Ovation's Grid-Lok Technology Enables Quality Improvement and Cost Reduction at Siemens' Amberg Facility |
Ovation Products
Two Courtney Place
Bethlehem, PA, 18017
USA
Press release date: July 12, 2012
Bethlehem, PA - In an effort to further improve its already superb quality standards, Siemens' production unit Electronic Manufacturing (EM) of the Gerätewerk Amberg (GWA), Germany facility has selected Ovation's Grid-Lok automatic PCB support technology to enable high-yield assembly of high-density, advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs).
The award-winning Siemens Gerätewerk Amberg plant, recently honored as the "Best Factory in Germany" as part of the 2011 Industrial Excellence Awards, runs three shifts, five days a week on six SMT lines in its EM production unit. The PCBs on the line are double-sided, high-density boards in standard widths of 160mm to 210mm and require a support solution aligned with Siemens' stringent quality requirements.
"Even though the component placement equipment incorporates magnetic support systems as standard, these tools did not address some of the issues associated with the assembly vibrations caused by the placement machines," explains Michael Wöhrle, Process Engineer at Siemens. "The magnetic pins provide selective support for the underside of the circuit boards, but have to be retooled for each different product and positioning the pins for our large, double-sided boards is very tricky. Plus, with our 'pin-in-paste' processes, there is a chance these pins can come in contact with the solder paste and track the paste onto other components which leads to defects."
To address all of these issues, Wöhrle and his colleague, Process Engineer Markus Pasurka, investigated several different board support systems and ultimately decided on Ovation's Grid-Lok technology. "The fully automatic Grid-Lok support system is able to provide stability for large, densely populated PCBs over the entire surface area of the board and in areas where magnetic pins will not work," comments Wöhrle. "What's more, Grid-Lok's gentle electrical discharges do not damage components in any way and, therefore, comply with Siemens' ESD requirements." The product capability, in combination with the excellent technical support provided by Ovation local distributor, Ben-Technologies, convinced Siemens that this was the right solution.
Grid-Lok, well-known for its yield-enhancing capability for the stencil printing process, is now also proving its effectiveness with placement processes, as evidenced by Siemens' recent adoption of the technology. The automatic functionality of the system enables fast product changeover, limits operator intervention and provides secure, yet gentle, support for even the most delicate fine-pitch components.
"With its ability to quickly and automatically accommodate our eight to ten product changeovers per line, per shift, Grid-Lok has the potential to dramatically reduce our cost," concludes Pasurka, who was responsible for introducing the Grid-Lok system into Siemens' production lines. "For us that's a win-win: cost down and quality up!"
For more information on Ovation's Grid-Lok technology, log onto www.ovation-products.com.
About Ovation Products
Ovation Products is an advanced technology developer that places particular emphasis on engineering solutions to improve equipment efficiency, enhance productivity and lower overall cost of ownership. Pioneer of the award-winning Grid-Lok(TM), HD Grid-Lok(TM) and Magna-Print(TM) technologies, Ovation Products has OEM partnerships with many market-leading equipment suppliers and its technology solutions are installed at leading OEM and EMS manufacturing sites worldwide. www.ovation-products.com
Company Contact:
Ovation Products
Marius Popitiu
Ph: +40 722 692 108
E-mail: mpopitiu@ovation-products.com
Web Site: www.ovation-products.com
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