How to Set Up Synchronized Machines in EDGEBIC

To set up synchronized machines in EDGEBIC by User Solutions, set the routing step to Dependent Parallel and add the second machine with its type set to Dependent. The control lives on the routing (Bill of Routing) step that needs two or more machines running as one. When the schedule runs, EDGEBIC schedules the primary machine, then mirrors its exact start and end onto every dependent machine. All machines share an identical time window, which is what a multi-spindle fixture or any operation that physically needs several machines at the same instant requires.

This recipe covers the single configuration task. For how mirroring works under the hood and how it differs from a speed split, read EDGEBIC parallel work centers explained. To see a full worked scenario, see the synchronized multi-spindle scheduling example.

Before You Start

• Two or more machines that perform the operation together, each with shifts assigned. Every machine in the group must share at least one common shift on the days the job runs.
• The routing (Bill of Routing) open, with the synchronized step identified.
• A decision on speed factors: keep them at 1.0 unless a secondary machine is slower and should be credited with more hours for the same physical work.

Step by Step

1. Open the routing and select the step that must run on multiple synchronized machines.
2. Set the step's Work Center Type to Dependent Parallel.
3. In the Alternative Work Centers grid, add each secondary machine. For every one, set Type to Dependent and keep the category as Parallel.
4. Leave Factor at 1.0 for a machine doing the same work at the same speed. Use a value below or above 1.0 only to credit a faster or slower machine with different hours.
5. In the step's Parallel Processing Info, turn on the requirement for synchronous execution.
6. Optionally set the maximum number of parallel machines to cap how many run together.
7. Save the routing.
8. Run Generate Schedule (Full Reschedule is safest for a new synchronized group).

What Changes When You Save

On the next run, EDGEBIC schedules the primary machine into the earliest common window, then creates a mirrored schedule for each dependent machine with an identical start and end. The dependent rows carry the same time window and a setup reason of "Mirrored From Parent," which you can read in the Job View. Because the machines are working one physical job on a shared fixture, EDGEBIC does not run a separate capacity check for the dependent copies. That is deliberate: the machines are meant to be booked together.

Downstream steps wait for the synchronized group to finish, plus any buffer you set for unmounting or refixturing.

How to Check It Worked

Open the Job View, filter to the job, and find the synchronized step. Compare the start and end across all schedule rows for the step: they must be identical. In the Setup Reason column, the dependent rows should read "Mirrored From Parent" rather than a cold-start or default value. If the times differ, the step is not truly dependent yet; check that both the routing step and its parallel processing info agree that the work center type is Dependent Parallel, since a mismatch between the two produces unsynchronized rows.

Common Mistakes

• No common shift across the group. If any machine lacks a shift the others share, EDGEBIC cannot start them together and defers the whole group. Give every machine in the group the same shift with hours on the target days. If two machines genuinely cannot run at the same time, they should not be in a dependent group at all; use an independent split instead, as in how to split a job across two machines.
• Expecting the factor to change the timing. The factor only adjusts credited hours on a dependent machine. It never moves the start or end. If you want a machine to finish earlier, that is not a dependent configuration.
• Reading inflated utilization as an error. Mirrored machines are booked together on purpose, so a synchronized group can show combined utilization above 100 percent for a shift. That is expected for synchronized work, not a double-booking bug.
• Forgetting the buffer. If a synchronized operation needs a physical unmounting window before the next step, set a buffer time in the parallel processing info rather than leaning on ordinary queue time.

Where to Go Next

Synchronized machines and speed splits are the two halves of parallel scheduling. If you have not set up a speed split yet, see how to split a job across two machines. For the platform overview, visit EDGEBIC, and browse the EDGEBIC How-To Library for more scheduling recipes.