LSIZE Software for the PC

Collecting & Analyzing Your Measurement Data
Companies have found that in order to maintain an effective QC program, they need to collect and analyze measurement information on a regular basis.  The new LSIZE Wireless and LSIZE software for the PC makes it easy to process your measurement information and gives you an in-depth analysis of the information you have collected.

If you have an effective on-going QC program, you will save money as a result of the effort.  If your efforts are hit and miss, you will be wasting money far in excess of what it would cost to implement LSIZE.  If you are collecting measurements on a regular basis and are entering these measurements into a calculator or spreadsheet by hand, you will save significant time and get better results by using LSIZE.

Collect your measurements with the new LSIZE Wireless Mobile Module attached to your gage, and wirelessly send your measurements to the LSIZE Handheld where you can view shape charts, histograms and control charts in real time. Download those measurements into the LSIZE software for the PC for long-term analysis of your measurement information.

The latest version is LSIZE 2010.  For pricing on LSIZE Software for the PC, please see the LSIZE Price List page.

The LSIZE software for the PC is a quality control and SPC (statistical process control) software program designed for lumber, plywood and panel size control.  LSIZE provides short and long-term analysis of your measurement information in both statistical and graphical representation. The Windows version of the LSIZE software for the PC was released in July 1995.  Since that time, new features and enhancements have been added on an annual basis.  Many of these features and enhancements are the direct result of user feedback.  LSIZE Software for the PC is licensed for a single mill site.  The LSIZE software for the PC and LSIZE Wireless are sold together.

Feature Highlights
LSIZE is packed full of features.  This quality control software is not just a set of add-ons to basic software products like Microsoft Excel, Crystal Reports, etc.  LSIZE has been developed using the 32-bit C++ development language from Microsoft.  This approach takes more time and effort; however, the result is a better, more flexible and expandable product.  You can download a PDF file of current and past New Features Lists for the LSIZE software from the Software & Firmware Updates page.

• Shape Analysis helps you to understand what is happening in your sawing process on a board-by-board basis by allowing you to graphically check each individual board.

• Include from one to thousands of boards (subgroups) in a calculation and scroll through the charts to view the results.

• Display the results as a single board, daily, weekly or as monthly averages.

• Customize your analysis by easily exporting measurements from LSIZE to programs such as Microsoft Excel.

• The database stores years worth of measurements, allowing you to look back over time and see if your sawing process is being improved. You can also compare results today with results of last week, last month, 6 months or any time frame you select.

• Zero in on specific problems and opportunities by analyzing what is happening on a board-by-board basis. Histograms are great for looking at overall averages, but with LSIZE you also get the Time Series Charts which allow you to look at averages, ranges, standard deviations, shape, etc. for each individual board. You also get the shape of each board in your analysis.

Sample Displays & Reports (Click on image for enlarged view) Following is a sample of a few of the many displays and reports available with LSIZE.  If you would like to check out all of the features of the software, call about an evaluation copy of LSIZE. LSIZE setup is fast and easy.  The first step is to define a list of process labels for machine centers, sawline and product codes that you want to monitor.  Next you create a set of process combinations from these lists.  For example, lets assume you created a machine center for the quad, a sawline for Left and Right, and a product code for 2T.  The process combinations that you would then create would be Quad-Left-2T and Quad-Right-2T.  An additional combination you may want to create would be Quad-@-2T.  This Quad-@-2T combination would allow you to combine the Left and Right sawlines into a single analysis.  You can create hundreds of process labels and process combinations. Next you would define your product specifications (target size, high spec, low spec, etc.) and identify the times that each crew and shift operate.  You have the ability to track product sizes by crew and/or time of day.  The product specs that are set up for LSIZE are also used to set up the specs for the MicroPak data collector and LSIZE Wireless.

Generate a report by selecting a time period, one or more process combinations and a set of crews.  The time period can be a continuous period between any 2 dates or any combination of individual dates.  You can mix and match the process combinations (Quad-Left-2T, Gang-Saw1-2T, @-@-2T, etc.) to generate the desired reports.  The analysis can be based on a set of crews or a time window within a day (8:00 am to 8:59 am, 1:30 pm to 3:48 pm, etc.) You can generate as many reports as you desire and you can switch from one report to another with the click of a mouse.   Remember that you can retrieve historic reports since your database can store years worth of size control information.

The histogram display is one of several reports that can be generated.  This display can show a plot of the individual measurements or a plot of the average board sizes.  The user can show the average, target, spec limits and control limits reference lines.   Display of the normal curve is also selectable by the user.  The horizontal scale is selected by the tool bar buttons.  Statistics for each histogram bar can also be displayed.  The histogram can be printed by pressing the print or print preview toolbar buttons

Time Series Charts allow you to look at averages, ranges, standard deviations (within, between and total) and shape (taper, snake, snipe/flare and wedging) on a board-by-board, daily, weekly or monthly average basis.   Up to 32,000 boards can be included in the analysis!  Use the horizontal scroll bar to view the full range of data.  Want more details about a specific point?  Just click on the point to get the complete information.  If the Shape Analysis chart is displayed when you click on a point, the shape chart is updated with the shape for the selected point.  You can print the points on the screen or select a desired range of points.  Another display is also available that shows the calculated values for each point in the Time Series Charts.

Shape Analysis Charts let you understand what is happening in your sawing process by graphically viewing the shape of individual boards!  This is the display that the filers and maintenance people really depend on.  You can select a shape chart by scrolling through the calculated results or by clicking on the desired point in a Time Series Chart.  These shape charts can show the shape for individual boards, daily, weekly or monthly averages.  The chart at the left shows the shape for the measurements along the top edge, the bottom edge and the average of the top and bottom.  If you are displaying the daily, weekly or monthly averages, a graph of the standard deviation at each measurement location is also available.  As with the other charts and displays, you can also print these shape charts.

What Users Say
Here are some of the comments from our users.  Would you like to talk directly to one of our users?  Give us a call and we can get you in contact with a user in you area.

• "Things are going great.  I'm really enjoying LSIZE.  The sheer convenience of it compared to your competitor makes it worthwhile."

• "LSIZE has paid for itself by helping to diagnose the causes of sawing variation through the use of the Shape Analysis reports.  Our saw filers and millwrights can immediately determine what is happening at a specific machine center."

• "The ability of LSIZE to maintain and display long-term trends allows us to correlate sawing variation with maintenance data."

• "The report calendar function in LSIZE provides the ability to select any combination of data needed for a specific analysis."

• "The ability to show a shape analysis by clicking on a point on the Time Series display has enabled us to rapidly select and evaluate boards that have exhibited sawing problems."

• "The ability in LSIZE to show multiple reports and time periods on the same screen allows for direct comparison of historic and present day information."

Evaluate the LSIZE Software for 30 days
Please contact us about receiving a 30-day evaluation copy of LSIZE.  The evaluation version of LSIZE is the full program that has been restricted to allow up to 1,000 boards to be entered into the database.  A sample database is also included with the evaluation version so that you can immediately work with the capabilities of the program without having to enter any information.

You can download past New Features Lists for the LSIZE software below from our software & firmware updates page.

System Requirements

• LSIZE Software for the PC is a 32-bit lumber size control software program designed for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 7.

• The minimum display resolution required is 1024 x 768 (1280 x 1024 recommended).

 Copyright © 2010 MicroRidge Systems, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Revised July 15, 2010