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You work to make sure your company's production line should run like a well-oiled machine. You have good technologies, processes, and people in place. So why are you still having issues in quality control, poor efficiency, or late deliveries?
It could be because you're not leveraging track and trace technology to add greater value to your business.
Track and trace within the automated production line has become a competitive advantage for manufacturers. Advances in traceability automation have allowed companies to create a virtual roadmap, following products and components from manufacturer to end-user, while tracking data throughout its lifecycle. And it's become even more accessible to manufacturers as streamlined technologies like the new LightWriterTM by MECCO laser marking workstations open up more economic and easy-to-use options.
The key benefit is visibility. Automated part marking technology can be part of the system that allows you to collect information on every part throughout every step. That informaiton is the gateway to understanding how to continuosly improve your processes and optimize production. It's all in the mark.
But, this process doesn’t always go on without a hitch. When items aren’t properly marked, the right information isn’t communicated. Holes in communication cause downtime and other inefficiencies that impact your processes and bottom line.
On top of that, some manufacturing companies still rely on traditional strategies to manage production. Manual record keeping and lack of valuable data are holding many companies back in an era when digital technology is the center of an industry revolution.
MECCO and Rockwell Automation teamed up to present ideas for how to combine technology, communication, and data analysis. Dave Sweet, our President here at MECCO, has been an engineer for over 30 years, about 15 of which he’s spent building our technological capabilities and expertise in smart marking and traceability solutions. Dave partnered with James DeBano, a Senior Engineer in the Information Solutions group of Rockwell Automarion, who designs and implements track and trace software solutions for manufacturers, bolstered by his experience with software engineering and data analytics.
These two pros joined forces to present a solution that combines equipment and software engineering to give manufacturers an answer to the question: How can my plant succeed with track and trace technology?
Here are the top five lessons to take away from this enlightening session.
Top Lessons for Automating Production Management with Track and Trace
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It’s time to write off handwritten record keeping (and other old-school processes).
It happens every day. A mistake in the manufacturing process has led to defective products because the company didn’t have an effective error-proofing system. The defective part is delivered to a customer, causing rework, recalls, or a damaged reputation.
How did this happen?
Perhaps, there wasn’t an adequate process to record the defect in a database. Rather, someone in production may have used a handwritten note reading “Defective Part”. The note inevitably fell off, and those parts ended up in the customer’s warehouse.
Now we have a real problem. Why did that product get shipped to the customer? And really, what's the defect of that part? Is that a safety concern?
This is a big deal.
For many manufacturers, mitigating adverse events like this can spark a desperate search for a traceability solution. After the dust settles, they count their losses and begin searching for a better way to mark and track parts.
Of course, error proofing isn’t the only challenge manufacturers face. As markets and supply chains grow more complex, recalls and counterfeiting risks are on the rise. They disrupt your business, challenge your processes, increase downtime, and put you to the test to be a high quality, world-class manufacturer.
The solution is track and trace within the Connected Enterprise – creating smarter manufacturing to make better, faster decisions.
The solution, Dave said, is track and trace within the Connected Enterprise – creating smarter manufacturing to make better, faster decisions.
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When it comes to identification and traceability, barcodes are only the beginning.
Parts can be identified and tracked in a number of ways. Your first decision is what information to include, whether it’s lot number, manufacturing date, or the like.
Your next decision is how to mark that information on the part. Should you use labels or a direct part marking machine such as a laser or pin marking equipment? Will it be human readable or machine readable?
For successful IIoT traceability, serialization is mission-critical. The mark is a “license plate” that connects the part to a database where all the details reside. A machine-readable 1D linear barcode or 2D Data Matrix code is the best way to display it because barcodes provide better readability – at the point of origin, at every single point throughout your process, and for the lifetime of that part . And, barcodes can accommodate more information.
So, now you’re marking data in the form of a 1D or 2D barcode on your parts. You may even use machine vision to read that data and verify your marks. Many manufacturers think they can stop there. After all, if the part comes back, you can track it to see when it was produced.
But, here’s why you shouldn’t stop there.
Smarter manufacturing opportunities arise from marking at strategic points throughout your process and connecting that barcode to your enterprise.
This is when you can truly revolutionize your business.
“The future of manufacturing is more and more about people actually utilizing track and trace, not only through your process or out in the field and then back, but also within a Connected Enterprise,” Dave said. “Traceability is a process.”
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2D barcodes are the better choice for more robust data.
Browse through any supermarket, and you see 1D barcodes on almost every product. They work well when you only need to display a limited number of characters. However, as you add characters, that code has to get longer and longer to integrate those character sets within that code.
That might be sufficient for a loaf of bread, but for manufacturers who want to capture even more valuable data, 1D just won’t do.
Over the last 10 to 15 years, companies have migrated toward 2D codes. Unlike a 1D barcode, you can embed a significant amount of information in the 2D barcode within very limited amount of space.
There are two main types of 2D codes. A 2D Data Matrix holds about 2,335 alphanumeric characters, and a 2D Quick Read (QR) code can hold around 4,296 characters.
One of the biggest benefits of 2D codes for manufacturers is redundancy. If you damage that code, you'll still be able to read it. When any part of a 1D barcode is destroyed, it’s unreadable, and all that information is lost.
What type of information should you include in your 2D barcode? Dave recommends coding only the most critical information. In other words, “you don’t need to put a whole book in the mark. There are some limitations there.”
The ability to include more robust data is vital when it comes to complying with certain industry standards and regulations. We see permanent 2D codes widely used in industries like medical device and automotive. For instance, under the FDA Unique Device Identification (UDI) regulation, a GS1 Data Matrix can encode all needed information on even the smallest devices.
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Take a more long-term approach to part marking for better ROI.
In uncertain times and hyper competitive markets, it’s tempting to opt for a cheaper up-front solution to track your parts. But, when you look ahead at the next five, 10, or 15 years, you may want to consider and how these two factors influence your equipment investment:
Permanent vs. non-permanent
When it comes to part marking, there are two main schools of thought – permanent and non-permanent. Permanent marking methods such as direct part marking (DPM) with a laser or pin marking machine involve making characters, part numbers, logos, graphics, or barcodes directly on the part’s surface. This type of mark is permanent.
(Here's a free download to help you understand how to choose the right marking technology for your application and material).
Permanent marks are essential to lifetime traceability. In the case of, say, a product recall, parts would need to be traced back to the original manufacturer. That’s why, many manufacturing regulations require companies to use permanent barcodes.
Non-permanent marking methods include inks, tags, and labels. Keep in mind, however, that they often can’t handle the usual wear and tear, especially in harsh environments like the oil and gas industry.
Hidden expenses
While labels or ink can seem like the more cost effective route over DPM, dollars begin to add up when you look at the fine print.
For one, when that label falls off, it costs you company time and money to remark parts. Downtime is also a challenge when cleaning or unclogging a printer.
Consumables are another major cost for ink or labels, up to $0.07 – $0.09 per mark. High volume manufacturers can greatly reduce costs with permanent marking methods such as laser marking, which only costs $0.02 per mark.
Today, laser marking also requires less replacement parts. Dave explained that “15 years ago you would have to change a light bulb in the old flash lamp lasers. Now it's all diode based systems. So you're talking hundreds of thousands of hours before those need to be replaced.”
When you look at the long-term numbers, a DPM system is usually the most cost effective and can help you bring your processes into Industry 4.0.
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Make sure your marks get a passing grade.
Did you know that many industry regulatory agencies have instituted mark grading scales?
When it comes to traceability marks, quality really does count. Readable marks ensure successful tracking through the manufacturing process and supply chain and tracking back to its origins. The critical data contained in your mark is worthless if the mark isn’t readable, scanable, and traceable.
That’s why, once you know what marking method you’re using, the next step is reading and verifying those marks.
Watch how the reading and verification system works.
The robotic arm moves a part to be marked on one side by a fiber laser marker. Then, it rotates the part allowing a dot peen marker to mark the other side before moving the part in front of a camera for reading and verification. This process can be seen on the laptop computer as the marks receive a pass or fail grade.
“A passing or failing grade is particularly important in the automotive and medical device industries,” said Dave. “We want a nice contrast so that code can be read, which is why we’re seeing a lot of manufacturers laser marking 2D barcodes because that allows them to get this high quality mark.”
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