Product category:
Lifts and Stairlifts
News Release from: Memco
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 October 2003
New Assembly Line Saves Time
Throughput doubled for lift safety specialist Memco Ltd, a world leader in lift door safety, has upgraded its Finesse assembly line, speeding up service for its customers.
A sophisticated new pick and place system on the line allows greater accuracy in assembly, and faster throughput rates The company is moving to SMT (surface mount technology) across the board, to improve accuracy, reliability, and consistency
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 7 Feb 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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With SMT assembly there are less build stages so components are handled less frequently, making them more robust.
Memco can now also build at a greater rate, allowing more products to be available in stock.
Since the introduction of the new machines throughput speeds have more than doubled, from 20000 to 40000 components per hour, meaning that Memco's customers will benefit from shorter lead times, and the company can be more responsive to changes in plan.
Memco has two surface mount placement lines, on which most of the printed circuit boards of Memco's lift safety edge products, MemScan, Chromaline, and telephone products are assembled.
A Europlacer Xpress 20 component placer, with extra tape trolleys, has been added to the newer Finesse line.
The vision system of the Xpress 20 is one of the most highly developed available.
A camera mounted on the placement head allows each component to be checked visually as the head is moving it into place.
The part is compared with a library of component images to ensure correct package type, size, and orientation.
Adrian Short, Area Sales Manager for Europlacer, said, "Memco was already using some Europlacer models.
By adding the new Xpress, throughput has more than doubled with a mere 1.5m increase in line length.
The existing Finesse machine was already equipped for fast changeover and the Xpress works in harmony with it, thus protecting the original investment - Memco can continue to change between different jobs quickly and easily, providing fast availability from the manufacturing floor rather than finished goods stock." More time can also now be allocated to run developmental projects, allowing Memco to offer more improved and innovative products to the market.
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