Quality Inspection Software

Inspection planning, quality inspection, SPC, CAD, and LIMS in one software including incoming/outgoing goods inspection, evaluation, and analysis. The software Compact.Net provides you with everything you require for comprehensive and sophisticated quality assurance and its clear information structures and superior usability provide invaluable assistance throughout the fulfilment of key requirements of ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 13485, IFS, GxP, EN 9100, and further standards and regulations.

• Central tool for incoming and outgoing goods inspections as well as intermediate inspections, manufacturing and production-accompanying SPC and assembly inspections or supplier evaluations
• Integrated CAD viewer with automated seals/stamps for drawing characteristics
• Machine and process capability: capability index calculations, Pm/Pmk, Pp/Ppk, Cp/Cpk, control limit calculations
• Knowledge base and family inspection plans
• Online monitoring of all inspection orders with customizable QM dashboards
• Embedding of graphics, scanned photos, texts, tables, videos, AutoCad, and elements from many other Windows applications. Made possible via full Windows OLE-support
• Fully automatic bi-directional communication with PPC or ERP-systems and inclusion of master/order data, status alerts, and inspection results
• Synchronization of inspection plan, control-plan, and FMEA
• Certificate generator and inclusion of supplier certificates
• Connections to all common measuring systems, analysis / laboratory gauges
• Statistics tools to test for trends, RUNs, Middle-Thirds, and specification threshold violations
• Unlimited customizable and scalable lot management
• Pre-designed and standard compliant inspection plans for incoming goods, SPC, outgoing goods, and skip lot
• Customizable inspection strategy for customer and supplier-specific inspection plans
• Graphic inspection data acquisition

It All Starts with the Inspection Plan

Using Compact.Net means that you can apply all your company’s quality knowledge and information during the inspection planning process, as it enables you to directly include existing data from FMEAs or risk analyses, CAD-drawings, control-plans, or initial samples.

Compact.Net provides standard-compliant incoming goods inspection plans that facilitate adherence to ISO 2859 and ISO 3951 in all their modes (normal, increased, reduced, etc.), flexible skip-lot-methods, or freely definable and process-accompanying inspections. All of this is available for everything from individual requirements inspections, freely definable interval inspections with any number of qualitative or quantitative characteristics, to mathematically complex and precisely formulated statistical process control (SPC). These inspections include detailed and scalable test methods, which fully automatically check your processes for outliers, trends, runs, or any other type of effect and alert you or a predefined group of persons if process or tolerance thresholds are violated or any other type of process anomaly occurs.

Use the software to freely design sampling plans, define new and unlimited characteristic specifications with the integrated mathematical and statistical formulae, or apply the variety of predefined characteristic types available – from simple ok/not ok decisions to sophisticated and structured classifying list characteristics. Integrate graphics, videos, and drawings, into your inspection plans, or refer to further applicable internal/external documents, audits, job and procedural orders in order to provide the individual processor or inspector with the information he requires at any point in time. The frequency of the inspection can also be defined individually. Apart from standard inspection frequencies, Compact.Net also allows you to apply so-called shift-models. These enable you to tailor the inspection intervals to precisely correspond to the work-shifts of your employees. Once the inspection plan has been completed, the software allows you to test it in a realistic test environment (sandbox) prior to putting it into practice.

Integrated CAD-Linkage

The optional graphic inspection planning module CAD-Link.Net can be fully integrated into Compact.Net. This allows you to adopt relevant inspection characteristics from directly within your CAD-drawings. New versions of CAD-drawings can also be immediately compared with those contained in your inspection plan. All necessary characteristics data and specifications (measurement, shape, and position tolerances, symbols and comments) are adopted and transferred with the simple click of a button. This automatic data exchange ensures referential integrity and eliminates the likelihood of data transmission errors.

Full Integration of All Process Parameters

All process parameters that are gathered in the production environment, which have an impact on the quality during the manufacturing process, can be included in the inspection plan. Temperature, humidity, or any other type of data that is gathered by your machines can thereby be used as additional source of information during inspections.

A good example for this is the connection between Compact.Net and the ALS MES-system of the injection moulding machine manufacturer ARBURG. The seamless networking of Compact.Net and ALS ensures comprehensive and transparent documentation of the entire injection moulding production process. The machine parameters can be logged and transmitted to Compact.Net for each production cycle relating to a job order. The machine parameters and the individual produced part results are made available in a common database and can then be evaluated and cross-examined.

Inspection Schemes and Article-Specific Characteristic Specification

Different products often have a lot of similarities and characteristics and often only differ with regard to nominal values or with regard to the precise composition of different components. In order to keep the inspection planning process as simple yet flexible as possible, Compact.Net includes family inspection plans, module-characteristics, characteristic-templates, and automated inspection schemes which can be used to precisely depict the individual processes and production methods in your company.

The usage of inspection schemes means that only one inspection plan / family inspection plan is created and the scheme dictates which characteristics need to be checked in which cases. This can also be prompted directly by the ERP-system via customer requests or product specifications.

The possibilities achieved by only having to individually determine characteristics such as the nominal value only when the inspection order is actually logged on, mean that products which only differ in certain details can be conveniently and flexibly managed and inspected via one shared family inspection plan. The specifications can be defined during the manual log-on of an inspection order or be adopted directly from the ERP-system.

Fluent Communication Between IT-systems

Within today’s information technology, there are few aspects that are as important as the effective and efficient interaction between different systems: the bidirectional exchange of information is an absolute necessity in order to be able to conduct successful data management.

Compact.Net is a management system that fluently communicates with other IT-systems and facilitates the mutual transfer of data between systems. The comprehensive connectivity functions ensure that you can connect Compact.Net to virtually any type of IT-system.

The bidirectional connection between Compact.Net and your ERP-system, for instance, improves information-flow, reduces data-maintenance effort, and prevents isolated IT-solutions. Intelligent interfaces in CAQ.Net^® always ensure that data is sent to the location it is required at – this applies all the way down to the minutest measurement value. All of this together vastly increases transparency and enables full traceability.

Interfaces to ERP/MES and Other IT-Systems

Compact.Net allows you to profit from the advantages of the CAQ.Net^® shared data-platform and the standardized interfaces to ERP/MES and other IT-systems. Directly access complaint data at inspection plan level, use the experience gathered in your FMEA or risk analysis projects, adopt production data and apply it to your inspection plans, or formulate PPAP/PPF compliant initial sample reports in conjunction with the software EMP.Net.

In-Process Measuring Techniques

The production-accompanying and in-process measuring techniques are seamlessly linked to all other CAQ.Net^® software modules. Hence, the planning data in your CAQ system (quality planning, order data etc.) is immediately available online to all measurement computers you use. Vice-versa, the inspection data you gather is available online to all other CAQ.Net^® modules for further processing and comprehensive quality management analyses (e.g. for dashboard display or complaint management).

Precisely Adjustable Measurement Acquisition

Compact.Net can be precisely adjusted to meet the requirements of your production facility. Whereas it offers a vast variety of functions and settings during the production plan compilation and final analyses stages, the processing interface can be reduced to only the most necessary details when actually conducting the inspection data acquisition processes at shop-floor level. This means that the inspector can concentrate on what is really necessary at this point in time and only view the part of the big picture that he is immediately involved in.

Usability is furthermore increased via the implementation of acoustic/visual signalling mechanisms and hardware. These indicate the necessity of an inspection with the simplest of measures. The user-guidance model with its assistants, clearly structured inspection sites with connected gauges and expressive QM-dashboards at production level also significantly increase the user-acceptance throughout the entire company.

Data Acquisition – Online, Offline, Manual or via Automated Measuring Machines

Data pens, touchscreens, or peripheral data acquisition via smartphone or tablet PC: the integration of the CAQ Enhanced Mobility Concept in Compact.Net and a variety of web-applications allows you to tear down the physical boundaries of conventional quality management.

Compact.Net fulfils a vast variety of requirements with regard to data security, degree of automation, flexibility, operator qualification, error handling, and backup facilitation. The software supports all contemporary methods of data entry such as QR-codes, NFC-tags, barcodes, mobile/stationary readers or wireless input devices etc. The supported methods and technologies include the following:

• Manual data entry via keyboard, smartphone, tablet PC, or data entry terminal – including plausibility of entry tests.
• Electronic cable-bound or wireless handheld gauges and acoustic or optical feedback. All interfaces are designed in close cooperation with renowned manufacturers. No programming required, instantly ready to run.
• Protocol-ready measuring machines such as scales, multipoint measuring devices, or coordinate measuring machines.
• Home-grown gauges and seamlessly integrates into production lines, process control and cross-shift measurements thanks to APE.Net – the definitive tool for automatic inspection data acquisition.
• Peripheral or local inspection data acquisition without direct database linkage – including intelligent inspection order import/export – for smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and data-loggers.
• Wireless, barcode, and transponder technologies.

LIMS – Laboratory Information Management System

The software consistently supports you throughout all analyses, inspections, and examinations in the laboratory and lays the groundwork for comprehensive sample management in a modern LIMS. Whether acquiring and managing samples in the foodstuffs-industry, planning, developing, and selecting methods and experiments in the pharmaceuticals business or consistently analysing and monitoring pool parameters during galvanization operations: Compact.Net enables you to manage the sheer quantity of information and abide by the strict data security regulations that the research and in-house laboratories of virtually all industries face. Compact.Net supports you throughout the management of deviating analysis results such as Out-of-Specification (OOS) Results, Out-of-Expectation (OOE) Results or Out of Trend (OOT) Results all the way to individual raw material certificates such as Certificates of Analysis (CoA).

Analysis

Whether preparing, gathering, and distributing samples or performing statistical analyses and creating control charts: Compact.Net provides you with all the tools you require for data acquisition, preparation, and evaluation in the laboratory. In order to ensure data security and the various traceability requirements, the software also contains tools for batch-tracking and analysis specification.

Certificates

The integrated certificate generator in Compact.Net allows you to automatically generate certificates directly after an inspection has been completed. For this purpose, the software gathers all the batch information of relevant product/process inspections that is contained in the database and generates a tailor-made certificate accordingly. This certificate may also contain individual raw material certificates such as Certificates of Analysis (CoA).

These raw material certificates can either be created directly via Compact.Net or be conveniently uploaded by your customer and fed into the database. Once it has been generated, the certificate can be made available to a predefined internal group or sent to your customer or supplier – fully automatically if required. Of course it can also be printed on a pre-specified printer, e-mailed, uploaded to the Intranet/Internet, or be posted in the MyCAQ.Net web-portal.

Potential Analysis

The potential analysis function in Compact.Net allows you to compare the inspection data of a current order and match it with other suitable orders or other articles. This applies if e.g. the production process could not meet the specifications of the original article, but may match the specifications of a different article. Hence, the data can also be transferred directly to a new inspection order for a different article. This function thereby supports you during the analysis of interim-products and allows you choose a different final product that matches the actual measurement values.

Analysis, Evaluation, Statistics: Turn Data into Information

The software Compact.Net includes sophisticated, flexible, and highly powerful tools for analysis and statistical evaluation. These provide everything you need to monitor, control, and improve your processes. Let Compact.Net monitor your processes and alert you in case of process violations or extraordinary developments in your process workflow. Consolidate specific content of your database either graphically or in shape of list evaluations and define filters that govern which data should be returned in what cases. Use the cross-references applied to acquired information and examine your data with regard to parallels and interdependencies to highlight weaknesses or determine solutions for sustainable quality and system improvements.

Create your own evaluation library and use it as a companywide quality control panel or make it accessible to a select group of users. Integrate logic functions into table-fields or combine database entries in order to uncover hidden information. Export lists, data, or graphic evaluations to familiar MS Office applications or other software programs and process data via the integrated graphic and analysis tools whose mode of function is the same as it is in your familiar MS Office programs.

100 % Traceability

The far reaching batch, serial number, nest, and sample tracking functions in Compact.Net ensure that no measurement values and no decisions are lost. The comprehensive traceability throughout all levels of production and quality assurance allow you to fulfil the traceability obligations contained in a variety of applicable standards and guidelines.

When was what part used in which assembly group? What time-frame was what batch processed in what products and who were the products shipped to when? What was the exact quality-status of the process, when a specific batch was produced? What qualitative characteristics were considered during a specific assembly group and what assembly site was used? These are all questions that arise when complaints or damages are dealt with or evaluations of production processes are conducted.

The software Compact.Net provides you with the information you need to answer all these questions at the simple click of a button. The flexible batch management solutions allow you to document the production, application, and movement/storage information of every one of your products.

Ensure Valid Measurement Values

All statistical evaluation tools assume and are based on the fact that gathered measurement values are valid. The validity of an assessment is the degree to which it measures what it is supposed to measure. This means that a measurement is valid if a gauge precisely measures and correctly displays the desired values and the inspector has followed his instructions properly. Reasons for non-valid measurement results may be uncalibrated gauges, faulty communication of inspection orders, or non-performance of inspections. Whereas these causes can be identified comparatively easily, identifying faulty or multiple data transmissions from measuring machines, deliberate measurement manipulations, or accidental measurement distortions is much more difficult.

Next-Level Quality Assurance

During the characterisation and identification of typical measurement manipulations and distortions, the Compact.Net software module analyses any type and length of measurement series. The values are hereby largely normed and classified in advanced. Following this, the software scans the measurements and checks whether e.g.:

• The same value repeats itself across several measurements
• The same distance repeats itself between two measurements
• The values of a good sample are repeatedly copied
• The value “scheme” of a good sample is repeatedly copied

The advantages of this intelligent measurement value analysis are many, as, apart from providing an additional level of data validation, it also facilitates a greater degree of process control and the possibility of visualizing manipulations and preventing false reporting in advance.