How to Set a Parallel Processing Factor in EDGEBIC

To set a parallel processing factor in EDGEBIC by User Solutions, enter the Parallel Factor on a dependent parallel machine in the Configure Parallel Processing dialog. The factor is the multiplier on the primary's hours that gets booked onto the mirror machine: 1.0 books the same hours, 0.5 books half, and a slower mirror uses one over its output ratio. The control lives on the dependent parallel row for the step, and it changes only how much machine effort the mirror is credited with. It never changes when the mirror starts or ends, because a dependent mirror always copies the primary's exact window, and it never scales setup, which mirrors one to one.

This recipe covers one specific task. To set the parallel machines up in the first place, read how to make two operations run in parallel and how to configure parallel and alternate work centers. To try the parallel paths against a quote before committing to them, turn Parallel Processing on inside a what-if scenario instead of on the live routing. For the mechanism behind dependent and independent parallel, see EDGEBIC parallel work centers explained.

Before You Start

• The routing open, with the step that carries the parallel machine identified.
• The parallel machine already added as a Dependent Parallel (Factor Based) mirror, since the factor applies to dependent mirrors, not to independent parallel machines or true alternatives.
• The output ratio of the mirror relative to the primary, so you can pick a factor: 1.0 for equal effort, 0.5 for half, or one over the ratio for a slower machine.

Step by Step

1. Open the BOR tab (Data Grid) and select the routing.
2. Right-click the step row and choose Add as Parallel Processing, or open the Parallel Work Centers tab in the step details panel. The Configure Parallel Processing dialog opens.
3. Under Parallel Type, confirm Dependent Parallel (Factor Based) is selected.
4. On the mirror machine's row, enter the Parallel Factor: 1.00 for equal hours, 0.50 for half, or one over the output ratio for a slower machine.
5. Leave Finite Capacity? unticked so the machine is treated as a dependent mirror.
6. Click Apply, then Update Standard BOR.
7. Run Generate Schedule so the mirror is booked with the factor applied.

What Changes When You Save

On the next scheduling run, the primary is scheduled with its normal capacity check, and the dependent mirror is booked over the identical start and end. The Parallel Factor decides the hours credited to the mirror: the primary's hours multiplied by the factor. Setup on the mirror is copied one to one and is not scaled. The factor does not shorten the operation or move any date, because the mirror is locked to the primary's window by definition. On the Resource Load view, the mirror machine shows the factored hours in that window. Because dependent mirrors are booked without a capacity check on the mirror, keep that machine clear of independent work in the same period, or it can show above 100 percent.

How to Check It Worked

Open the Job View or Resource Load view for the scheduled job. Confirm the mirror machine's segment starts and ends at exactly the same times as the primary, and that the hours credited to it equal the primary's hours times the factor you set. A factor of 1.0 shows equal hours; 0.5 shows half. If the hours look wrong, confirm you set the factor on a dependent mirror and not on a true alternative, where the factor has no effect.

Common Mistakes

• Setting the factor on a true alternative. The factor only applies to dependent parallel mirrors. A true alternative uses its own hours instead.
• Expecting the factor to speed up the operation. Dependent mirrors copy the primary's window. To shorten the operation, use an independent parallel machine that splits the work.
• Overlooking mirror capacity. Dependent mirrors are booked without a capacity check on the mirror, so a machine used as a mirror can end up committed twice if it also carries independent jobs. Watch the Resource Load view and the Scheduler Anomalies report.
• Scaling setup with the factor. Setup mirrors one to one. The factor never touches setup, so do not try to compensate for setup in the factor value.

Related Reading

• How to set a true alternate with a speed factor for the replace-the-machine case where the factor does not apply.
• Parallel work center mistakes for the common traps.
• EDGEBIC and the EDGEBIC how-to hub for the full set.

The parallel factor is a precise tool for one job: crediting a synchronized mirror with the right share of machine effort in a shared window, so multi-spindle and paired-machine operations cost and load correctly without pretending the second machine made the job faster.