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

Author(s)
Koniski, Cyril (Cyril A.)
Thumbnail
DownloadFull printable version (12.24Mb)
Alternative title
Implementation of Radio-Frequency Identification in a low volume high flexibility assembly plant : item-level tagging
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
David E. Hardt.
Terms of use
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. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
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.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.
 
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
 
Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-81).
 
Date issued
2010
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62501
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Mechanical Engineering.
Collections