The AIDC technology firm ImageID has installed its Visidot system at the Ford F150 production plant in Dearborn, USA, to help improve production speed and increase the plant''s efficiency - using 2D Data Matrix labels instead of "cost-prohibitive" RFID tags.

     The installation was implemented in conjunction with Visidot partner Wireless & Barcode in Michigan. The Ford plant, which produces Ford F150 trucks, uses a fully automated ''build order'' system to produce the vehicles. With multiple frame types to choose from, the company was looking for an efficient way to expedite verification of the chassis type as it was being placed onto the production line. 116.30.151.81 This article is copyright 2005 UsingRFID.com.

     In December 2004, Ford decided to install the Visidot system at the frame entrance to the plant to identify and verify the correct selection of the chassis type before it reached the conveyor belt inside.

Why 2D, not RFID?
     The Visidot reader captures a 2D Data Matrix label affixed to each chassis and confirms, in real-time with Ford''s production line controller, that the chassis is correct and can enter the assembly line. Since installation, the system accuracy has been perfect, according to ImageID.

     Ford also considered other options, but the physical conditions at the plant meant that the right system would need to meet several criteria: First, due to the size of and position of the chassis, the system had to be able to capture a label from a distance of more than 20 feet and encompass a large field of view of over 3 feet wide. Second, Ford needed a system that would not incur up-charges from parts suppliers. For this reason, RFID would have been cost-prohibitive whereas the cost of adding a 2D Data Matrix symbol to the existing paper label is practically nothing.

 

 

 

 

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