CircuiTree - January 2009 - (Page 34) PCB Tracking With RFID: Speed, Efficiency, and Productivity Made Simple database. The method uses the memory allocation mentioned previously with 32 bits each for model number, serial number, and manufacturing code. The flexibility of this type of system is invaluable because manufacturers can realize the additional benefits from the real-time data collected via RFID. This enables management decisions in real time, improving the efficiencies of the process. Providing quality information and being able to react quickly to customers’ changing demands is especially important in today’s competitive market, and the ability to quickly reconfigure a unit from one model number to another and log the unit’s entire history is a valuable tool. The benefit of programming the manufacturing codes into the tag is factory staff and systems will not need to have access to an online database to determine a unit’s history. Business rules can be pushed out to the floor and machinery and personnel can react quicker, without worrying about network speed or even connection reliability. This offline readability can be leveraged for greater manufacturing flexibility and efficiency. Conclusion The need for high-quality manufacturing, outsourcing, flexibility, and legal requirements are pushing the traceability of manufacturing assemblies to the limit. Many companies face significant warranty, safety, and liability costs if they do not have a highly accurate, comprehensive view into their manufacturing data. Imagine if, instead of recalling an entire lot of products, a manufacturer could identify only those serial numbers made on the specific machine, at a specific date that caused the problem. The savings in recall, warranty, and possible litigation costs would go straight to that company’s bottom line. The total number of units produced by a PCB assembly line is easily tracked today. However, the number of units in process, their location and status, and the time metrics are not readily available with the accuracy needed to manage the production process in today’s high volume factories. Every unit needs to be tracked individually for quality, traceability, and assembly line efficiency. Today’s highly automated environ- ment also requires as little human intervention as possible. Finally, the rapid adoption of the EPCGlobal Gen 2 spec (ISO 18000-6C) means there is a standards-based approach with readily available infrastructure for both reader hardware and software. This standards-based method provides manufacturing ROI from improved efficiencies, real-time data, and accurate tracking of PC boards and assemblies. These new devices provide a space-saving, highly flexible method of automated identification to make assembly line operation and setup more efficient. RFID technology can move manufacturers beyond pen and paper, and even beyond barcodes to the next level of sophistication. ■ Chris Cook is an application specialist for Texas Instruments, Inc. Hank Tomarelli is responsible for business development of TI RFID Systems’ asset tracking portfolio, which includes low-frequency, high-frequency, and ultra-high-frequency tag and reader products. Email: htomarelli@ti.com or chris.cook@ti.com BPA Growth Curves estimate, that makes this nine-year-old forecast accurate within about 5 to10 percent!! As the market matured and it is now considered a mainstream technology, our latest survey indicates that Asian production, excluding Japan, accounts for 72.1 percent. What factors have contributed to the revised split shown in Figure 3? We should first look at Table 1. Four companies that were in the top 10 are no longer producing (JVC, Aspocomp, Suzuki, PPE), although some plants are now under new ownership and the capacity still in place. Ibiden and Matsushita as well as others have moved a significant amount of production to Table 1 World Production Volume of Build-Up Boards Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Volume m2/month 20,000 18,000 17,000 15,000 15,000 14,000 12,500 10,000 9,000 9,000 Company lbiden JVC AT&S Matsushita Samsung Suzuki PPE Aspocomp Compeq Daeduck Country Japan Japan Austria Japan Korea Japan Germany Finland Taiwan Korea JS81MH-T 34 January 2009 • circuitree.com Southeast Asian countries. Who would believe so much high-end production would be moved before the technology had even matured? In BPA’s 30 years of experience, this is exceptional. Also, at this time, with Taiwan’s focus on PCS rather than mobile phone handsets, they were not big players, and Unitech, WWEI, and WUS were producing 1,000 to 1,500 m2 each a month. That said, it’s not bad considering our forecasting models spanned the 2000/2001 crash. Why can we claim significant success? Because by this date we had well over 15 years of history on PCB industry production. Forecast specialists will agree having access to long-time historical trends greatly aids forecasting accuracy. Also, BPA was active at that in a consortium of manufacturers and OEMs who were designing and developing technology for use in electronics systems. To plan effectively, it is imperative to have a good understanding of both the market dynamics (i.e., cycles) married to understand technologies strengths, weaknesses, and how these will develop over the forecasting period. Looking further out, we forecast HDI production worldwide to reach over 32 million m2 during 2012. Mark Hutton is managing director and senior consultant, BPA Consulting Ltd. His areas of expertise include IC packaging, advanced substrates, assembly materials, and processes. Email: m.hutton@bpaconsulting.com http://www.circuitree.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.