Automotive industry leads the way with RFID

To lower costs and increase quality, automakers are turning to RFID and other sensor technologies.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/21/2007

The automotive industry has been using the technology to automate manufacturing processes for more than 20 years—long beforeWal-Mart raised the awareness of RFID technology in the mind of the public.

Today, the automotive industry is the predominant user of RFID, according to Alex Stuebler, business manager for factory automation sensors at Siemens Energy & Automation.

The need for RFID
In part, that’s because the automotive industry has the processes and the scale to justify the initial investment in RFID and sensor technology.

“The best analogy is the cell phone industry,” says Stuebler. “Long before every consumer had a cell phone in their hands, professions with special needs, like realtors, were using them. The same is true for RFID.”

Unlike the tags designed for use on cases and pallets, the active tags used in automotive are tailored to survive environments that include heat, liquids and even mechanical stress because tags are often installed on a car carrier as a vehicle moves through the whole process.

While they may cost $100, the tags may be used literally thousands of times. “In a closed loop application, the tag may cost less than 1 cent per use,” says Stuebler.

RFID, often in conjunction with other technologies like machine vision and sensors, is used throughout the manufacturing process.

How it works
A tag on the car carrier or car body can capture information as the vehicle passes from one station to the next.

“You can put a complete sequence of processes that a car has to go through on a tag, and then write to the tag when each task is accomplished,” says Stuebler. “Since you can communicate with the tag, you can use a lower level of control to complete the processes. The tag will complete some of the tasks that might otherwise be done by a PLC or PC-based control system.”

Meanwhile, at workstations, RFID tags work in conjunction with sensors to monitor and measure the torque applied by automated machinery. If the torque isn’t equivalent to what’s stored on the tag, the part can’t move to the next step.

Right tool for the job
RFID tags are also embedded in mission critical tools, like drill bits used to drill holes. A reader placed where the tool is fed into the machine can identify with 100% certainty that the right tool is being used  without having someone manually checking the system.

“Having the wrong tool can be a huge problem in manufacturing,” says Stuebler. “Using RFID means that you may not have to scrap a batch of thousands of parts after the fact.”

Don’t forget the return on investment
And the ROI?

Using RFID to monitor processes allows automakers to reduce the need to rework product and increases output because there are fewer stoppages on the line.

Read Modern Materials Handling’s story on CAMI “Breaking the mold”