TFT-LCD面板產業為近年來台灣發展最快速的產業之一，大尺寸TFT-LCD產業為資本密集且具進入與退出障礙，面板廠商需持續投資擴充產能以維持其競爭力。持續降低生產成本、提升生產效率為面板製造商成功的關鍵因素。目前面板廠導入CIM建構全自動化的生產環境，縮短產出時間，擴大營收，提高資本周轉率。AMHS為CIM核心之一，執行生產過程中玻璃基板的搬運與儲存作業。適當地選用AMHS設備能降低建置成本，有效率的物流規畫及設施佈置，能提高生產效率。 Clean Stocker為AMHS的重要組成之一，在面板廠內負責玻璃基板原料、在製品或成品的儲存與管理，In-line Stocker建置在製程區上，由Crane負責執行Intra-Bay的搬運工作，取代AGV(或RGV)搬運系統的使用，能節省AMHS占用空間、降低AMHS建置成本、提高搬運可靠度及縮短產品產出時間。但隨著玻璃基板尺寸放大，In-line Stocker將面對建置成本增加、Stocker內潔淨度控制困難、庫存持有成本增加、及停機時對產出的影響變大的四個問題，不利於在七代以上TFT-LCD面板廠內的應用。 本研究以個案公司第五代TFT廠實際運用In-line Stocker的現況為例，驗證上述四個效益及所面臨的潔淨度控制、停機影響及分階段建置產能影響三個問題，並對此提出改善建議。最後提出三個未來可研究的方向：更實際的數據分析；雙Crane但OHS單邊配置之In-line Stocker，Crane負載之妥善規劃問題；以及三種雙Crane配置型態搬運能力之比較分析。 The TFT-LCD panel industry is one of the industries having fastest progress in Taiwan. Large size TFT-LCD panel industry is asset intensive with high entrance and exit barrier. The TFT-LCD panel makers have to continuously expand their capacity to maintain the competition. To keep reducing the manufacturing cost and to increase the throughput efficiency are the keys of success. Nowadays TFT-LCD fabrications use CIM to construct the fully automated manufacturing to shorten cycle-time and to increase revenue and turnover of capital. Appropriate mix of AMHS equipments can reduce the cost. Well plan of material flow and facilities layout can raise the efficiency of manufacturing. Clean Stockers, one of the important AMHS equipments, play the role of storage and management of substrates, WIPs and products. In-line Stockers are built on process bay and Crane will be in charge of Intra-bay transportation instead of AGVs or RGVs. That will save the space used by AMHS, reduce the cost of AMHS, increase the reliability of transportations, and shorten cycle-time of products. But with getting larger of substrates size, using In-line Stockers will face the issues: increase in cost, difficulty in air flow control, increase of holding cost of inventory, and serious impact on production when Crane is down. Those issues will adverse the usage of In-line Stocker at G7 above fabrications. This paper studies a G5 TFT fabrication to verify the benefits of In-line Stocker and show the problems it had suffered including difficulty in holding cleanliness, impact when Crane is down, and impact of multi-phase to expand capacity. This research also offers the recommends to these problems. Finally, there are three suggestions for further research: more actual data for comparison and analysis, loading balance of double Crane with only one side docked with OHV, and capability comparison of three different double Crane types.
