Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/579391
50 SMT Magazine • October 2015 Williams: Any automation design combines a group of process steps into a 'cell' that leverages existing technologies: robotics, machine vision, part conveyance, specialized processing equip- ment. All of these technologies will reduce 'handling' time for each part. The additive ef- fect is always significant reduction in cycle time for those processes. Equipment is designed in close proximity so that material movements are predictable, brief, and very repetitive. The cave- at is that fewer workers will be required—often only one—but that operator has to be a much higher caliber individual. Las Marias: some assemblers say smt equipment such as pick and place machines are among the key issues when it comes to cycle time reduction. Please give your comments on how manufacturers should address this. Williams: I agree, but significant time and exper- tise are required to select the right equipment— from the multitudes offered—that meets all of the requirements. This implies that a very de- tailed requirements list has been generated. En- gineers do not like doing this! Some key issues are: component feed reliability, speed against repeatability of the robotics, gripper change fre- quency, programming ease or user friendliness, computer/data integration adherence to stan- dard protocols, upper level control capabilities, and part/lot/batch tracking resolution needs. Las Marias: what about equipment downtime? how does that contribute to cycle times, and how do you think assemblers should address that? Williams: High MTBF and MTTR metrics can quickly render CT numbers as useless. Compa- nies should track these and recalculate at least weekly. This requires a good operator to report properly, or an automated system that records 'out' and 'in' times reliably. Frequent interac- tion between operators and maintenance peo- ple is essential. Las Marias: Can you give some examples as to how manufacturers can address this issue? Williams: Setting clear expectations with op- erators is necessary. The employee has to feel empowered—and non-threatened—to motivate them to do this. The one item that I find has been disjointed through the years is that a com- pany will embark on a company culture path— JIT, lean, SPC/DOE, Kanban—and then aban- don it after a few months, moving to something else. Operators can see through this! The mes- sage sent is that it not really important. Set the plan and stick with it for at least two years. Las Marias: what about quality? how do you en- sure that quality remains the same throughout the assembly line as you strive to reduce cycle times? Williams: Training on 'who is responsible' for quality is important. That message is often not conveyed very well, especially if there is a large contingent of QA people around. Las Marias: Definitely, one of the things that are helping manufacturers cope with the high rate of change is by automating processes in their manu- facturing lines. From your perspective, which pro- cesses in electronics assembly can easily be auto- mated? Williams: On first pass, I look for people (pro- duction workers) who are yawning or often talking with fellow workers. That tells me which ProceSS IMProVeMentS For cycLe tIMe reductIon " Any automation design combines a group of process steps into a 'cell' that leverages existing technologies: robotics, machine vision, part conveyance, specialized processing equipment. All of these technologies will reduce 'handling' time for each part. " FeATure inTerview