Seagate Magnetics is the world's leading manufacturer of hard disk drive media. Determined to modernize facilities and increase product yields, Seagate wanted a system that could automate disk cassette handling and efficiently load and unload process equipment. They needed a single, comprehensive automation system to perform these tasks and to meet several other significant goals: - Make better use of existing process equipment.
- Improve product quality and process efficiency.
- Lower unit cost by cutting work-in-progress inventories, reducing scrap, and avoiding rework.
- Reduce potential contaminants in the clean room by reducing the number of operators.
PEER Group teamed up with robotics vendors and Seagate engineers to create a shop floor control system that provides more than basic automation. The system integrates Motoman robots and Consilium's WorkstreamT to give Seagate substantial shop floor control capabilities: - Collect real-time quality data from automated process equipment.
- Track disk cassettes along planned routes.
- Control the robots and conveyors handling material flow.
- Monitor the real-time status of the overall system and each work-cell.
- Update Workstream with the latest work-in-progress information.
- Manage all system components with an easy-to-use graphic user interface.
Our effective solution for Seagate's manufacturing challenges has lead Seagate to higher yields, higher quality production, and more control over their manufacturing process than ever before. |