Implementation of RFID in a low volume high flexibility assembly plant : item-level tagging

The implementation of an RFID checkpoint system in a low volume high flexibility assembly plant, aimed at tracking the flow of parts within the facility, was studied. A pilot revealed the suitability of the technology to the manufacturing environment considered. Results compared the performance of different 'arch' configurations, and a single-reader, 4-antenna layout was found to yield over 99% read percentage in all cases. The experiments also revealed the difficulty of placing RFID tags on metal surfaces and the importance of part container motion within the arch. A set of tagging and checking procedures was proposed in consequence, along with process modification recommendations aimed at smoothing RFID implementation and maximizing the technology's beneficial impact.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Koniski, Cyril (Cyril A.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David E. Hardt.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62501

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/62501