Will The “Internet of Manufacturing” Really Impact Business?

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Figure 2: Internet of manufacturing technology for PCB assembly could soon be with us.

In the traditional approach of sending all messages to a central server for interpretation quickly, the server and the intermediate network become a critical bottleneck. A dedicated data neutralization device at each process, however, could take and interpret whatever machine or process language is required and store the normalized events locally to be queried through a standard IoM interface. Data could then be collected as immediately as necessary, or in a more relaxed way, by any number of people and machines. For example, such an IoM device at each process could store up to three days of events to preserve data integrity even where host systems are unavailable or issues exist within the network infrastructure. Operation can continue even when power is removed for some time because loss of power to the machine is an event in itself.

Information about each event can then be accessed through ad-hoc requests by someone who may need to know certain key information that helps resolve an issue. However, most of the information would be used for higher level computerization on the shop-floor. The ability to access information in the same neutralized format irrespective of the type or model of a machine, or whether the process is an automated placement machine, tester, or even a manual process such as inspection or repair, can greatly simplify the communication interface requirement for any MES or related system. Using one protocol and format standard enables clear visibility, and analysis of data by “big data” and business intelligence tools would be relatively easy to implement. Such a technology also would lead to the reliable adoption of computerization to replace the human interaction that is needed for both technical and operational management issues within production.

In the future, we expect that the best machines and automated processes will have the capability to support the Internet of Manufacturing through the standard protocol and devices built into their machines. However, a critical issue today is the support of the thousands of different machines that are in use throughout the industry. Modification of legacy machine hardware and software is not likely to be commercially viable for the machine vendors without a revenue stream associated with the upgrade. A dedicated external Internet of Manufacturing device would be necessary to implement IoM standards, protocols, and computerization for the whole shop-floor, without having to replace every machine. This is a critical factor for the adoption and success of the Internet of Manufacturing within SMT and associated PCB assembly.

Functions and Benefits Associated With the Internet of Manufacturing

Adopting an Internet of Manufacturing enables a quantum leap increase of performance when considering the demands for flexibility now being asked, as well as a world-class level of quality. The actual scope of such benefits is already expansive, and the ideas are increasing as more people become aware of what can be possible.

At the base level, the availability of accurate and timely data improves the scope and the effectiveness of dashboards, reporting, and issue resolution. However, the more significant values come where the IoM data opens up areas of computerization that previously could only be done in a limited, proprietary, or restricted way or where the complexity made implementation appear to be difficult. Some of the major areas that IoM could include:

Technical (Line) Solutions

A self-governing feedback loop can be used to automatically monitor and improve the performance of processes on a production line. Variation in processes that become significant enough to risk a defect being created can be controlled and corrected by automated adjustment. An example is linking data between automated optical inspection (AOI) machines and data from SMT machines. The data needed from the AOI machine is a list of measured component positions, described as x and y coordinates and the rotation r. Data is collected for each PCB that is inspected. The placement positions of each successive PCB are then compared to the designated positional data contained in the SMT machine programs.

While the normal AOI function is to create a defect notification if any of the placements are outside of a certain threshold, the analysis of any deviations and drift of positions within error limitations over time can yield trends that would eventually lead to defects occurring. Computerization based on the data collected may find that placements in certain areas of the PCB start to drift, which could indicate a potential PCB position problem. It could also be that only certain placements are affected, indicating a problem on a certain machine, a certain head, or a certain nozzle. Real-time data from the SMT placement machines can match up any drift patterns to specific items such as the wear on a nozzle.

The second step of the computerization is to make minor adjustments and corrections to the relevant SMT machine operations that will prevent the trend from continuing to the extent in which a risk of a defect would be created. This increases first-pass yield (FPY) and quality overall. There are many examples of these kinds of feedback loops, which require detailed information from many processes simultaneously, including a mechanism to apply adjustments to machines on the fly without the need for the machine to stop or be reset. The benefits from these types of solutions include productivity improvements of approximately 1%, as well as the reduction of line engineering analysis time.

Planning Solutions

Solutions that affect the operation of the entire factory can yield much more significant benefit than line solutions. Knowing the exact progress of every process in the factory can provide opportunity for planning changes to avoid bottlenecks and starved processes. This knowledge can even provide the ability to change the factory plan at short notice if the delivery demand from the customer changes suddenly. The data available through the Internet of Manufacturing shows the exact status and progress of each process. Computerization can then be applied that would take this information, with the delivery demand, product, and process modeling information to provide a finite plan for the whole factory.

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