What is a routing?

It runs from raw stock to accepted part, and the planned time per step usually splits into a setup time and a time per piece. A typical one: saw, mill in two setups, harden at a subcontractor, grind, inspect. Subcontracted steps and inspection belong in it as much as machining. It is also called a manufacturing route or process route.

What does the routing depend on?

The route you choose depends on material and starting form, the drawing requirements, the machine park, what you subcontract, the quantity and the workholding available. Sequence matters too: if a part is hardened after rough machining, distortion can call for a stock allowance and a finishing step by grinding or hard machining. A finish such as anodising usually follows the last size-critical machining; if a dimension applies after the finish, the machining allows for the layer build-up or the surface is masked. There is often more than one defensible route for the same part.

How does the routing work in practice?

The routing determines which lines appear in an estimate: which machines at which hourly rate, how often you set up, what goes out to subcontractors and how long the part is in transit. A different route can shift cost and lead time while the part itself stays the same. On a repeat part the recorded route is a starting point, provided the machine park, the revision and the quantities have not changed. When the shop floor departs from the planned route, actuals can no longer be compared with the estimate step by step.

What is the routing often confused with?

Routing and process plan are often used interchangeably, but they differ in depth: the process plan records how each step is done, with setups, tooling and inspection points, while the routing mainly holds sequence, work centre and time. A process chain emphasises how all processes up to the accepted part connect, wherever they take place; the routing records the planned execution. And an NC program describes the moves and functions of one machine, usually for one routing step.

How do you see the routing in Blake?

For each route you enter the setups in Blake and accept or undo them. The estimate prices each machine at the hourly rate you set, with setup and programming as separate lines beside machining. A subcontracted step such as anodising or hardening comes in as its own line from your subcontract library; without a price, that line stays open. More on the factory.