SIPLACE success stories

SIPLACE & Phonak

SIPLACE & Turck

SIPLACE & Asetronics

SIPLACE placement solutions guarantee maximum precision for leading hearing aid manufacturer Phonak

Switzerland’s Phonak AG, which is a member of the Sonova Group, the world’s leading maker of hearing aids, recently upgraded and expanded its factory in Stäfa. In the future, the high-volume placement of tiny electronic components on extremely thin and flexible film substrates will be performed with a four-gantry SIPLACE CA, which combines SMT placement and die-bonding in a single process.  For the prototype manufacturing of its innovative hearing aids, Phonak relies on SIPLACE D-Series machines. The pivotal factors in the selection process in addition to accuracy and process stability were the outstanding real placement performance per square meter of floor space, the intelligent and robust SIPLACE X feeders and the flexibility regarding the special solutions in terms of nozzles, dual conveyors and carrier systems needed to populate flexible substrates. Swiss SIPLACE partner Hilpert Electronics handled the planning and implementation of the new SMT lines.
 

Almost invisible yet extremely powerful – that’s how customers want their hearing aids to be, and Swiss innovation leader Phonak accommodates them. It places the electronics components not on rigid circuit boards, but on flexible substrates that are only 250 µm thick. To save space, these substrates are then folded up and placed in the hearing aid housing. The state-of-the-art SIPLACE placement machines from the company’s CA- and D-Series deliver the necessary precision and process stability.
 

High-volume production on a four-gantry SIPLACE CA
With its placement accuracy of 41 µm at 3 sigma (for flip-chip applications 10 µm@3 Sigma), a four-gantry SIPLACE CA equipped with SIPLACE CP20 SpeedStar placement heads provides the performance Phonak requires for its high-volume production. The company operates in two shifts with fixed setups and product changeovers roughly every 40 minutes.
 
The conveyor represented a special challenge. The specially shaped flexible substrates, the various carrier systems Phonak uses for multiple clusters required customer-specific support such as special nozzles and adjustments to the dual conveyor. We developed, planned and implemented these modifications together with the customer and the SIPLACE team,” says Erich Harlacher, Sales Manager at Swiss SIPLACE partner Hilpert Electronics AG, about the Phonak project.
 
Prototype production on the SIPLACE D-Series
Phonak also operates a line with a SIPLACE D2 and a SIPLACE D1 for its prototype production and to handle any overflow from its main line. After the placement programs have been tested on this line, they can be easily transferred to other SIPLACE machines. Phonak develops new products and the associated manufacturing processes at the Stäfa plant and tests them in initial production series ramp-ups.
 
"Since our market is highly dynamic in terms of technologies and customer demand, we need competent and flexible partners. After initially equipping three lines with SIPLACE D-Series machines, we ultimately converted the entire production once the SIPLACE CA was introduced. Our specific placement processes required lots of modifications, but thanks to the help of Hilpert and SIPLACE we have reached an entirely new level of process stability," says Jonas Ruckstuhl, Group Leader Electronic SMD Assembly at Phonak.
 
For more information about Phonak AG, Switzerland: www.phonak.com

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SIPLACE placement machines for sensor manufacturing specialist Turck Delémont

Turck Delémont is investing in two state-of-the-art SIPLACE machines from the successful X-Series to get ready for the rising order volume at its location in Delémont, Switzerland. The Swiss subsidiary of sensor technology manufacturer Turck GmbH, which produces sensors for automotive, medical and industrial applications, has also established itself as a contract manufacturer of sophisticated modules. It focuses on the design and high-mix/low-volume production of electronic modules which are then sealed or encased in die-cast enclosures. Against this backdrop, Turck Delémont is particular demanding in terms of placement accuracy and flexibility when it comes to SMT placement equipment as well as regarding competent support from SIPLACE experts in all aspects and processes related to electronics production.
 

Previously predominantly active as the Swiss production location for the company’s own Turck sensors, Turck Delémont is using its investment in two SIPLACE X-Series placement machines to prepare itself for external clients’ rising demand for special design and manufacturing services. The EMS (electronic manufacturing services) and ODM (original design and manufacturing) business, which is being handled via Turck Duotec, has become a second foothold in recent years and strengthened the company’s excellent international reputation as a specialist for encased electronic modules.
 

Flexibility made the difference
What made the difference in the selection of SIPLACE equipment were the SIPLACE X2’s flexibility and the placement accuracy. For the evaluation process, Swiss SIPLACE partner Hilpert Electronics optimized an entire week’s production for the client and demonstrated the extreme accuracy and process reliability of the SIPLACE placement machines. And with ability to set up the next job while the current one is still running, all customer orders can be processed just-in-time in addition to the regular weekly production.
 
Turck Delémont selected an extremely flexible SMT line configuration with two SIPLACE X2 placement machines. The first SIPLACE X2 with two SIPLACE CP20 SpeedStar heads handles the highly efficient placement of standard components up to the latest generation of super-small 01005 components. The second SIPLACE X2, which is configured with a SIPLACE 12-segment Collect & Place head and the highly flexible Collect & Place TwinHead, provides the required flexibility for large components, connectors and odd shapes.
 
The SIPLACE placement solutions deliver additional benefits with their digital vision system and powerful software such as the SIPLACE Setup Center. The former provides the desired speed and quality for new product introductions (NPI processes), while the SIPLACE Software Suite guarantees highly efficient setups with setup families in addition to the desired process reliability with setup verification capabilities. And with its switchable interface languages, SIPLACE software also meets the special requirements of multi-lingual Switzerland.
 
Competent advice and support
"With our lot sizes, our miniaturized modules and our subsequent extrusion-coating technologies, we do more than place great demands on our machines – getting competent support from the equipment manufacturer is at least equally important. We don’t want to be forced to test our quality as we go along, but have stable processes from the start, and that extends far beyond the actual machine. The SIPLACE team and its Swiss partner Hilpert Electronics provide exemplary products and services in this field", says Stephan Kohler, the production manager in charge of electronics in Delémont.

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Firm focus on LED placement market

Over a period of only five years, Ascom spin-off Asetronics AG has developed from an in-house manufacturing subsidiary for telecommunication products into an independent EMS provider and original design manufacturer for sophisticated LED products. To be able to keep meeting the high quality and delivery reliability requirements of its new customers from the manufacturing, lighting and in particular the medical and automotive industries, the Berne-based electronics producer invested in new SMT lines featuring SIPLACE D-Series placement machines.
 

Almost invisible yet extremely powerful – that’s how customers want their hearing aids to be, and Swiss innovation leader Phonak accommodates them. It places the electronics components not on rigid circuit boards, but on flexible substrates that are only 250 µm thick. To save space, these substrates are then folded up and placed in the hearing aid housing. The state-of-the-art SIPLACE placement machines from the company’s CA- and D-Series deliver the necessary precision and process stability.
 

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