European Introduction Of The Most Compact Pick & Place Platform At SMT Nuremberg

50% more output from 50% less floorspace

The high-mix MC-24 and MC-24X combination is the most compact and productive assembly line in its segment. The combined 80 kcph from 4 square meters gives 50% more output than competing models, from half the footprint. The MC-24 and MC-24X line even holds up to 220 feeders to place 01005 chips up to 100 x 45 mm (LxW) components with a maximum height of 15mm. The machines accept board sizes from 50 x 50 mm up to 700 x 460 mm, making long-board production possible.

According to Ton Cornelissen, Assembléon’s General Manager for Sales in Europe, this launch will help the company continue its major upswing in European sales. “We have seen particularly strong growth – with currently around 40% market share – in the mid-volume market sector, the most important segment in Europe today. That includes our MC-24 and MC-24X machines, with the MC-24X having recently won two major industry awards for 2010 – SMT’s VISION pick & place award and Circuits Assembly’s New Product Introduction award.”

Assembléon will also be showing its flagship AX-501 with new Twin Placement Robot (TPR) head. The TPR converts the A-Series into a combined chip and IC shooter on a single platform with IPC speeds up to 111 kcph and an accuracy of 25 microns. Alongside that, the company will show its MCP screen printer, which halves the industry’s benchmark defects per million (dpm) figures while cutting board cycle time to 11 seconds. The output from the MCP has a single-digit dpm matching that of the company’s A-Series pick & place machines, setting the industry benchmarks for placement quality.

New software, service and financial packages

Assembléon will also show the first software to result from its strategic partnership with Valor: vPlan and vPlan-Lite that cut 30% from NPI time. This saves customers valuable hours in offline production preparation. There are more developments in Assembléon’s service packages. The company will be demonstrating its new European web shop live on the booth, giving customers 24/7 access to spare parts with easy ordering and fast delivery.

Financial packages include a leasing option to help customers invest in its entry-level MG-5 pick & place machine. The MG-5 is a flexible and modular placement machine that operates either stand-alone or in line with other M-Series equipment. The intuitive user interface is compatible with existing M- and X-Series equipment, reducing the learning curve to zero. Self-explaining graphical screens and icons make operating the MG-5 easy. It takes a range of tape, stick and tray feeders, with special feeders for small strips of tape also making it excellent for prototyping and evaluation.