Page 32
www.us-
tech.com
Factory-Wide Automation in Electronics Assembly
By David Fenton, Group Customer Support Manager, Europlacer A
utomation exists at many levels in electron- ics manufacturing. In the surface mount as- sembly process, automation was typically
confined to individual silos of capability at equip- ment level. Some components, such as 01005s, are so tiny that it is not possible to place them on a cir- cuit board without automation. Similarly, preci- sion solder paste stencil printing of surface mount patterns is not achievable by hand. But now, more than at any time in the past,
the electronics manufacturing industry is taking a broader view of what automation means, prompted by the promise of greater productivity and busi- ness agility, through concepts like Industry 4.0, and by Factory 4.0, which is a subset of that. The issue of compatibility between assembly
machines from different suppliers in a surface mount production line goes back a long way. Very often, electronics manufacturers will have systems from a variety of vendors on their production floor; it has always been a challenge to make these prod- ucts work well together. Mechanical interfaces for machines at each
step of the assembly process have long been de- fined. SMEMA is one such standard. But, informa- tion compatibility between them typically suffered from proprietary data formats that engineering de- velopment teams defined years ago. Proprietary data formats work well within
the confines of each individual machine or system platform. However, interfacing that data between adjacent processes in a line demands collaboration between suppliers, who are often competitors. Ex- tending that data compatibility factory wide, to de-
MID AMERICA Taping and Reeling, Inc.
Europlacer mobile tablet device running live CFX production data streamed from the CFX server.
degree OEMs, seek low costs of manufacturing and high throughput. The output from the assembly lines, and the factory, must be of high quality. With- out quality, throughput figures are meaningless, and the cost of manufacturing escalates with rework.
630.629.6646
www.matr.com
liver an effective level of automation across the business, adds to the challenge. Manufacturers looking for the competitive
edge that factory-wide production visibility can de- liver have often resorted to bespoke software de- velopment projects, which can prove expensive and time-consuming. Most CEMs/EMS providers, and to a greater
Productivity and throughput are not the same thing. High productivity is the ultimate goal, and factory- wide manufacturing visibility makes controlling throughput and quality more achievable.
Visibility through Standards Being smart in a factory environment can
mean many things. Utilizing assembly process and production data intelligently, in real time, is a great way to be smart. It can empower manufac- turers to become agile and balance their assembly processes and lines, monitor production trends, cope with demand peaks and troughs, rapidly iden- tify faults, errors and shortages, along with many other factors that can impede productivity. With this timely data to hand, they can compensate ac- cordingly to keep the business on target. Deploying an effective strategy through the
adoption of data communication standards is one way to get ahead — and more so now that CFX is gaining traction and proving to be a solution that works. It has been more than two years since the
Connected Factory eXchange (CFX) standard was formally proposed, championed by Aegis Software and endorsed by the IPC. Equipment suppliers like Europlacer who have adopted the CFX stan- dard have been running live demonstrations of connected assembly platforms at exhibitions since early 2018. Factory 4.0 is seen as a subset of the broader
aims of Industry 4.0. It is the subset that is critical to businesses creating surface mount assembly
Continued on next page
February, 2020
Jewel Box Ultra Compact X-Ray inspection system
Tape and Reel Service & Supplies
Surface Mount
Axial / Radial
Custom Carrier
features include: -5 axis manipulatior with 360 degree rotation, 45 degree tilt -Resolution of 100 line pairs/mm -Magnification from 7x-2000x -Port openings for longer devices -80kV, 10 micron focal spot x-ray source -Image processing software with enhancement tools
The Ultra Compact
Perfect for BGA, QFN, LED, medical electronics, cables, components, sensors and more
Trays Vacuum Sealers Programming
121 Exchange Blvd Glendale Heights, IL 60139 See at IPC APEX, Booth 1431, and at ATX / MD&M West, Booth 535
All Glenbrook X-Ray systems are also available on a rental or rent-to-own basis
Call us at 800-600-8866 or visit
www.glenbrooktech.com
Glenbrook Technologies is Celebrating its 35th Year in Patented X-ray Technology See at IPC APEX, Booth 529, and at ATX / MD&M West, Booth 1576
Rot to Ro
otator
Positioner Pos o it
Custom
Configurations Available
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144
