An automated material handling system (AMHS) sits at the heart of 24/7 semiconductor manufacturing, moving wafers safely and efficiently between tools without interrupting production.
When a company decides to expand or upgrade these systems, every meter of rail and every piece of equipment must be installed with extreme precision while protecting live operations. To support owners and project teams, AM Technical Solutions (AM) has built expertise to support complex semiconductor facilities, including a recent project for a U.S. semiconductor company.
We built on our previous success to complete another AMHS installation project for our client. The AM team successfully installed new overhead track and stocker systems under tight tolerances, on an aggressive schedule, and with zero safety incidents or quality defects. Learn how our proven approach delivered exceptional results.
Supporting Automated Material Handling System Installation In A Live Environment
For this project, we supported our client with a major AMHS installation inside an active fab. Our scope included more than 500 meters of overhead track (OHT) and five large stocker units, all installed in and around operating process tools.
The key elements of the OHT installation included:
- More than 2,800 man-hours dedicated to the OHT scope.
- Approximately 90% of the work was performed at elevation in congested areas.
- Close coordination with the customer’s site personnel around live process tools.
- Tight tolerances ranging from 0.5 mm to 1 mm across the installation to support continuous, disruption-free operation.
Despite the complexity, we completed the OHT work with zero safety incidents, zero property damage, and zero quality defects. We are pleased that our client recently took ownership of the system and began successfully operating the new track upon startup flawlessly as part of their 24/7 material handling strategy.
A major component of the project was the installation of large robotic storage systems (stockers) that serve as key buffers in the AMHS. Each unit can store up to 500 Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUPs) and measures roughly 16 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 26 feet long. Installing these units required more than 3,800 man-hours and extensive pre-planning.
Each stocker’s master rack unit (robot) weighs over 2 tons and must be set to specific tolerances to ensure reliable operation. Our highly capable team developed detailed rigging, handling, and alignment plans to protect people, tools, and infrastructure while meeting these requirements. By adhering to best practices and our internal project delivery methods, we eliminated rework and ensured we would deliver on all three (cost, quality, and schedule).
To date, we have successfully turned over four of the five stockers to our client, with no installation quality issues identified. We anticipate completing the entire scope of the project on time and without disrupting ongoing production in the facility.
“The positive outcome reflects the mindset our teams bring to every high-tech construction project to strive for excellence and do what’s right for our clients,” says Robert Logston, SVP, Construction. “We aim to get it right the first time, every time, so that our clients can support advanced production work in semiconductor facilities.”
– Find out more about our capabilities to support high-tech construction projects in the semiconductor industry.
– View our portfolio of award-winning semiconductor projects.
– Does your company need support with a fab installation project? Contact us today to discuss our capabilities to deliver an Automated Material Handling System for your facility.