Recording system for a production line

A method of recording data relating to production conditions and a production process of an article produced on a production line having an input and an output and a plurality of work stations, said method comprising the following steps:

• associating with each article a mark bearing an identification code which can be detected instrumentally at the input of the line,
• providing a time measurement by time measurement devices for at least some of said work stations of the line
• detecting and recording on memory means, when the article is input to and/or output from at least some of the stations of the line, the identification code associated with the article, a datum indicative of a manufacturing step carried out in the station, and a datum indicative of the time at which the code is detected,
• detecting and recording on the memory means, for said at least some stations of the line, changes of state in operating conditions of the station and a datum indicative of the time at which the change of state of operating condition of the station occurred, and
• determining from said memory means the operating conditions existing when each article passed through each one of said at least some of the work stations in order to formulate a full reconstruction of the entire history of the production process of said each article output by said production line on the basis of the times at which the identification of the article has been detected and the changes of state that occurred for each of said at least some of the work stations in the line.

A system for recording data relating to production conditions and a production process for an article produced on a production line, said production line having an input and an output and a plurality of work stations, said system comprising:

• time measurement devices in the line for measuring the time in at least some of the work stations,
• central processing means including synchronizing means for time synchronization of said time measurement devices,
• memory means associated with said central processing means,
• communication means connecting the work stations and said central processing means to one another,
• means for associating with each article a mark bearing an identification code which can be detected by instruments at the input of the production line,
• means for detecting and communicating to said central processing means, when the article is input to and/or output from said at least some of the work stations of the production line, the identification code associated with the article, a datum indicative of a manufacturing step carried out in the work station, and a datum indicative of the time at which the code is detected as measured by said time measuring devices,
• means for detecting and communicating to the central processing means, for said at least some of the work stations of the line, changes of state in operating conditions of the station and a datum indicative of the time at which the change of state of the operating condition of the station occurred as measured by said time measuring devices,
• wherein said central processing means is configured to store the identification codes, the changes of state, and the data in said memory means and wherein said central processing means is adapted and configured to cause said synchronizing means to synchronize periodically all the time measurement devices included in the line.