Electronics manufacturing services provider Flextronics says it has developed a first-of-its-kind Universal Box Build (UBB) system designed to improve productivity and efficiency on the factory floor, shorten time-to-manufacturing, and improve quality.
The UBB automation solution, which was developed by Flextronics’ Advanced Engineering Group (AEG), assembles large-format products such as servers, switches and storage systems. The system is equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity via smart sensors, actuators, and cameras.
Murad Kurwa, vice president of global design and engineering at Flextronics, said the UBB system is different from other automated equipment because it offers real-time video and data streaming that enables engineers and customers to remotely analyze data for improvement and predictability.
"UBB helps enable factories of the future to collect and analyze data which was previously unavailable in manual assembly processes,” he said.
Such data includes placement accuracy of various components, such as heat-sinks, CPUs, drives and other components, and is available in real time providing timely analytics. The data can be viewed by product design teams and can be used to improve customers' visibility for supply chain continuity.
The UBB machine is scalable and easy to replicate globally because of its modular structure and ease of configuration, according to Flextronics.
Murad said the UBB system has been qualified and installed for mass production at the Flextronics Customer Innovation Center in Silicon Valley.
“We look forward to rolling out the UBB across all Flextronics sites globally over time,” he said. “It has proven to revolutionize production” and will lead to higher efficiency, improved quality and consistency, said Murad.