During a talk at productronica 2023, Data IO’s Anthony Ambrose highlighted how device programming could become integral to the future of smart factories.
Shedding light on the future of manufacturing in the era of Industry 4.0., the talk discussed how integration of offline automated device programming to an online one which is then weaved into the fabric of connected factories, illustrated the importance of increasing manufacturing efficiencies in every aspect of production in the pursuit of smart factories.
“Device programming has moved from something that’s maybe been an necessary function in the factory to something that is going to be a very strategic part of any smart factory of the future,” Ambrose explained.”
Traditionally, chip programming was often done in isolation, separate from the main production line or SMT line, and even done via an offline and process involving humans instead of machines . This segregation from the rest of the process, although had its purpose then, meant that should issues occur, tracing the route of the issue, be it a batch of bad chips or a bad programmer, difficult.
This is why Ambrose stressed the importance of having your programming model connected to the broader smart factory ecosystem, as issues can be caught, traced and take action down the manufacturing processes accordingly.
The shift from offline, isolated chip programming to a connected, online system works toward seamless data integration and real-time analytics, which will become even more critical with the introduction of AI’s analytical abilities.
Ambrose also stated the need for more comprehensive programming approaches to address the complexities of modern semiconductors and applications. Here, the relationship between programming variances and product yield or the traceability of programming data becomes crucial for long-term product management and quality assurance. This is especially pertinent as the IoT era is realised, and chips are not just components but key enablers of connectivity and smart functionalities.
“If you’re building a car anti-lock braking system, one in 10,000 failures would be something I’d like to prevent. Up till now, there was really no way to take that information,” Ambrose told IoT Insider. “Yet, with this step we’re getting this information for free because we’re programming the parts. We’re not doing any additional test steps. We’re not adding any cost to the line, because we’re just programming.”
Such testing, ascertained via things like variances in programming time, underscored the importance of programming data in preempting costly recalls and enhancing product safety and reliability.
As industries worldwide embrace Industry 4.0, the role of sophisticated programming and data analytics in enhancing production efficiency, traceability, and product quality cannot be overstated. Data IO’s approach, as articulated by Anthony Ambrose, is not just a technological advancement but a strategic shift in how factories will operate in the future.
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