Quick and reliable identification not only for pallets
Make notes of all data only once. Immediately in the place of their appearance and do so electronically, of course. Why to waste your time copying the data to the production order or pallets on the wages slip, from the wages slip to the chart and then from the chart to the information system? All can run smoothly and without any errors.
Our solution in this area counts with the data being transmitted to the lowest level when being entered – which means directly on the production facility. No matter if it is done so from the controlling systems or in a roundabout way with the help of an interface. The optimal solution seems to be to use the stationary terminal, to which the data from machines are brought by many variable inputs. The data are updated by the operator in case these data cannot be gained automatically. There is some space for us to make maximum use of barcodes or RFID tags in such a way to eliminate the missing and expensive human factor. As it is important not only to gain the data automatically but also to get hold of them. No matter if it is done by a tag applicator, an ink marker or recording to the RFID tag. If there is not a possibility to make use of standard means then there is a possibility of a special solution such as camera recognition.
Siemens elektromotory, s.r.o. belongs to world’s leading suppliers of low-tension asynchronous electromotors. Producers of pumps, compressors and air-conditioning facilities are the main customers. Siemens Elektromotory, s.r.o.has been in business in the Czech Republic since 1994 in two of their plants – in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm and in Mohelnice.
Situation
Since 2004 there has been a project in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm called Growth 2008 heading forward to double the production capacity. The very high capacity of production of presses (dozens of produced pallets in an hour) has required not only a construction of a new and fully automatic interpolator, but also some changes in organization of production. The whole treatment of the sheet metals and their following processing to bundles had to be as much as possible automated and quickened as any stoppage of presses would mean enormous financial losses.
Our solution
Identification of pallets was the necessary condition of automation. These pallets are plastic and follow the whole production cycle including outdoor transfers. Although the most resistant tags were used barcodes proved to be not suitable as for the reliability of reading. On the basis of cooperation with the supplier of pallets the remained pallets were remarked by RFID tags. The newly delivered pallets are standardly marked that way. RFID tags are hidden in the body of the pallet and therefore the reliability of reading is almost 100%.
Production process
The beginning of production is at one of the two presses. Its operator records the number of order and the rank of sheet metal (the barcode) in the stationary terminal and he identifies the crew of the press (personal RFID cards). Just when the pallet is finished and leaves the press on the conveyor for the interpolator, the controlling system of the press SIMATIC sends to our terminal network the information on the number and types of pressed pieces. Behind the press the pallet number is read by RFID scanner and the completed information is handled over to SAP R/3 system. It gives the information to the interpolator to house the pallet to a specific cell.
In other workplaces located along the rack interpolator the system works the other way around. The operator at the stationary terminal enters the number of order in process and SAP R/3 starts to send him required pallets with the help of the rack interpolator. The operator confirms their processing on the stationary terminal again. This way not only the move of material and production in process are identified but also the productivity of individual workers.
Project in a nutshell
- Name: Automatic identification in the production cycle of a press shop
- Customer: Siemens elektromotory s.r.o. Frenštát and Mohelnice
- Hardware: RFID scanners, stationary terminals GB200x, scanners Toyota DENSO and HELYOM TXCOM
- Information system: SAP R/3
- Realization time: 6 months (2003), upgraded continuously
- Value of delivery: 20 mil CZK
- Service of facility: 7x24, 2-hour reaction time
