Standing on a new platform
07 April 2007
Europlacer has launched its new SMT platform at February’s APEX
The new platform Iineo, features improvements to the Europlacer machine range, such as higher feed count, increased board size and increased maximum component height. The platform uses the company’s core features – turret head, intelligent feeders, powerful software – while introducing new technologies with linear motors and digital cameras.
Iineo is widely configurable, allowing for 24 different possibilities:
- Single or dual linear motor gantry including a rotary turret head with 8 or 12 pickups
- One or two board positioning mechanisms
- Oversized board options
- Feeders in front and rear or front only
The system can accommodate up to 264x8mm tape positions, and in addition to this, an internal waffle tray zone allows for 10 JEDEC trays. Iineo also may be equipped with one of two 30-channel waffle tray sequencers.
Depending on the configuration, the following in possible:
- Maximum placement rate can be between 14,000 and 28,000 cph
- The largest PCB can reach 1,500x600mm
- The component range is from 01005 to 70x70mm
- The tallest component can be 35mm in height.
The core objective of the Europlacer concept has always been to protect the investment of its users by seeking upward and downward compatibility of feeders, software and other ancillaries. The principle has been applied to the Iineo SMT platform. It means that current users are able to utilise their existing feeder inventory, therefore protecting their investment, reducing the configured cost of a new system and ultimately reducing the cost per placement.
At APEX, Europlacer also introduced its Stock Management intelligent inventory system. Following attention to customer requests, Europlacer developed the tock Management feature for its SMT placer users. Significant amount of time is spent managing a part’s movements in the factory between general stock, local stock on the shop floor, feeder storages and machines. Stock Management has been introduced to solve such issues, and to meet the industry need of efficient inventory control.
The intelligent system is based on the company’s concept of Integrated Intelligence, which is defined by the fact that the company’s machines have been designed to be flexible from the outset. The Stock Management is comprised of a new micro terminal pocket PC, allowing Wi-Fi communication for the programming of Europlacer’s Intelligent feeders. This new micro-terminal is simple to use and implement. It is innovative because it allowed much more than feeder programming. Key benefits include the ability to track quantity on each individual reel, 1-D barcode and 2-D datamatrix codes, easy location of components, automatic checks if the project can be completed, and the managing of quantity in real-time.
In a production environment, components can be found on feeders connected to the machine, on storage zones or trolleys connected to the programming station via set-up help, on passive shelves, or in the factory stock. The micro-terminal of the Stock Management communicates wirelessly with the programming station, which centralises all the databases. It also can manage several micro-terminals independently, resulting in speed improvements. Features of the programming station include the following: allows manual component movements, displays/prints/exports files of the database, history of stock, movements in a period of time, displays components needed for a program production/work order, imports files, production lists, production lists, component search and manual cleaning of the database.
Each reel in the factory stock has a label with a 1- or 2-D code containing its batch number. The factory ERP contains all the information related to this batch number such as item code, description, quantity, location, cost, and minimum quantity in stock, The Europlacer programming station is connected by an Ethernet network to the ERP and continuously feeds its database with al this data in real-time. Additionally, each Europlacer feeder or tape trolley element is fitted with a datamatrix label indicating its serial number. The passive storage shelves are made of boxes or slots containing the reels and each storage area is fitted with datamatrix label indicating its location.
With tape trolley elements, which were previously passives because they were plugged into the intelligent trolley, are now fitted with a datamatrix code. This feature allows the ability to link the element with the reels in the database. As a result, the reel can stay on the element and be stored on a shelf, and the programming station will know its location. The code on the element allows automatic set-up verification and/or automatic programming of the trolleys, resulting in error-free loading plans.
Whether using quick-load single feeders or full feeders trolley changeover, every feeder is fully programmable with component and inventory data. Once the feeders are loaded, this information is automatically recognised by the machine, which helps make set-up and changeover a simple and efficient process.
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