Projects Concern Manufacturing Installs a fourth Mek AOI System
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Mek (Marantz Business Electronics), has recently announced the installation of a fourth AOI system at Projects Concern Manufacturing. The Johannesburg based EMS provider recently commissioned an iSpector HDL with Mek statistical control software including CS Center, Repair and Analyser. The system complements their existing 3 Mek systems.Â
Established in 1986, Projects Concern are established world class Contracts Engineering Manufacturers servicing the defence, aerospace, industrial, medical, mining, automotive, security and communications sectors, both locally and internationally.
Operating 5 highly flexible production lines in a 3600 square meter production facility, Project Concern offers complete electronic manufacturing services, from through-hole to ultrafine pitch and BGA. The company is a specialist in process control, adhering to international standards such as IPC-A-610c class III and ISO9002.
Sean Flynn, Project Concern's Managing Director stated:Â "After a complete and thorough analysis of each machine available in the market, based on quality of inspection, we settled on another Mek System for our latest AOI requirements. As a company we are dedicated to flexible, high mix/low to medium volume manufacturing and required an equipment partner that could support this. Flexibility was paramount and ease of programming and continued support were also vital – we need a partner that stays abreast of technology developments and continues with innovative product development."
With its high resolution top camera with telecentric lens, iSpector HDL reliably inspects SMT and THT component bodies for presence/absence, type, polarity, offset, text, colours etc. and components solder fillets for excessive, insufficient, no solder, shorts or lifted leads.
CS Center is the core of the Mek Catch System data management software and is responsible for data collection from one or multiple Mek inspection machines. CS Repair is used for post-classification, confirmation and repair of defects whilst CA Analyzer offers Statistical Process Control (SPC) for track-n-trace of inspected products. It is a complete solution to analyse defects, yield and repairs per batch, order, product, part, etc.
Flynn added:Â "We have a great project and ISO9000 tracking system to control our production flow which was written in house. With the statistical data that can be retrieved, the Mek systems and Catch Software suite have complimented this system enormously and helped us achieve our overall quality objectives."
Mek systems have now been in operation in the Projects Concern facility for just over a year and during that period production throughput has increased, the number of failures reduced and the strain on inspection personnel significantly diminished.
About MEK (Marantz Electronics Ltd)
A former division of Marantz well known for its high quality Audio/Video products, MEK Japan (Marantz Electronics Kabushiki Kaisha), developed its first AOI system in 1994. Developed to inspect PCB assemblies for correct component placement and soldering, the company's original AOI system was designed for use in Marantz factories. Proving to be a highly successful, cost-effective alternative to traditional human inspection, MEK developed its first generation commercial system in 1996. With a steadily growing installed base, MEK Japan and its European/American headquarters, MEK, have sold over 5000 units worldwide to date. Now well established as a leading force in AOI technologies, the company recently launched a 5D post-print SPI system which combines 3D and 2D image processing methodologies to deliver unprecedented defect detection. At the beginning of March 2014 the company opened US offices in Las Vegas.
