ATS Inspect

ATS Inspect is designed to reduce the costs associated with scrap, rework and warranty claims. The suite of applications provides two approaches to assessing visual quality:

Collects, analyzes and reports attribute data in manufacturing processes where defect information is critical to the production of quality parts.

Records and analyzes variable data to ensure that weights, temperatures, torques and any other critical measurements stay within specified limits.

Above: Take a look at this short video and imagine your product. It can be just about anything. Do you visually inspect your products? This is the right software to speed up the inspection process, add advanced reporting and see deeper into your production quality.

Configurable for Any Application

ATS Inspect software is easily configurable to any application in any industry where collection and analysis of visual defects and variable data is required. Data collection can be done at stand-alone workstations or using mobile data collectors.

Easy-to-Use Interface

An easy-to-use operator interface is one of ATS Inspect’s principal strengths. ATS Inspect is always designed with the end-user in mind making configuration and use quick and simple.

When recording defect data ATS Inspect displays digital images of the part or assembly to be inspected and uses simple touch screen tools to identify and evaluate defects. Defects can be found, flagged and automatically routed to rework in a few seconds.

Recording variable data is just as simple. For each measurement the user can simply type in the value or automatically import it from an electronic device. Images can be included to show the user exactly which variable needs to be measured.

Real-time data collection drives the ATS Inspect system. Fast, flexible and reliable input, using keyboard, mouse or touch screen, makes operators and inspectors productive and open to using the system.

The end-user oriented documentation and tutorials mean that training operators is easy and only takes a couple of hours.

Eliminate Paper Checklists

ATS Inspect Data Collect includes electronic checklists to record issues and to make sure all required visual and option content checks have been completed.

Checklists can be added and modified in real-time without the need to reprint and redistribute to the operators.

This eliminates the difficulty of preserving, retrieving and using checklist data for later review and analysis.

Take a Picture

Digital photos and CAD drawings can be imported and included in inspection screens for defect location accuracy. The zoom and scroll functions allow easy viewing of images that are larger than the displayed view.

If you wish you can even take a photo of a quality concern and store it alongside the defect in the system. This gives you a true record of what’s happening on the production line.

Avoid Duplicating Work

Operators can quickly apply the same concern to multiple locations on the same unit using Data Collect’s intuitive interface.

Alternatively, the same defect can be entered in the same location on several consecutive units. This increases the speed of multiple concern identification, decreases data entry time and moves parts to repair stations more quickly.

Above: Tom Bell and Mike James talking about ATS Inspect's practical uses.

Easy Configuration and Setup

ATS Inspect Admin and Cockpit organize and control the configuration of the system.

For attribute data collection, ATS Inspect Admin arranges product and view setup, station setup, parts, locations, defects and other product related items. The Admin application is also used to create checklist questions and assign them to workstations.

Most system features are user configurable, and drag and drop operation speeds the overall process. The ability to import images and associate them with specific products makes fast work of setting up your inspections.

ATS Inspect Cockpit works in a similar way for variable data collection. It configures information such as the available characteristics and the causes and actions that can be associated to them. Following the simple steps described in the user guide you’ll be creating setups in no time using the simple, easy-to-use interface.

Work in Multiple Languages

Multiple language sets are available. The language displayed at each station is tied to the current user, so that employees who speak different languages can operate efficiently throughout a facility. In addition, reports can be viewed in different languages at the local facility and the global headquarters.

Customize User Interfaces

Two ATS Inspect applications allow you to design custom screens that will be used by the operator collecting data. Layout Manager handles attribute data collection screens while Form Composer handles variable data collection screens.

The designer is able to move, resize and remove different controls (such as buttons, images and labels) and define actions based on user interaction.

This flexibility also allows you to use different data collection platforms as need dictates in your facility. You can design a different set of screens for each device and assign them directly to each terminal.

View Reports Online

ATS Inspect Reporting allows real-time quality data to be viewed in various charts and tables. You can even export reports to spreadsheets and PDFs.

The web-based reports can be viewed anywhere in the world using Microsoft Internet Explorer running on secure connections. This allows management to monitor performance even while on the road.

Reports can be generated for each product tracked in the system, and can be based on factors such as serial number, date, time, production area or cell, historical quality data, operator/inspector, defect type, severity /rank, repair status and current location. Report settings can be personalized for each user.


Over 70 pre-defined charts include:

• Trend charts, line, bar, 3D and 2D
• Paretos
• Multiple series bar and/or line
• X-bar, R-chart, P-chart and U-chart

On top of all this you will have the ability to create your own fully customized reports using ATS Inspect Advanced Reporting Services. Designing reports in-house means you can quickly respond to the needs of your business as soon as they arise.

A useful feature of the reporting in ATS Inspect is the ability to schedule up-to-the-minute reports to be sent to the relevant people at regular intervals automatically. Do you need that report on your desk first thing Monday morning? It’ll be there.

Instant Event Notification

Event Service lets you instantly inform personnel of the current state of quality throughout the production facility.

ATS Inspect utilizes a messaging service that conveys information via e-mail and static display devices, such as message boards and overhead monitors. Event Service can be configured to send out information-based or exception-based messages.

Criteria for event messaging are user defined and may include:

• Quality thresholds
• Production thresholds
• Critical defects
• Quality statuses
• Production statuses

See the Cost of Quality

You know that ATS Inspect delivers information on the quality of your products. But what about the cost of quality?

ATS Inspect Costing allows you to see the cost of quality. You can calculate the repair cost of each product or how much labor and material cost is tied up on the plant floor at a given time.

But I Wanted It in Rustic Orange

Warranty claims can put a real dent in profits. ATS Inspect Mobile Checklist was developed to tackle this problem at the most critical point of the manufacturing process – the point of delivery.

Using a handheld device an operator can carry out final checks on a product before it leaves the plant. Once the serial number of the unit has been entered, a tailor-made checklist will be presented to the operator, allowing them to confirm that any customer-requested features have been correctly installed.

Taking it Step by Step

Product inspections can vary enormously in size. A single unit may have hundreds or even thousands of attributes that need to be checked and verified.

ATS Inspect is prepared for this and allows you to set up inspection steps that will guide the operator through the process in a structured, methodical manner. Checklist questions can be asked at each step to ensure that nothing is overlooked.

Data on the Go

No manufacturing process is perfect, but carrying out repairs should never become a complication. It’s important that they are carried out completely and efficiently – nothing missed, nothing forgotten. ATS Inspect Mobile Repair and Mobile Confirm allow you to do this.

Carrying a handheld device, an operator can move freely around the line performing repairs then, using Mobile Repair, simply identify the corrected defect on the repair ticket when it is done. A second operator can then confirm the repairs have been carried out using Mobile Confirm.

These double-checks are instantly stored in the system meaning that no open defects get through and the customer will only ever see the product the way you intended it.

Exchanging Data

ATS Inspect includes a Comm Server interface, allowing the capability of importing data from external systems. Also available is OPC Server service which allows connected OPC clients to capture and process ATS Inspect information such as concerns, repairs, checklist and tracking information.

Data Management Tools

ATS Inspect Data Importer lets users import parts, locations, concerns, details, repair types and product data directly from an Excel spreadsheet into the ATS Inspect database. The Data Importer eliminates the need for manual data entry of information already stored in other databases or files.

If you find your database is getting too large you can use the Data Archiver to remove your historical data from the ATS Inspect database and store it on a separate file. This frees up online resources and increase the analytical speed of your production systems by reducing the amount of data in the system.

Manufacturing Intelligence

The powerful data collection and reporting capabilities make ATS Inspect ideal for Manufacturing Intelligence. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) data collection and reporting is just one of the features which our customers use to improve performance.

ATS Inspect HMI Spider allows you to manually (or automatically via a PLC interface) collect idle times, stoppages, speed losses and wastage, providing you with all key components to measure and report on OEE.

Licensing

Our customers usually set ATS Inspect as the corporate standard and deploy it in one complete operation or in several plants over the world. Contact us for site or enterprise licenses.

ATS Inspect Webinars

Are you interested in seeing the latest ATS Inspect information? Join our live webinars.

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ATS Inspect Modules:

• Data Collect

  Attribute data collection

• Variable Data Collect

  Record Variable Data

• Auditor

  Data entry for daily audits to a sample of products.

• HMI Spider

  Interface with shop floor controls.

• Mobile Checklist

  A significant amount of paperwork is dedicated to collecting information about mandatory checks (who did it, when and where) as well as confirmation of build options (color,...

• Mobile Repair

  Monitor repairs using portable devices.

• Reporting

  View Reports Online

• Event Service

  Instant Event Notification

• Costing

  See the Cost of Quality

• Admin

  Easy Configuration and Setup

• Cockpit

  Configure settings required by Data Collect, Variable Data Collect and communication services.

• Layout Manager

  Customize data collection screens.

• Form Composer

  Customize Variable Data Collect screens.

• Data Importer

  Import existing data into the system

• Data Archiver

  Reduce the amount of data in the system

• Other Features

  XML Comm Server interface | SQL database | Data Importer | Multi-Session | Manufacturing Intelligence