In the automotive industry, manufacturing is a complex process. A vast network of suppliers delivers parts in a timely manner for assembly under established agreements. Traceability enables all stakeholders to accurately trace the exact source information for each part, including part, serial number, batch number, time and date of manufacture, place of manufacture, etc.
A car consists of tens of thousands of parts, and it is essential to be able to track every part for various reasons. These include:
Assembly and quality control accuracy: in automobile production, only by assembling various parts according to the correct sequence, can the product quality be effectively guaranteed. The traceability system is established with the help of bar code technology to ensure that no errors occur during assembly.
Full life cycle tracking of parts: improve traceability of individual parts and enable manufacturers to gain insight into the performance of each minor part.g. These data will assist future design and manufacturing efforts to maximize the life and net worth of each part.
Visibility of supply chain: the huge supplier ecology of the automobile industry itself brings great pressure and challenges to the operation of the supply chain. The geopolitical conflicts, as well as the sudden interruption of the supply chain caused by diseases and natural disasters, add to the snow.g. In this situation, the tracking of thousands of parts is an inevitable requirement to ensure the orderly development of manufacturing operations and create an elastic supply chain.
Efficient recall: when recall the defective parts, the parts shall be traced back to the original supplier to obtain key distinguishing information such as batch number and part number, which can bring great help. Rather than wasting millions of dollars on extensive recalls, auto companies can use parts traceability information to accurately lock vehicles carrying specific batches of defective parts from specific manufacturers, dramatically reducing the scope of recall. This fine recall management can not only reduce resource waste and cost, but also maintain brand reputation.
Avoid fake products: As automakers rely on numerous suppliers, fake products can easily mix up without inspection. These fake parts not only seriously damage the manufacturer's reputation, but also greatly increase the complexity of recall. With a traceability system, the company can easily verify the source of the part and trace it to the original supplier, effectively preventing the risk of counterfeit products.
Integration with Data-driven Industry 4.0: Traceability with bar code or RFID tag is a key part of Smart Plant construction. Product development and manufacturing cycles can be effectively compressed by linking the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with traceability process data. Real-time traceability helps automakers optimize discrete manufacturing processes when tracking parts on production lines.
The scannable barcode makes it easy to monitor and compare production lines and allows plant managers to determine which links are more time-consuming and optimize accordingly. Closely tracking the manufacturing process can also help plants quickly detect and resolve problems before they escalate to larger challenges. This proactive measure is especially important because downtime during manufacturing can result in thousands or even millions of dollars in losses. Traceability helps companies avoid such expensive expenses.
Traceable manufacturing data is a valuable input to machine learning algorithms that train past behavior to improve future insight. For example, knowing that a part will fail under certain conditions can help design algorithms that actively warn of future failures.
Life Cycle Effectiveness Optimisation: Even if a product is sold, continuous tracking of its status and performance is valuable for automotive parts, as the data from aftermarket feedback provides manufacturers with insight into the actual use of the product.g. With this information, manufacturers can arrange parts replacement in advance and actively provide a variety of value-added services, which can not only improve customer satisfaction, but also open up new revenue channels with the help of after-sales service agreements.
Regulatory compliance: manufacturers must comply with stringent industry standards and regulations at all times to ensure safety, quality and sustainability. Integration of traceability into production processes makes it easier for companies to comply with these standards and produce audit documents as needed.
Steps for Traceability
Full traceability means that parts need to be marked, verified and read for real-time data transfer to the MES.
Marking: In order to achieve traceability of part information, the barcode is generally printed on the part by direct component marking (DPM) technology. Laser technology creates permanent identifiers such as serial numbers, bar codes, etc. on part surfaces. Bar code can be one-dimensional or two-dimensional, the latter with the help of horizontal and vertical two-way encoding, information storage is larger.
Verification: The high resolution camera verifies that the marker meets the size, shape, and location criteria. These cameras check the accuracy of human and machine readable information and are integrated with the MES for real-time verification.
Scanning: The barcode scanner reads information about each individual part at systematic intervals throughout the manufacturing process (from raw material to quality assurance). Omron Automation's V430 Industrial Fixed Bar Code Reader (Figure 1) (MicroHAWK product line) is a high-performance bar code reader designed to easily, quickly and reliably decode one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar codes. The barcode reader can decode one-dimensional/two-dimensional or DPM two-dimensional barcodes on various labels and is an integral part of the manufacturing traceability system.
Image of a V430 Industrial Fixed Bar Code Reader from Omron Automation
Figure 1: Omron Automation's V430 Industrial Fixed Bar Code Reader is a high-performance bar code reader designed to easily, quickly and reliably decode one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar codes. Image source: Omron Automation)
Sturdy, compact housing with double front window construction helps to avoid condensation of moisture. Ease of use, excellent decoding performance, optional liquid lens auto-focusing, and ultra-small overall dimensions make the V430 compact imager flexible for automotive, food processing, retail, electronics, life sciences, logistics, and warehousing applications.
Overriding Bar Code-driven Traceability Challenges
The generation of a bar code for each part is a common means of establishing a traceability system. Although this method is effective, it faces many difficulties in practical application. In the production line containing thousands of parts, it is extremely difficult to stamp the bar code on the smallest part. In addition, scanning labels is also challenging on fast moving shop conveyor belts. Label codes are inconsistent, light in the working area is insufficient, labels are pasted in different directions, and labels are irregular in shape, further reducing the success rate and efficiency of code scanning.
Severe environments can also cause label wear. When parts are to be stamped early in manufacturing, labels may be affected by high temperature baking, high pressure hose spraying, and corrosive chemical attack.
Bar code scanners must not only quickly read labels and work properly under harsh conditions, but also often read labels of less than optimal quality. Readers with low latency, high resolution image processing capabilities can accurately decode corrupted or dirty barcodes. The MicroHAWK product line is also an ultra-compact line of barcode readers designed for applications that require readers to be embedded in complex devices and operate in harsh conditions. The sensor resolution ranges from 0.3 MP to 5 MP and offers a variety of optical and lighting options (Figure 2).