SIMATIC Ident
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SIMATIC Ident To be in the Know – easily, quickly and cost-effectively Complete Transparency in the Solar Module Production Compact, rugged and easy to put into operation, at the same time quick, reliable and low-priced – that is how code reading systems have to be, even more so if they are installed in larger numbers. As is the case in vast solar module factories, where often up to 100 code readers guide the modules on their way through the various processing stations. For this purpose, one of the world‘s leading plant manufacturers relies on an integrated, PROFINET-based solution from a single source. The production of solar modules is a business characterized by fierce international competition. And thus also by highly automated, complex production processes with little o ­ perator intervention. Even after modules are manually d ­ ischarged and then reintroduced into the production flow, the various processing stations have to “know” which m ­ odule in what condition is arriving at the station and which processing steps are pending. That is, the modules need to be tracked & traced without interruption from the beginning to the end of the production and be clearly identifiable by the controllers at any point and at all times. A tried and tested method for accomplishing this employs barcodes and data matrix codes (DMC), which are placed directly onto, below or also into the glass substrate, or printed on labels and applied. Such a code makes each m ­ odule unique and therefore identifiable and traceable. However, the quality of the code reading systems used affects the process reliability and consequently also the p ­ roductivity and output. Thanks to the reliable reading rate even in the most demanding environments, Reis Robotics based in Obernburg am Main (Germany) – according to the company, the worldwide leader in system solutions for the solar module production – universally relies on SIMATIC code reading systems by Siemens from the product spectrum of industrial identification systems.

Compact, cost-effective Standard For a majority of the applications in the photovoltaics industry as well as in automobile manufacturing, the company employs the stationary code reading system SIMATIC MV420 in the low-priced basic version “SR-B” (with a standard resolution of either 640 x 480 or 752 x 480 pixels). The especially compact device with integrated optics and illumination is predestined for reading distances in the near to medium range from approximately 15 to 220 mm. The MV420 reads all current 1D/2D codes, also DMCs, largely independent of the printing technology and carrier...

Management level Ethernet Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Industrial Ethernet SIMATIC connection PROFINET/ Industrial Ethernet PROFIBUS Field level Diverse connection and communication possibilities are essential prerequisites for the high flexibility of the SIMATIC code reading systems MV420 and MV440 Beyond the integrated visualization options, OEMs, system integrators or users can also create a specific user interface on the basis of the standard visualization systems SIMATIC WinCC flexible and WinCC. The wide range of lenses and various...