Handheld Computer in Electrical / Electronic Devices and Semiconductors Insudtry

Smartphones, video game consoles, PCs, and other consumer electronics are becoming more and more compact and thin. Consequently, there are needs for greater precision in the manufacturing and inspection processes of electrical / electronic devices and semiconductors. As the integration of electronic devices and semiconductors into other devices continues, the diversification of needs has made production of small lots of a wide variety of products and cell production common, which has led to an increase in the hassle and cost of part management and inspection.

For microscopic parts such as IC chips, resistors, capacitors, and transistors, it is difficult to mark the product number on each individual part and to visually perform difference checks, so it is easy to take the wrong part. The diversification of needs has also led to an increase in the number of similar products, and the product cycle is becoming shorter, which has increased the hassle involved in product management. Hence, handheld computers are used in operations such as management of parts and products.

When checking slips visually, no matter how careful the operator is, reading mistakes occur at a certain rate. However, using handheld computers makes it possible to nearly eliminate mistakes by reading barcodes and similar provided information. The receiving results can be immediately converted to data, which eliminates the hassle of having to enter the data manually at a later time.

Also, when handheld computers are used on a manufacturing line, inventory is moved automatically, which eliminates the recording and data entry performed by personnel, thereby enabling correct inventory management. This greatly improves the accuracy of the inspection of receiving goods / incoming inspections.

If mistakes occur in visual inspections during warehousing, confusion will arise during the picking of the parts, and great losses will occur in the subsequent manufacturing processes. By using handheld computers and barcodes to associate product information with shelf information, work can be made faster and more accurate such as by realizing accurate picking work, making inventory management more efficient, and increasing the speed of verification work. Also, handheld computers generate warnings when raw materials have exceeded their expiration dates, which prevents these materials from being supplied to the worksite by mistake.

Preprocessing consists of processing and manufacturing processes such as raw material blending and machining, surface processing, and exposure processing. Problems occurring during this preprocessing greatly affects the postprocessing and the delivered product. Handheld computers can be installed to perform overall operation management, chemical checks, insertion checks, and recipe checks in real time, which makes it possible to handle problems as soon as they occur, thereby preventing delays in postprocessing.

In addition to information on parts and products, the usage situation and consumption situation of consumables, equipment, and tools can also be determined by handheld computers, which is effective in the preventative maintenance in equipment management.

Postprocessing indicates mounting and assembly processes such as soldering. Typical problems include assembly mistakes and solder defects. During cellular manufacturing, the operators handle multiple parts, so it is easy for mistakes to occur. However, installing handheld computers makes it easy to check the work procedure and the parts. Just by scanning the codes on products and parts, the work procedure is shown on the display. This saves time and effort and prevents mistakes. Lot number management, process management, and traceability can also be made more efficient.

Installing handheld computers enables integration with the system and makes it possible to automate the registration of product serial numbers. Inventory management can also be simplified, which also increases the shipping and inspection speed. Furthermore, product traceability is dramatically improved by installing handheld computers, so it is possible to immediately identify the process that was the cause of problems such as defective workpieces. Moreover, inspection results are converted to data on the spot, which makes it clear how to work toward quality improvements.

Finished products wait in the company's warehouse for delivery. Erroneous shipments can be greatly reduced by performing shipping inspections that do not rely on visual checks. Also, handheld computers can be integrated with the system to improve the efficiency of inventory management and inventory counting.