Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/757488
December 2016 • SMT Magazine 89 trol, and every reel is stored in a random but known location. The owner can keep track of where they're stored, so you cannot misplace a reel and not find it again. It's also, again, the smart way for making sure that we use the old- est reel first, or that if there are multiple recent stock, that you get the reels out with the suffi- cient quantity to run the batch of boards that we have scheduled. Also it will automatic re- plenish while running, so that you get the com- ponents in time or before you need it, or just when you need it, so that you don't run the risk that your expensive assembly line is standing still, waiting for a single reel. In the worst case, it's the only one you have, and that one was misplaced by someone working in the stores late last night. Las Marias: Earlier on, you discussed one of the new developments in your equipment, which re- duces the change-over time while trying to maxi- mize yield. Can elaborate that? Bredin: It is a way to automatically start both the jet printer and the pick-and-place by exter- nally reading the barcode of the board that's coming and translate this into the correct job for the program for the machines in order to avoid that you run, let's say, the wrong revision of the board. It's also a way to achieve high ef- ficiency, even though there's a very high mix. You can actually run a batch size without any stoppages and without the risk of selecting the wrong program. We see more and more interest that compa- nies would like to have a huge feeding capaci- ty to be able to do family kits or do a batch of jobs and load them in one setting in the pick- and-place part of the line, and then are able to achieve full extension with them. The jet print- er is a really nice tool, where you don't need to change the stencil, and with this automat- ic start function, you won't even need to be at the line. The line will change jobs according to what board is coming, regardless of batch-size or sequence of boards, which also goes well in hand with this Industry 4.0 strength. Las Marias: Is there anything else you would like to talk about? Bredin: We haven't talked a lot about the jet dispensing capabilities in the MY600 platform. We recently released two new versions of the MY600; the jet dispenser JD and the JX, which is a machine where you can interchange be- tween the dispensing head and the jet printing head, where we have a cooperation with that one jet, so we have integrated, where there's a possibility now to have a one jet head into the machine. One jet has several hundreds of fluids that it's been qualified to dispense. We're in the beginning of this development, so to say, at the moment. The most common is to use SMA, the use of a glue, but it's also the possibilities for conducting glue or for residual epoxy and the underfill. The jet printing on the MY600 platform is becoming more versatile and there are more things you can do. Going back to the question you had earlier about Axxon, they also have their own dispenser heads and we might, if it makes sense, integrate some of their heads into the MY600 platform. The plat- form itself is really a state-of-the-art, in terms of speed, repeatability and accuracy. Las Marias: Are there any other new technologies in the pipeline at Mycronic? Bredin: There are no ground-breaking news that is supposed to be released, but of course, it's a constant development, and the communication between existing customers and hopefully future customers here at exhibitions will, of course, give me a lot of feedback that I can take back to head- quarters and see whether we can implement some of these customer requirements. R&D is always busy. From time to time, we do release fantastic new machines and features, but the roadmap is also obviously changing for everyone. To be suc- cessful in this industry, you as a supplier need to be smart. You need to be able to listen to custom- ers' needs and adapt to them with a reasonable response time, because the needs are changing, and clients, including myself, don't like delays or don't like not getting what you expected. Las Marias: Thank you very much again for your time, Thomas. Bredin: Thank you very much. SMT THE TIME HAS COME FOR JET PRINTING