After every shift, shot counts from the press tablets update a Google Sheets mold register. When a mold reaches 90% of its cleaning or service interval, the toolroom gets a WhatsApp work order, and the counter resets once the job is marked done.
Typical results
90%
Of the interval used when the work order is sent
≈2.5 hrs/wk
Toolroom time no longer spent checking counts
Every shift
Shot counts updated in the mold register
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Each mold needs cleaning and service after a set number of shots, but counts usually live on press displays and a paper log. Molds run well past their interval, flash and short shots appear mid-run, and the toolroom pulls about 10 molds a month unplanned, often in the middle of a customer order.
Before and after
Unplanned mold pulls per month
−30%Molds running past their service interval
−83%Toolroom hours per week checking shot counts
−83%The automation
Before each shift handover, the operator confirms the shot count for every mold in production on the press tablet, and the totals are added to the mold register in Google Sheets. When a mold reaches 90% of its cleaning or service interval, the toolroom gets a WhatsApp work order with the mold number, press and current count. The toolmaker marks the job done from the message, and the counter resets.
How it works
- 01
Shift-end shot count
Before handover, the operator confirms the shot count for each running mold on the press tablet.
- 02
Mold register updated
Counts are added to each mold's running total in the Google Sheets register, next to its cleaning and service intervals.
- 03
Work order at 90%
When a mold reaches 90% of either interval, the toolroom gets a WhatsApp work order with the mold number, press and current count.
- 04
Done and reset
The toolmaker replies 'done' with the task performed, the register logs the service date and the counter for that interval resets to zero.
Starts from
- Press tablet shot counts
- Mold service intervals
Delivers
- WhatsApp work order
- Mold service history
- Counter reset when done
The impact
Maintenance happens at planned changeovers instead of during a run. Unplanned mold pulls typically drop by about 30%, from around 10 a month to 7, the toolroom lead stops checking counts press by press, and every mold has a service history the team can show a customer auditor.
Questions about this automation
Does it need a connection to the presses themselves?
No. The operator confirms the count shown on the press display in a short tablet form at the end of each shift. Plants whose presses already export counts can feed those numbers in directly later, but the manual entry works on any press, old or new.
Can one mold have several intervals?
Yes. Each mold row holds separate intervals, for example a cleaning every 50,000 shots and a full service every 250,000. Each interval has its own counter, so a cleaning work order resets only the cleaning counter while the service countdown keeps running.
What happens if a work order is ignored?
The mold stays flagged in the register, and once it passes 100% of its interval the toolroom lead gets a second WhatsApp message. Simple automations like this are usually live within days once the mold list and its intervals are in the sheet.