Inspecting the way to progress
30 June 2008
As progress is key to every company, new technology continuously needs to be appraised and reviewed. This is true for Deep Sea Electronics (DSE); designer, manufacturer, and vendor of control systems for generators.
The company has grown by 20% year on year for the previous five years and has released three new product ranges so far this year, including the DSE7000 series.
“In the mid 90s, DSE introduced surface mount technology when other manufacturers were investing in alternative production techniques. That decision was fundamental to our success. Since then, continuous major investment into the latest production, design and test equipment has led us to improvements in volume throughput, product reliability, product functionality and compact, or ergonomic design,” stated Val Parkin, Marketing Assistant at Deep Sea Electronics.
At a time when many companies are looking to move to bases in the Far East, India and Eastern Europe, DSE continues to invest in technology and labour in the UK. With new equipment, such as Omron’s VT-RNS AOI, it can maximise the use of its production lines and automate the inspection process.
“UK production allows us to keep tighter control of all parts of the process. It is very reassuring for our customers and allows us to quote short lead times,” added Parkin.
DSE had been reviewing the development of AOI systems for around a decade. Mark Dresser, Production Manager at DSE explained: “On paper, the AOI just added another process and made production more lengthy. At a commercial level, it was difficult to justify the cost. The older systems were not easy to program, and not fast enough to keep up with our production line. So, whilst we could manage with existing procedures, there was no urgency to change. Components are becoming smaller and boards even more populated. A typical board size is now around A4, and contains about 800 components and 2,500 to 3,000 solder joints. It was therefore becoming impossible to continue with our old manual checking processes”.
The final impetus to change to AOI came with the development of DSE’s newest product, the DSE7000 series. The new unit is now so small that it could only be 100% inspected using an AOI system. Dresser reviewed the market to identify the best AOI systems for DSE’s needs. “We whittled the systems down to the best three and did our own benchmark testing of these,” said the DSE Production Manager. The Omron VT-RNS was chosen as the winner. “Whilst we looked at other machines, we felt the Omron was the only one that offered us the capability to do all the checking we required. The system was easy enough for an operator to use without engineering or technical support. It offered all the technical features we wanted; it was robust, and came with support from Contax.”
Dresser added: “In the early stages Contax helped us develop the specification. Whilst we had a good understanding of what we required, Contax helped us identify the right options for the machine. Together with Omron, they also assisted in machine programming to set the parameters and get to the high level of quality that our products demanded.”
“The support element that Contax provided was important in the early stages,” Dresser remarked. “Contax were on site for a week when the machine was installed; setting up, running, and testing. After that, they have been available on the phone for queries that arise from time to time. The first Omron VT-RNS has now been running for around 18 months and little support is needed. We were so pleased with it that we installed a second machine to speed up the underside inspection of the boards. This also enables us to inspect all products DSE produce”.
The two in-line AOI systems are positioned at the end of three surface mount lines. “About 95% of our components are surface mount, so this seemed the logical place for the inspection process. The remaining through hole components, such as connectors, are so large that they can easily be inspected manually,” commented Dresser. “When we only had one Omron system, we would put a batch of boards through to examine one side, then flip them over and put them through the Omron again. Now we have a second machine, the whole process is fully automated. The boards come out of the first machine onto the conveyor, which automatically turns the board over, and they go into the second Omron for the final inspection,” he added.
The Production Manager added: “As well as checking every single solder joint, the Omron VT-RNS also checks that the right components have been laid and positioned correctly. All components are stamped with an identification number, many of which are too small to see with the naked eye, and very occasionally suppliers make a mistake and supply the wrong component. The AOI would flag this up. It also gives us reassurance in the quality of our product, and enables us to keep a check on our suppliers’ components. And, of course, it ensures consistency of quality standards as the AOI works to set parameters and not to human interpretation”.
Val Parkin commented: “Adding AOI to our production process has been a resounding success. It has certainly enabled us to achieve our production goals. As a result of the Omron AOI, the lines are now able to work faster and longer; so our volumes have increased. We are currently producing around 200,000 control systems per year. As to financial management and customer service, it has undoubtedly achieved its objectives. Quality is high on our priority list, and the benefits of quality and reassurance to our customers outweigh the financial costs. In the long term, this could also mean a lower percentage of warranty and repairs issues. In all, it’s a win-win situation.”
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