Method for improving the quality of products produced in the cigarette manufacturing process

A method for improving the quality of products produced in a cigarette manufacturing process by machines operating in tandem, which comprises the steps of:

• a. retrieving from a database expected baseline values of product quality parameters and machine operating parameters for a product selected by an operator of at least one set of tandem machines from a plurality of supported products produced by said at least one set of tandem machines;
• b. monitoring by a computer of selected data representing machine operating parameters of said at least one set of tandem machines to provide an historical footprint for each unique machine of said at least one set of tandem machines and storing said selected data in said database;
• c. automatically directing the obtaining of samples at preselected time intervals of the products being produced by said at least one set of tandem machines on a sequential basis as directed by said computer;
• d. automatically testing quality parameters of the product produced by said manufacturing process utilizing a plurality of sensing devices as directed by said computer to obtain data representing said quality parameters to provide said historical footprint for each unique machine of said at least one set of tandem machines and storing by said computer of said sensed values to said database;
• e. evaluating in real time by said computer said stored data representing said machine operating parameters and said stored data representing said product quality parameters to determine if said parameters fall outside of said retrieved baseline values or if said parameters have fallen outside of said historical footprint of each unique machine and if so, enabling said computer to:
• (i) notify the operator, in real time, of said at least one set of tandem machines of an error condition when said sensed values fall outside of said retrieved expected values,
• (ii) recommend possible solutions to said operator of said at least one set of tandem machines for correcting the error condition,
• (iii) resequence said testing of quality parameters whenever said data representing sensed values falls outside of said historical footprint of each unique machine;
• f. tracking by said computer for said at least one set of tandem machines the time period and downtime reason when said at least one set of tandem machines is inoperative;
• g. generating by said computer a hierarchial set of video displays to provide information to the operators of said at least one set of tandem machines;
• and,
• h. displaying a master video display to the operator of said at least one set of tandem machines, said display showing the operational status, the product being produced, estimated production of the machine operator's machine and the other machine operating in tandem with it along with said quality parameters and said historical data generated by said computer means.