Contax to help Delphi keep its new automotive production line moving

Citation

(2006), "Contax to help Delphi keep its new automotive production line moving", Assembly Automation, Vol. 26 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2006.03326baf.006

Contax to help Delphi keep its new automotive production line moving

Contax to help Delphi keep its new automotive production line moving

Keywords: Assembly, Printed circuits

Delphi, the international electronic components manufacturer, has purchased an Electrovert OmniExcel 10 reflow oven and custom-designed Rommel board handling equipment from production automation specialist, Contax Ltd. These new systems will be used to equip a new SMT production line at its Liverpool facility.

The line has been designed to manufacture a newly developed product to be used in an engine control system. It is estimated that around 1,000 units will be produced per day.

At the heart of the new assembly line is a sophisticated Rommel board handling system. This features dual lane conveyoring as the new PCBs will have components top and bottom. It can accommodate 90° turns and supports SMEMA, so enabling communication with other equipment on the line. The Rommel solution encompasses a total handling system including barcode label application, turntables and reject intelligent input conveyors.

The boards start at a dog leg configuration, and are loaded automatically into a label applicator stacker which applies a barcode for traceability. They proceed to the screen printer and turn 90° to go down the main line. A barcode scanner mounted on the conveyor scans and records the data before the PCBs go through an AOI (automatic optical inspection) system. The boards then go for placement and through the OmniExcel reflow oven. They then continue through to Rommel’s long cooling conveyor, the barcodes are scanned again and the units go through a further AOI. Finally, they go into the Rommel inverter which turns the board over so that the PCBs can be processed on the reverse side.

If, following the AOI, the boards fail at any stage, then the intelligent Rommel conveyor will reject them so ensuring the integrity of the batch.

The OmniExcel 10 oven was selected as Delphi already had an earlier model and was very satisfied with its reliability, robust construction and effectiveness. The new OmniExcel offers closed loop oxygen control, measuring oxygen levels in ppm (parts per million) and adjusting the levels of nitrogen pumped into the unit to dispel the oxygen. This aids the reflow process and ensures better joint integrity of the solder fillet.

“The new Rommel system offers the dual lane capability and intelligence that we require and will interface with all the other systems on the line. So at various points it will read barcodes and send information to our own factory information system (FIS). If the product fails then the conveyor will reject it automatically, so saving us time and money thus giving us real time process control.“

For more details, visit the web site: www.contax.co.uk