Tools | ION Factory OS
Introduction
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For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.
ION Tools
ION Tools can record assets and calibrated equipment in your factory. Tools are laid out in a very similar way to Parts with a few changes.
- Tools are always serialized - there are no lot-tracked tools
- Tool models can optionally have a maintenance interval and individual tools can have a last maintained date
- Tools can be assigned a type used to group tools beyond part number. For example, all torque wrenches of different model numbers can be combined under a single "Torque Wrench" type. This is useful if you want to call out use of a tool in a Run but don't need a specific part number.
Maintenance Interval
The maintenance interval is set in the part in tool library and applies to all tool inventory using that part. The interval is entered with as a list of format { number}{ unit} using the following unit shorthand:
| Shorthand | Unit |
|---|---|
| s | Second |
| m | Minute |
| h | Hour |
| d | Day |
| w | Week |
| month | Month |
| y | Year |
For example, entering an interval of "1d20m" means an interval of 1 day and 20 minutes, or 1480 minutes.
Tool Status
Tools have two statuses, Available and Unavailable.
The status of a tool can be determined by a couple of factors but also comes with a way to override the built-in calculations:
- If the tool has a maintenance interval and a last maintenance date, their maintenance status is calculated as Available depending if the next maintenance date is in the future. If the next maintenance date is in the past, the tool is Unavailable.
- Tools located at an unavailable location they are marked unavailable.
- Either of these calculations can be manually overridden by toggling the Available / Unavailable indicator within the tool inventory panel. This provides flexibility to adjust tool availability based on factors of your choosing, such as integration with a tool management system.
Tool Barcodes
Printing barcodes and using tool barcodes works just like Part Inventory. Tools also share barcode templates with Inventory.
Tracking Tool Usage
Tool usage can be tracked by using a Tool Field on a step in a run. When a technician is working on the run they will fill out the tool field and create an auditable log of the tool's usage.
When creating the data collection field, you can set the field name and help text as usual. Selecting the Available checkbox limits valid tool input to tools with the available status.
Tools on Runs
Tools can be associated with Runs to inspect or maintain them. Associate a tool with a run just like you would a part during run creation.
Tools on Issues
Issues can be opened on tools just like part inventory. Tools will appear in the part inventory dropdown when creating or modifying an issue.
Tools on Kits
Tools can be used in Kits to move tools between different Locations, or to request tools in a specific area or to a specific user. Requesting or moving a tool works the same as requesting or moving inventory.