Monitoring system gains SPC & e-mail alarms.

Mattec Corp., Loveland, Ohio, has upgraded its Prohelp EPM production and process monitoring software with new SPC and new process validation capabilities, as well as a variety of e-mail and voice alarms. New ProHelp Release 6.2 is basedon Windows 2000. Mattec's ProStat SPC package correlates process conditions to part-quality attributes such as weight or dimensions and alerts the operator when conditions begin to trend beyond control limits. New pick lists and pop-up windows take users to a specific control chart faster than the previous series of menus.

Process validation has been upgraded with a new capability for monitoring every cycle of every molding machine 24/7 if necessary. SPC data now can be stored online or copied to a DVD or CD. Barcode scanning on the plant floor, material-lot tracking, audit trails of process changes, maintenance records, are other new enhancements to the software.

The system now can automatically broadcast voice alarms and/or e-mails to phones or pagers when a machine goes down, an operator needs help, or process conditions drift outside control limits. It can be programmed to alert different persons or departments for specific alarms. The alarm message can be repeated at intervals until it is acknowledged, the machine restarts, or the alarm condition is rectified.

Another new feature in Version 6.2 is a new Document Control Center that is useful for FDA validation and other purposes. It includes an operator log and can store operating instructions, photos of part defects, and even video clips. Tel[phone] * PTDirect: 221TX

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