The manufacturing team at Roj, the electronics manufacturing arm of IRO Group, ist quality driven. This is due to continuous management objectives to improve the quality of each NPI (new product introduction) as well as each continuing production order. Valor’s vPlan software is helping to become more productive and to generate fewer errors. The result are enormous time savings.
Quality does not only mean fewer defects and reduced waste during production, but also achieving their engineering and production schedules. One critical obstacle to quality in this SMT dactory was frequent stop times experienced during the NPI cycle, due to missing or inaccurate data.
It was not uncommon for NPI production pilots to experience stop times adding uo to two full days. These delays were invariably the result og engineers needing to make multiple corrections to part data in multiple machine libraries using Siplace Pro, as well as edits to the pick&place programms to adjust offsets of asymmetrical components and the rotation values of polarized components.
The ongoing success of vPlan at Roj is clearly driven by the integrated use of the Valor Part Library (VPL), Auto-Generation (AG) of parts data for the machine library, and the Vitual Sticky Tape (VST) application to check and update correct rotation and position of all component placements offline. The time savings forecasted at Roj, when the introduction of vPlan will be completed, place the ROI at 36 months with an average of 20 NPI per year.
AVL Checking
Before critical process documentation ist transferred from Engineering to Production, including the SMT programs, machine set-up sheets and complete machine library data, vPlan ensures that everything is prepared to run correctly the first time.
The first use of VPL at Roj is to visualize accurate component shapes based upon the specified vendor and vendor part number as called out in the Manufacturing BOM (Mill of Material) and AVL (Approved Vendor List). vPlan retrieves these geometrically accurate shapes via an online service automatically by linking with the BOM.
Even if there are multiple vendors listed for the same part, vPlan shows each vendor shape in a graphical overlay to achieve two objectives:
- determine if there is in fact a variation between shapes from different vendors for the same internal part number, which violates a user defined tolerance, and
- graphically reveal the „as built“ placement of the selected vendor part number onto the specified reference designator location in the CAD design.
Using this tools Roj is verifying their own internal parts database, including part height, and insuring that the correct part shape is being used in production to „fit“ properly on the designed pads.
Auto-Generation
Roj is also advantage of the accurate component shape geometries imported from VPL by using vPlan’s Auto-Generation module to automatically dreate SMT part data for their Siplace machines. A generic high level vShape is created for all components on the board which are missing from the corresponding machines libraries in the line selected for production. This is done for every machine in the line which is capable of placing the component. Using a fine tuned rule set for each machine, vPlan then auto-generates the complete machine library parts data (mShape) offline. The AG process makes it possible to run new products very quickly since missing library data is created automatically. This capability also makes it possible for Roj to quickly move a product from one line to another, even if the new line has zero library data for the new board. The production flexibility is an additional way to reduce costs by improving asset utilization.
Before vPlan, Roj would typically spend 15-20 minutes für every new part shape by creating the new shapes with Siplace Pro. It is very common für each NPI to have at least 15 new shapes. Therefore 3-4 hours of engineering time per NPI is saved using Auto-Generation, based on creating missing shapes alone.
Virtual Sticky Tape
Roj is also saving time by eliminating the need to run a sticky board as a first article to validate all component locations an rotations. Many SMT factories have adopted the sticky board process as a standard procedure so they do not run the risk of running production volumes with bad component rotations. The problem is the line time that is required to run the sticky board, inspect the results, edit the programs and then repeat to validate the corrections. Roj is achieving higher quality with no stop time by using vPlan’s Virtual Sticky Tape capability.
With vPlan, all component rotations are neutralized at the CAD import level to a known standard value for a zero rotation. Then vPlan applies the correct rotation offset based on the component shjape, polarity and pad locations. The resulting SMT machine programs have very few rotation issues. To insure that rotations in new programs are correct. VST virtually mounts each part and gives Roj process engineers adetail praphical view of each part as if it were placed on the board. This is done by overlaying the „placed“ part shapes, according to programming instructions, onto the CAD design with the silk screen displayed. Now any bad rotations are clearly seen and corrected, before the board is built on the line. Any needed corrections are performed automatically and new offsets are written to vPlan’s central part library. The SMT program is also updated automatically so that production can run correctly the first time without stopping. All asymmetrical parts such as D-Paks, are also displayed and offsets are adjusted in similar routine.
Summary of benefits
vPlan is providing the technology needed für Roj to accomplish their goals to improve quality and to reduce the time investment to complete each NPI.
- Reduce errors due to inaccurate part data: The VPL helps to flush out errors in CAD shapes and in the master part library and to confirm hard to find data points like component height. The AVL is also improved by eliminating errors or vendors which create unacceptable geometric variations in the components‘ shapes. A lot of time is also saved in production by eliminating part-to-pad mismatches before they can occur on the shop floor.
- Reduce stop time due to missing part data: NPIs always bring in new part shapes which do not exist within the machine libraries. Using the Auto-Generation capability of vPlan these shapes are created instantly and with greater accuracy. This saves large blocks of engineering time, creates fewer placement problems and stops „process tweaking“ and the resulting library pollution from temporary „fixes“ and bad part shapes
- Improve product quality with more accurate placement: Process yields and long term product reliability are both improved when component placement is optimized. The precise component shape geometries in the VPL ensure that machine shapes are accurate, and the VST process confirms that each placement centroid and rotation value are correct in „as built“ offline simulation.
- Reduce line stops due to rotation or position errors: vPlan program generation with VST also ensures that the NPI board runs correctly the first time.
SMT/Hybrid/Packaging Booth 7-208
Zusammenfassung
Das Produktionsteam von Roj, der Elektronik- fertiger der IRO Group, ist getrieben von hohen Qualitätsanforderungen. Dies ist bedingt durch fortwährende Managementvorgaben zur Verbesserung der Qualität bei jeder Produkteinführung ebenso wie bei jedem folgenden Produktionauftrag. Die Software vPlan von Valor hift hier, produktiver zu sein und weniger Fehler entstehen zu lassen. Das Ergebnis sind deutliche Zeiteinsparungen.
L’équipe de production de Roj, fabricant de composants électroniques du Groupe IRO, est animée par des exigences de qualité très élevées. Cette tendance à l’excellence est mue par une politique managériale d’amélioration de la qualité à chaque nouveau produit mis sur le marché et à chaque commande de production successive. Le logiciel vPlan de Valor aide l’équipe à accroître sa productivité pour un nombre d’erreurs réduit. Avec pour résultat, un gain de temps significatif.
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