For some production items you require several moulds. With combination moulds, various inserts and master moulds are used. If an item is produced on a larger machine it will require a different software programme than on a smaller machine. Sometimes a mould is used with 4 cavities, sometimes with 2 cavities. One machine has an integrated robotic handling device, the other works with a picker.
So that all these variants can be used to produce an item in consistent quality, the ALS offers an optional function called 'Production variants'.
In the Master data you will find the dialogs used for the management of the production variants. A production variant is characterised by the item, the mould , the machine or machine group and the programme to be used. The 'version' designation (alphanumerical) of the variant can be configured as an additional attribute in the ALS. (It is then displayed in red!). The ALS only checks whether the version is specified and unique. The contents of the 'Version' designation are not evaluated i.e. it does not matter whether you enter '0.999' or 'V1.000'. When the list of production variants is sorted according to the version, it can only go by the contents of the box.
Production variants without any specification of the item are required for combination orders in which different items are produced in one mould.
When you schedule a production order in the Plan table, a list of all production variants available for this item is displayed as soon as you 'drop' it
in the plan table. The variant which concurs with the data specified in the order, is marked with the 
icon as the optimum variant. If you select a different variant than that specified in the order data, the data of this variant are used. Check whether the cycle time and number of cavities specified in the data matches the selected combination of machine and mould!
If you have activated the check box 'without production variant' no production variants are offered when scheduling the order in the plan table.
Which production variant was used can be seen in the plan table. Select the order and call up the list of variants with the 
button. The active variant is marked in the list (inverse display). The 'Production variant' can also be found in the PopUp menu of the order.
If a resource, e.g. the mould or the program is not available for a production variant, you must inhibit the variant in the master data. Orders in which the inhibited production variant is used, can not be transferred to the machines. When scheduling orders in the plan table, inhibited production variants are not offered for selection.