The Korea Exchange trading board KOSDAQ (Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) has presented Koh Young Technology with the KOSDAG “Industry 4.0 Pioneer Award” during the 10th annual KOSDAQ Awards Ceremony held on June 26, 2018. The expert panel of judges evaluated Koh Young’s available KSMART solutions and its surgical robot under development to be the best examples of the Industrial 4.0 revolution.
Pioneer with innovation embedded in its DNA
Since Koh Young was established in 2002, the industry has long recognized it as a technological pioneer. The company has aggressively invested in R&D with over 600 patents applied at home and abroad – registering over 400 patents as of 2017. Nearly half of its 520+ employees are researchers working in R&D centers around the world, including the prestigious Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) near Seoul.
Data, machines, and processes
Hardware is a core component of Koh Young’s business; however, this is not the key to its continued success. With the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0, more manufacturers are working hard to improve quality assurance by using big data analytics to examine production processes. With over 15 years of expertise providing ultra-precise 3D SPI (Solder Paste Inspection) and 3D AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) solutions, Koh Young provides quantitative measurement data with high repeatability and accuracy. Furthermore, KSMART helps Koh Young provide its customers with real-time data management, analysis, and optimization tools.
Networking production elements across an entire factory is one of the most important goals of Industry 4.0. Koh Young sees this not only as more than an internal goal; it is a collaborative mission to achieve with its partners. KSMART Process Optimizer (KPO) is an excellent example, which can provide real-time feedback to mounters and printers. The closed-loop communication between machines helps automatically adjust parameters by exercising AI-powered algorithms.
Going beyond SMT with robotics
Koh Young is going beyond its Industry 4.0 leadership position by integrating its 3D measurement technologies with robotic applications. The company is drawing a collaborative future, where robots and humans work hand-in-hand to maximize process efficiencies. For example, the Koh Young compact surgical robot, called IST-Guide, provides surgeons with an increased level of dexterity through intelligent machine vision systems. Because the system is ideally suited for extremely demanding deep brain stimulation, Koh Young is expecting wide adoption to address myriad surgical procedures.