In a new and elegant production facility, placement machines and SPI systems from ASMPT ensure stable processes and low fault rates. The new shop floor of System Electronics has an air of technical elegance, which underscores its commitment to making first-class products. What’s more, industry insiders have already awarded the facility the unofficial title of the most beautiful factory in Italy, or even Europe.
But System Electronics places emphasis on more than design. In the light-flooded ambiance of the new plant, innovative high-tech also delivers maximum efficiency as an automatic warehouse supplies the state-of-the-art SMT lines with materials while SPI and AOI systems monitor critical process steps. The company also has its own EMC lab and constantly checks the quality of its components and products with flying-probe tests and environmental test systems. All the factory systems are state-of-the-art and feature a high degree of automation.
“When you enter our facilities, you see right away that we focus on quality in everything we do,” explained Andrea Gozzi, the company’s General Manager. “Our customers do not accept mediocrity. We supply products for many industries, but recently we have focused increasingly on the fast-growing e-mobility sector and cell battery manufacturing technology. We are also very active in the AI segment,” Gozzi added.
Highly complex products
The company manufactures the products for these demanding markets on two SMT lines from ASMPT. “It goes without saying that tier-one customers such as manufacturers of premium automotive brands, racing cars for Formula 1 or motorcycles for motorsports such as MotoGP do not accept any reworked products,” said Gozzi. “We don‘t do mass production but specialize in highly complex electronics. Particularly in the automobile segment, this involves more and more mixed boards with a broad range of electronics, including power electronics. We process circuit boards with 8 to 15 layers. Our customers are not interested in large quantities. They demand maximum flexibility from us paired with consistently excellent quality, without compromises.”
SIPLACE SX for maximum flexibility and quality
ASMPT‘s manufacturing technology meets these requirements. System Electronics uses DEK NeoHorizon solder paste printers, the output of which is instantly checked and automatically corrected, if necessary, with the Process Lens HD SPI system in combination with the WORKS Optimization expert software from ASMPT.
“This combination forms a solid basis for the SIPLACE SX placement machines to do their work,” explained Gozzi. “The machines reflect our core competencies of flexibility and quality perfectly. They process everything from the smallest passive components to large and heavy connectors – in one work step, with no setup changes. For us, this high level of process stability is a guarantee that we always leave an impeccable impression, also during customer audits.”
Each SMT line in Modena has three SIPLACE SX placement machines. Waffle pack changers at each end-of-line machine further increase the factory’s process flexibility and reliability. Their non-stop modules allow operators to insert and remove the trays without having to stop production.
Expressed in figures, this means that System Electronics places components ranging in size from 0.4 × 0.2 mm to 200 × 100 mm with speeds of up to 230,000 per hour. Performance like this is made possible by, among other things, ASMPT‘s flexible CPP head, which can switch between pick-and-place, collect-and-place and mixed modes based on software commands in accordance with the type of component being placed. It can place components up to 15.5 mm tall and weighing up to 20 grams with a force of up to 15 N. As a result, the lines stay balanced even during frequent product changeovers with no need for time-consuming configuration or head changes. And with special functions such as automatic pin 1 detection and LED centering, their capabilities also expand the processing spectrum of Systems Electronics.
The SIPLACE SX proves its flexibility with more than its hardware. “We have networked our entire production for capabilities like tracking and tracing, which our customers place great value on,” explained Gozzi. “With their standardized interfaces, the SIPLACE placement machines fit seamlessly into this system, which is used by multiple equipment manufacturers.”
Fault rate below one percent
ASMPT’s solutions meet the high standards expected by the company and its customers in everyday operations. “We have an overall fault rate of less than one percent,” said Gozzi. “More would not be acceptable because we process very high-quality components that we do not want to waste on rejects, especially in times of uncertain supply chains. The high process stability and low downtimes of the SMT lines also shorten their amortization period.”
Based on its positive experience, the company is already thinking about adding more hardware and software from ASMPT. “The OSC Package is becoming very interesting for us, especially for power electronics,” said Gozzi, adding: “We also want to try out applications from the WORKS Software Suite, for example for our production planning.”
On a perfect wave
Gozzi sees his company on a course of continued expansion: “As we plan to double our production volume, ASMPT is the right partner for future expansions and restructurings. They are not only the market and technology leader but have impressed us with their exceptional quality of service on site. We are also very open to ASMPT’s Intelligent Factory concept with its integrative use of data. Over the last four years, we have established a basis of trust with them that we definitely want to build on. The electronics market is like surfing: Only those who see the approaching waves of new trends in a timely fashion can react correctly and finally ride the perfect wave.”
