Machine Availability Rate is the percentage of time that production equipment is available for use, divided by the maximum time it would be available if there were no downtime for repair or unplanned maintenance.
Glossary
Machine Tool
A Machine Tool is a specialist type of production equipment. It can cut, bend, drill, press, or stretch metal and other materials in a factory environment.
The earliest machine tools were controlled by hand – an operator used wheels and levers to control the position of the workpiece and the movement of the toolhead (which can be a cutter or other device). Modern machine tools are computer-controlled, and can take instructions about what dimensions or geometries are required from computer-aided design systems. This automation creates high accuracy levels and speed.
Machine Vision
Machine Vision uses technology similar to a cell-phone camera to gather images which are used by a computer system to achieve a vision-like function. The range of functions is constantly growing, and includes guidance for robotic or automated equipment; and visual inspection for quality control.