PLCs are targeted at control and do a fine job.  They are small, capable, very popular, modular, and are available from scores of vendors, in may levels of power and sophistication, at several price points.  The majority of PLCs are able to provide analog outputs and control using PID functions.

FastFact is also small, but is a totally integrated, highly tuned solution aimed at process/production monitoring and reporting, not control.  FastFact monitors both analog and digital inputs, but unlike PLCs, FastFact only provides digital outputs.  The outputs are quite capable and include settings for initial delay, on/off time, additional delay and number of repeat cycles.  FastFact does not support analog outputs.  FastFact is only available form InFact Data Corporation.

PLCs generally have separate plug-in modules for each input type and output type.  For example, different modules are required for a 0 - 10VDC, 4-20mA, RTDs, various thermocouple types, etc. FastFact has 48 "universal smart channels" that are configured, strictly under software, to accommodate almost any type of input, including voltage, current, and resistance.  In addition, FastFact has a rich set of specialty channels specifically tailored to meet common needs.

While there are exceptions, most PLCs contain modest CPU power, a weak or non-existent operating system, limited memory, no mass storage, no database, weak security, slow communications.  PLCs have no knowledge of things like jobs, employees, input & output resources (raw materials, part numbers, etc.), shift schedules, tools, and other factors involved in production and processing. PLCs are quite rigid in their ability to retrieve and present data. 

In contrast, FastFact has tremendous computing power and sophistication, superior communications capabilities, full-featured operating system, SQL database, and various levels of security. In addition, FastFact has intimate knowledge of all resources (men, materials, machines, parts, rejects, rework, lots, etc) used in production and the production standards for each job, work order, or batch.  FastFact has enormously flexible and capable data storage, data analysis, information retrieval, and visual presentation. 

FastFact operates comfortably in concert with PLCs.  FastFact can accept inputs from them and issue digital outputs to them.  Both FastFact and the PLC have a legitimate place in manufacturing.

• Cycle time of most recent cycle (or instantaneous rate).
• Average cycle time or rate for the current shift and current job
• Standard deviation of the average cycle time or rate during the current shift and current job
• Maximum and minimum cycle times or rates during the current shift and current job
• Number of fast and slow cycles during the current shift and current job
• Total number of cycles during the current shift and current job
• A scaled count that is a multiple of the cycle count for the current shift and current job.  (This is typically used to tally the expected parts out or expected material use.)
• Downtime for the current shift and current job.
• The number of downtime occurrences for the current shift and job.
• In many cases, one analog measurement (for instance, pressure, temperature, flow, etc.) can be made  for each machine cycle.  This measurement is stored as either a series value, or as a continuously updated measurement that includes most recent value, average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum.

Limits can be defined for cycle times (or production rates), counters, fast and slow cycles, etc.  They are tested each cycle and can cause alarms and activate relays or output channels. The measurements can also be used in calculating other measurements or key performance indicators.

For continuous processes, the acquisition channel is periodically triggered at a user-specified  constant interval.  The interval may be set from 0.5 seconds to hours.  During the interval, sampling occurs at up to 32K samples per second.  During sampling, each sample is tested in real-time.  Up to 8 separate limits can be tested: upper and lower warning limits, upper and final warning limits, upper and lower spurious limits and upper and lower envelope limits.  Depending on the test outcomes, alarms may be activated and channel interactions initiated. 

At the end of each interval, a profile of the trace is immediately analyzed using a user-defined program running under FastFact's Profile Analyzer.  Several measurements can be automatically extracted, for example peak pressure, maximum and minimum pressure, time between max and min pressure, time above a specified pressure, the integral of the pressure curve during the interval, the slope between start of acquisition and peak pressure, and so on.  Each measurement is then tested and can activate alarms.  Each of the measurements can also be saved in a separate series, or as a continuously updated value, along with its associated average value, standard deviation, minimum value and maximum value. These statistics are permanently stored for each shift and each job or batch.  The profile trace can be stored automatically, discarded, or saved only on exception.

Automatic downtime detection of continuous processes is determined by user-specified values that define permissible values and time durations. For example, if the pressure is under 100 psi for more than 3.4 seconds, consider the machine or process "down" and accrue downtime.

To summarize, information obtained and actions performed using one FastFact channel to monitor a continuous machine or process includes:

• For each sample, real-time limit testing, alarms and actions
• A waveform trace each sampling interval
• One or more measurements extracted from the waveform using FastFact's Profile Analyzer.
• Each measurement is stored as either a series value, or as a continuously updated measurement that includes most recent value, average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum. Permanent storage is provided for each shift and each job.
• Downtime for the current shift and current job.
• The number of downtime occurrences for the current shift and job.

All of the above information is extracted, tested and stored without human involvement.  By using a monitor and keyboard connected directly to FastFact, or using a client computer, additional information can be accumulated or control exerted.  A partial list includes:

• Entry of downtime causes.  Prompts are automatically issued when downtime is detected.
• Entry of scrap and rework quantities and reasons, for input and outputs
• Changing machine state to Set-up and Hold and their associated sub-states
• Labor clock-in and clock-out along with changes in activity
• Changing of lots
• Initiation of new jobs, batches or work orders
• Alarm acknowledgements

FastFact has 48 physical channels.  If you need more than one channel to monitor a machine, there are plenty more!

Sure.  The current price of a FastFact unit is $2,950. If a machine or process requires all FastFact's channels, then this is the cost per machine.  However, if 48 machines are monitored, the cost amounts $61.46 per machine.  If amortized over 5 years, the cost can be as low as two cents per shift per machine!

In reality, there are additional costs associated with installation and sensors, but these numbers give you an idea of costs. 

The financial benefits of using FastFact can be huge.  They result from full-time, real-time monitoring that calls attention to process variations and production difficulties.  Immediate feedback and alerts cause operating personnel to be more involved and more motivated and enables quicker corrective actions.   Accurate and timely information keep management enlightened and provide the basis for making the best possible decisions.  FastFact eliminates paperwork and supplies electronic documentation necessary for verifying conformance to industry standards and regulatory agencies. FastFact provides a wealth of information useful to production planners, cost accountants, quality engineers, supervisors, maintenance personnel and MRP/ERP folks, as well as six-sigma experts.

To quantify the benefits for your own operation, try to answer a few of the following questions.

• What is the value of a 1% reduction in scrap worth to your operation? 
• What is the value of a 1% reduction in downtime?
• What is the value of improving labor efficiency by 1%?
• What is the value of 1% additional output per month?

InFact believes most companies have ample opportunity to improve in several of these areas by more than 1%.  The dollar benefit will need to be estimated by you, but we are confident the returns will dwarf the cost of FastFact units and produce a payback period measured in weeks.

Absolutely!  The side panel of FastFact provides a standard VGA output connector that supports 32-bit  color with resolution of up to 1280 x 1024.  There are also two USB 2.0 ports, plus standard keyboard and mouse ports. Just plug in your own devices and go.

FastFact does not require a display, mouse or keyboard.  By installing FastFact client software on your own computer, you can access FastFact and totally control it from your desk.

FastFact is largely immune from power failures due to its architecture, InFact's attention detail about permanent data storage, and the use of Windows Windows XP Embedded.  In the vast majority of instances, a power interruption will not corrupt anything and the loss of data will be minimal.  When power returns, FastFact will restart by itself.  However, FastFact is still a computer.  Prudence suggests it is reasonable to invest a few dollars in a UPS to avoid the rare situation where a harmful problem occurs. 

It is important to appreciate that a single machine (or process) may start and finish several jobs during a single shift.  FastFact will accrue information on each of the jobs, plus additional information for the shift itself.  Of course, a job may span multiple shifts.  In this case, FastFact accrues information for each of the shifts, plus a separate accrual for the job.

For firms that are commodity producers and don't have the notion of a "job", information is normally stored only by shift.