to a mature state gradually, the focus of Intelligent Manufacturing has shifted to the software. The cloud‐based technologies such as Big Data and AI application modules draw more attention to the researchers and professionals at present. The technologies introduced in this book are a series of automation technologies developed upon IoT, Cloud, Big Data, and AI. Aside from explaining through the theories in detail, it also includes hands‐on application cases in various industries. This is a book worth reading for both industrial professionals and scholars, and I highly recommend these materials for Intelligent Manufacturing education.
Michael Lee
Vice GM of ASEKH MIS Center
Former Plant Manager of ASE Testing and Wafer Bumping Plants
Former Executive Secretary of ASE Security Committee
Former Committee Member of ASE Automation Committee
By the time we established the Precision Machinery Research & Development Center (PMC) in 1993, the board of directors agreed to my suggestion of focusing our efforts on two fields of expertise, IT and total quality control, to speed up our competitiveness on machine tools made in Taiwan, ROC.
Back then, we were totally unaware that IT could even be developed outside our expertise realm to missions such as Apollo 13 by NASA through digital twins.
However, we began to appreciate our choice of focusing on IT when the U.S. National Science Foundation announced the development of Cyber‐Physical Systems in 2006. I am glad to report that PMC was the first organization in Taiwan, ROC to join the IMS Center founded by Prof. Jay Lee while he was a professor at the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee before he moved to Cincinnati. Our affiliation with the IMS center guided us to recognize the worth of Industry 4.0 initiated by Germany later in 2013.
In the meantime, virtual metrology (VM) has emerged as a key tool for controlling complex process such as semiconductor device manufacturing. VM utilizes mathematical models to estimate quality variables that may be difficult or expensive to measure using readily available process information.
Professor Fan‐Tien Cheng, the Editor and leading author of this book, realized that if VM can be fully automated, the quality of a process can be monitored without processing interruption. His team applied their Automatic Virtual Metrology (AVM) to the chemical vapor deposition for a thin film transistor liquid display manufacturing process in Taiwan, ROC. Since AVM allows the possibility of acquiring Zero‐Defects production, he claimed that AVM should be coined into Industry 4.1, i.e., one step ahead of the original Industry 4.0.
In 2013, his team began to expand AVM into the semiconductor packaging process in cooperation with the ASE group. The success of AVM implementation was then followed by the integration of Intelligent Predictive Maintenance (IPM) and Intelligent Yield Management (IYM) into their production lines through the Intelligent Factory Automation (iFA) platform Professor Cheng developed.
In the meantime, the iFA platform was applied to the machining of aluminum alloy wheels at FEMCO Machine Tool Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC. Their success has helped FEMCO to export numerous similar systems to worldwide automobile wheel manufactures. In addition to the semiconductor and automotive industries, his team has deployed these systems constituting Industry 4.1 to many other manufacturing enterprises such as TFT‐LCD, solar cell, jet engine case machining, plastic bottle blow molding, machine tools, 3D metal printing, and thermal process for making carbon fibers.
Professor Cheng and his team aim to upgrade the manufacturing industries to achieve Zero Defects through the implementation of Industry 4.1. This book is the embodiment of their dedication on the advanced technologies that pave the way from Industry 4.0 to Industry 4.1. I highly recommend this practical book to those who are interested in or preparing themselves to take parts in the manufacturing industries, they can see a whole picture of the industry evolvement with actual on‐site application cases.
Kuo‐Chin Chuang
Ph.D. of Materials Sci. and Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Honorary Chairman, Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI)
Former Chairman, Far East Machinery Co, Ltd. (FEMCO)
Chairman, LOGICOM, Inc.
1 Evolution of Automation and Development Strategy of Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects
Fan‐Tien Cheng
Director/Chair Professor, Intelligent Manufacturing Research Center/Institute of Manufacturing Information and Systems, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
1.1 Introduction
The evolution of automation from Industry 1.0 to 3.0 as well as e‐Manufacturing, which is the predecessor of Industry 4.0 is described in this chapter. Then, the core technologies of Industry 4.0 and the concept of mass customization are presented. After that, the concept of Zero Defects (ZD), which is the vision of Industry 4.1, is introduced. Finally, the five‐stage strategy of yield enhancement and ZD assurance is proposed in this chapter.
1.2 Evolution of Automation
While the first industrial revolution (Industry 1.0) introducing the steam engine, the second (Industry 2.0) carrying out the assembly line mass‐production, and the third (Industry 3.0) framing the automated manufacturing with electronic controllers, industrial production requirements need further changes nowadays. There is an increasing demand for manufacturing to satisfy customer expectations precisely; at the same time, companies face growing pressure to manufacture at more competitive prices. To adapt to this evolution, the tools of systems engineering, information and communication technology (ICT), artificial intelligence, and business strategies will be applied to achieve a higher level than before for developing new scenarios of the automated production. Thus, the so‐called Industry 4.0, which aims to increase productivity of the traditional manufacturing scenario, was proposed. In fact, e‐Manufacturing presented by the semiconductor industry is the predecessor of Industry 4.0. Therefore, prior to introducing Industry 4.0, the concept and key components of e‐Manufacturing are described as follows.
1.2.1 e‐Manufacturing
Since market competition in the consumer electronics industry has intensified, short product lifecycle becomes essential. A company that generates innovative research and development can garner market share. The rapid development of the information and Internet technologies facilitates the computerization of the intra‐company manufacturing execution system (MES) [1–3] and equipment engineering system (EES) [4–5], as well as expedites the networking of the inter‐company supply chain (SC) [6–8] and engineering chain (EC) [9–11] to
