Product category:
PCB Assembly Equipment and Tools
News Release from: Blundell Production Equipment | Subject: TWS Quadra Laser
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 27 January 2005
Pick and place machine absorbs
production peaks
Flame detection equipment maker Talentum Developments has seen a big improvement in PCB quality and throughput since installing a TWS Quadra Laser pick and place machine.
Flame detection equipment maker Talentum Developments has seen a big improvement in PCB quality and throughput since installing a TWS Quadra Laser pick and place machine supplied by Blundell Production Equipment Talentum makes flame detection equipment for military and industrial applications
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 7 Dec 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Some of its products are used in hazardous environments such as aircraft hangers.
They have to undergo regular inspections and have to be certified to ensure that they are intrinsically safe.
This means Talentum cannot contract out the assembly of its PCBs, and commits them to in-house manufacture.
According to Talentum's Technical Director Andrew Broadbent, speed of throughput is not really an issue at Talentum, but accuracy is vital.
Before investing in the TWS Quadra machine, its surface mount PCBs were assembled by hand using tweezers and magnifiers.
Although the company was not under pressure to produce large quantities, it did get "peaks" where demand would briefly increase.
At times like these it was impossible for the company to react and to increase production.
The manual methods were inflexible and did not allow for any variation in the work flow.
It was decided that an automatic placement machine was needed, and Broadbent evaluated several machines, finally settling on the TWS Quadra with laser centring.
"We looked at several other machines", he says.
"We quickly established that we needed laser centring to obtain the accuracy we needed for our 0.5mm pitch devices".
"The Quadra stood out as being by far the best value for money in that sector of the market".
The Quadra has proven itself to be both reliable and efficient.
"Before the installation we had to quote lead times of up to 10 weeks when we were busy", says Broadbent.
"Now, we can assemble 100 boards almost as quickly as 20 off, so we can quote realistic lead times to our customers without having to hold large stocks of finished product".
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