Material logistics solution for smart manufacturing

Asys complete solution won 3rd place in Industry 4.0 Innovation Award 2021. It consists of smart hardware and software solutions that monitor and control autonomous material flow across the manufacturing floor. The goal is to maximize the degree of automation in production.

This has also convinced one of Germany’s largest automotive suppliers, which is now relying on Asys’ Material Logistics and PulsePro solutions for its third project.

Asys’ fully automated solution starts with the receipt of goods. The MSL01 Scan & Label System automatically receives materials such as SMD component reels, replacing manual processes. The material is labeled with the customer UID and automatically sent to the warehouse. This can be a central warehouse as well as an automated warehouse close to production such as the ASYS DryTower or ASYS Material Warehouse.

Intelligent centralized storage solution

DryTower is a modular storage system for SMD component reels and Jedec-Trays. Connections to higher-level systems enable autonomous material handling without operator intervention. The system features sophisticated and proven drying technology. Active back-drying of moisture sensitive MSL components is supported to create a regulated storage environment. All relevant data for component handling is documented, from component storage in the system to removal for production.

Materials warehouse provides a smart storage environment for storing PCB magazines and other materials in KLT boxes. It works according to the chaotic storage principle. Thanks to clear labels, stored goods are fully traceable and can be retrieved at any time. Humidity can be adjusted accordingly to meet MSD requirements.

Fully autonomous – from warehouse to line, from goods in to goods out

When production requires material replenishment, the Asys Pulse Pro software suite automatically creates picking lists and triggers material replenishment as needed. Manual and/or automated transport, such as driverless systems and trolleys, deliver material to the production line as required.

Asys’ product range includes both autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and trolleys for this purpose. AMR works as an autonomous transport robot using the sram principle. This means they can move freely in space via sensor technology, without the need to attach guidelines to the production area. Shipping containers required for automated material handling, such as magazines and containers for printed circuit boards, reels and trays for components, are part of the overall solution. Asys trolleys are available in two dimensions to support ergonomic manual transport of materials and provide a universal platform for a variety of materials and container dimensions.

Intermediate or final products can always be buffered. This allows you to decouple individual process steps. Obsolete materials are also considered and distributed autonomously and/or manually to various repositories. Asys offers M-Station for intermediate storage. These are modular roller conveyor systems with flexible buffering of PCB magazines, reel containers, KLT boxes or trays.

Materials are recorded at each process step so your inventory is always up to date and you can see where your circulating materials are and the capacities of your various storage locations.

Everything at a glance thanks to networked software solutions

A dashboard throughout the production area visually informs and supports the operator. Direct access to relevant manufacturing data. The software module operator interface of the Pulse Pro software suite provides various display options for KPIs such as picks, WIP, etc.

This software suite offers a total of 7 software modules. They help control automated material flow on the shop floor, enable dynamic just-in-time supply at each manufacturing step, and track all data flows. Pulse Pro therefore bridges the gap between the shop floor and higher level MES and ERP systems. For example, the Material Locator app receives material request messages from the placement system.

Based on this information and order planning data, the Component Manager app pre-determines the material flow of the component. The Line Observer app visualizes this demand for operators. Visualizations are prioritized according to the remaining time available for each component role. The highest priority component role is now clearly visualized to the M station operator via the pick-by-her light feature, allowing the operator to retrofit the correct component. Components move on the line via direct access in a targeted way, which makes them work even more efficiently. Pulse Pro intervenes between existing systems and complements features not yet considered or only partially considered. Due to the modular and scalable concept, integration can be done in several steps as required.

Optimized manufacturing process throughout

By continuously recording material movements and inventory changes, you can save and optimize your shop floor inventory. At the same time, storage space is reduced and productive space is created. All inventory is decentralized and visualized, giving operators direct access to the materials they need, when they need them, without spending time searching or moving. The goal is to reduce stress-related errors and maximize process reliability. Asys’ modular and scalable solutions can be flexibly deployed into customer-specific processes, enabling targeted implementation with optimal return on investment (ROI).

concept approval

The example of a German car supplier shows how this works in practice. We were looking for a higher degree of automation to reduce costs and strengthen our location. The final material logistics concept assumes that future rolls of components will not be touched by employees between storage and actual use on the assembly line. When the repackaging of component rolls is opened, they are automatically registered in his ERP system and fed into the system.

For this purpose, the automotive supplier uses a receiving solution with Asys’ fully automated scanning and labeling station MSL01. A component counter counts existing components on a roll and sends an accurate value to the production database. Prepared component rolls are also automatically supplied here, ensuring an efficient and coordinated process. In the dry tower, part rolls are stored fully automatically at a relative humidity of less than 5%. Driverless guided systems are used to implement autonomous process sequences.

Material flow is calculated and adjusted via Pulse Pro. With the integrated Advanced Order Planner, production orders from ERP systems can be automatically and optimally distributed to SMT production lines according to various criteria. As a result, the company reduces material inventory on the line. At the same time, it increases the availability of materials in production. Ultimately, this saves costs.

Learn more about ASYS solutions at ASYS Group Technology Days. https://www.asys-group.com/en-de/asys-group-technology-days-2022