TNGO, a machine builder that has supplied luminance inspection machines to major Korean LED production facilities, has integrated the Cognex DataMan® 100X and 100S, as well as the In-Sight® Micro 1110 into their LED luminance inspection machine to create an automated part history management system with a track and trace system. This successful system has now been installed in nine LED production lines.

Superior read rates at high speeds

TNGO’s LED-bar luminance defective inspection moves along 30 meters with 5 stages of testing. Each plate has 16 bars and each bar and plate has unique barcodes to verity that the test is being properly performed by each stage.

In the LED-bar luminance test, in particular, products move rapidly, and diffused reflection is severe because of the intense vibration. Because of the environment, a barcode reader which guarantees high read rates even under variable work conditions was required by TNGO. In addition, the bars are close together so TNGO needed a compact barcode reader that could be installed in a very small place and could tolerate a small field of view in which to search for codes.

The Cognex DataMan 100 series is an ultra-small, fixed-mount reader which integrates lighting, camera, processor, and communication functions. This product is perfect for production facilities which require the greatest performance in a very limited space. It was the first choice for starting TNGO’s parts history management system. The DataMan 100X presents the highest read rates under any circumstances such as code deformation. DataMan 100X offers the powerful 2-D decoding software, IDMax® ,and offers superior performance capable of handling all codes from 1-D/2-D barcodes to the most difficult Direct Part Marked (DPM) codes. This model has exhibited the best performance in reading the end user’s ECC 0 2-D Data Matrix code (17x17).

Mr. Kim Jae-gwang of IDINTECH, a Cognex ASP (Automated Solutions Provider), said ,“The DataMan 100X is a high-performance, ultra-small product with a capacity of handling 60 frames per second and up to 45 decodes per second. Because it enables USB and RS-232 communications as well as a PoE (Power of Ethernet) connection, it is very convenient in system integration.” He also said, “While other companies still use a 1-D scanner for LED history management system, TNGO has adopted the DataMan high-performance 2-D reader in consideration of compatibility and extendibility in the future, which has made it possible to provide better solutions.”

Contribution to the improvement of work efficiency and productivity

Meanwhile, TNGO has focused on enhancing the productivity of the history management system by integrating the DataMan reader with an In-Sight Micro 1110 ID vision system. The combination of Cognex products has made it possible to read four LED-bar barcodes at the same time it is being inspected using the In-Sight Micro at the final stage of the luminance. This has maximized the speed and efficiency of the entire process.

The In-Sight Micro ID reader, which features high-tech OCR/OCV tools and 1-D/2-D code reading and identification software, enables character and barcode reading at the same time.

Jae-gwang said again, “Unlike the manually operated conventional history management system, the Cognex vision solution-based automated history management system has enhanced work productivity up to three times.” He added, “Because additional facility investments continue thanks to high demand for LED products, it appears that the demand for a history management system would increase accordingly.”

About TNGOTNGO has accumulated great knowledge and technology in the automation of manufacturing facilities in the semiconductor and display industries, the automation of various testing and inspection facilities and manufacturing equipment & system integration solutions. The company now develops and provides LED module in-line automated inspection equipment, high-temperature lighting inspection equipment, low-current lighting inspection equipment, and manual LED module inspection systems with diverse solutions in automation. The company started under the name of Ai-OS ENG in 1992 and was renamed to TNGO in 2004. For more information, visit their website (http://www.tngo.co.kr).