Feature Customisation The right combination
A combination of standard enclosures and components has resulted in the development of a computer enclosure for integration into a system for inspecting electronic assemblies. Christoph Adam, head of product management at Heitec, comments
J
ust put your electronics into an enclosure, and that’s it? Obviously, system design isn’t this easy, especially if the result must be techno- logically sound and economically viable. Production-related economic aspects cannot be overlooked. Many parameters require exact analysis during the concept phase of the entire assembly, includ- ing the specific requirements of the target application, reasonable heat management based on today’s packaging density, and compliance with strict EMC guidelines. Furthermore, system integration may prove to be more complex than initially expected – after all, economic viability begins with the smallest part. In some applications, however, the impact of small, efficient, mod- ifications on a 19” industrial enclosure can be enormous. Take a project for Viscom of Hannover, Germany, as one example. Viscom, a company supplying many well-known customers in the electronic production industry, contacted HEITEC for a 3U IPC computer enclosure for integration into an AOI/AXI-inspection system designed for optical/X-ray-based inspection of populated assemblies. Approximately 600 units were required annually for standard applications. Such inspection systems are increasingly used in a wide range of applications because highly regulated quality requirements and increasing technology content demand 100% quality control. This, in turn, must be based on intelligent solutions. In particular, manufacturers using miniaturised components – includ-
ing BGAs, µBGAs, CSPs and flip chips – need a low-cost quality-control process which can identify even minor defects. Applications include inspection systems for the SMT line in the electronics industry for automotive, semiconductor, aerospace and drive systems. Such systems can inspect thousands of solder joints, the assembly or the paste print, within seconds, with inspection data archived, analysed and available to detect faults and to optimise the entire process. Especially in highly regulated applications, the prototype must be absolutely free of any defects before entering volume production. The result is shorter production time and significant cost reductions, achieved because there is no need for labour-intensive and time-consuming manual inspection.
The electronic circuits in the testing equipment and any part of the system must meet exacting demands because of the high throughput, the high level of precision and inspection depth, and the ability to easily adapt to the specific target application. Therefore quality and reliability are absolutely essential due to their direct influence on the quality of the tested products. Production was transferred to Germany as part of the project hand- over, resulting in a close-meshed network of customer and suppliers that enabled all parts to be delivered reliably, flexibly and rapidly. The devel- opment process also meant modifications were straightforward.
Ventilation and filters
As the high-performance motherboard generating most of the heat was located in the middle of the enclosure, HEITEC decided to use a modified ventilation concept. The fans were thus relocated from the
34 sides to the middle of the enclosure.
While this may seem quite simplistic, in fact it turned out to be quite a future-oriented measure. Due to the growing energy demand of processors operating at increasing clock frequencies, it is extremely important to implement an intelligent heat management which concen- trates the fans around the ‘hot spots’.
Care was also taken to ensure that the filter mats located in front of the fans are easily accessible and cleanable. The fan covers were fixed with knurled screws which can be tightened by hand, greatly easing the maintenance of the system; and the cable management was adapted accordingly. For the required SSD cards, special brackets were designed which could be removed manually without any tools. This represents a major advantage not only for any maintenance work, but for any neces- sary upgrades as well.
Specialised applications
Experience and knowledge concerning effective design practices and the rapid and low-cost assembly of a system is a significant factor for ser- vicing, upgrading and accelerated production. So, for this application, the team responsible for enclosure technology at HEITEC had an idea: screw the special mounting plate used for mounting the main board from below – through the bottom plate of the enclosure – rather than from inside the enclosure as was the case with the previous model. The final assembly of the motherboard, custom I/O and PCI-X cards could be carried out by the customer in parallel to the enclosure assem- bly process, speeding up the production time for the complete system. The same is true for the disassembly of the enclosure or any nec- essary maintenance work. The goal is to achieve maximum function- ality and simplicity.
The enclosure designed and manufactured by HEITEC for Viscom test equipment
In order to use the newly designed 3U standard system for a specialised customer application requiring much processing power and more efficient cooling, the HEITEC project team designed an additional 1U high cover mounted on top of the unit. This increases the height of the system by 1.75in, so that the special heat sink fits perfectly inside the enclosure. The company also used parallel work processes by partitioning the unit into different assembly units (enclosure pre-assembly including power supply and fans and PC peripherals including graphic card etc.). This, in turn, resulted in reduced manufacturing costs, increased flexibility, faster deliv- ery and competitive advantages. It was
possible to cut the production time in half during this phase. Arne Friebe, head of production and logistics at Viscom, commented: “Based on their excellence, flexibility and expertise in the enclosure sector, HEITEC has significantly contributed to the reliable operation of the central control unit within our test platform and to its long-term availability without any modification.”
HEITEC
www.heitec.de/en
SUPPLEMENT: Enclosures & enclosure furniture Enter 225 OCTOBER 2013 Design Solutions
Stylised package with test equipment in the background
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