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Why does SMT Line Equipment Maintenance matter to the overall manufacture?
It is the goal of every SMT production line we know to avoid equipment failure by any means necessary. Any machine failure on the line is wasting precious time and money. The best way to ensure a higher mean time between failure (MTBF) is to schedule and perform routine preventive maintenance to identify and fix problems before production is affected.
During a period of economic downturn, it may be tempting to avoid preventative maintenance downtime to keep production running and income pouring in. However, in our experience, that leads to costly repairs, equipment replacement, and a line that is out of service for a much longer time than any maintenance would have caused.
Creating an SMT line equipment maintenance checklist is one way to stay on top of routine and preventative maintenance tasks. We suggest taking things a step further and keeping meticulous service logs for each piece of equipment on your PCB assembly line. If you keep accurate records, you will eventually see patterns and be able to address problems before they happen.
If you know you typically get 1200 hours of production time from your flying probe tester before it needs maintenance, you can plan for that SMT line equipment maintenance and keep your manufacturing running smoothly.
Electrical failures are common in SMT equipment lines due to heat stress, especially when turning equipment on and off frequently. Being aware of the effects of this simple act is a form of preventative maintenance that can decrease the frequency of many common problems. Many electrical components may experience failure from thermal stress.
Used SMT pick and place machines are one piece of equipment in the production line that can cause errors on the line if regular maintenance is not performed. They require regular cleaning, especially for nozzles. Poorly maintained nozzles can lead to picking up the wrong components, misplacing components, and even flipped components. All of this leads to eventual board failure.
SMT line machine maintenance is essential for every piece of equipment, from screen printers to wave solder machinery and reflow ovens. It’s always worth a small amount of downtime.
