Europlacer’s ii-P7 advanced stencil printer debuts at Productronica

The ii-P7 printer emerges as the newest member of Europlacer's comprehensive solution range, representing a platform that advances the company's printer series to new heights.

The ii-P7 brings forth a suite of productivity enhancements, including a maintenance-free printhead that boasts active closed-loop squeegee pressure and negates the need for squeegee calibration. The platform accepts stencil sizes ranging from 584mm to 736mm without requiring an adaptor, thereby streamlining setup and changeover periods in diverse assembly settings.

When juxtaposed with Europlacer's flagship EP710 printer, the ii-P7 surpasses it by curtailing print cycle times by 25% in standard mode and offers more than a 50% reduction when utilising optional specialised motor technology.

The development initiative has also concentrated on pragmatic usability upgrades that refine the screen printing workflow and extend the ii-P7's capabilities to a broader array of boards and subassemblies. A notable enhancement is an underside component clearance of 30mm, a leading specification in this class of surface mount printers, catering to the growing demand for assembling intricate double-sided boards with elevated underside components.

Further augmenting the operator experience, the ii-P7 features improved cover support ergonomics and a sizable 22” touchscreen monitor. It operates on the enhanced Europlacer OS (iiPS) software, which offers intuitive step-and-repeat functionalities for inspection, dispensing, and label placement tasks, optimised processing of low-contrast fiducials, and an expedited commissioning process.

Significant advancements to the underscreen cleaning process, vital for print quality and procedural control, are also part of the ii-P7's introduction. This includes better paper management and fluid control, supported by an external solvent tank utilising standard industry bottles to eradicate the need for cumbersome fluid transfers.

Moreover, an optional single-pass wet-dry-vacuum under screen cleaner is on offer, effecting a 33% time saving in the cleaning process. The ii-P7 not only enhances the cleaning procedure but also facilitates swift paper roll replacement via its rapid-change cassette system, further boosting productivity by reducing consumable replenishment downtime.

The printhead of the ii-P7 has been entirely revamped, now capable of employing new EuroGlide contoured premium squeegee blades, which ensure integrated paste containment and facilitate blade replacement and setup.

Factory-wide connectivity remains a cornerstone of Europlacer's innovation, and the ii-P7 maintains this ethos with built-in IPC-CFX and Hermes-compliant protocols, complemented by remote machine status monitoring and predictive consumable replenishment as standard provisions.

The ii-P7's novel platform design discards the need for cooling fans, leading to more straightforward maintenance, quieter operation, and heightened reliability.

Beyond the fresh productivity-boosting attributes, the ii-P7 is backed by Europlacer's five-year warranty on spares and a two-year warranty on labour, contingent upon signing the maintenance agreement.