New Standard on Tracking Consumables and Durables

By Michelle Sun, SEMI HQ

Many types of equipment work with durables and consumables. Durables are items that wear out and require periodic replacement, such as feeders, end effectors, squeegees, grippers, adapters, drill bits, and other cutting instruments. Consumables, on the other hand, are materials that are consumed during manufacturing, such as dispensing glue, mold compound, and wire. Some factories may wish to track when a durable and consumable is used, when it is unmounted, and when a new one is mounted. They may also wish the factory host to have the ability to accept or reject a newly mounted durable and consumable.

As a result, SEMI E189, Specification for Equipment Management of Consumables and Durables (EMCD), was created. Developed by the Advanced Backend Factory Integration (ABFI) Task Force under the Information & Control North America Technical Committee, SEMI E189 provides a standardized list of behaviors for host communication with manufacturing equipment during the removal, installation, and usage of consumables and durables. It also defines data reporting available to a host related to consumables and durables, including the consumable and durable status information regarding expiration date, location, and more.

With this new standard, the Task Force hopes that equipment users will be able to increase the traceability of their parts, increasing efficiency and cost reduction.

Get Involved

SEMI Standards development activities take place throughout the year in all major manufacturing regions. To get involved, join the SEMI International Standards Program at: www.semi.org/standardsmembership.

For more information, please visit our main Web site and current events page. If you have any questions regarding SEMI Standards activities, please contact your local SEMI Standards staff.

Standards Watch
SEMI
www.semi.org
June 13, 2024