SMT007 Magazine

58 SMT Magazine • October 2015 by Stephen Las Marias i-connecT007 At the recent NEPCON South China event in Shenzhen, mainland China, George Liu, sales manager of Finland-based Cencorp Au- tomation, sat for an interview to discuss the benefits of automating the backend process to the overall manufacturing line, and why man- ufacturers need automated solutions now more than ever. Stephen Las Marias: george, tell us more about Cencorp automation. George Liu: Cencorp is an automation solu- tions company from Finland with more 30 years' in the industry. Our product focus is the backend of the electrical PCBA industry—rout- ing, depaneling, odd-form and through-hole component placement, and test handling. Las Marias: what are some of the technologies you have on display? Liu: We are exhibiting our router and odd-form component placement machines. We provide a comprehensive solution for through-hole odd- form component placement. And because we are using a servo gripper—as opposed to pneu- matic—you can easily program the equipment to handle different component sizes. Las Marias: what can you say about automation in the PCBa production line? why does automa- tion matter now more than ever? Liu: Number one, labor costs are rising, which everybody knows. Second, people are looking at quality control. Eventually, things made by machines will be better than those made by human hands. If you take a look at the past decade, SMT machines, AOI, SPI, printing, every process in the front-end is using auto - mation. Now, the trend is moving toward the backend: the router, odd-form placement, and also the test handler, because for consumer or automotive electronics, auto components need to be tested—there's also a huge demand for automation. Basically, right now, a lot of people are using non-standard solutions. But we are providing a standard solution for test handling. Las Marias: You are exhibiting an automated pick- and-place machine, right? one of the surveys we is Automation the Answer to Cycle Time reduction? FeATure inTerview

• Cover
• Feature Articles — Cycle Time Reduction
• Table of Contents
• Column — The Need for Speed
• Feature — Value Stream Mapping: Operationalizing Lean Manufacturing
• Feature Interview — Choosing the Right Component to Reduce Cycle Times
• Feature Column — Reducing Print Cycle Time
• Short — Darwin on a Chip
• Feature Interview — Cycle Time Reduction in the Eye of AOI
• EIN Market Highlights
• Feature Interview — Reducing Cycle Times with Innovative Bonding Solutions
• Feature — Technologies to Enable Quick-Turn PCB Assemblies
• Feature Interview — Process Improvements for Cycle Time Reduction
• Short — Nanostructures for Contactless Control
• Feature Column — Cycle Time Reduction with WORK, Part I
• MilAero007 Highlights
• Feature Interview — Is Automation the Answer to Cycle Time Reduction?
• Column — Gold Embrittlement Mitigation: Understanding the New J-STD-001 Requirements
• Short — A Fast Cell Sorter Shrinks to Cell Phone Size
• Supply Line Highlights
• Feature Interview — Inspection Innovations to Reduce Cycle Time
• Short — Permanent Data Storage with Light
• Column — Selecting a Reflow Oven, Part 3
• Top Ten Recent Highlights from SMT007
• Events Calendar
• Advertiser Index and Masthead