With new hardware and software manufacturing solutions ASM Assembly Systems offers the first complete tool chains for material flow and setup processes in SMT production. The goal is to minimize time-consuming and costly material movements between SMT lines and the SMD warehouse (“material tourism”). At the Productronica 2013 trade show, SIPLACE presented two new solutions for the setup preparation area with its SIPLACE Material Setup Assistant and the SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack. They enable the setup staff after a simple mouse click to see via LEDs which feeders and components coming back from the line will still be needed for upcoming jobs and which can be torn down completely. This makes it possible to use the setup preparation area as a transparent buffer storage facility and effectively reduce unnecessary material travel. Preparing the component carts based on software instructions also makes the process faster and more reliable, because the feeders in the Active Feeder Rack indicate their status via built-in LEDs.
“These days, the processes next to the SMT lines harbor the greatest potential for making efficiency improvements,” says Hubert Egger, Head of Product Marketing Software at ASM Assembly Systems. “As the industry’s technology leader, we place integrated solutions and consistent process and tool chains at the center of attention. The SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack and our SIPLACE Material Setup Assistant accelerate setup processes and save time and money by eliminating unnecessary material trips from and to the warehouse.”
SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack
The SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack functions as a buffer storage area for feeders and components in the setup preparation area. Unlike on traditional racks, the feeders continue to receive power and stay connected to the SIPLACE Software systems. This opens up a whole new set of possibilities for achieving faster and more reliable setup processes through improved software support.
Feeders coming back from the line signal via their built-in LEDs whether they can be torn down completely or should be kept in the Active Feeder Rack for an upcoming setup. This prevents components from being returned to the main warehouse (with the associated postings in the materials management system) only to be removed again shortly thereafter.
LED signals make setup preparation easier
The SIPLACE Material Setup Assistant and the SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack do not only prevent unnecessary trips to and from the warehouse, they also provide support in the setup preparation area. Operators can check the required feeders for each slot, because LED signals in each feeder in the Active Feeder Rack guide operators, prevent long searches, accelerate the entire setup preparation process and prevent setup errors.
Additional improvements in material flow and setup operations can be achieved with options such as the SIPLACE Material Manager or innovative setup concepts with Split Table Mode, Constant Tables or Random Setup. All these software modules and functions work together seamlessly and provide electronic manufacturers with consistently optimized tool and process chains.
New SIPLACE hardware- und software solutions offer comprehensive tool chains and processes for material flow and setup processes in the SMT production.
For more information, visit www.siplace.com.
ASM Assembly Systems The SIPLACE team is a unit of ASM Pacific Technology operating under the ASM Assembly Systems name. With its SIPLACE machines and innovative manufacturing concepts, ASM Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG is the world’s leading manufacturer of surface mount technology (SMT) placement machines and solutions. Since its beginnings in 1985, the company has installed almost 35,000 SIPLACE placement machines at more than 3,500 customers worldwide. Electronics manufacturers in all industries such as telecommunications, automotive, IT, consumer electronics and automation use and depend on SIPLACE’s broad portfolio of solutions and services
