Application Spotlight Engine Block Mold Tracking with RFID Assembling engine block molds at Nemak is a highly precise process. If anything goes wrong at any of the workstations along the 300-meter-long (984-foot-long) loop assembly line, it could affect the final aluminum engine block’s integrity. Because the work is automated, a defective mold might not be caught, resulting in a flawed engine block that could then continue on to be installed within a vehicle. When the molds used to manufacture aluminum engine blocks are built, visibility into the entire assembly process can help ensure that any defects are caught before the finished block is shipped to a customer. That is where Balluff’s traceability solution with industrial RFID comes in. Traceability involves tracking every step of a mold-making process, using automated identification. The system provides an automated record regarding the assembly of each block’s mold, so that in the event of a recall, the company could ascertain what occurred during assembly, as well as which other items were assembled simultaneously. This solution also writes sensor data from automation equipment to ensure that any defects in the mold are caught before molten aluminum is poured into it. Benefits of using Balluff’s Solution: Visibility into entire process Quality improved by detecting errors before machining Defects can be tracked down to a single workstation or process Process improvements can be made on specific problem areas Engine Block Molds on Steel Carriers RFID System at a Workstation Reads/Writes Data The Balluff system implemented consisted of a complex network of sensors, as well as RFID readers, for the process line. Visual sensors detect the presence of each hole or other structure, while other sensors detect or measure the presence of those features and that they meet the tolerance values. When a new mold is created, a serial number is assigned to it and is placed on a steel carrier. The process line also contains a variety of sensors to detect the carrier’s presence and determine its location, as well as whether it is properly aligned, thereby indicating that each process is proceeding as expected. At each workstation, a Balluff RFID reader, mounted on the factory floor, checks the ID number of the carrier’s RFID tag, and encodes that tag with information related to work performed at that station. Once the mold reaches the end of the assembly line, the carrier’s tag is read a final time, at which point the system determines whether there are any error reports written to the tag. If there are any errors, the process line shuts down and an alert is issued to the staff, indicating that a problem has occurred, along with the specific station at which this took place. At this final station, the RFID data recorded on the carrier’s tag is stored in Nemak’s back-end system, and is linked to the individual mold’s serial number. Ordercode Part Number Description BIS0045 BIS M-111-02/L Ø30mm,13.56 MHz RFID tag, 2KB memory 1 BIS00RF BIS VM-300-001-S4 M30×1.5 HF read/write head 2 BIS00T3 BIS00U9 BIS010P BIS0122 BIS BIS BIS BIS BIS V RFID processor with IO-Link/Profibus BIS V RFID processor with IO-Link/EtherCAT BIS V RFID processor with IO-Link/CC-Link BIS V RFID processor with IO-Link/Ethernet/IP 3 V-6102-019-C001 V-6110-063-C002 V-6111-073-C002 V-6106-034-C004 1 Balluff, Inc. n 8125 Holton Drive Florence, KY 41042 n 1-800-543-8390 n www.balluff.us 2 3 PS_079 • Engine-Block Mold Tracking with RFID • 2013-08