Essemtec - ePlace Simplifies Complexity

Essemtec's Paraquda pick and place machine is the first machine to be equiped with ePlace, the new intuitive, graphical operation and programming software. It provides a level of comfort heretofore unseen on a pick-and-place machine. ePlace makes operation secure, offers tool-tips and context-sensitive help, completes entries automatically, searches intelligently, and sorts lists usefully. In short, ePlace always reacts the way the user expects it to and provides help when needed.

Above all, ePlace makes controlling a complex machine an easy task. Because not every operator speaks English and a staff with language skills is expensive, the software uses graphical representations to create clarity, and when text is unavoidable, the support for multiple languages is prepared. Education lessons are integrated as well, allowing new staff to be trained quickly.

Working with ePlace on the Paraquda requires neither mouse nor keyboard ― the software is directly controlled via a 19 wide ergonomic touch screen. The screen can be adjusted vertically and angled into a position that is most convenient for the user. ePlace also supports users with unlimited zooming functionality and optimizes views for less scrolling and clicking.

Setup and placement errors must be avoided because they can lead to costly repairs or can turn a complete series into electronic waste. Therefore, ePlace gives Paraquda a quality and job management system that controls the main source of error ― the human.

The base is a job management with archiving system on which other functions build up, such as a job planning module, a setup optimization routine, a setup list generator, component storage management and more. For feeder setup and retrofitting, a bar code reader is used, which is the safest and fastest way to assign a component to a feeder. Setup errors are excluded and the stock of available components is updated automatically.

The only error sources left are mislabelling or mix-up from the vendor because most of the SMD components look very much the same. However, the Component Verification Unit (CVU) option provides protection against these errors. It checks the electrical values of a component before mounting, for example, the resistance, the capacity or the polarity.

For development of the new ePlace software, state-of-the-art .Net technologies were used. As a result, ePlace provides a new experience of machine operation. ePlace has the potential to get a new standard in the industry.