ZigBee Technology Facilitates Rapid Maintenance Management in Mold Factories

I. Project Background

In today's highly competitive manufacturing environment, efficient and accurate factory management is crucial for the survival and development of enterprises. Mold management is one of the critical aspects of manufacturing plant operations. However, traditional management methods often suffer from numerous problems, leading to inefficiency, increased costs, and unstable quality.

☛ Pain Points in Mold Management

• Large Quantity and High Value of Molds:

A medium-sized factory may possess thousands of sets of molds, with the cost of each set ranging from several thousand to several hundred thousand RMB. According to statistics, one factory owns 5,000 sets of molds, with a total value exceeding 50 million RMB.

• Frequent Mold Usage and High Maintenance Difficulty:

Molds can be used an average of over 20 times per week. Frequent use leads to easy wear and damage. Taking an injection mold as an example, after 5,000 injection cycles, a major overhaul is required, with maintenance costs as high as 5,000 RMB.

• Disorganized Mold Management and Difficulty in Locating:

Traditional manual recording and management methods result in long times for locating and allocating molds, averaging over 30 minutes per search, severely impacting production efficiency.

• Unclear Mold History, Inability to Accurately Assess Service Life:

Due to the lack of effective tracking methods, key information such as the number of uses and maintenance cycles of molds cannot be accurately grasped, leading to the inability to replace aging molds in time and affecting product quality.

II. ZigBee Technology Solution

• Mold Identification and Tracking

Install ZigBee tags on each set of molds. The tags are bound with information such as the mold's serial number, name, specifications, production date, number of uses, and maintenance cycles. Install readers in mold storage areas and on usage equipment to read the location and status information of molds in real-time. Search for the required mold model through the system software, view the mold's location on the software map, then call the tag near the map location, and quickly locate the required mold based on the tag's audible and visual prompts, thereby improving work efficiency.

Actual Data: After implementing the ZigBee mold management system, one factory reduced the average mold search time from 30 minutes to within 5 minutes, increasing production efficiency by 80%.

• Mold Maintenance and Servicing

Based on information such as the number of uses and maintenance cycles of the molds, the system automatically generates maintenance plans and reminds relevant personnel to perform maintenance tasks. Simultaneously, it records the content and results of maintenance, providing data support for the full lifecycle management of molds.

Actual Data: After implementing the ZigBee mold maintenance management system, one factory extended the average service life of molds by 30% and reduced maintenance costs by 20%.

• Mold Life Assessment and Early Warning

By analyzing the usage data of molds, the system assesses the remaining life of the molds and issues early warnings when molds approach the end of their service life, alerting management personnel to replace them promptly to ensure product quality.

Actual Data: After implementing the ZigBee mold life assessment system, one factory reduced product quality issues caused by mold aging by 70% and decreased customer complaint rates by 50%.

III. Solution Architecture

IV. ZigBee System Implementation Steps

(1) Requirements Analysis
Conduct an in-depth understanding of the factory's production processes, management models, and business requirements to identify problems that need solving and expected goals. Communicate and conduct research with relevant departments and personnel, collecting data and information to provide a basis for system design.

(2) System Design
Based on the results of the requirements analysis, design the overall architecture of the ZigBee system, hardware device layout, software functional modules, and data flow. Select appropriate ZigBee tags, readers, antennas, and other hardware devices, and determine their installation locations and methods. Develop corresponding software systems, including database management, data collection and processing, business logic control, and other functional modules.

(3) Equipment Installation and Debugging
Install ZigBee hardware devices according to the system design plan, and perform debugging and testing. Ensure the devices function correctly and the information bound between tags and items is accurate. Simultaneously, install and configure the software system, conduct joint debugging with the hardware devices to ensure system stability and reliability.

(4) Data Collection and Integration
Collect relevant data through ZigBee readers and integrate it into the enterprise's information system. Clean, transform, and analyze the collected data to extract valuable information, providing support for management decisions.

V. Implementation Cost and Benefit Analysis

(1) Implementation Cost
1. ZigBee Hardware Equipment Cost: Includes tags, readers, antennas, location servers, etc., varying based on the factory's scale and application scenarios.
2. Software System Development Cost: Custom development of ZigBee management software tailored to factory needs.
3. System Integration Cost: Integrating the ZigBee system with the enterprise's existing information systems.
4. Operation and Maintenance Cost: Includes equipment maintenance, data management, system upgrades, etc.

(2) Benefit Analysis
1. Improve Production Efficiency: Through rapid mold location, reduced stockouts, etc., production efficiency is expected to increase by over 30%.
2. Reduce Costs: Decrease mold maintenance costs, inventory holding costs, product recall costs, etc., expected to be reduced by 10% annually.
3. Improve Product Quality: Through mold life assessment, product quality traceability, etc., the product qualification rate is expected to increase by over 5%.
4. Enhance Customer Satisfaction: Timely product delivery and guaranteed product quality are expected to increase customer satisfaction by over 20%.

(3) Investment Payback Period
By implementing the ZigBee technology solution, the investment cost is expected to be recovered within 1 year, achieving long-term economic and management benefits.