Product category:
Electronics manufacturing: equipment, automation, software
News Release from: Harting | Subject: Harting CPM2001/s press-in machine
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 August 2002
Press-in machines boost PCB productivity
Hydraulic press-in technology is increasingly replacing manually-operated pnematic devices in the attaching connectors to 'daughter' cards.
Alcatel's CIT site in France, recently invested in its third Harting CPM2001/s press-in machine within less than two years The production site produces telecom equipment and serves as a role model for Alcatel's other sites throughout the world
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 4 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The plant's 900 employees assemble close to 6000 printed circuit boards daily, processing a total of 3 million components.
The production of 2300 different types of electronic modules requires flexible, reliable and user-friendly machines.
Each daughter card receives, on average, three or four connectors.
Press-in technology is increasingly gaining in importance in this process.
The share of automatically inserted connectors can be as high as 100% for certain cards that are not produced as SMT (surface mount technology) versions.
Alcatel was one of the pioneers in the introduction of press-in technology in France, having introduced the first insertion-single-contact bases in 1980.
Originally, the Alcatel Eu site developed its own press-in machines over a period of almost 20 years.
These were manually operated press-in machines, using compressed air with a maximum force of 35kN for connectors with up to 120 contacts and hydraulic presses with a force of 70kN for connectors with up to 630 contacts.
The ever-increasing number of contacts, coupled with advances in miniaturisation and the more stringent demands placed on the quality of workmanship prompted Alcatel's decision to replace traditional production methods with a new generation of press-in machines.
The company issued an invitation to tender that placed exceptionally tough demands on the machines.
The conditions included pressure with a capacity of 140kN and a novel placement concept along with guaranteed quality of placement, irrespective of the type of connector used.
In addition, the new press-in machines had to be compatible with all of Alcatel's existing tools.
Harting accepted the challenge, and was able to exceed the demands in the specifications.
Today, more than two boards per minute are handled by each of the Harting CPM machines.
With more than 100,000 insertions annually on each machine, the people at Alcatel are more than happy with their investment.
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