Intelligent Assembly System and Method of Use

An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one ore more processors to perform operations comprising:

• reading product-related information from a first tag secured to a first component of a workpiece during a manufacturing process of the workpiece;
• reading product-related information from a second tag secured to a second component of the workpiece during the manufacturing process;
• and
• storing at least a portion of the product-related information form the second tag on the first tag.

A process for including product-related information with a product, the process comprising:

• defining at least one or more assembly operations, assembly components, or processes related to a manufacturing process as product-related information;
• securing a tag to one of the defined assembly components;
• writing at least a portion of the product-related information to the first tag;
• reading at least a portion of the product-related information from the first tag;
• determining whether the assembly component with the first tag is located at a designated assembly station;
• determining at least one of whether a component identifier read from the first tag as part of the product-related information corresponds to a child component to be assembled at the designated assembly station or whether a process identifier read from the first tag as part of the product-related information corresponds to a process to be applied at the designated assembly station;
• at least one of assembling the child component to be assembled at the designated assembly station when the component identifier corresponds to the child component or applying the process to be applied at the designated assembly station when the process identifier corresponds to the process;
• updating the production-related information contained on the first tag to indicate at least one of assembly of the child component or application of the process;
• and
• retaining the product-related information with the product throughout the life of the product.