How to Make Two Operations Run in Parallel in EDGEBIC

To make two operations run in parallel in EDGEBIC by User Solutions you right-click the step, choose Add as Parallel Processing, pick a parallel type, and add the second machine. Independent parallel splits the work and shortens the operation. Dependent parallel mirrors the primary onto a machine locked to the same cycle. Choosing the right one is the entire decision.

Parallel machines run at the same time as the primary, which is what separates them from an alternate that runs instead of it. For the concept side, read parallel and alternate work centers explained. This post is the configuration task.

Before You Start

• Both machines exist as work centers, and machines meant to run together share the same shift record. Two look-alike shifts saved separately do not count as common, and the scheduler only starts a parallel group in a shift every member actually has.
• You know which mode you need. Splitting a batch to go faster is independent. Machines physically locked together, like a multi-spindle head or paired presses, is dependent.
• You have the extra machine's own hours if it differs from the primary, for the independent case.

Configuring the Parallel Machines

1. Open the BOR tab, select the routing in Data Grid mode, and right-click the step row. Choose Add as Parallel Processing. The Configure Parallel Processing dialog opens. (The same list is managed on the Parallel Work Centers tab of the step detail panel.)
2. Under Parallel Type:, choose Independent Parallel (Finite Capacity) or Dependent Parallel (Factor Based).
3. Click Add Work Center, pick the machine in the Select a Work Center: popup, and click OK.
4. Fill the row for the mode you chose:

5. Click Apply, then save the routing with Update Standard BOR.

In the grid, parallel machines appear as child rows marked ↳, and the parent's Work Center Option column shows the step's parallel mode. In Designer mode they are nodes joined with a Parallel (Dashed) connector, and a parallel child's Properties panel edits only Parallel Factor and Finite Capacity?, because everything else inherits from the parent.

What Changes When You Save

Worked through, independent: milling is 51.0 hours for 100 units on one mill. Add a second identical mill as Independent Parallel (Finite Capacity) and each mill takes about 25.5 hours, both starting together, so the operation's wall-clock roughly halves. The all-or-nothing rule holds: if the second mill is busy Monday, the whole group waits for the first day both are simultaneously free rather than starting one mill alone.

Worked through, dependent: a long profile machined from both ends needs the second mill in exact lockstep. Configure it as Dependent Parallel (Factor Based) with Parallel Factor 1.0, and the mirror copies the primary's start and end and books 51.0 hours on the second machine. The operation does not finish sooner; it records that a second machine is committed for the same window.

The parallel factor is the knob that makes dependent mirroring honest about unequal machines. At 1.0 the mirror books the same hours as the primary, which is right when the two machines contribute equally. A newer, faster mirror can be credited at less than 1.0 so it books fewer hours for the same window, and a slower one at more than 1.0. The factor changes the hours recorded on the mirror, not the start and end, because the whole point of a dependent pair is that they run to the same clock. Reach for the factor only when the machines genuinely differ in output, and leave it at 1.0 when they match.

How to Check It Worked

In the grid, the extra machine should show as a ↳ child row under the step. Independent rows carry their own hours; dependent rows carry a factor.

Schedule a test order and read the Job View Gantt. For independent parallel, both machines should show bars that start together and each run about half the original length. For dependent parallel, both bars should be identical in start and end. If an independent group produced only one bar, the members likely share no common shift.

For dependent mirrors, open Resource Load. A mirror machine that also carries independent work can read above 100% in the mirrored window, which is the flag to move that other work.

Common Mistakes

Look-alike shifts instead of the same shift record. Common shifts are matched by record. Two identical-looking shifts saved separately quietly prevent any simultaneous slot, and the group never starts.

Choosing dependent when you wanted faster. A dependent mirror does not shorten the operation. It commits a second machine to the same window. Use independent to split the work and cut wall-clock.

Ignoring the mirror over-booking risk. Dependent mirrors are booked without a capacity check on the mirror machine. Keep those machines clear of independent work in the affected periods, and watch the 🛠 Scheduler Anomalies report for over-allocation findings.

Expecting a busy member not to block the group. Independent parallel is all-or-nothing. If one machine is booked, the whole operation waits for the first slot where both are free.

Reaching for parallel when a pool is meant. If any of several machines could take the step, that is a Work Center Group, not a hand-built parallel group on every step. Reserve parallel for machines that genuinely run together on one operation.

Next Steps

If you actually wanted a choice between machines rather than both at once, how to add an alternate work center to a step is the task. Common parallel setup errors are collected in parallel work center mistakes. The full task library is at the EDGEBIC how-to hub, and the platform overview is at EDGEBIC.