News
Code readers ensure traceability at Mercedes-Benz plant
To ensure traceability of the production process of its SL-Class vehicle, Mercedes-Benz now employs various code reading systems to assign each body part to a specific vehicle at its plant in Bremen, Germany. At the bodyshell production for the
Mercedes SL in Bremen, 12 Simatic MV440 code reading devices from Siemens are employed for detecting codes engraved directly into the aluminium of the car body. Eight additional reading devices detect the affixed data matrix labels, which – for example – are used for the car body number. ‘We now know exactly which fender was
joined on what day to which chassis, and what torque amount was used to tighten the individual bolts that attach the engine hood to its support,’ explained Oliver Schumacher, a bodyshell construction specialist and responsible for the startup of new manufacturing facilities at Mercedes-Benz. Traceability is important for both product
liability reasons and because of legal regulations, which stipulate a comprehensive long-term documentation of production. In
News from UKIVA By Ian Alderton, UKIVA chairman
January 2015 saw the first open meeting of the UKIVA. Held at the prestigious Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, the meeting reviewed the benefits offered by the association, discussed ways that the association could be improved for the benefit of members and reviewed the UKIVA committee structure and elected new officers. The elections saw Mark Williamson from Stemmer Imaging step down as UKIVA chairman after 12 years in the role, with Ian Alderton from Alrad Imaging unanimously elected as the new chair and Paul Wilson from Scorpion Vision becoming vice-chair. Mark Williamson has helped to steer the association through its transition from an independent organisation to be a Special Interest Group of the Processing and Packaging Machinery
Association (PPMA). He remains on the main board of the PPMA. Williamson said: ‘With a number of
new members joining the association, we felt it was the right time to restructure the committee and to get some of the newer members involved. In addition, we wanted to establish a succession plan for the committee, so the chair and vice-chair are now both elected for a two-year tenure, with a view to the vice-chair succeeding the chair, leading to a four-year cycle. ‘I am very pleased that Ian has
taken up the mantle,’ he continued. ‘Ian has been a stalwart of the vision industry for many years and became a director of the UKIVA at the same time that I did. I’m sure that he will do a very good job. Paul Wilson is a newer member of the committee,
8 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • February/March 2015
having joined in 2010, so will be a good complement to Ian.’ Paying tribute to Williamson’s tenure as chairman, Ian Alderton said: ‘Mark has done a great job for the association for many years and his experience and stature in the industry has ensured continuity through the many changes the UKIVA has experienced in recent years, including the passing of founder member, Don Braggins. I am delighted that he will remain an active of the committee.’ Allan Anderson from Clearview
Imaging, John Larsson from Scandinavian Machine Vision, Stewart Jackson from Bytronic Automation and Paul Cunningham from Acrovision were elected to join current members Alderton, Wilson, Williamson, Julian Parfitt
car body in the form of a machine-readable label at the very beginning of the production process, and serves as the unique identification of the vehicle throughout the body-in-white construction. Te body of a vehicle is a complex creation
addition, the production processes can be qualified and analysed in detail with the data. Te optical system includes an LED ring
flash, which provides optimal lighting for distances up to 80cm. For longer reading distances, the system can also be combined with external illumination. ‘We simply take advantage of the reflective
properties of the aluminium surface,’ explained Schumacher. ‘Te smooth aluminium sheet reflects the light. Te matrix code engraved into the sheet causes a different light reflection making the individual dots appear darker and stand out clearly from the surroundings.’ Te car body number is applied to the
comprised of many individual components. Some are made in-house, others are supplied by external vendors. For a complete process documentation, it is necessary for each of these parts to be unambiguously assigned to a specific vehicle, so that later it can be reproduced which part was installed on what day in which vehicle. Siemens’ code reading system, Simatic MV440, is a camera that photographs a barcode or matrix code, converts it into a digital format and passes it on to the MES (manufacturing execution system) over the fieldbus. Te code reader with IP67 degree of
protection is available in resolutions from 640 x 480 pixels to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. It can capture up to 80 codes per second and is also capable of recognising up to 150 codes at once that are within its field of view.
Ian Alderton (left) and Mark Williamson
from Framos and Lynne Potter from Multipix Imaging on the committee. A key activity for the association is publicising the use of vision and a new structure for the regular monthly publicity meetings was agreed.
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www.imveurope.com
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