Digitization is one of the hot topics in all Industry 4.0 efforts that are currently discussed. Often the focus is on digitization of business processes with a financial/organizational perspective on manufacturing, so the tools are adapting to enterprise resource planning [ERP] and manufacturing execution system [MES] rather than on actual manufacturing issues on the shop floor. Within the SiEvEI 4.0 project, a research consortium from the area of electronics manufacturing is working on digitization for a manufacturing scenario where high value electronic goods are built in a distributed manufacturing environment. The key research topics addressed are the implementation of a Chain of Trust [CoT] for such a distributed manufacturing, i.e. and the application of artificial intelligence/machine learning to analyze and eventually optimize manufacturing processes.

The paper will introduce the concept of both COT and AI-based process analysis that will later on transferred into a microelectronics production environment. Two reference processes are targeted, SMD assembly using fully automated manufacturing equipment and Solder Ball Application using a high-mix/low volume concept.

As a result, the paper presents a concept of how to digitize manufacturing processes and use this digital description of a process combination to make a distributed manufacturing flow safe and increase product/process quality.

This content is only available as a PDF.