Products, Materials + Tools | Jul 20, 2010

Essemtec Introduces Simultaneous Through-Hole LEDs and SMD Placement

Essemtec introduces the CLM979 Radial Component Feeder that enables the assembly of through-hole LEDs on a standard pick-and-place machine. The feeder releases LEDs from the tape, cuts the wire ends and prepares the component for pickup.

Typically two different machines have been required for mixed placements ? an SMD pick-and-place and a placement machine for conventional components. With the CLM979 radial feeder, however, a pick-and-place can accomplish both through-hole LED assembly and SMD placement. This saves space, time and money.
 
The LEDs are supplied in radial tapes. The CLM979 feeder transports the components, releases them from the tape, cuts the wire ends to the desired length and aligns them parallel. So-prepared LEDs now can be handled by the SMD pick-and-place with a vacuum pickup tool.
 
In order to guarantee smooth insertion of the LEDs into the soldering holes, the wire ends are inspected by using optical systems (laser and vision). If the wires are out of tolerance, e.g. because of a bent terminals, the component is not placed but rejected.
 
The CLM979 feeder can be mounted in parallel to standard SMD component feeders. Therefore, mixed placement is possible in one run. Depending on the application, through-hole LEDs can be soldered using the solder wave or reflow soldering system (pin-in-paste technology).
 
The radial feeder CLM979 expands the application range of a standard SMD placement machine and increases the flexibility. The feeder is compatible with most of Essemtec’s automatic pick-and-place machines. It also can be retrofitted on machines of other brands.
 
About Essemtec:
The Swiss machine manufacturer Essemtec is a market leader in manufacturing flexible production systems for industrial users. Essemtec has been developing, manufacturing and marketing equipment and machines for all processes in the electronics industry since 1991: printers, dispensers, pick-and-place and soldering systems. Manual, semiautomatic and fully automatic systems are available. The range of products also includes transportation and storage systems, as well as software solutions for planning, simulation optimisation and documentation of manufacturing. All Essemtec systems are optimized for maximum flexibility. The user can switch from one product to another in no time, thus making maximum use of the available production capacity. Essemtec - Be more flexible.

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