Ersa Best Practice: Laudren
With permanent change to success
Stencil printing is the most important process in electronics production. 70 percent of all process errors in the SMT line are due to it. Most errors in stencil printing can be easily corrected by inspecting the printed result. This is exactly what the Breton EMS service provider Laudren Electronique attaches great importance to – the French already wanted to have an integrated 3D-SPI when it was not yet available. Today, two Ersa VERSAPRINT 2 Ultra3 machines with this feature are in use.
Laudren Electronique, active in electronics production since 1975, specializes in assemblies in small and medium series. The company has over 7,000 m2 of production space at its Lanester site, and 160 employees convert demanding high-tech projects into electronic assemblies – as an EMS full-service provider from procurement to production, integration and testing to customer service and logistics. With 40 years of experience, Laudren Electronique produces electronic circuit boards and assemblies for customers in France and abroad in the fields of energy, defence, transport, aeronautics, optics and networks, automation and lighting.
Business relationship starts with VERSAFLOW 3/66
Laudren Electronique and Ersa have known each other for eight years – in 2014 this became a business relationship with the purchase of a VERSAFLOW 3/66 for big boards. The French EMS service provider´s set requirement was: selective soldering technology. Understandable, because current PCBs are becoming increasingly complex in design – more and more components are installed on them, high-mix, low-volume is increasingly becoming standard for assemblies. In this case, an XL format was added to the circuit board, which the Ersa machine perfectly masters with a maximum circuit board size of 610 x 610 mm. “With Ersa technology, each solder point can be treated individually – i.e. with its own parameters – to achieve optimum quality,” says the process engineer responsible at Laudren Electronique. After tests, the system was designed with a double-pot system for mixed production, and since its installation it has delivered greater productivity and quality in production.
Ersa VERSAPRINT S1 with option on 3D-SPI
Convinced of the efficiency of the selective soldering system, the first inquiry for a stencil printer followed almost two years later. Already the first generation was no longer a simple printer, but as a multifunctional system it fulfilled further functions along the production line. Even then, Laudren Electronique was interested in integrated 3D-SPI – even though this feature was not yet available. However, it was known on the French side that Ersa Development was working to bring this module to market as quickly as possible. So those in charge at Laudren Electronique decided to purchase a VERSAPRINT S1 stencil printer. Special features: 100% Solder Paste Inspection (SPI), user-oriented interface according to SEMI standard (SEMI short for Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International), automatic stencil underside cleaning, optional retrofittable features.
In 2018, after the launch of the VERSAPRINT 2 stencil printer generation, which in the Ultra3 expansion stage had the 3D-SPI function, Laudren Electronique promptly retrofitted the existing S1. This was carried out at Ersa headquarters in Wertheim – a VERSAPRINT 2 Ultra3 was provided on loan.
Good business partners, fast service
After the return of the upgraded VERSAPRINT S1, there were a few tuning sessions until everything worked. However, the rental period had convinced the French so much that Ersa took the system back and Laudren Electronique ordered two VERSAPRINT 2 Ultra3 in return. “The changeover resulted in a further increase in reliability and also greater flexibility through faster processes,” says the engineer responsible for the process. It is also appreciated that no additional external SPI is required, which saves valuable production space. Since the machines were installed, which run in 3-shift operation, service and maintenance have not been a big issue: five minutes per shift are spent on cleaning, and every six months some grease is applied to the axles, ready.
In addition to the good business relationship, Laudren Electronique particularly appreciates the fast response of the central Ersa Service. Despite all the soldering system competence, the fact that the Ersa France team is at home in the printing process and has stencil printing expertise is well received in Brittany. They are also impressed by the flexible programming that is often required for small and medium batch sizes – and is done quickly, not least thanks to the interface in French.
How does the integrated 3D-SPI work?
The three-dimensional inspection of the VERSAPRINT 2 reliably detects deviations in the volume of the solder paste depots by using laser triangulation – a laser beam is projected onto the object to be measured, the light reflected from there is imaged at a triangulation angle on the camera sensor and the height information is calculated from the geometry of the optical setup. The image is acquired by moving the measuring device over the PCB and scanning the laser profile. The following features are evaluated: volume, area, height, short circuit, offset. If the system detects deviations in the solder paste print from the specifications, an additional 2D image of the affected area is taken for better analysis. In addition, the 3D image can be rotated and enlarged as required for safe, efficient analysis. Another advantage of the integrated inspection: the closed-loop function for print offset correction – it is able to detect offsets and automatically correct them depending on printing direction.