Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1511625
NOVEMBER 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 27 Connected Data Integration To create a Smart factory, it's essential to establish robust data integration, machine net- working, and automated data capture systems. Data must be accessible from remote systems via factory networks, whether wired or wire- less. Monitoring systems should capture data in real-time, eliminating the reliance on man- ual data transfer. is shi in data integration is not just an IT exercise but a fundamental shi in manufacturing operations. ere is a need to review the data available and the data required by designing an end- to-end operational data flow from the start. Participation of engi- neering and manufacturing experts is essential, as only those that understand the data can add value. Scru- tinize the current man- u f a c tu r i ng p r o c e s s e s and procedures to iden- tify gaps and opportuni- ties where automation will remove risk by considering potential scenarios where mis- takes will have a negative impact. Determine any required data that is not currently available and take the necessary steps to provide this. e goal of the Smart factory is to capture, collate, integrate, and understand the process data—getting the right data in the right con- text in real time—to allow informed decisions and actions to be taken as quickly as possible. e integrated manufacturing systems will provide a connection between the people and processes generating data and those using it. In the realm of smart manufacturing, the seamless availability of data across the factory is imperative. is necessitates the creation of decentralized "data highways" where humans and machines can both access and contribute to the data, enabling it to flow to the locations where it is needed. ere are typically two such data highways in the PCB factory: • Production data: Providing data consumed by the processes, including bill of materials, CAM data, and NC drill programs • Process data: Providing data generated by the processes, including product measurements, process, and environmen- tal monitoring Front-end engineering drives data into the production data highway for use by the pro- duction processes, whereas the data col- lected in process is driven into the process data highway for use by process engi- n e e r s a n d m a n a g e - ment repor ts. These data flows are usually one-way with little to no data transferred directly between the processes, and where that data is transferred between processes it is oen using a paper-based traveler document. It is also difficult for processes to send mean- ingful data back to the production data highway because the raw data captured is not directly useable. is raw data needs to be transformed into intelligent manufacturing information. Developing Data Into Actionable Manufacturing Information Process data is sets of facts that are the results of observation or measurement, but informa- tion comes from arrangement or interpreta- tion of the data to provide meaning. It is pos- sible to have data without information, but it is not possible to derive information without data. e problem of registration control dem- onstrates the need to develop raw data into In the realm of smart manufacturing, the seamless availability of data across the factory is imperative.