REDUCING CAPITAL COSTS OF EQUIPMENT ASSEMBLY
Veldhoven (Netherlands), 9 September 2009
Royal Philips Electronics subsidiary Assembléon is stressing performance optimization at this year’s Productronica in Munich (November 10-13, Hall A2, Booth 477). The company is showing True Capacity on Demand for its high-volume A-Series, which can save equipment assemblers 20% of initial capital costs. Assembléon is also showcasing additions to its cost effective high-mix MC platform, including the newly introduced MCP screen printer – the first screen printer under the Assembléon brand. The company will also announce a partnership with a global market leading software supplier. The resulting products will further improve customer productivity by simplifying new product introductions and integrating Assembléon’s machines into the electronics manufacturing supply chain.
TCoD matches capacity to demand
Assembléon’s True Capacity on Demand (TCoD) solves the problem of seasonal production fluctuations. Customers buy only the base pick & place capacity they need, and simply rent extra pick & place heads from Assembléon to meet peak demand. The temporary extra capacity can be paid for from the extra income that full production brings, and the initiative similarly prepares equipment makers for the global economic upturn.
The uniquely modular design of Assembléon’s flagship A-Series pick & place machines means there is no change to the equipment footprint. The calibration-free robots are easily fitted to the machines on the line, with no need to change vulnerable internal hardware – the machine configuration stays the same and the production line remains undisturbed. The machines continue to give the industry’s highest First Pass Yield and lowest real costs of placement (including the lowest energy consumption). The line is being continually being improved, with Productronica also seeing a new tray trolley for the AX-201 that uses a caching system to double the feeding speed.
MC-platform extended by Assembléon’s first screen printer
The company is showing new standards in high mix, medium volume production at Productronica by combining an MCP screen printer with MC-8 and MC-12 pick & place machines. The MCP screen printer has a unique servo-driven squeegee with variable attack angle to improve solder filling levels. It is the only machine on the market to vary the blade contact angle 'on-the-fly', in software, and so delivers the precise amount of solder paste needed by each component. That gives consistently flat and uniform solder deposits – even on boards mixing large and small components. The MC-8 has up to 119 feeders, and places chips, ICs and odd-form components with equal ease. It places up to 8.9k components per hour with an accuracy of 30 microns for ICs and QFPs. Precision force control places press-fit through-hole connectors with insertion forces up to 30 N. With a speed of 36 kcpH on a very small footprint (it is only 1.25 meters by 1.44 meter), the MC-12 combines high speed and superior performance with 120 tape feeding positions.
Software improves productivity
At Productronica, Assembléon will announce a partnership with a major software supplier to simplify system integration, cut risks and reduce costs. Several new products will simulate, optimize, monitor and control the pc board production lifecycle, enabling customers to assemble pc boards more efficiently, cost effectively and with better quality. That will enhance productivity, speed new product introductions and extend machine communication interfaces.
