Month: November 2018

Robotics: why are some manufacturers still afraid of the Big Bad Bot?

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The idea of a human-looking robot has been a staple of science-fiction for decades, and of mythological imaginings since as far back as the Ancient Greeks.

It is only in the last few years, however, with the recent publicity for Boston Dynamics, that this dream appears to be finally coming close to fruition.

Videos of Atlas the robot jogging through parks and practicing parkour in industrial sheds, or their ferocious military dogs resisting human kicks, are enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

atlas the robot

Source

The word robot comes from the Czech for ‘forced labour’ (robota) and much of the fear that exists in the manufacturing sector relates to the relationship between robots and employment. As  a Forbes’ commentator recently put it, ‘Robots Will Take Our Jobs And We Need A Plan’.

But what do we really have to fear from robots – and what do we have to gain?

When does automation become robotics?

Sorry to disappoint, but robots are nothing new.

The reality is that robotics – or at least advanced automation – has been widely used in manufacturing since the 1970s.

The machines just didn’t look particularly humanoid.

Robotics is automation plus AI. It’s the recent advent of the Internet of Things and machine learning that is increasingly making today’s robots so useful and, for some, such a threat.

The difference between robotics and automation is one of degree: automated machines perform a single set of operations but robots can smartly change their behaviour – by learning from sensory feedback or data feeds – to achieve better efficiency.

A brief history of robots in manufacturing

George Devol applied for the first robotics patents in 1954: his company Unimation were using robots to move items since 1956.

Automotive production lines were early adopters using machines to carry out repetitive processes which require high amounts of consistency such as spot welding and spray coatings.

Sophisticated robotics in logistics hubs and warehouses have been directing goods for dispatch for many years.

Today, robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly and packing, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research and the mass production of consumer and industrial goods.

In our own EMS industry, printed circuit boards are almost exclusively manufactured by pick-and-place robots, typically with SCARA manipulators: and as electronic components get smaller the need for smarter, more precise robots will only increase.

According to figures from the International Federation of Robotics the trend suggests there will be a dramatic increase for all.

Estimated worldwide annual supply of industrial robots (in units) (Source)

Today there are more than 2 million industrial robots in use – and it is expected there will be 3.8 million by 2022.

The biggest users of these are:

  • The automotive industry (33%)
  • The electrical/electronics industry (32%)
  • The metal and machinery industry (12%)
  • The rubber and plastics industry with (5%)
  • And the food industry (3%)

(Source)

What do robots bring to the table for electronics?

With the disruptive force of robots bearing down very heavily on the electronic manufacturing industry – and with IOT, data and AI looking set to increase their presence – now is a good time to take stock and review exactly what robotics is bringing to the table.

In relation to PCB manufacturing, robots can place hundreds of thousands of components per hour, far out-performing a human in terms of speed, accuracy, and reliability. As electronics shrink in size, the precision of robotic production methods becomes essential.

Robots can do much more than just build, place and weld. They can also quickly and accurately check all the components to ensure they match the required spec and are placed accurately.

As IoT sensors become ever more prevalent, the benefits start to really add up.

Using data from connected, always-on devices robots can respond to situations in real time. Our machines become not only faster and more precise, but also smarter and more aware. A robot can speed up or slow down based on its surroundings or the timing of small-batch production cycles. And it can collaborate with others to work more intelligently.

Here are some of the benefits that robots are already delivering.

  • They can work in environments dangerous to humans (such as deep sea, space or in hazardous environments.)
  • They can work faster and with more precision than humans.
  • They can create efficiencies throughout the process, from raw material handling to finished product packing.
  • They can be programmed to operate 24/7 – in lights-out situations – for continuous production.
  • Robotic equipment can perform complex functions and is absolutely essential for the latest generation of smaller products.

Why are we still afraid of the Big Bad Bot?

The threat of the robot – the opening scene of Terminator (Source)

Despite these obvious advantages, there remain three big fears that continue to hold back electronic manufacturers from embracing robots.

We touched on the first of these before: namely, the fear that robots will steal our jobs.

The second is the initial cost of introducing them.

And the third is the cultural and procedural changes that robotics inevitably demand.

  1. Consider the following, in relation to the ‘forced labour’ of robots stealing our jobs.

The cost-efficiencies of robots can help companies become globally competitive once more. They can reverse the trend of offshore production and create jobs by reshoring manufacturing work.

They protect workers from repetitive, mundane and dangerous tasks, while also creating more desirable jobs, like engineering, programming, management and equipment maintenance. By freeing up manpower manufacturers can maximize workers’ skills in other areas of their businesses.

As a recent McKinsey report put it:

‘The production systems of the future will still require people in many of the roles they hold today, but the nature of those roles will change. Operators will need new capabilities as low-skill tasks are automated and increasingly sophisticated equipment requires skilled people to run it.’

Robots will not steal our jobs. They will enable us to gain skills and compete more effectively for work we had lost.

  1. Consider these factors in relation to concerns over costs.

 Robots used in manufacturing tend to achieve ROI quickly, often within two years, thanks to their throughput and output gains.

Their upfront cost is quickly recouped.

Manufacturing robots are much more affordable today than ever before. Standard robot models are now mass-produced, making them accessible to smaller scale businesses.

And robotics as a service (RaaS) lowers the barrier even further, offering the rental or temporary acquisition of hardware to keep costs more manageable.

  1. And, finally, in relation to the fear of change.

 The barrier for entry has been lowered not just for cost. It has also been increasingly lowered in terms of the technical understanding and skills required to introduce robots to the assembly line. Plug and play installation is now very much a reality.

Nevertheless, the investment in the robot itself still remains only part of the equation. Resources must be committed to training and consistent optimisation, possibly over many years.

Robots also usually require a cultural shift. Fully integrating robotic solutions may well require fundamentally changing the way a business operates. Their disruptive potential can introduce changes to software platforms, material consumption, supply chains, ERP, MRP and even the working culture of a business.

Yet, the real question is are these changes for the good?

Do they introduce enhanced capabilities, realise efficiencies, result in cost-savings and create better products?

And the answer, we believe, is a resounding yes.

How Chemigraphic is using robotics to deliver the services today’s OEMs require

These are exciting times.

Times when we know we can continually enhance and improve the services we offer.

Robotics and IoT capabilities are an important part of this, but it’s investment in skills, talent and staff that ensures new technologies are optimised and effective.

Additive manufacture is already commonplace for us in areas such as enclosure development. It is also being used for immediate applications in some very niche technologies, such as specialist antennas and waveguides.

We continually monitor progress and developments in this for use in other fields, and our Design Centre collaborates closely with our customer base to take advantage of new technologies.

Our inspection tools are becoming ever more sophisticated.

Many years ago, simple comparator inspection systems – which look for differences between a stored image and the item being inspected – were superseded by inline Automated Optical Inspection, with 3D scanning and X-Ray capabilities.

Wireless monitoring systems are extensively being used to remotely check a range of conditions, including stock on shelves, reels on feeders and temperature or humidity in production areas.

And, as more RF-ID and IoT sensors collect increased amounts of data, we expect to introduce new automated tracking and production systems.

We have already developed libraries of complex database analysis and metric capture tools. These are displayed on dashboards and allow performance indicators to be assessed and immediately responded to. Machine learning and automated responses will be increasingly involved in our monitoring and decision-making over the coming years.

We’re not afraid of robotics

At Chemigraphic, we welcome the efficiencies and productivity gains that the further integration of robots, artificial intelligence and data capture will bring.

We intend to continue to harness this to deliver better service and better products.

We are not afraid of the Big Bad Bot! Are you?

How OEMs can best manage the issue of component obsolescence

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What are the biggest challenges facing OEMs today?

The usual suspects staring at us from a long line-up include:

  • Brexit and risks of disruption arising, in many different guises
  • The rise of electronics industries in low cost geographies such as Asia
  • The rapid pace of tech change
  • The concurrent need for faster production lead times

Critical though these issues are, it can be easy to overlook seemingly ‘day to day’ challenges that in reality, can have a catastrophic impact on the supply chain and the manufacturing process.

Sudden limitation of supply is currently a very hot topic and worth of an article on its own, but  outright component obsolescence– and the need to manage the risks it poses – is a specific associated problem that many OEMs tend to overlook, or at least fail to sufficiently prepare for.

The accelerated risk of obsolescence

The diminishing lifetime of electronic components is undoubtedly an issue, especially for those supplying the high-reliability medical, aerospace and defence industries.

The embedded systems used in these products are designed for a long working life. Electrical components, however, increasingly aren’t.

For defence OEMs in the past, obsolescence could be circumvented thanks to the volume and buying power they enjoyed. This is no longer the case.

Time and time again we see chip manufacturers placing products as end of life (EOL) that are required by high-reliability market providers. The simple fact is that usage is now so small compared to other more profitable product lines.

 As the life cycles of components shrink, we see counterfeiting risks growing.

To meet the swelling demand for disappearing parts – and avoid redesign and recertification requirements – some OEMs are relying, wittingly or unwittingly, on grey markets and counterfeit components. This situation is fraught with its own considerable risks.

 Another factor that is leading to increased obsolescence is the rash of mergers and acquisitions throughout the supply chain.

This is occurring as component suppliers look to enhance their offerings to meet the demands of new emerging markets such as Electric Vehicles, Smart devices and the Internet of Things (IoT).

With every purchase or partnership, the risk of component obsolescence increases. More products are struck off the list as lines are reviewed, rationalised and trimmed.

 The after-effects of mergers and acquisitions has led to unwieldy and complex supply chains.

These create problematic, diffuse communication channels that can lead to missed notifications, poor communication and increased lead times.

Other causes for component obsolescence include:

  • Lack of demand, making it unwise for manufacturers to continue their support
  • Suppliers going out of business or a catastrophic accidental damage to stock
  • Diversion of raw materials into other more lucrative areas causing legacy support to become less attractive

Many components are retired simply because they have been superseded or no longer satisfy the increasingly stringent demands of legislation.

For instance, updates to the European Union’s regulation for the restriction, evaluation, and authorisation of chemicals (REACH) and the directive for the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) caused many EOL notifications.

What are your options when component obsolescence occurs?

 Notifications can be easily missed or offer a very limited time for decision making.

Component manufacturers issue stock obsolescence risk flags including:

  • Product change notices (PCN)
  • End of life (EOL)
  • Last-time buy (LTB)
  • Last -time ship (LTS)

However, if OEMs are not relying on a partner to monitor these for them, such flags are notoriously easy to miss.  And some estimates have placed the proportion of components going EOL without any notice at all as high as 40%.

Often parts may only be ‘technically’ obsolete but still available under a different part number.

It’s vital that all parties understand the market and technological dynamics that can lead to physical parts being renumbered following a change in supplier or manufacturer. Once again this requires in-depth knowledge and monitoring of the entire supply chain.

By working with a manufacturing partner which is dedicated to watching the market for signs of change and has the knowledge to react to this and find suitable alternative routes, this process can be managed effectively without compromising timescales or cost.

Thankfully there are data-driven software tools that can scrub your Bill of Materials (BoM) and highlight any at-risk components.

Such predictive tools will reveal both EOL components and identify components considered at high risk of becoming obsolete. From here, of course, you can make the decision to identify last-time buys or replace the component.

The importance of an expert EMS partner

OEMs tend to focus on designing function, validating their creations and developing peripheral items, such as a functional test regime.

Yet the ultimate commercial success of any electrical product hinges just as much on having a fully developed and sustainable supply chain supporting it.

Even the most radical designs often have their roots in existing circuit architecture.

Your contracted manufacturing partner can scrub the existing BoM to suggest changes required – it is often tried-and-tested components that slip under the radar.

The risk of obsolescence can be mitigated by engaging early with an EMS partner which has an expert overview of all the current developments in the material market.

Of course, this early engagement in design is critical for optimising performance as well as managing obsolescence. Your EMS partner can help guide you to optimised materials selection while the design is still fluid. Once the product has undergone extensive regulatory validation it rarely remains cost-effective to make changes to minimise component life cycle risk or to improve performance.

In addition, trusted EMS partners will not only flag obsolescence risk. They will also be able to mitigate this risk before it occurs with viable and appropriate alternative suggestions, ensuring 100% BoM compliance.

In today’s dynamic global marketplace, reliable sources can suddenly come to an end. Only EMS partners with an entirely robust customer authorisation process can ensure compliance in all circumstances.

Part obsolescence cannot be avoided – but it can be managed, minimised and mitigated

Today’s rapidly changing supply chain will continue to throw up obsolescence challenges for electronics manufacturing.

That much is inevitable. But, by partnering with someone who offers you access to a robust, trusted supply chain you can minimise risk and maximise viable, cost-effective solutions.

With sound planning, a pro-active approach and long-term vision – along with solid, best in class supply chain partners – the threat of component obsolescence certainly loses its bite.

To learn more, read about Chemigraphic’s approach to effective component sourcing and supply chain management.

The disruptive effect of electronic devices on the transport sector

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“We now find ourselves at the gateway of a revolution in transport technology, the likes of which has not been seen since the invention of the combustion engine. These technological advances will create a new way of planning and managing our transport.”
Steve Yianni, Transport Systems Catapult

A perfect storm is set to hit the transport sector – and it’s not yet exactly clear where or when dry land will be reached.

Among the forces that are set to shake things up by creating new opportunities are advancements in electronic manufacturing. It’s time to chart these innovations and review exactly what their disruptive effects may be.

Before we do this, however, it’s important to note that it takes more than one weather front to create a perfect storm. The other forces bearing down on the sector are all directly or indirectly with these innovations.

They include:

  • The pressures of continued urbanisation
  • The increasingly sophisticated capabilities of automation and machine learning
  • The urgency of environmental concerns
  • The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the power of cloud-based analytical tools
  • The switch back to public or shared transport and away from the private car
  • The sky-high expectations of consumers (or users as they are now known)

With all that bubbling under here’s a look at the way that advancements in electronics are making waves amongst this maelstrom.

Electronic payment and ticketing

“My smartphone is my preferred mode of transportation.”
Rt. Hon. Patrick MacLoughlin, former Secretary of State for Transport

The influence of digital and the rise of the smartphone has already transformed many other sectors, but transport is only just starting to feel its effects. The changes we have already seen in the airline sector with paperless tickets will prove to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Electronic payment and electronic gate systems will not only make the passenger’s life easier: they will also open up a whole new world of data and understanding.

Our smartphone is already becoming our ticket in many innovative UK schemes – and the Oyster Card has greatly simplified tube travel for years. Before too long it’s likely to be a wearable that allows us to glide through the turnstiles. And, shortly after this, will be pay-as-you-go travel where sensors know exactly where and when we have journeyed without the need for pre-booking or payment.

With electronic payment the transport provider gains visibility about who uses its services, where they go and how often they travel. This new-found rich data opens up the possibility for personalised marketing in a way that public networks have sorely lacked in the past (and are struggling to discover through online booking alone).

But the data advantage is not necessarily just the providers. Alongside new ways to pay we are also going to see new ways to travel – with the user at the centre of a transport network that is increasingly interchangeable and whose real-time operations are always at their fingertips. The start of such a world of choice can be glimpsed in the disruption caused to traditional taxis by Uber.

It is hard to see road usage continuing to be paid for by a blanket road tax. The introduction of green incentives has already started to stream charges, and toll roads, such as the Dartford Tunnel, use sophisticated number plate recognition to ‘tag’ each car that uses the route. Going forward more electronic monitors will line our roads, and it’s likely the price we pay to use them will be based on data gathered about congestion at the time – with our road tax, perhaps, paid online on a top-up basis.

This dynamic charging may sound far-fetched – but it’s already happening with parking. In San Francisco smart parking meters broadcast that a space is available to drivers and adjust their price according to the number of other spaces available. Such an easy-Jet pricing policy is also used in Moscow, Santiago de Chile and Barcelona – and at its heart lies electronic sensors.

Telematics could introduce another dimension to such a personalised way to fund our roads – and it’s this we’ll review next.

Telematics and the IoT

“A modern transport system that doesn’t stream data is inconceivable. Modern infrastructure must envisage, plan and build roads, rail and digital capabilities all as one.”
Alexander Dobrindt, former German Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure

The electronic sensors and data sharing that facilitate telematics are already widely used by insurance companies to offer lower premiums to the ‘right’ kind of driver. They are also used to ensure that emergency services are instantly notified of accidents. It’s not a massive leap of imagination to predict that telematic data will be used to penalise or reward drivers – and not just based on the routes they use but on their driving itself.

In logistics and transportations telematics have been extended into the realm of the IoT to collect, analyse and share data across a wide network – and to use machine learning to determine suggested responses.

Telematic-enabled fleet management has moved beyond GPS location tracking to include the use of geofences to enable alerts when a truck is nearing its destination, the optimising of routes using real-time traffic data and to automatically track driver hours and fuel usage. It can also track vehicle maintenance needs and issue alerts should warning signs concerning the vehicle’s health be detected.

In many ways, the IoT is the logical extension of such telematic systems: it can be applied throughout the supply chain rather than just for each journey taken. The IoT could integrate the ordering, manufacturing and warehousing chain: the need for new parts or consumables will be automatically broadcast and, as a result, the supply chain will need to be able to respond much quicker. Its monitors could also stay with a shipment across different countries and transportation methods.

Automation

“I have never seen anything like the pace of change we are seeing today.”
Larry Keeley, Founder of Doblin

Amazon’s drone delivery force and Google’s driverless car are two of the more visible ways that automation and machine learning are gearing up to change the world of transport as we know it.

Driverless vehicles are highly likely to affect both the consumer and the logistics market in the very near future.  Several auto manufacturers have introduced semi-autonomous driving capabilities in their vehicles and Uber’s Otto division is pretty much ready with its driverless trucks for deliveries.

The only real thing that lags behind at present are the regulatory and insurance questions such technology rises.

Electronic manufacturing and transport innovation

Electronic manufacturing is set to play a major part in the perfect storm that will engulf the transport sector.

And it looks like it’s the innovators that will ride the waves created.

What does Surface Mount Technology offer OEMs?

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What-does-SMT-offer-OEMs-1080x675

Surface Mount Technology (SMT) has become a core construction technology in current industrial electronic product designs.

Although there is still a considerable amount of conventional or Pin-Through-Hole (PTH) parts, especially on more rugged designs, SMT has become a fundamental method of assembly within modern electronics manufacturing and has helped expand and improve  the capabilities of the industry.

What benefits does SMT have vs. other processes?

SMT has significant benefits compared to conventional PTH processes. So let’s have a look at the most obvious advantages of SMT:

  • Reduced footprint: taking up less valuable PCBA surface area
  • Smaller mass: leading to lower power consumption (hence less use of energy, materials and heat dissipation measures)
  • Lower component cost: SMT devices often come in at a tenth of the cost of a PTH variant.

Although PTH tends to have better mechanical rigidity, this is generally not a concern unless associated with bulky connectors and high-power devices, so SMT satisfies diverse requirements.

However, SMT can also lower costs through less apparent benefits such as innovative machine-storage and component kitting processes. These techniques reduce the labour costs involved in manually retrieving components from storage as part of the kitting operation.

Automating these processes also lessens the chance of human error, eradicating costs associated with reworking recovery of these mistakes.

In addition, SMT automates the placement of components onto boards, through using innovative kitting technology such as JUKI Intelligent Storage.

Ensuring component reliability

SMT machine placement can also provide superior product yield and reliability in leadless devices, such as Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs), and more currently micro-BGAs, and chip-scale devices which require precise control during assembly but have the benefit of being a very repeatable process.

SMT also offers improved shock and vibration resistance as a result of the lower mass of components, further driving up reliability and increasing the product’s lifecycle.

The importance of kitting speed

A popular misconception in the mid-tier global manufacturing environment is that component placement speed is the primary hindrance to cost.  This is not the case.

By far the biggest variables affecting manufacturing cost and product quality in high-mix environments are:

  • Kitting speeds: pulling stock from storage
  • Setting-up component feeders
  • De-kitting: returning the components back to storage.

Whilst almost every Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company will have some form of SMT capability, our focus on automation and process governance helps to drive significant benefits in terms of quality and cost.

We boast an array of assets:

  • SMT conversion design services, converting existing PTH designs to SMT.
  • Automated kitting infrastructure, such as a JUKI system, to speed up the assembly process whilst maintaining material control.
  • RFID tracking that codes stock usage with superior accuracy.
  • Automated component storage, removing the need for specific component bins. The system manages everything automatically.
  • SMT job clustering that minimises or even eliminates changeover times between jobs.
  • Intrusive re-flow options, allowing for boards to be retrofitted.

For further information on our surface mount offering, visit our manufacturing page.