SMT equipment management

(1) Talking about efficiency must start with management

Among SNIT equipment, the SMT machine is recognized as the most complex equipment. With the rapid development of assembly technology, its complexity will continue to increase. At the same time, since the cost of the SMT machine accounts for a considerable proportion of the entire SMT processing, the placement process has a great impact on the efficiency of the entire production line. Therefore, the importance of giving full play to the benefits of the SMT machine is becoming more and more noticeable.

It takes many aspects of work to bring the benefits of the SMT machine into play, among which the management of the SMT machine plays a decisive role. No matter how advanced the purchased SMT machine is, its benefits and production performance ultimately depend on people to create and management to ensure. Some problems, such as the failure of the SMT machine’s nozzle that leads to a lower placement rate, seem to be technical problems at first glance, but after in-depth discussion, it is not difficult to find that they are actually management problems. It can be asserted that after the equipment enters the factory, management is the key factor in bringing benefits, and talking about benefits must start with management.

(2) The basis of SMT equipment management – personnel quality management

SMT enterprises must establish a quality improvement and training system and a job responsibility system for all production and technical personnel, from equipment engineers, on-site technicians, production line leaders to SMT machine operators, to build the foundation of enterprise equipment management. Employees’ technical and humanistic qualities are the essence of equipment benefits, and a sound incentive mechanism and management system are the guarantee of equipment benefits.

For SMT enterprises of a certain scale, full-time SMT machine personnel should be set up, and the requirements for these personnel should be the same as those for design and process technicians; in addition, a strict job responsibility system and individual responsibility are also effective equipment and personnel management methods.

(3) Guarantee of SMT equipment management – strict management system

SMT machines are key equipment in SMT production, and a strict management system is the guarantee for the integrity and benefits of the equipment. There are many types of equipment management systems, among which on-site management is the most important system. In on-site operations, people, machines and responsibilities are assigned; original data is counted according to shifts and production cycles. For example, the “SMT Machine Operation Data Table” is filled in, the “SMT Machine Operation Status Chart” is drawn, the operation of the SMT machine is monitored at any time, and the relevant departments are reported in a timely manner; in addition, the maintenance department regularly checks the SMT machine and fills in the “SMT Machine Operation Status Report”, etc. These are all effective management systems for many companies.

(4) SMT machine maintenance management

There are many ways to maintain, and the correct and appropriate choice can bring us higher benefits. For example, the life management of components can be based on the use time, number of uses, usage (that is, performance) or production conditions (that is, replacement only when there is spare time); when replacing components, there are also practices such as replacing one component after another when one component fails, or replacing all similar components at the same time when one component fails. How to choose depends on the cost of the spare part, the cost of replacing the spare part (including downtime loss), the utilization rate of the equipment, and the familiarity of the technicians with the component. In short, companies must master this knowledge to make good use of it to achieve the highest benefits.

Recent studies have shown that with the application of new materials and new processes, the reliability of equipment is increasing, while the invisible wear of equipment is accelerating. More than 60% of the equipment failure rate curves only have an initial failure period, but no wear and tear failure period. Blind regular overhauls will introduce a new initial failure period and increase the equipment failure rate. Due to the different movements, loads, and working environments of different parts of the equipment, the wear, aging, and damage are different. Local repairs, that is, minor repairs, medium repairs, assembly or component repairs are more economical and reasonable.

(5) Spare parts management

Spare parts management contains deep benefit management principles. Effective management methods can reduce inventory costs without causing emergency shortages. For example, spare parts can be reasonably classified, key spare parts can be stored redundantly, general spare parts can be stored normally, and unimportant spare parts can be stored in short supply. According to the actual production and operation of the SMT machine, the equipment, components and parts are classified into A, B and C according to “criticality”, from AAA to CCC. According to the degree of criticality, redundant inventory, general inventory, shortage inventory and spare parts inventory that only stores information but not parts are managed in priority.

(6) Operators are important members of SMT machine maintenance management

Operators are in contact with equipment every day and are most familiar with the various performances of the equipment. The on-site operators are also the first to perceive abnormalities in the sound, temperature, movement, smell and color of the equipment during operation. Therefore, whether the operator can operate correctly and whether he is responsible for the equipment will have a very different result. As the degree of automation of the equipment increases, the operation will become simpler and easier, and it will also make it possible for the operator to take more responsibility for the equipment.

Of course, the maintenance and management of the SMT machine is not the main responsibility of the operator. Further maintenance and management and the use of advanced testing technology and diagnostic methods to ensure the long-term safe operation of the SMT machine require professional technicians. As the technical difficulty increases, the technical support of the supplier is also indispensable. The figure shows the levels of technical support for equipment maintenance recommended by experts, among which the third level – socialized professional institutions is the future development trend of equipment maintenance.