Essemtec, the leading Swiss manufacturer of highly flexible production systems for electronics, announces that it has opened a new customer training center in Suzhou, China. Automatic and semiautomatic SMD production equipment is installed for demos, education and evaluation.

The new showroom opened earlier this year and is operated by Essemtec’s local distributor Smart Technology Ltd. A range of SMD production equipment is in place and can be used by customers for evaluation purposes. Furthermore, local SMD production process experts are available to offer machine and/or process training for operators and process specialists.

The Suzhou training center is equipped with PANTERA-XV, a highly flexible automatic pick-and-place system, EXPERT-SAFP, a semiautomatic SMD pick-and-place system, and SP003-MLV, a semiautomatic stencil printer.

The PANTERA–XV SMD placement machine directly addresses prototyping and production runs in mid-sized quantities. The PANTERA-XV is the culmination of two successful placement machines, the FLX2010 and the CSM7100-V, combining the best from both machines — higher placement accuracy and speed, broader application range, highest reliability and very low maintenance costs, as well as short changeover times and excellent cost-performance ratio.

The PANTERA–XV placement machine handles the entire SMD range from 0201s to 50 x 50 mm QFPs with a fine pitch of 0.4 mm. Designed for the assembly of complex printed boards and fast changeover, the machine offers a large number of feeder slots (up to 108) in a small footprint of less than 1 sq m. All intelligent tape and stick feeders will be recognized automatically, regardless of the feeder slot being used. This provides for a very fast and error-free changeover process.

Small batches and prototypes of SMD assembled boards can be mounted quickly and accurately using the Essemtec pick-and-place system EXPERT-SAFP. The pick-and-place head is air suspended, moves gently and is ergonomic. The EXPERT placement system is perfectly suited for prototyping because it allows not only picking of components from reels and sticks but also from rest tape strips and loose components. A turning station for upside down components is a standard.

The EXPERT-SAFP placement system can be connected with a computer control and can work in a semi-automatic mode. Placement data can be converted directly from the CAD file or point by point. The Windows control software increases productivity — in some cases even doubles it — and ensures that the correct component is correctly aligned at the desired place without errors.

The semiautomatic stencil printer SP003-MLV features new trans-stencil vision, and offers users reliable and precise printing, a motorized print head and vertical stencil separation. Additionally, the low-maintenance printer can accommodate stencils or screens up to 23 x 23".