Successful Testing of Productivity Improvements Provided by Renesas AI Unit Solution at GE Healthcare Japan’ Hino Factory
2018年9月5日 - 04:51AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Proving Test Results Show Production Yield Can
Increase up to 99.5 Percent
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier
of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that Renesas
and GE Healthcare Japan's Hino Factory together performed a proving
test using Renesas’ “AI unit solution.” The AI unit solution is one
of Renesas’ e-AI (embedded artificial intelligence) solutions for
manufacturing equipment that makes it possible to adopt AI in
endpoint embedded equipment. As a result of this testing, it was
verified that the production yield in the applicable process can be
increased up to 99.5% by reducing unsatisfactory items, and that
this technology was capable of significantly improving
productivity. Although Renesas had previously performed a proving
test at their own factories, the proving test performed at GE
Healthcare Japan demonstrated that Renesas’ “AI unit solution” is
effective at other companies' factories as well.
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Proving test using Renesas’ AI unit
solution at GE Healthcare Japan’s Hino factory (Photo: Business
Wire)
AI unit solutions for manufacturing equipment, which are the
first solution in the Renesas e-AI solutions, implement fault
detection and predictive maintenance and are installed to existing
facilities equipment or machinery as an add-on device AI unit. It
is possible to adapt pre-trained neural network models (models in
which learning has been completed) in a period as short as a single
day, and the sequence of AI processing, from sensor data collection
to data processing, analysis, and evaluation/judgment, can be
performed in real time. This allows tiny errors and defects that
previously were not seen to be recognized immediately on the
factory floor. As a result, not only are wasteful efforts avoided,
but also contribute to increased value of the end product by, for
example, improving product quality.
Taking the fact that Renesas was able to confirm these effects
through a proving test, Renesas intends to deploy its AI unit
solutions globally. Propositions will not only be made for the type
of e-AI solution that is added to existing production machinery,
but types of solution that can be included in manufacturing
machinery in advance. Renesas is committed to making the world's
factories even smarter by working to expand our e-AI solution
lineup to accelerate endpoint intelligence.
GE Healthcare Japan's Hino Factory manufactures medical
equipment such as CT, MR, and ultrasound scanning devices. Of the
roughly 450 GE group manufacturing sites worldwide, Hino Factory is
noted for its use of IoT technologies and its high productivity and
was selected as one of the first seven sites to lead GE's
“Brilliant Factory” initiative. Since this factory went online in
1982, it has led the way in leading-edge initiatives.
[Overview of the Proving Test]
At GE Healthcare Japan's Hino Factory, AI units were installed
in manufacturing equipment and a proving test was performed for
early detection of problems using fault detection and for effects
of identifying unsatisfactory items produced. In particular, a
pre-trained model was embedded into AI unit prototypes and mounted
on the manufacturing equipment. Processing states that were unable
to be grasped in the past could now be seen by measuring the signal
waveform data sent from the manufacturing equipment in extreme
detail. Since the endpoint equipment judged whether there was any
abnormality or not and sent only the abnormal test results, there
was no need to increase communication data volume. When an abnormal
waveform is detected, an alarm is set off in real time and
manufacturing is temporarily stopped. The testing proved that the
production yield can increase up to 99.5% by reducing
unsatisfactory items and that productivity can be improved
significantly.
[Future Developments]
Having confirmed that the possibility of unsatisfactory product
occurrence could be reduced by immediately stopping production when
an abnormality is detected and as a result improving product yield,
GE Healthcare Japan's Hino Factory now plans to apply the AI units
to mass production manufacturing equipment. It was proved that
since the “Predix” IoT platform for industrial applications
provided globally by GE Digital had already been adopted at the
Hino Factory, the state of manufacturing equipment can be shared by
uploading the judgement results to Predix in real time on the
cloud. Moving forward, Renesas and GE Healthcare Japan will work
together to further strengthen the connections between Renesas’
e-AI solutions and Predix and improve productivity, for example, by
analyzing long-term trends in manufacturing equipment.
"Many of the medical equipment products manufactured at this
site are expensive devices, therefore improving product yield by
reducing unsatisfactory products is a constant theme for
improvement. Of those efforts, the products that were the subject
of this experiment are ones for which defects and problems, until
now, were detected by the experience and intuitions of the workers
on the factory floor,” said Kozaburo Fujimoto, Hino Factory
Manager, GE Healthcare Japan. “We are extremely pleased that this
experiment that applies the Renesas AI Unit Solution proves that it
is possible to implement manufacturing processes that do not depend
on human operators and that it is possible to increase production
yield. We hope to continue working on this approach and continue to
strive to provide excellent value to our customers as seen from the
standpoints of quality, delivery time, and cost through diligent
improvements in productivity."
"We have already adopted our AI unit solutions in the
semiconductor etching process at our Naka Factory, and have been
producing results in abnormality detection and predictive
maintenance in chemical changes,” said Akira Denda, Vice President,
Industrial Automation Business Division, Renesas Electronics
Corporation. “In this cooperative effort with the GE Healthcare
Japan’s Hino Factory, we performed a proving test in a production
machine that moves mechanically, and it was able to detect defect
occurrences and connect with GE's industrial IoT platform Predix,
which were significant results. In the future, we hope to advance
the adoption of all types of our e-AI solutions at manufacturing
sites worldwide and contribute to improved productivity for our
customers."
About Renesas Electronics Corporation
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted
embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions
that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance
the way people work and live—securely and safely. A global leader
in microcontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products and integrated
platforms, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and
comprehensive solutions for a broad range of Automotive,
Industrial, Home Electronics, Office Automation and Information
Communication Technology applications to help shape a limitless
future. Learn more at renesas.com.
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Renesas Electronics CorporationJessica Kerr, +
408-761-8135jessica.kerr@porternovelli.com