BOMManagement
BOMManageMent gOverns tiMe-tO-Market
How many semi finished electronic products are sitting at rework stations, waiting for a handful of elusive components to be soldered into place? One is too many By Jon Barrett, Electronics Sourcing
Jon Barrett, editor of ESNA’s sister publications in the U.K., Ireland and Europe
When my manufacturing interests evolved from mechanical engineering to encompass electronic and electrical disciplines I imagined I would be
entering a more ‘sophisticated’ world. However, I quickly discovered that the fully automated ‘lights out’ mechanical manufacturing facilities I was used to were seldom replicated in the electronics production world. I soon discovered why.
Take a typical mechanical component: a drive shaft. It may
require multiple process steps such as cutting, turning, milling, drilling, tapping and heat treatment. The production line required to manufacture that drive shaft could easily have the same footprint as a typical surface mount assembly line. Likewise the speed, accuracy and repeatability of the two production lines might also be similar. The big difference between manufacturing a drive shaft and assembling a PCA lies in the bill of materials.
The BoMfor the drive shaft requires one line entitled ‘steel
bar’. By comparison, the PCA BoMmight comprise tens, hundreds, even thousands of lines.
Another conundrum emphasized this further.When writing
about electronics production processes, the machine manufacturers would emphasize the performance and reliability of their assembly systems. Yet, the most heavily subscribed section of an electronics assembly magazine is ‘rework and repair’.What was going on there?
Walk down a typical surface mount production line and you may discover rework and repair stations positioned between
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the reflow oven and functional test systems. Such manual processes are often used to attach components that have difficulty passing through a surface mount process (batteries, bulbs, large connectors etc). On the surface, that would answer the question why automated production lines are often supplemented by manual workstations.
However, dig a little deeper and you may also find they are
being used to manually attach components that failed to arrive in time for the scheduled production run.
Storing semi-finished products and manually soldering a
handful of surface mount components post automated assembly is the worst case scenario for any manufacturer. Storing the product requires space and time, both expensive commodities. Hand soldering surface mount components requires even more space and time, while introducing the horror of potential human error. All this because a reel of components failed to arrive at the pick and place machine at the allotted time.
For new generations of electronics purchasers, I recommend
spending asmuch time as possible on the shop floor.Watch the goods in processes. See how parts are stored and kitted. Stand back and enjoy a surfacemount assemblymachine in full flow. Be amazed by the dexterity of the rework operative fixing those awkward through hold devices in
place.Most importantly of all, watch how all this grinds to a halt due to component shortfalls.
The power to prevent these slips in time-to-market are in your
hands. Take pride in tackling these challenges and getting your company’s products tomarket faster that your competitors.
www.electronics-sourcing.com www.electronics-sourcing.com
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