SIMTEK EMS expands facility
17 February 2011
This EMS company has seen a growth in present and forecasted orders.
Following a management buyout in 2004 by Richard Samuel and Lee Boulton, Margate based SIMTEK EMS has gone from strength to strength and, despite the recent global economic crisis, has seen a strong growth in orders.
As a result of this growth, a new stencil printer and placement system from Blakell Europlacer have been ordered to augment SIMTEK’s existing production capabilities.
“We have been involved in manufacturing electronic assemblies for over 14 years, and during that time we have seen many changes to the UK market. In recent times, many manufacturers have sent their products to the Far East in a short sighted attempt to reduce costs,” said Samuel. “However, as long as two years ago, we started to see certain products returning to be made in the UK, mainly due to the inflexibility and lead time constraints that come with offshore manufacturing.”
Now that customers are very keenly looking at the ‘total cost’ of a product’s life cycle they are coming to realise that support, component obsolescence and protection of intellectual property are all very costly when controlled at arm’s length.
The addition of a Speedprint SP700 and a Europlacer iineo I machine help to address the requirements of flexibility, technological advances and increase in capacity.
With the ability to handle stencil sizes up to 29 inches and the capability to print down to device sizes of 01005 (0.4 x 0.2 mm) the Speedprint SP700 adds significant benefits. The simple graphical interface allows for ease of set-up and changeover and is key in being able to maintain flexibility, while linear encoded drives with 1 micron resolution result in extremely accurate print positioning.
“We were amazed by the simplicity of the design of the Speedprint,” commented Boulton, SIMTEK’s Operations Director. “We attended a Europlacer technology day last year and were very impressed by the way the Speedprint SP700 has been designed and assembled. When we opened the lid on the machine, we were struck by how little there is both mechanically and electronically and therefore how little there is to go wrong! We saw 01005 pads being printed repeatedly and accurately and decided there and then that Speedprint was the right decision for us.”
To complement the printer, SIMTEK EMS also invested in the iineo I system. “We already have Europlacer Finesse machines, and associated feeders, so the decision to buy another system was made a little easier for us. However, even if we had started with a blank piece of paper, the iineo would certainly have been in our reckoning as its flexibility and technical capabilities perfectly match our requirements as contract electronics manufacturers,” stated Samuel. “Being able to use our existing Europlacer feeders, and with the new operating software looking almost identical to our current machines, we are delighted to have chosen Europlacer as our partner for our current expansion – we are looking forward to more customers sending their manufacturing to the Far East... of the UK!”
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