“We know exactly what electronics manufacturers in Mexico require,” explains Guillermo Maldonado, Managing Director of STE Latino America. “Through the framework of the Technology Days, we wanted to offer an opportunity to discuss the current developments with other experts and to find approaches for optimizations in their own production environment.”
Exciting lectures and intense discussions addressed everyday requirements in electronics production, but also focused on the latest in system developments and technologies of the future.
A focal point of the Technology Days in Mexico were the challenges of high-mix/high-volume production, which is becoming more and more common, especially in the automotive industry. Dr. Andreas Reinhardt, the company’s Director of Research and Development, pointed out that a high product mix and high-volume production need not be mutually exclusive. One of the key aspects to ensure cost-efficient goods at a consistently high quality is top equipment productivity.
For fluxing in wave soldering applications, the company developed a highly flexible plasma technique that supports the efficient production of varying volumes. A significantly lower flux consumption and low maintenance requirements also help to reduce the total production cost.
Ludger Brosch, Head of Design for Wave and Reflow Soldering, presented an innovative preheat approach based on pulsar emitters which facilitates the cost-efficient production of large series as well as lot sizes of 1.
A large number of product variants with different thermal requirements is another challenge in SMD production. By means of a new, emission-free quick extraction method, the company’s reflow systems are able to reduce the temperature level in the soldering system within a very short period of time, for example to facilitate switching from a soldering to an adhesive profile.
The reliability, traceability, and documentation of the production process is gaining in importance especially in the automotive sector, but also in other industries, including THT production. To meet these requirements, the company has developed an automated optical inspection system that is specifically designed for the inspection of THT solder joints and can be integrated directly into the company’s selective soldering units. During the technology seminars in Mexico, users discussed the versatile applications of the AOI system SEHO PowerVision, including its use in automatic production control.
Specialist knowledge that can be implemented directly into a company’s manufacturing processes, intense debates about future trends in electronics production, and the exchange with experts describe the results of a successful series of SEHO seminars in Mexico, which will surely soon be followed by similar events.
