A manufacturing tool can represent any type of equipment used in manufacturing and quality control, such as measurement tools, dies, jigs, fixtures and test equipment. The tool group ID represents a group of tools/equipment with the same functionalities. Tools/equipment represents the physical tools. Tool types is used to group tool groups with similar characteristics. Manufacturing tools have the following uses:
On routings and shop order operations, tool group IDs can be added to indicate a demand for tools. It is possible to specify which tool/equipment within the tool group should be used in the shop order operation by assignment. Both adding tool group demands and assigning tool/equipment provide useful information to the operator and offer planning opportunities. A manufacturing tool group can also be connected to usage guidelines. Additionally, tool usage can be reported making it possible to follow up on the use of the tools.
As with routings and shop order operations, the tool group ID provides the operator with information about the proper tools to use for the analysis. It may also be mandatory to report the use of the proper tools to complete and close the analysis.
When scheduling shop order operations with APB and CBS, tools may be considered finite resources. This means that the operation cannot be scheduled unless an instance of the required tool is available during the operation.
For some tools, regular calibration needs to be performed. The manufacturing tool group keeps track of the time between calibrations and the next calibration time for each tool/equipment.