German electronics distributor Microtronic has entered into a distribution agreement for the EYE thermal profiler from iRaptor LDA, a Portuguese instrumentation and software company focused on electronics manufacturing process optimisation. Under the agreement, Microtronic will market and sell the EYE system to electronics manufacturers in Germany.
iRaptor LDA, headquartered in Portugal and manufacturing all its products domestically, positions the EYE profiler as a next-generation alternative to established thermal profiling solutions. The company argues that the majority of competing products on the market rely on what it describes as 'relative 2D technology', concentrating primarily on time and temperature variables measured along the solder process profile.
The EYE system, by contrast, is described by iRaptor as a 4D profiler. In addition to conventional pyrometer and thermocouple temperature data, it incorporates accelerometer-based vibration measurement and thermal imaging. According to the company, this extended data set enables more comprehensive process characterisation for reflow, wave and selective soldering applications, allowing manufacturers to identify process windows with greater precision.
Vibration measurement is cited as a particularly significant addition. Oscillation signatures within soldering equipment can indicate changes in mechanical condition before they manifest as defects or machine failures. iRaptor states that the EYE system can therefore support predictive maintenance planning — an increasingly relevant capability as manufacturers seek to reduce unplanned downtime and scrap in higher-mix production environments.
The EYE is a solid-state device equipped with multiple sensor types. iRaptor emphasises, however, that the core value of the system resides in its accompanying software, which is said to evaluate millions of process parameter combinations and identify optimal settings within seconds, presenting results in visual formats intended for rapid interpretation on the shop floor.
Beyond dedicated soldering process profiling, iRaptor claims the EYE can be applied to other energy systems and machines within the factory, broadening its relevance to general equipment monitoring and maintenance management.
The Microtronic–iRaptor partnership is of interest in the context of the European electronics manufacturing equipment market, where demand for data-rich process monitoring tools has grown alongside the broader adoption of smart factory and MES concepts. Thermal profiling is an established discipline, particularly in SMT assembly lines where reflow oven characterisation directly influences solder joint quality and first-pass yield. The addition of vibration and thermal imaging channels addresses a gap that conventional profilers have not historically covered. Whether the 4D designation translates into measurable yield improvements in series production will be a key question for prospective users evaluating the system against incumbent solutions from established profiler suppliers.
Quelle: Microtronic (semicon) – https://www.microtronic.de/index.php/news/298-microtronic-uebernimmt-vertrieb-von-eye-raptor
