 seconds 
CYCLE TIME OPTIMIZATION:
Situation
Sinto Data Analyst identified two operations that could be improved.
Outcome:
Squeeze advance for set and mold receiver up identified as areas for.
| PVS Benefits to Existing System | Before Analysis | After Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Molds per Hour | 102.4 | 108.4 |
| Cycle Time | 35.16 | 33.21 |
| Molds per Shift | 819 | 867 |
| Net Molds per Shift | -- | 48 |
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS:
Situation:
Customer experienced intermittent slow mold push out.
Outcome:
into Data Analyst reviewed time history and compared to interrelated operations. It was found that a cylinder switch needed adjusting to accommodate an interlock with MHS. This reduced group cycle time by 20% and reduced maintenance hours required.
| PVS Benefits to Existing System | Before Analysis | After Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Overcycle Time (Seconds) | 4,546 | 964 |
| Baseline Average (Seconds) | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Cycle Time Average (Seconds) | 6.36 | 5.08 |
LINE SIDE MONITORS:
Situation:
Customer needed to improve line side pace awareness at all 3 of their lines.
Outcome:
Utilizing ePVS, live production counts and targets can be displayed at operator stations. This improved visual targets molds per shift by 5-6. 
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING:
Situation:
Customer using ePVS to direct maintenance on what PM’s to perform based on cycle time performance.
Outcome:
Maintenance has a clear direction on which machine functions needs attention. This improved spare part use and eliminated guesswork. 
OPERATOR FEEDBACK TO MAINTENANCE:
Situation:
Customer using ePV’s Note nodule to log feedback from operators to help maintenance personnel identify issues faster.
Outcome:
Maintenance has a clear direction on which machine functions nee attention. 
PRODUCTION STATUS:
Situation:
Customer wanted a quick way for the shift supervisor to identify which state each machine, of each line, was in.
Outcome:
Utilizing the Live Parts module (which color codes 3D models based on state) supervisor’s had high visibility of each line’s live status. Allowing issues to be recognized and addressed immediately. 
COMMISSIONING PROCESS:
Situation:
At time of install, ePVS greatly reduces commissioning time
Outcome:
Sinto Service Technician and install team can utilize ePVS to compare cycle times and settings to ensure proper operation. 