Optimization of kitting operations for an automated microelectronics assembly process

Raytheon's Solid-State Microwave (SSM) manufacturing area produces a low-volume, high mix assortment of Microwave Integrated Circuits (MIC) for airborne radars. The current kitting process for pick-and-place assembly is manually-intensive with significant die handling, resulting in multiple opportunities for damage and loss as well as accidental switching of near-identical components. These defects are difficult to detect and are often not discovered until the completed MICs are tested, by which time significant value has been added. The core of this project was to reduce kitting defects, total process cycle time and overall cost through reduction of "touch" labor and kit screenings. The establishment of customized die packaging requirements will result in the optimization of die packaging before the material is received into the storeroom. These new packaging requirements, in combination with the implementation of a point-of-use store for residual materials on the factory floor, enables in large part the elimination of the kitting process, resulting in significant reduction in handling and correlated reductions in lost or damaged parts and "wrong part" defects.

Department dc:contributor.department

Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Williams, Gregory A. (Gregory Alan)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Roy E. Welsch and David Simchi-Levi.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Sloan School of Management.
• Leaders for Manufacturing Program.

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/1721.1/34671

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/34671