SUCCESS STORY / ELECTRONIC GAS CYLINDERS
The right gas, verified as the cylinder slides in
Semiconductor makers cannot afford the wrong gas. At Air Products’ Wuxi electronic-gas plant, Thingple tags and handheld readers give each cylinder an identity that customers’ gas cabinets can read and verify.
Air Products supplies the cylinders and runs its own systems. It uses Thingple tags and handhelds because its semiconductor customers asked for them.
- Customer
- Air Products
- Industry
- Industrial gases
- Location
- Wuxi, China
- Solution
- RFID tags and handhelds
- Year
- In use since 2018
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
The right gas, checked automatically at the point of use
Electronic-gas cylinders from Air Products’ Wuxi plant, tagged with Thingple since 2018 at the request of semiconductor customers.
THE CHALLENGE
In chip making, the wrong gas is not a small mistake
Semiconductor plants consume large volumes of electronic-grade gases through gas cabinets. Air Products, one of the world’s largest industrial gas companies, supplies them from its Wuxi electronic-gas plant.
Wrong gas, huge cost
A wrong gas or wrong grade can ruin product and stop a production line.
Eyes and labels
Checking a label by eye, cylinder by cylinder, depends on a person getting it right every time.
Customers want proof
Semiconductor customers want each cylinder verified before use and traceable to its source.
Tags that stay and read
A tag has to stay stuck on a cylinder and read reliably, with metal and other cylinders close by.
Air Products runs its own systems for delivery and tracking. So Thingple supplies the missing piece, tags and handheld readers, and fits into the existing process instead of replacing it.
THE SOLUTION
A tag that the customer’s cabinet can read
Tag and handheld at the plant, reader at the cabinet. The cylinder carries its identity all the way to the point of use.
UHF tag on each cylinder
A tag built to stay on the cylinder and read reliably next to metal and neighbouring cylinders.
HardwareHandheld reader
Writes the data to the tag, reads cylinders, and counts the cylinders in stock.
HardwareReader in the gas cabinet
At the customer, a reader in the cabinet reads each cylinder as it slides in and checks it is the right gas.
Customer sideConfiguration and logs
A PC tool to maintain the approved supplier codes, and to view and export the operation log.
SoftwareAt the plant
- Tag matched to the cylinder
- Data written by handheld
- Handheld cylinder inventory
Delivery
- Cylinder travels to the fab
At the customer
- Reader in the gas cabinet
- Gas and grade verified
- Wrong cylinder rejected
HOW IT WORKS
From the filling plant to the gas cabinet
Follow one cylinder from tagging to verification. Select a step, or let it play.
What the system recordsIllustrative example
- 1Tag matched to cylinder 0741
- 2Tag fixed on the shoulder
- 3Data written · gas, grade, supplier code
- 4Delivered to the semiconductor plant
- 5Slid into the cabinet · tag read
- 6Right gas, right grade · verified
THE BENEFITS
What changes for each team
Semiconductor customers
Confidence at the cabinet
The cabinet checks gas and grade, so the wrong cylinder does not reach the process.
The gas plant
Simple to tag
Three steps: match, stick, write.
Warehouse and delivery
Quick cylinder counts
The handheld reads many tags at once for cylinder inventory.
The supply chain
One identity, end to end
The same tag follows the cylinder from the plant to the customer’s cabinet.
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EXPLORE YOUR OPERATION
Where could better
data help your plant?
Tell us about your warehouse, your lines or your quality challenges.
Email info@thingple.com ↗