Integrated Process Control
Digital Quality Assurance for Production Processes
IPC connects quality requirements with data from ongoing production. Measurement values, process data and machine data are assigned to the production order, batch and individual component, evaluated against defined requirements and linked to predefined responses. Track & Trace provides complete visibility into the conditions under which each component was produced.
Capture. Evaluate. Control. Trace.
IPC in the Existing Production Architecture
IPC is not another MES, ERP system or additional CAQ module. It connects the existing systems at the point where quality requirements need to take effect within the production process. Select a system to see which information it provides.
What IPC Does During Production
IPC operates where production takes place. It receives data from machines, measurement systems and the leading systems, applies the relevant quality requirements and links the result to a predefined response. All resulting information remains associated with the individual component.
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Capture and Contextualize
Measurement values, process parameters and machine states are captured directly and linked to the production order, batch, operation and individual component.
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Evaluate
Each value is evaluated against the requirements defined in quality planning: characteristic, nominal value and tolerance. The defined SPC rules add the process history, including position within the tolerance range, trends, variation and patterns. This makes process drift visible while values are still within tolerance.
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Control
The evaluation triggers a predefined response. You determine which responses are permitted.
- Trigger inspection
- Change inspection frequency
- Block component
- Reject component
- Tool change
- Stop process
- Adjust parameters
Data Record for This Component
Example based on a real series production process, shown in simplified form.
Definition and distinction from SPC in the CAQ WikiThe digital product record begins with the first production step. Each subsequent step adds material, process, machine or quality information together with a timestamp. In the event of a deviation, this makes it possible to narrow down the actual affected production scope, for example to the components produced between the last acceptable measurement and the first abnormal measurement.
IPC in Practice: Breyden
Breyden, formerly Buderus Guss, manufactures around 13 million brake discs per year at its Breidenbach site. For the iDisc® I, which has been in series production since 2017, including for Porsche as an OEM customer, traceability down to the individual component is required.
This is where the key elements of IPC come together: Each brake disc is uniquely identified by a DataMatrix code. The machining centers are connected via OPC UA and provide process parameters and machine status data. Measurement and inspection results come directly from production, quality specifications come from quality planning, while production order and material information is provided by SAP.
Because all this information is linked to the same individual component, any deviation can be traced precisely: which component is affected, under which conditions it was produced and which other components may also be affected.
Digital Production. Digital Quality Assurance. Producing Quality.
Let’s take a look at how this works in your production environment: at a production line, a machine or an individual characteristic.
