Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd. aims to achieve autonomous factories installed with mounters.  To this end, the company has been bringing to market edge devices that constitute the platform of autonomous factories. 

Panasonic Connect targets process innovation of manufacturing floors. In addition, it connects competitive equipment and systems that are edge devices as the base to optimize the production line and the entire factory. Thus, the company provides values ranging from manufacturing execution system (MES) to supply chain planning (SCP) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) at upper levels. 

Five Variable Elements

The manufacturing industry requires new innovations. Against this backdrop, Panasonic Connect defines a factory that can swiftly respond to market requirements and changing supplies and autonomously continues to evolve as an autonomous factory. Particularly, the company aims to achieve a non-stop factory that continues to operate 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. 

Panasonic Connect defines five variable elements that affect the quality of products in the production process.  These are huMan, Machine, Material, Method, and Measurement, or 5Ms. The company achieves autonomous factory through autonomous control and evolution of the 5Ms using artificial intelligence (AI). 

As edge devices that constitute the platform, the company has been propelling the commercialization of the NPM-G series. Moreover, it comprises the NPM-GH modular mounter; NPM-GP/L screen printer; Auto Setting Feeder for the automatic supply of mounting components; and APC-5M system for mounting line, which stabilizes production by applying changes in the 5Ms. 

The company released APC-5M in Feb. 2022 and NPM-GP/L in October. The release of NPM-GH and Auto Setting Feeder comes in the second half of FY2022 or later. In 2023, all edge devices for the platform will have been put in place. 

Heightened Features

The NPM-GH modular mounter features a compact and lightweight mounting head. It has achieved high productivity (max. 41,000cph) in a high-accuracy range of ±15μm. In addition, the industry first ultrahigh precision specification of ±10μm. The NPM-GP/L screen printer delivers world-leading solder printing performance with printing accuracy of ±3.㎛ and cycle time of 12sec. 

Mask changer, which can stork up to 10 mask varieties, and fully automated solder feed and recovery functions are available as options.

Auto Setting Feeder features industry-first automatic peeling of cover tapes from 4- to 104mm-width surface mounting components supply tapes. Thus, it realizes automatic feeding of mounting components without human intervention.

Meanwhile, APC-5M monitors variations in 5Ms in real time and detects changes in the production line. In addition, it analyzes detected changes based on accumulated data, identifies a factor, and autonomously solves the issue in accordance with rules of thumb. 

The NPM-GH modular mounter achieves industry-first ultrahigh precision specification of ±10μm.