Product category:
Electronics Manufacturing Quality Assurance
News Release from: Meech International | Subject: Model 983 static locator
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 12 December 2003
Static locator finds Sony's hot spots
Following a seminar at Sony's Bridgend plant, the company's engineers are putting together a "static map" of the whole production process as part of their plan to eliminate static hot spots.
Following a seminar by Meech Static Eliminators at Sony's Bridgend plant, Sony engineers are putting together a "static map" of the whole production process as part of their plan to eliminate static hot spots Sony has been making televisions in Wales for nearly 30 years at its two Mid Glamorgan facilities that between them employ approximately 2000 staff
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 13 Nov 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Bridgend plant manufactures cathode ray tubes ranging in size from 21 to 32in, some of which are then transported the short distance to its sister plant, where the televisions are assembled, while others are assembled overseas.
In this high-technology manufacturing process dust poses a major threat to quality.
Any dust left in the cathode ray tube after it is evacuated and sealed will cause the voltage from the electron gun to arc to it, causing the product to fail its in-house quality tests and therefore result in wastage.
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To combat this problem the company incorporates a range of cleaning operations into the manufacturing process.
However, as in any process, the Sony engineers felt there was room for further improvement, particularly as at various stages during the manufacturing process the tubes become statically charged attracting whatever dust is in the environment to cling to them.
Sony Process Engineer, Tony Thomas, takes up the story: "We knew static was present, we knew it could be attracting dust onto the tubes, what we didn't know was how, why or how much - but we knew a man who did - we called in Meech Static Eliminators".
A Meech application specialist visited the plant, discussed the manufacturing process and the range of options available and proposed the installation of an ionising air curtain immediately before the last of the ultrasonic washes prior to sealing the tube.
This proposal, which has been successfully implemented, effectively "unsticks" the dust that is attracted to the tubes by the static charge and blows that dust away.
During the course of that initial conversation many aspects of static were discussed and it was felt that this was a topic that the plant engineers would benefit from understanding more fully.
Meech was therefore asked to arrange a short seminar to be held during Sony's weekly engineering forum.
The session, which lasted an hour, was attended by 40 Sony engineers and engineering managers and included an update on the causes of static, its effect on manufacturing processes, the range of methods to control it and a very lively question and answer session.
During the course of the discussion several new issues were raised and the Meech specialists then toured the factory to look at other areas where static could be affecting the process.
Thomas continues: "It was particularly interesting to hear how other manufacturers are dealing with similar issues.
Two instances, which on the face of it couldn't be more different from our own, were discussed, one being the manufacture of aftershave bottles, the other the manufacture of fuel tanks for speed boats, both of which needed to be dust-free and both of which used static control techniques to remove dust prior to sealing".
Having now fully understood the static issues Sony is tackling them methodically.
Using a Meech Model 983 static locator, each part of the manufacturing process is being checked and given a static rating, ranging from red - for a high static charge - through amber to green - for no static charge.
The information is being mapped onto a plan of the factory with the aim of first eliminating all the red areas and gradually moving to a statically neutral manufacturing environment, thus removing the cause of the dust-cling and eliminating the problem. Request a free brochure from Meech International ...
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