Chemigraphic Invests in ISM2000 Automatic and Intelligent Component Storage

Prior to its investment in Storagesolutions systems, Chemigraphic supplied its two Juki SMT lines out of a manual stock. Technical Director Stewart Gadd explained that the company experienced a great deal of issues with getting materials in the right place at the right time as well as with missing reels. As a result, production lines were stopped because the components were not available onsite.

Gadd commented, “We were looking at ways of increasing the output from our surface mount area and we identified that the two main reasons for loss of production were kitting and the time taken to locate stock. We were always very busy in our surface mount area but the machines were not spending enough time placing components. We could not get material from our stores to the feeders fast enough and were struggling at times to locate all of the stock items needed for a job. The Essegi storage solution has addressed both of these issues by reducing the overall kitting times by around half and simplifying the stores area for components. We now can retrieve stock, deliver it to the lines and put it away again in a much more efficient manner, which results in our lines spending more time placing and less time waiting.”

Designed for the optimal management of larger dimension reels, the ISM2000 offers the flexibility to support a combination of 7" reels from 8-16 mm in height, 13"/15" reels up to 44 mm in height as well as JEDEC trays. The ISM2000 uses a patented multiple outlet system that allows for the simultaneous extraction and insertion of up to 27 reels at a time. The outlet system also supports the extraction of a single reel in quick fashion.

With the addition of the newest intelligent machines and line software as well as the feeder developed by Cogiscan and Juki, the towers are now fully integrated into Chemigraphic’s production line. The IFS-NX Intelligent Feeder System is a modular and scalable system that provides key functions to optimize the overall component placement process around the Juki platform. The basic package includes component and feeder setup validation, offline and online, as well as material inventory management. Optional modules include traceability, MSD control and maintenance control to name a few. Since IFS is based on the Cogiscan TTC platform, it can seamlessly expand to a factory-wide Track, Trace and Control solution. For more information about Cogiscan, visit www.cogiscan.com.

As one of the UK’s leading electronics services providers, Chemigraphic specializes in the design, development, manufacture and procurement of printed circuit boards, chassis, boxes, cabinets and systems for the communications, networking, computer, simulation, medical and instrumentation industries. Operating out of a state-of-the-art, 40,000 sq. ft. UK-based factory, the company employs more than 150 people, with an annual turnover of over £20m and continuing year-on-year sales growth in excess of 15 percent. The company has a reputation for premium quality, fit-for-purpose products, backed by unrivalled levels of service and quality control.