Activity types

Basic Instruction Activity

Displays any associated documents uploaded or linked to the activity.

In Production, the specified instruction is displayed in the Activity Navigator gadget.

Collect a Date/Time Activity

Prompts shop floor operators for a date and/or time.

In Production, the date/time entered in Production can be validated to ensure that it falls within certain parameters. If the date/time entered doesn't meet the criteria, the input date/time can be rejected or even force the assembly into a reroute. You can also limit the input range so that only a certain date/time can be entered in the Date/Time Collection activity.

Collect a Date/Time Range Activity

Prompts shop floor operators for a date and/or time range to be associated with the activity.

In Production, the date/time range entered in Production can be validated to ensure that it falls within certain parameters. If the date/time range entered doesn't meet the criteria, the input date/time range can be rejected or even force the assembly into a reroute. You can also limit the input range so that only a certain date/time range can be entered in the Date/Time Range Collection activity.

Collect a Number Activity

The Activity gadget in the shop floor interface prompts shop floor operators such as assemblers for a numeric value.

In Production, the numeric value entered in Production can be validated to ensure that it falls within certain parameters. If the value entered doesn't meet the criteria, the input value can be rejected or even force the assembly into a reroute. Users can also limit the input range so that only a certain range of data can be entered in the Collect a Number activity.

Collect a Number Range Activity

Prompts shop floor operators to enter two values to make up a numeric range.

In Production, the numeric range entered in Production can be validated to ensure that it falls within certain parameters. If the numeric range entered doesn't meet the criteria, the input numeric range can be rejected or even force the assembly into a reroute. Users can also limit the input range so that only a certain range of numbers can be entered in the Collect a Number Range activity.

Collect Text Activity

Prompts shop floor operators for text input to be associated with the activity being performed.

In Production:, there is no validation of the text being entered.  You can filter the text using the Regular Expression RegEx functionality.

Collect True False Activity

Provides a button to allow operators to respond to a True or False statement as defined in the activity.

Collect List Activity

Prompts the shop floor operator to enter a list of data (text or numeric) to be associated to the activity being performed.

Users create a list of items for shop floor operators to select from.

In Production, it is possible to prompt the shop floor operator for a single selection from the list or use the Allow Multiple Selections option to select multiple items from the list.

Display a Webform Activity

Displays web-based operator input.

This activity is typically used to prompt for data to be used in a third-party system. This activity can be especially useful for home-built data entry systems that allow users to use both FactoryLogix and their own systems simultaneously on the same screen.

Attach File Activity

Allows operators to attach any type of file to the activity such as a picture or test output data.

You can attach any electronic file to this activity type.

Database Data Collection Activity

To use this activity, the process designer defines a library of one or more connections to SQL Server databases. When configuring an instance of this activity, a drop-down list of displays database connections previously used by other instances of this activity. (If a required connection hasn’t been defined, the process designer can add add a new database connection to the library of connections.)

The process designer can also add a SQL statement to a library of SQL statements for this type of activity and identify the SQL statement to be used by a specific instance of this activity.

In Production, this activity presents a shop floor operator with a button, that when pressed, triggers the system to harvest test results from a specified SQL Server database for the unit or units currently being worked upon by the shop floor operator.

Spreadsheet Collection Activity

Specifies a new activity based on a spreadsheet that will be shared across all units in a batch.

• Cells to Record as Measurements – These cells are collected as parametric data. The cells can be collected manually during the activity or calculated automatically using formulas in the spreadsheet.

• Values to be Entered – These cells are updated using user input from the data collection prompts.

• Auto-Populated Cells – These cells are populated automatically using previously-collected measurements or batch attribute data.

Execute Command Activity

Specifies a new activity that will trigger FactoryLogix to have the underlying operating system execute a command that runs an executable.

Load Carrier Activity

Allows for the loading of the current assembly into a carrier or container, such as a rack or pallet.

The activity creates a containment relationship between the carrier and the assembly.

Sub-Assembly Collection Activity

Forces the loading of a known sub-assembly.

The sub-assembly’s build history is joined to the parent assembly for later recall and reporting. The sub-assembly that is added can be validated (if built in FactoryLogix) to ensure that it has completed the required route steps, has a valid status (is not failed or scrapped), and contains no open defect indictments.

Capture Unit Housing Activity

Prompts operators to scan or enter the barcode for the outer housing in which the assembly is placed.

All build data and traceability information can be recalled by scanning the housing barcode.

Capture Unit Alias Activity

Allows operators to assign an alternate identifier to an assembly.

This activity may be useful in RMA and Repair Order processing. More often, users may build using a manufacturer serial number or barcode, then (due to customer demand) will apply a new customer-supplied serial number on the final product. This activity type will accommodate this scenario while maintaining all traceability data for multiple serial numbers.

Capture Materials Activity

Prompts operators to introduce known instances of materials to be tracked into assemblies by scanning or entering the unique identifier of such materials.

In Production, each assembly to be processed through this activity must have the appropriate material scanned in. This is more appropriate for smaller runs where scanning materials each and every time will not be a burden to the manufacturing process. For higher volume runs, it is better to use Material Setup Validation where users “kit” or load materials into an operation once and each assembly that passes through the operation inherits the materials known to be loaded.

Validate Captured Material Activity

Provides a facility to have the shop floor operator confirm the UID of material already collected against the unit upon which they are working in Production. This activity validates material was captured against a unit using the Capture New Material step or the Capture Materials activity in Production. It does not validate materials captured using Material Setup in Production or via xLink.

The Validate Captured Material activity can be configured to validate all material captured against the unit in production, or it can be filtered to only validate material of a specific part number or numbers.

Take a Sample Activity

You can add the Take a Sample activity to any step of an operation’s steps and activities.

In Production, the operator can invoke the Take a Sample activity at any time (that is, a unit doesn't need to be started in the Production environment).

• If sampling is to be done at a specific time interval, you specify the frequency at the step level in the process definition.

  • When the interval elapses, the activity is highlighted, indicating it is time for the Take a Sample activity to be performed.
    
    

All units completed at the Key Tracking Operation at the time when the Take a Sample activity was initiated and since the last time a sample was taken are automatically associated with the new sub-lot. For more information about sampled inspection, see In-process quality sampling with sub-lots.

Generate Report Activity

Prompts operators to select a report to print for the current operation.

Print Label Activity

Prompts operators to select a label template to print a label.

Serial Communications Activity

Provides bi-directional messaging through a serial port connection. 

In Production, operators are prompted to respond to messages, in order. If they respond to the first message, the next message is processed. If they do not respond to the first message, the activity terminates with an error informing the operator that an error occurred and the serial communication has terminated.

This activity is available for serialized, non-serialized and hybrid production processes as well as label first and label last receiving processes.

Late Circuit Serialization Activity

Prompts operators to serialize components that have only a placeholder or a temporary barcode (this cannot be an existing barcode).

Wonderware Data Historian Activity

Allows you to configure and collect sampled measurement data so you can identify data trends during production runs. The Wonderware Data Historian activity is available for serialized production processes or serialized operations within hybrid processes.

Manufacturers often collect data from monitored machines/equipment during production and then store the data in a Wonderware Historian SQL database. The collected data identifies the machine and date and time, but doesn't include the unit UID.

Before a unit is processed by monitored machines, a validation should be done to ensure the conditions are suitable. Once a unit is validated, the conditions it experiences as it is processed through or past the monitored machines can be recorded in the unit’s build history in FactoryLogix as sampled data. 

For more information, see Data collection from Wonderware (Aveva) Historian.