Also called Changeover Time.
Conventionally defined as the process of changing from the production of one product or part number to another in a machine by changing setups. Setup time is the time between the last piece of a run and the first good piece from the next process. This would include the machine cycle time up to the point that the next different part is verified to be a quality part. Setup time is another very important element of Standard Work and Machine Process Capacity.
Traditionally set-up times have been treated as a constant value in most manufacturing engineering calculations that plan ‘economic lot sizes,’ and long setup times are considered by many machine operators and their managers as an unavoidable given; however, very effective techniques have been developed and proven to reduce setup / changeover times from days to minutes.
Setup time should be divided and analyzed into it’s three sub-groups to be better understood:
Adjustment: Machine changeover steps that include centering, indexing, and other fine-tuning of any tooling or fixtures that have been changed prior to completing the first good part of a different type. This would also include the machine cycle time of running the first part of a different type if that part proves to be incorrect.
External Setup: Machine changeover steps that can be performed while the machine is processing parts or off-line from production time. In the calculation of Standard Work, external setup time, manual time, and machine time overlap.
Internal Setup: Machine changeover steps that can only be accomplished while the machine is stopped during regular production time. An example of internal setup time would be the time it takes to replace the drill on a spindle. Traditional setup and changeover practices often treat ALL changeover steps as internal; this of course creates many opportunities for reduction.
See SMED.