Foxconn smart manufacturing factory tool management adds RFID reader

CNC machine Tools have become the mainstream equipment in mechanical processing workshops. Generally, small CNC processing workshops are equipped with thousands of cutting tools, plus their supporting parts, the total number is tens of thousands, and there are hundreds of varieties. With the rapid increase in the number and type of cutting tools, standard and non-standard cutting tools of various types and specifications coexist in the production workshop, and a large number of cutting tools are frequently flowed and exchanged between the tool warehouse, machine tools, and machine tool equipment. At present, domestic processing workshops mostly rely on manual methods and paper barcodes to manage tools. Paper barcodes are easily stained in oily environments, and tool life can only be judged by experience. Due to the lack of tools, many machining processes are stopped, and machine tool operators spend a lot of time looking for tools. With the increase in the types of CNC machine tools and new product types, existing tool management solutions can no longer meet the demand, so radio frequency technology (RFID) is introduced.

Foxconn RFID application

       In order to solve the problem of being unable to analyze the records and data of the entire life cycle of the tools and achieve the goal of more intelligent automation in the manufacturing industry, the Foxconn production line urgently needs to introduce new technical means to manage tool information. During the precision machining process of components, Foxconn's production line intelligently manages the use of tools in machine tools, transmits tool parameters to the machine tools, and adds the tools to the machine tool magazine for use by the processing program. When the tool processing is completed, the tool production time is written into the tool's RFID to realize functions such as real-time information collection of the tool and tool status tracking.

       In order to realize the corresponding functions of the tool, the machine tool needs to initialize the tool magazine and write the tool processing time into the tool holder RFID. Since the reading and writing distance of low-frequency RFID is relatively short, when reading and writing the RFID electronic tag of the tool handle, the RFID Reader antenna must be placed close to the RFID tag through the device. The entire tool life cycle generally includes planning, purchasing, marking, warehousing, lending, assembly, use, return, regrinding, scrapping, etc. The tool handle is equipped with an RFID tag, as shown in the figure below.

Tool data storage in RFID chip

       The tool code is important information to determine the uniqueness of the tool. It is written into RFID and each tool is managed through the tool code. When writing the corresponding program, the nominal diameter, nominal length and corresponding program of the tool can be determined according to the specification and model of the tool, and then the corresponding diameter compensation and length compensation can be given according to the actual situation. Since the same tool can be installed on different machine tools, and the same machine tool can also process different products, abnormal conditions may also occur when processing products, so the above processing information needs to be displayed during processing. Through program control, the report can be dynamically displayed during the processing process to display the tool code, processed products, product quantity, abnormal information, etc., as well as the tool code, tool life, tool usage time and other information in the RFID record.

Core functions

       Single product tracking: The system tracks the data information of each single product tool in real time, and can query the number of processed parts, matching auxiliary tools, used equipment, number of sharpening times, remaining life cycle equivalent output, etc. at any time.

       Intelligent sharpening management: Real-time knowledge of sharpening information such as the number of sharpening times and sharpening parameters of each single tool. At the same time, sharpening data is analyzed to effectively extend the service life of the tool.

       Intelligent scrap management: The tool scrapping system automatically detects whether it meets the scrapping conditions, effectively eliminating waste. At the same time, data mining and analysis are performed on scrapped tools to provide data support for process improvement and effectively reduce the abnormal scrap ratio.

       Intelligent error prevention mechanism: The system grasps the information of single product tools in real time, and automatically prompts when status inconsistency, matching incompatibility, scrapping inconsistency, etc. occur, effectively avoiding human errors.

       Supplier performance assessment: The system will conduct full life cycle data analysis on the tools of different suppliers to achieve supplier performance assessment and calculate the contribution and cost-effectiveness data of single product tools from different suppliers.

       Cost amortization: Realize cost amortization accounting based on the whole life cycle processing quantity, effectively improving product cost accounting level.

       Reduce work difficulty and improve work efficiency: Through the implementation of this system, the warehouse eliminates the need to manually fill in the incoming and outgoing documents, the tool setting room eliminates the need to manually fill in the tool setting parameters manually or by checking the drawings on the computer, and the knife sharpening room eliminates the need to manually fill in the tool setting parameters manually or by checking drawings on the computer. The computer can check drawings to confirm sharpening parameters, etc., which greatly improves the work efficiency of tool operators.