Axel Bindel

New lifecycle monitoring system for electronic manufacturing with embedded wireless components

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an update of and the latest results from work on a project aimed at monitoring electronic products during the whole life cycle with embedded wireless components.Design/methodology/approach – Business processes of the electronic manufacturing supply chain were analysed. A business case and the system opportunities for life cycle monitoring, based on embedded wireless components system were developed. Radio frequency identification (RFID) assembly technology was adapted for the integration of components into a multi‐layer printed circuit board (PCB).Findings – By storing product‐related information into electronic products, tracing of components, monitoring of processes, operations and costs, environmentally optimised recycling can be enhanced.Research limitations/implications – The research undertaken so far relates to the embedding of RFID tags into PCBs. Wireless components with more processing power will be used in the next project phase.Originality/valu...

Product life cycle information management in the electronics supply chain

Information availability and data transparency are key requirements from manufacturers when supporting products throughout the life cycle, for example, when implementing product service systems. The application of embedded wireless technologies into printed circuit boards can help by bridging current knowledge gaps in order to minimise both technical and financial risk through: reduced product downtime, improved quality of tracking, and enhanced end-of-life decision making. The application of an embedded radio frequency identification device into printed circuit boards for life cycle monitoring of electronic products to support product service systems is discussed in this article.

Information structure required for life-cycle monitoring of electronic products

Real time visibility of product-centric data has become increasingly important to original equipment manufacturers in order to optimise supply chain operations, increase quality, reduce resource usage and increase the retained value at the end-of-life of the product. The development of a system capable of supporting collection and visualisation of product-centric data that is used in life-cycle monitoring systems for electronic products is described in this article. The concepts behind intelligent products in the electronics manufacturing domain are discussed. In particular the research is focused on which product-related information is needed throughout the supply chain and how business processes can be optimised if this knowledge is available. A review of intelligent products is outlined and product information that is generated and travels with the product through the supply chain is described by analysis of business processes and identification of those processes, which could be made redundant if product-related data were available. A survey of manufacturing experts within this domain has been undertaken to determine what information should travel with the product, what opportunities exist for embedded information and what barriers for the implementation exist with regard to the specific constraints and needs in the electronics manufacturing domain. The results of this survey are discussed with conclusions drawn and future research derived and described.

A Multi-sensor System for Monitoring the Performance of Elite Swimmers

A comprehensive system is required to monitor numerous variables of a swimmer’s performance. Current methods of analysis do not offer solutions which record and analyse multiple performance parameters simultaneously. The research presented in this paper provides an overview of an integrated system which has been developed to monitor several components of a swimmer’s start, free swimming and turn concurrently. The integrated system is comprised of a wearable wireless sensor, vision components, force platform, pressure pad, LED markers and audio communication.