A machine setup model for TFT-LCD cell back-end process

The cell process is the main part of thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD), and can be divided into front-end process and back-end process. Since the production machines of the cell process are the critical resources, maximizing the machine utilization and minimizing the loss of capacity become the major concern for production planning. This research studies the scheduling of machine setups in scribing and breaking station and in testing station (so called the cell back-end process). A customized machine-setup decision support system is proposed to assist shop-floor workers in the back-end process scribing and breaking station and testing station of a 5th generation TFT-LCD production facility to determine an appropriate timing to set up machines. Through a simulation study, it is found that the throughput of the proposed schedule and the machine setup effort in the bottleneck station are both outperformed the ones obtained by current methods employed in this facility.