Airbag
In airbag manufacturing, vehicle manufacturers require their supplier to prove for every airbag which vehicle it was installed in and with what torque and angle. An IoT gateway retrieves this data from the controllers and stores it permanently.
Airbag at a glance
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Airbag manufacturing: capturing installation data
In the solution example, PTC Kepware's KEPServerEX connects the programmable logic controllers in production. Communication with the manufacturing system used to run via OPC DA, which was complicated and increasingly outdated. Switching to OPC UA proved even more complex. Instead, the user implemented the REST server agent in the IoT Gateway for KEPServerEX. The data is sent via REST/HTTP to IJ Core, the company's own manufacturing execution system on a local server at each plant. IJ Core stores the information for several years and thus meets customers' traceability requirements.
The user is automotive supplier Faurecia, and the use case is digital production records. The major OEMs wanted to know which airbags were installed in which vehicles and requested details such as torque and installation angle. The data was available, but capturing and distributing it was not efficient or scalable enough. The pilot project ran at the plant in Porto Real, Brazil. With the IoT Gateway, the transparency project shrank from a planned six months to a solution that worked within a few days. Communication with production is faster, quality assurance receives the data it needs to analyse production quality, and developers work with the familiar REST protocol.
Airbag manufacturing: frequently asked questions
What data do OEMs need for airbag traceability?
Vehicle manufacturers want to know which airbag was installed in which vehicle and how. In the Faurecia example, the OEMs requested detailed information on the installation of every airbag, such as torque and installation angle. This data comes from the controllers in production. The IJ Core MES stores it for several years so that customers can access traceability information at any time.
How does torque data get from an airbag production line into the MES?
An IoT gateway reads the data from the controllers and passes it to the manufacturing system via REST/HTTP. At Faurecia, PTC Kepware's KEPServerEX connects the PLCs in production, and the REST server agent in the IoT Gateway sends the values to IJ Core. Previously, this connection ran via OPC DA, which was complicated. The developers already knew REST and could reuse existing connections.
How quickly can an airbag supplier implement traceability?
With an existing connectivity platform, it can be very quick. With the IoT Gateway for KEPServerEX, Faurecia reduced its transparency project from a complicated six-month undertaking to a solution that worked within a few days. It was tested at the pilot plant in Porto Real, Brazil. Afterwards, the company planned to standardise its plants in North America, Asia and Europe on KEPServerEX.
What does data capture in airbag production bring internally?
Besides customers, production, quality assurance and development also benefit. At Faurecia, communication between production and the MES is much faster, and quality assurance receives the industrial data it needs to analyse production quality. Developers gain time for new solutions because they work with REST instead of OPC. Senior management can also use the data.
More assets in “Piece Goods / Bulk Material”
Parcel
Parcel sorting with IoT starts in goods receiving, where sensors capture each parcel’s tracking number, size and weight. Shipments are routed by priority, packing teams know early what is coming, and manual scanning ends.
Workpiece
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Printed circuit board
PCB manufacturing digitalisation connects machines, controllers and the ERP so that every printed circuit board is produced with the right parameters. Manufacturers detect downtime and bottlenecks, avoid operating errors and give customers the production data they ask for.
Raw material batch
Batch management with IoT links every raw material batch to weighing data, test results and the production order. When deviations or audits occur, manufacturers see at once which batch went into which product instead of searching paper and Excel files.
Goods in transit
Cargo theft prevention starts with IoT trackers that report the position, temperature and shocks of goods in transit. They show shippers at all times where their goods are and reveal break-in attempts, delays or problems in the cold chain.
Injection-moulded part
Injection moulding defects often show up in cooling and process data before they become visible on the moulded part. IoT continuously records mould temperature, cooling water and machine data so that deviations are noticed before faulty parts are produced.
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