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Production Steps

Overview​

Production template steps are used to track individual steps of the manufacturing process. These steps create a production schedule for your products with dates and times when each step should be completed, as well as by whom.

Creating Production Template Steps​

To create a production template step, navigate to Admin → Production Flow → Production Template Steps tab.

Required Information​

When adding a new template step, you need to specify the following information:

  1. Name. The name of the production step that will appear in the system and on production schedules.

  2. Sequence. The order inside the workstation in which this step should be completed. When you have multiple steps that need to be completed in the same workstation, the sequence determines the order in which they will be completed.

  3. Workstation. The workstation where this step should be completed. Workstations are organized by department and have specific users assigned to them.

  4. Estimated Days (Lead Days). Sometimes, you may need to wait for a certain number of days before this step can be started. For example, if you're ordering an abutment for your implant case, you may need to wait a couple of days until the abutment arrives before you can continue with the case. This field allows you to specify that number of days.

  5. Duration. The duration of the step in hours. This will be used to calculate which technician has capacity to complete this step as well as when the next step should be scheduled for.

  6. Outsourceable (isOutsourceable). If this is enabled, it means that the technician on this step will be the outsourcing partner, and the duration schedule will be calculated based on the outsourcing lead days and duration. Additional Outsourcing Fields:

    • Outsource Duration. The time it takes for the outsourcing partner to complete the step.
    • Outsource Estimated Days. The number of days to allow for outsourcing turnaround.

  7. Default Selected Scan Types. This is a list of case scan file types that will be automatically selected for download from this step. This is useful if you want to route specific file types for milling and printing steps:

    • Milling typically requires files of crown design.
    • 3D printing typically requires files of model design or printable restorations.

  8. Templates. Production templates that this step will appear in. A template step can be associated with multiple templates.

  9. Merge. If you have multiple products on a case that share the same production step, you can merge them into a single step. This will multiply the duration of the step by the number of products that share this step. This is useful for steps that will be completed by the same technician for multiple products.

How Production Steps Work​

Scheduling​

  • Production steps are automatically scheduled based on the sequence, duration, and estimated days
  • Pilot calculates technician capacity to determine assignments
  • Steps are linked to specific workstations and can be assigned to users working at those workstations

Step Execution​

  • Steps track when they are started and finished
  • Each step can be assigned to a specific technician (AssignedTech) or completed by any qualified technician (Tech)
  • Steps can be monitored for quality control failures and rescheduled if needed

Integration with Cases​

  • When a case is created with products that have associated templates, Pilot automatically generates the required production steps
  • Steps are linked to specific line items within the case
  • Pilot can reschedule uncompleted steps when templates are changed

Best Practices​

  • Sequence Planning: Carefully plan the sequence of steps within each workstation to optimize workflow
  • Duration Accuracy: Set realistic durations to ensure accurate scheduling and capacity planning
  • Merge Strategically: Use the merge feature for steps that can efficiently be batched together
  • Scan Type Routing: Configure default scan types to automate file routing to appropriate production steps
  • Outsourcing Setup: Properly configure outsourcing parameters to account for external partner timelines
note
  • Steps can be added, modified, or removed from templates, affecting future cases
  • Pilot maintains tracking of step completion status and scheduling for production management