IP Hermes – A protocol to Advance Industry 4.0 in Electronics Manufacturing

Electronics is incredibly important in the 21st century. In fact, it’s hard to exaggerate just how crucial electronics have become in our daily lives. From communication, information access, entertainment, education and healthcare, electronics is an essential component of modern life and will continue to be so in the future as technology continues to advance.

IPC (Institute for Printed Circuits) Standards are a set of guidelines and standards used in the electronics industry to ensure the quality and reliability of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electronic assemblies. These standards cover a wide range of topics related to PCB design, fabrication, assembly, and testing. The IPC Standards are widely recognised and used by electronics manufacturers, suppliers, and designers worldwide.

IPC Standards are constantly evolving and are regularly updated to keep pace with advances in technology and changes in industry practices. Adherence to IPC Standards helps to ensure that electronic products are manufactured to high standards of quality and reliability, which in turn helps to protect consumers and promote the growth and success of the electronics industry.

One example of how the IPC standards keep up to speed is with the development of the Hermes standard, which has been developed to standardise how machines communicate. This has become increasingly important with the development of automation and Industry 4.0.

What is the Hermes Standard?

The HERMES Standard is an international project aimed at standardising and optimising the exchange of information between machines and systems in electronics manufacturing. The initiative is supported by a group of companies, including major electronics manufacturers and suppliers, software developers, and equipment manufacturers. This will enable different machines and systems to communicate with each other seamlessly, regardless of the brand or model, and ensure that data is transmitted accurately and efficiently.

The TCP/IP- and XML-based protocol makes it possible for the first time to transport circuit boards with full traceability (i.e., no loss of data) through all stations of an SMT line. For electronics manufacturers, the new open standard promises to deliver more transparency while saving time and money when building and integrating SMT lines.

The HERMES Standard is based on the principles of Industry 4.0, which emphasises the use of digital technologies and data exchange to optimise manufacturing processes and improve productivity. By standardising machine communication, the HERMES Standard will help streamline the manufacturing process, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency.

IP Hermes extended interface will allow for the following:

• • Unique identifiers for the handles of printed circuit boards.
  • Equipment identifiers of the first machine noticing a printed board.
  • Barcodes
  • Conveyor speed

Product type specific information including:

• • Barcodes
  • Conveyor speed

  Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)

  The HERMES Standard can benefit larger Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with higher value products, such as medical devices, in several ways:

  Improved traceability: The HERMES Standard provides a standardised language and protocol for machine-to-machine communication, which helps to ensure that data is transmitted accurately and efficiently. This can improve traceability throughout the manufacturing process, making it easier to track and verify the origin and history of individual components and devices.

  Increased efficiency: By standardising machine communication, the HERMES Standard can help streamline the manufacturing process, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency. This can help larger OEMs with higher value products to produce their devices more quickly and cost-effectively, while also maintaining high levels of quality and reliability.

  Enhanced data analytics: The HERMES Standard can also facilitate the collection and analysis of data throughout the manufacturing process. This can help larger OEMs with higher value products to gain insights into their production processes and identify opportunities for optimisation and improvement. This can be particularly valuable in the context of medical devices, where quality and consistency are critical.

  Reduced risk: The HERMES Standard can help larger OEMs with higher value products to reduce the risk of errors and defects in their devices. By providing a standardised language and protocol for machine communication, the HERMES Standard can help to ensure that all components and devices are manufactured to consistent standards of quality and reliability, reducing the risk of costly recalls or safety issues.

  HERMES Standards and Integration Amongst our Suppliers

  As a supplier of the best-in-class industrial electronic equipment, our suppliers such as Nutek, Heller Industries, SEHO systems, Solderstar have implemented the integration of the HERMES Standard within their business practices.

  Since integrating these practices, our suppliers have improved their process by maintaining high levels of quality and reliability of their products while also allowing them to produce solutions more quickly and cost effectively. Traceability has increased visibility into operations, drives process and product improvement helping detect and eliminate defects during production, improve quality, and ensure accordance with regulations.

  For example, with the option to configure their systems to the Hermes, our supplier Nutek’s latest NTA range of Nutek panel handling equipment is designed to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0. This series is capable of fast automatic changeovers, integration of any manufacturing execution system (MES), handling large product databases and multiple machine-to-machine (M2M, IPC Hermes-9852) communication.

  Another supplier Heller, our SMT reflow and curing oven supplier also has implemented HERMES compatibility, specialising in Computer/IoM Interfacing. This integration provides:

  • Central control
  • Production reporting — # of boards processed, up time, down time
  • MTBF / MTTA / MTTR
  • Energy management and control
  • Traceability of product

  These processes give an insight into the efficiency of  production processes and identify areas for improvement by tracking and analysing data related to the production process to optimise efficiency.

  Overall, the HERMES Standard represents a major step forward in the evolution of electronics manufacturing and is expected to have a significant impact on the way machines and systems communicate and work together in the future while maintaining high standards of quality and reliability.

  

  If you’d like to know how we can help align to the Hermes standard please contact us.

  Hermes website if they’d like to know more about the standard visit site here.