It is no secret that building an efficient small and medium sized electronics production is not an easy process. This is not only because of the need to select the right engineers, R&D departments and production models, but especially because of the need to make the right decisions about tools and equipment. When making these choices, you need to have a perspective on the company’s development. The compatibility of tools is of great importance here.
Choosing the right equipment can have an almost strategic importance for a company. The right decisions can help to avoid a situation where at a certain stage of development we are forced to replace most of the equipment just because it is incompatible with the further development of the company. This type of planning error entails obvious losses associated with the replacement of equipment, but also those that are perhaps less obvious – downtime, logistics and training. By replacing equipment, you also lose an acquired element of employee experience in the acquired intuitive operation.
The need to make the right decisions about the equipment becomes clear. At such a moment, it is worth to listen to a professional. Looking at the issue from the point of view of a potential customer – it is worth to asking the right questions.
In this case, representatives of RENEX answer frequent questions and problems of customers in the field of building technological facilities.
I want to start my business in the electronics industry. I am thinking about providing services and I would like to equip myself with basic equipment. Where should I start?
The base is an industrial table and a soldering iron. A suitable workstation is something that cannot be ignored. Renex offers REECO antistatic modular furniture. When buying a table, we can modify it freely, creating a workstation precisely adapted to our needs.
Ergonomics, efficiency and proper lighting is what counts. What’s important is that we don’t need to know right away what we will need in the future. The tables and later the workstations can be expanded and modified as our business grows and our needs change.
It should also be borne in mind that the place of activity, especially the one that wants to develop, does not end at the desk. The anticipating entrepreneur should take into account the need to designate and properly secure the EPA zone. Going back to the second basis – the soldering iron.
It is known that a workstation for simple repairs and simple soldering will be equipped with soldering stations. For such purposes we recommend the most popular PACE stations – models ST50 and WJS-100. This is due to a very wide range of soldering tips available for PACE soldering stations. As it is known, for each type of component on the electronics board it is necessary to choose the right tip, which is possible by choosing PACE. Our station should develop together with our company, and not only in the sphere of the selecting the soldering tips. The next step is the selection of the solder wire feeder. For this task we suggest the RE-TD 1 model. It feeds the solder wire to the soldering tip at a set speed and time, releasing one hand of the operator.
If I would like to expand my business to more advanced maintenance services, what equipment should I have at the beginning and how should I develop in this direction?
In such activities, the basis is the possibility of proper disassembly and assembly of SMD and THT components, allowing for their safe removal from the electronic package. Renex has in its offer a number of devices, including the renowned DEN-ON model SC-7000Z. The most popular device on the market and the most effective. It allows for quick disassembly of components assembled in the THT technology. For more advanced companies we offer PACE MBT-350 soldering station with heads and tips. It is a three-channel station, so we can have many complementary functions in one device.
The next step that a growing company should take is to acquire equipment allowing for efficient and professional assembly and disassembly of BGA systems. Our proposed device in this area is RS-300Q – a device connecting the heater, hot air station with a built-in 7-inch touch screen display. The device is equipped with a tripod, which allows positioning the system in the X and Y axis and holding the device in the Z axis. The device, which will allow for additional development of production and service can also be a RE-QPH-A3 PCB heater, which heats up the PCB or its parts to the appropriate temperature during the small volume production or service.
Ultimately, I would like to deal with the provision of electronic manufacturing services (EMS). What devices should I buy in order to be able to develop without problems later?
First of all, it is necessary to choose the right SMT printer – printing the soldering paste. The choice in this area is very wide – at Renex we offer manual, semi-automatic, automatic and large production equipment for in-line and off-line use. For start-ups, we suggest the APS SPR-40 semi-automatic printer, equipped with a double rake with automatically adjustable angle and controlled pressure. For companies that look even further ahead, we suggest a selection of products working in the production line and offering a large print area.
Renex offers the YAMAHA YSP20 in this category. The device allows for very precise application of soldering paste on the boards up to 510×460 mm. Moreover, it can be set up in a technological line allowing for almost full automation of the process. The next stage in production in SMT technology, and thus the next device to choose is an automatic machine for mounting components on the board – pick & place. Renex also offers a full range of off-line equipment in this category – such as NeoDen4 and GRP – as well as in-line equipment. The machine we suggest in this category is the YAMAHA YSM 20. The machine can also produce 810×490 mm inserts and has a capacity of up to 90,000 inserts per hour. The next stage is the AOI optical inspection. In this category we also suggest equipping the company with a device operating in line.
The leading product here is the AOI YSi-V 3D device, which allows for an optical inspection of the assembled circuit board and automatic detection of possible printing or component placement errors. The final stage in the manufacture of SMT systems is the appropriate soldering of the manufactured system in a reflow oven.
With a view to the greatest possible compatibility of components and automation of production in this category, we should also suggest the selection of an in-line furnace. In this category, RENEX offers furnaces from the world’s most renowned manufacturer – HELLER. In particular, the HELLER 1826 Mark 5 furnace is equipped with as many as 8 heating zones with top and bottom heaters.
In addition to the above mentioned equipment, the production line should be extended and complemented by project-specific loading and unloading stations and inter-machine conveyors. In addition to the SMT technology discussed above, it should also be remembered that the company should be able to assemble the elements in the THT technology.
For these purposes Renex has developed and offers advanced soldering robots. The RE-1100 allows you to handle 350×420 mm applications. Importantly, this device also works in-line and is the only such device on the market. The second category of equipment that allows production using chronic technology are wave soldering machines.
The best choice in this area is Spartan 8. The device works in line and has a crucible capacity of up to 90 kg. At this point we would also like to emphasize that Renex offer allows for comprehensive equipment of both service and production plants. The offer includes a full range of tools from the simplest ones such as soldering irons to the most advanced ones such as X-ray inspection equipment. We always help you to choose the right equipment for your business.
To summarise
Choosing the right equipment for your business is extremely important. Before making key decisions, it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the possibilities of expanding selected systems. Talking to a sales and technical advisor can make this task much easier.
Contact:
Andrei Bratanov – National Sales Manager
Strada Văliug, nr. 32, Sector 1
13986 București, ROMÂNIA
T: +40 799 774 330
E: Andrei.Bratanov@renex.ro
