Delta just unveiled its strategy for comprehensive smart manufacturing at the Taipei Int'l Industrial Automation Exhibition 2017 from September 6th ~ 9th. At the exhibition, Delta focused on the theme of “Digitalization and Flexibility for Smart, Green Manufacturing” and presented automation products, monitoring and management software and solutions for smart machines and smart manufacturing. The most eye-catching highlights at Delta's stand were the new High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line, a customer-centric, IIoT-based, fully-automated demo which integrates Delta's 3 robot workstations, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Production Management & Visualization Platform (DIAMMP), new Handheld Barcode Scanner DAH Series and peripheral devices to flexibly produce customized products.
Using its multifaceted electronics manufacturing experience as the basis for developing smart production, smart logistics and other innovations, Delta has accumulated long-term technological expertise in the total integration of industrial automation hardware and software. Starting from smart production lines and smart machines at all levels inside the factory, Delta has gradually developed smart manufacturing with smart production, smart logistics, and other applications to satisfy the demands of the electronics manufacturing industry for faster, more flexible, small-volume large-variety production, and mixed-model production.
High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line – The Perfect Solution for Smart, Flexible Production with Customization and Visualization
The High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line perfectly integrates Delta's robust hardware and user-friendly software for building a smart, multi-tasking and digitalized production line for flexible and interchangeable customized production. It adopts Delta's MES system for customer orders, SMS notification and flexible production rescheduling; the Production Management & Visualization Platform (DIAMMP) for overall production and machine data monitoring; the three robot workstations with peripheral control system, machine vision system, and sensors for production execution (including pick-and-place, laser carving and packaging); and the new Handheld Barcode Scanner DAH Series that can scan customers' QR codes sent by the MES system for the industrial robot to fetch the designated product and place it in the pick-up area.
The key software and automation products highlighted in the High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line feature:
· The MES system, linked to a cloud platform, is a perfect interface for customers to place orders (select gift and give customized content) through a laptop PC, pad or other mobile device. The MES also performs order adjustment and production rescheduling for urgent orders, and provides immediate confirmation and notification upon production completion via SMS—including a weblink for customers to monitor production scheduling and progress in real-time and QR code for finished product pick-up.
· The Production Management & Visualization Platform (DIAMMP) is ideal for overall management and visualization of production line information and equipment operation data. The DIAMMP enhances productivity and management efficiency with major functions for production visualization, such as first pass yield (FPY), equipment use and operational efficiency, preventive maintenance, and timely warning. When applied to the High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line, the DIAMMP is connected to the MES and cloud, and presents order scheduling, production progress and easy-to-read equipment operation data.
· The new Handheld Barcode Scanner DAH Series features highly sensitive and fast capture capability barcode reading algorithms, and can easily and stably capture 1-D and 2-D barcodes within a range of 5-20cm. The DAH Series is lightweight (300g) and adopts an ergonomic design to provide a comfortable gripping experience for personnel engaging in long-term operation. When applied to the High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line, the DAH Series can correctly and rapidly scan the QR code sent by the MES, and help identify the customers' order information. The DAH Series will be available for the global market by the end of 2017.
· The three Robot workstation integrates one Delta SCARA Robot and two Articulated Robots, along with peripheral automation control and drive systems, machine vision system, sensors, and a handheld barcode scanner, to build the High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line and execute customized production processes:
- Ordering, feeding, and laser carving: the first workstation adopts the Delta Articulated Robot DRV90L Series to complete multi-tasking operations. The DRV90L first picks up different work pieces from the feeding area, and laser carves custom content according to orders from the MES. When completed, the DRV90L will pick up the finished goods and place them in gift boxes on the conveyor.
- Packaging: the Delta SCARA Robot DRS60L Series on the second workstation will conduct conveyor tracking with Delta's machine vision system to place the gift boxes and put on covers during conveyance.
- Finished good storage and pick-and-place: the DRV90L Series articulated robot on the third workstation picks up the gift boxes and places them in the storage area. At this point, the MES sends out a completion notification with QR code via SMS to inform customers. On a customer's arrival, Delta's service team will scan the QR code with the Handheld Barcode Scanner DAH Series, and the DRV90L will pick up the customer's gifts from the storage area and place them on the pick-up tray.
The Key to Smart, Green Manufacturing – Delta Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
Through the demonstration of the High Flexibility Multi-tasking Smart Production Line, it is obvious to see that Delta's smart manufacturing is built mainly on Delta's Manufacturing Execution System (MES), which extends development productivity, provides a monitoring and management platform for quality and equipment maintenance, and connects with the cloud and other related software or hardware. Its capacity, quality, and efficiency for changeover improve when connected to smart logistics. Besides integrating the complete manufacturing process, from ordering, material requests, material delivery, production, direct-to-stock, to shipment and pickup, it also raises efficiency significantly, for example:
- A Delta production factory for networking products introduced a smart logistics system to improve the operational efficiency of its sales, production management, procurement, and storage and transportation, decreasing the demand for manpower by 25%;
- A customized production line for Delta's industrial automation products applied small-volume large-variety production, shortening the changeover time by up to 83%;
- A smart manufacturing model line for Delta's power supplies is connected with 6 workstations made of 30 SCARA industrial robots, which reduces the demand for direct manpower by up to 60%;
- A Delta production line for passive components uses SCARA robots for unmanned production to achieve a daily capacity of up to 24,000 cases while decreasing direct manpower by 90%.
Delta's MES also finds applications in:
· Smart Manufacturing Solutions: Provide comprehensive monitoring and visualization of manufacturing, factory and production equipment, and energy consumption of factory equipment & production machines, including:
- MES Smart Manufacturing Solution: Monitors production information such as customer orders, production scheduling and production progress.
- Equipment Management & Visualization Solution: Integrates Delta's industrial controllers, human machine interfaces and managed industrial switches to connect production equipment and collect operational data. With data and information uploaded to the DIAView SCADA System for analysis and visualization, managers and operators can master equipment information and production progress in real-time to ensure high product quality and productivity.
- Factory Energy Saving & Monitoring Solution: Integrates Delta's industrial controllers, managed industrial switches and power meters to collect real-time operational data and power consumption. The operational data is uploaded to the DIAView SCADA System for remote monitoring and management; and the power consumption details are transmitted to the DIAEnergie Industrial Energy Management System for energy use analysis and management.
· Smart Machine Solutions: Delta builds smart machine solutions by comprehensively integrating production equipment (automation systems, machine vision system & sensors, and energy-saving solutions), control devices (industrial controllers and data exchange switches), and management platform (MES, equipment monitoring and visualization, quality diagnosis, energy monitoring and analysis, and IIoT cloud-based platform). Customers are able to place orders on-line, and the MES will acquire information from the cloud and give commands to factory production machines and execute production processes. All operational data and information is tracked, recorded and analyzed for visualization. It's a perfect solution for smart machines in this new era of highly efficient, energy-saving smart manufacturing.
· Smart Quality Diagnosis Solution: Responding to the quality management demands of smart manufacturing, Delta also introduced its self-developed Smart Quality Diagnosis Solution by applying big data analytics, machine learning, deep learning, and other related technologies to help manufacturing industry clients improve their defect-free rates, and manpower and equipment efficiency. Delta also presented Intelligent Data Diagnosis and Intelligent AOI technologies from its factories to showcase its capabilities and excellent results in increasing manpower efficiency, improving quality, and increasing customer satisfaction, such as saving on labor by up to 90%.