Cut machine changeover time with a SMED plan
A step-by-step SMED analysis that separates internal and external setup work and gives a plan to shorten changeovers.
The prompt
Help me reduce changeover time on a machine using SMED (single-minute exchange of die).
Machine and product change: [e.g. "injection molding press 7, switching between part A and part B"]
Current changeover time: [last good part to first good part, in minutes]
Changeover steps as observed: [LIST each step with its duration and who does it; a video timing sheet is ideal]
Changeovers per week: [NUMBER]
Constraints: [crane availability, number of setup techs, safety rules, budget for quick-change hardware]
Goal: [target time, or what the freed-up time would be used for, e.g. "smaller batches" or "more capacity"]
Work through the SMED stages:
1. Classify each step as internal (machine must be stopped) or external (can be done while the machine runs). Flag steps that are currently internal but could be external: fetching tools, dies, material, and paperwork; preheating; pre-staging.
2. Suggest how to convert internal steps to external (setup carts, checklists, pre-set tools, preheating molds).
3. Suggest how to shorten remaining internal steps: quick-release clamps, standardized die heights, locating pins, fewer bolts, parallel work with two people, eliminating adjustments and trial runs.
4. Address the first-good-part phase: what causes adjustments and scrap after restart, and how to set parameters right the first time.
Return:
- A table: Step | Time | Internal/external now | Proposed | Improvement idea | Estimated time saved | Cost (low/medium/high).
- The new estimated changeover time, flagged as an estimate.
- A standard changeover checklist draft.
- The capacity or batch-size benefit, calculated from my numbers.
Apply lockout/tagout and safe die handling rules to every proposed change. Do not invent step times.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Projects & Operations prompts
What to fill in
- last good part to first good part, in minutes
- NUMBER
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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