APPLICATIONWHITEPAPER
1 www.microscan.com
Bar Code Readers Increase WIP Visibility for Industrial Appliance Manufacturer
fi ciency. In a data-driven
production center, the operation at each production station depends entirely on product identi fi c goals. The automated component traceability system needed to provide a complete manufacturing history of each unit and the visibility required to optimize production line ef In order to stay ahead in todays competitive manufacturing environment, effective inventory manage-ment must extend beyond the warehouse and include real-time monitoring of work-in-process inventory as well. When a large manufacturer of industrial electronic appliances decided it was time to implement a data-driven production line system in their China-based facilities, they set out to achieve very speci fi cation. The successful operation of the production process rests on the quality of the symbol used to identify the product and the bar code readers used to decode it. We knew bar code production and identi fi cation would form the core of our new system, commented the department manager of the project. Thats why we spent a few years testing and evaluating fi xed-position bar code readers from several manufacturers with the sole purpose of fi nding an outstanding product. They eventually selected the Quadrus MINI imager and the MS-3
laser scanner from Microscan. Not only did Microscan offer high-performance products, the project manager said, But they were able to bring it all together into a complete, integrated solution that increased the stability of our system.While the manufacturer requires their symbols to meet high quality standards, reading them within the con fi nes of production equipment at high speeds still proved to be a challenge. The application includes high speed, fl uctuations in read range requirements, and an extremely narrow location to install the bar code readers. Fortunately, the Quadrus MINIs small form factor (1.80 width, 2.10 depth and 1 high footprint) and 30 degree read envelope enables it to fi t within the space and still provide robust read performance. The imagers autofocus capabilities allows it to quickly adjust to fl exibility needed to accommodate the cramped space inside production equipment. Since the entire production process relies on the ability to read the bar codes on the products, quality validation is a critical task performed immediately after the bar codes are applied to the products. Two readers, a Quadrus MINI and an MS-3 laser scanner, are installed at the bar code generation. Once the fl uctuations in product di-mensions and variations in the symbols location. Likewise, the MS-3 laser scanners compact shape and 70 degree scanning angle provides the mounting