Apr 10, 2012 
The iineo II pick-and-place equipment from Europlacer, a designer and manufacturer of comprehensive SMT pick-and-place equipment for the global electronics industry, has doubled SMT production capacity for Detroit-based BGM Engineering, an innovative engineering company providing electronic design, manufacturing and programming support in the development of wireless devices, sensors, controls and other electronics for customers within the automotive, fire fighter, medical and energy savings industries.
Outgrowing existing SMT technology when exponential sales growth required greater production capability, BGM Engineering evaluated several SMT pick-and-place equipment suppliers before choosing the Europlacer iineo-II based on its value, flexibility and functionality in meeting growing, high-mix manufacturing requirements.
“Europlacer provided both the high-end technology and hands-on customer service necessary to support our growing production requirements,” notes Scott Gentry, President/CEO, BGM Engineering.
Offering the industry’s largest board size and a huge feeder capacity of 264 x 8 mm, the Europlacer iineo II immediately doubled BGM Engineering’s production capacity while providing the flexibility to handle PCBs as large as 18" x 20". With the installation of the iineo II in July 2011, the engineering company increased surface mount assembly rates from 2K to more than 25K parts per hour.
“Because the iineo II is a larger machine capable of holding tapes in 264 positions along with an array of trays, we can more quickly produce PCBs as our business grows,” notes Scott. “The large board size also provides us with the flexibility to process even larger and more complex components if requirements should warrant it in future.”
BGM’s high-mix, medium- to high-volume electronics assembly includes a diverse range of components such as resistors, connectors and ICs ranging in size from ½ x ½" to 12 x 1". With multiple board variants, the engineering company performs frequent job changeovers; typically three different batches are completed daily. Using the iineo II, parts can be loaded into tape elements in 30 seconds or less.
The intelligent feeders of the iineo-II also allow operators to store component data, such as bar code information, for automatic machine recognition that further optimizes setup and changeover. Built-in software provides analysis of production data at different process stages so BGM can evaluate how the iineo II ran for a specific job.
“Because the iineo II quantifies pick rates and parts placed per hour, we can determine peak production volumes with each job and quantify if we need to add another tray into the machine to pick parts more quickly,” Scott added.
BGM Engineering has posted a video of iineo II operations to its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150268725887185. “Our investment in the iineo-II shows our commitment to quality and productivity as we can produce at higher volumes with great precision,” concludes Scott.
Europlacer has been developing machines for SMT electronics assembly since the 1970s and invented the intelligent feeder concept in the 1980s. After acquisition by Blakell Europlacer in 1991, the company moved away from split-axis to the inherently more capable X-Y architecture that underpins the company’s pick-and-place machines today. Europlacer’s policy has been to ensure wherever possible that technology purchased many years ago, especially feeders, remain compatible with the latest pick-and-place equipment. Europlacer designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of highly flexible SMT pick-and-place systems for the global electronics industry. For more information, visit Europlacer’s Web site at www.europlacer.com.
