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The EASi Line Message
October 11, 2006 |Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
ROSEMONT, Ill. The Electronic Assembly Suppliers' Initiative, known as the EASi Line, at the Assembly Technology Expo, September 24 28, 2006, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., is an exciting way to learn about the SMT process, because not only do engineers on the line explain each step as it happens, but you also get to leave the line with a prize. EASi Line shrinks an entire facility from pick-and-place to securing a plastic casing into a walk-through educational exhibit. It generally manufactures 3,000 products, the "prize," during a show. This year, attendees could follow their product, a scrolling message board, through the line, then bring it over to the Data I/O booth to program it with a personalized message.
The EASi Line requires the collaboration and synchronization of more than 20 companies to function. Electronic Manufacturing Solutions, Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind., coordinates the assembly showcase, handling logistics from machine placement to safety and proper ventilation in a building that was not set up for production of any kind. Flooring from TEK STIL Concepts had to be installed; venting and temperature control were rigged all for less than a week of electronics manufacturing.
Data I/O programmed the chip initially, using the FLX500 for off-line programming or the Roadrunner for inline work. The Roadrunner suits higher-volume manufacturing, while the FLX500 withstands high-mix, low- to medium-volume work. Components such as the data chip came from Majestic Sales Corp., while Amtech provided the solder.
The ESSEMTEC screen printer, SP9000, aligned the board twice before printing solder paste. Stencils from Microscreen formed the design onto Arista Circuits PCBs. ESSEMTEC also manufactures the first pick-and-place machine in the line, the FLX2010-LCV, which has a 150-feeder capacity inline, and options for glue dispensing. With one head, the machine adapts easily to low- or medium-volume manufacturing with a high product mix, and includes an intelligent feeder system. Behind the pick-and-place machine sat a Totech America dry storage box, for contamination control.
Boards then moved down FlexLink conveyors into a Vitronics Soltec reflow oven for the first of two reflows, attaching components to the board. FlexLink's board inverter provided a buffer to maintain smooth operations from the beginning to the end of the line. The boards cooled coming out of the oven, and could accumulate on racks, last in-first out (LIFO) or first in-first out (FIFO), if there was a stoppage further down the line. This "shock absorption" prevents loss of useable boards due to prolonged oven exposure. Tooling, such as board holders, came from FlexLink, as well as each shuttlegate and conveyor section.
The Speedline MPM Accuflex screen printer applied paste to the 2nd side of the boards. With 2-D inspection and auto-tooling support, the machine requires no operator intervention.
From the Accuflex printer, boards entered the MyData pick-and-place system. With eight nozzles, the MyData machine gang-picks components at top rates of 21,000 components per hour (cph). Vision-alignment features alert operators to any mis-placed or crooked components. Seika Machinery provided the dry storage box linked to this section of the line.
Viscom's S3088 AV inspected the boards, scanning for component or paste problems pre-reflow, or complications post-reflow. The system operator explained that the system "looks for the edge, finds the fiducials, then analyzes the data." If a defect is found, it is most often a component rotation, a missing component, or polarity confusion.
NEA's reconditioned Vitronics Soltec reflow oven processed the boards for second-side soldering. NEA provides fully remanufactured PCB assembly and automated test equipment (ATE) and adds required upgrades. Its representative explained that a machine like this takes about four weeks to repair, although times vary depending on system problems. The oven was nitrogen-ready, although due to the location it was operating in an air-only environment. IP Systems provided necessary fume extraction. NEA dissembles a machine into subassemblies with dedicated specialists in each refurbishing area, whether it be the venting assemblies, heaters, or chassis paint that needs work.
The Opus.3 selective soldering system from Tyco took the populated boards and exposed small areas to heat, for "quick-and-clean" soldering. The system sprays flux and uses a drag technique to apply accurate measures of solder. The machine is flexible and equipped with up to four standard and more custom nozzles. Behind the Tyco machine, a nitrogen generator from On-Site Gas Systems created a nitrogen environment limited to the soldering machine, making it safe for the spectators.
Moving down the line, Aqueous Millennium Cleaners washed off the flux residue left from soldering. Though the EASi Line product used tin/lead solder, Aqueous noted that cleaning is perhaps even more vital to lead-free production. Micro Care Corporation provided the cleaning materials.
ASYS Automation demonstrated its ALS 03 laser etcher, creating bar, 2-D, and human-readable codes on each board. Though most boards in an actual production environment would have one or two of the options, ASYS demonstrated all of the machine's capabilities on the EASi Line. A company representative explained that board space, tracking, and verification concerns play a role in what label to choose. The system etched a serial number onto the board, then scanned it to verify that the item was correctly marked.
The TR300 solder robot from Global Automation soldered battery terminals to the back of my scrolling text board. These, due to the heaviness and mobility of the large 9-V battery that attached there, were thru-hole terminals.
In Cab Technology's section of the line, populated, pre-scored boards were depaneled on the Maestro 4M. The machine uses a mechanical blade that is "good for boards with little space," claimed the Cab representative. Cab also performed a second laser marking, and applied labels a less-expensive way to track boards when there is room to affix a barcoded sticker.
A COMET COUGAR PRO inline X-ray system inspected the boards for solder splash and similarities in barrel-fill. The machine analyzes voids, identifies trends, and has the capacity to perform off-line failure analysis. Any identifiable problems were fixed at an A.P.E. rework station. The X-ray inspection and rework preceded final assembly, where the board was outfitted to become the final device.
Bosch Rexroth and Bosch Production Tools showcased final assembly capabilities with pencil-style screwdrivers at Bosch Rexroth workbenches. These tools run on air and require little force to assemble the Capco Plastics plastic shield on the back of the product. First-article inspection and visual-inspection monitoring were operated by Production Solutions and ASI Datamyte, respectively. At the end of the line CeTaQ Americas performed capability measurement on the completed devices.
Coming full circle, the ImageWriter in-system programmer from Data I/O programmed my handheld machine to say "Welcome to EASi Line ATExpo 2006" when I tap a button on the front. This machine enables language-independent operation. To learn more about the history of the EASi Line, read Developing ATExpo's EASi Line.