As data flows into and correction calculations are performed. The results are compared against rules for violations. If a Rule violation occurs than an action associated with that rule is triggered. The reaction would be an instruction to the operator.

Statistics are an important part of process control. They are used in the calculations to compute the operator actions. Two types of statistics are used Process and Last Run. The Process statistics are calculated using all the data in the Dimension Item. They include the average, maximum, minimum, range, standard deviation, Cp and Cpk. The Last Run statistics are based from a smaller number of parts and represent the last data points entered into the Dimension Item (last measured parts). They include the average, maximum, minimum, range and standard deviation.

Correction calculations are used to adjust the manufacturing process. They represent the exact amount the operator needs to target the process. You can apply a scale factor to control the adjustment magnitude and direction. For example the Last Run Deviation from Nominal is .005. You know from experience the machine adjustment should only be half that amount. You can apply a .5 scale factor so the Last Run Correction would be .0025.

Process targeting is the act of adjusting your machine to consistently produce parts that are in specification. The target is usually based on print dimensions. Sometimes, for manufacturing purposes the target is shifted. This could be to extend tool life or simply minimize adjustments. When configuring a Dimension item you can apply a target shift to move the target anywhere you want. This gives you a way to optimize the manufacturing process while maintaining part quality. With Reaction Plan Manager++ it’s all about the process.

Connect dimension items together to share data. By linking Dimension items you can apply the correction from one dimension to another. You control when and what data is shared. For example you know that the adjustment amount of tool 1 must be added to tools 2 and 3 if tool 1 is adjusted. You can link the Dimension items representing tools 1 to tools 2 and 3. When an adjustment is triggered for tool 1 the correction amount is automatically applied to tools 2 and 3. The links would cause the operator to adjust tools 1, 2 and 3 all because tool 1 required an adjustment. Why is this important? You can calculate ALL the adjustments in one report. A very powerful feature.

Some manufacturing processes require the machine be adjusted in a specific order to produce quality parts. The operator must first adjust A before adjusting B. You can force the operator to follow a procedure in the Reaction Plan by turning on Sequential Evaluation. After the measurement data is processed Sequential Evaluation forces the Dimension items to be evaluated in order. The first Dimension item in the list with a warning or critical severity level is displayed. The operator must follow the instruction and fix the problem before the rest of the Reaction Plan is evaluated.