BONNEL TECHNOLOGIE s.r.o. develops and manufactures electronic and mechatronic devices (IoT control units for decentralized sewage treatment plants, switching power supplies and DC motor speed control systems for electronic locks) in series of 100 pcs. p.a. to 100.000 pcs. p.a.

For a modernization of its SMT production line BONNEL was looking for a replacement for its pick and place machine Assembleon (type Opal – XII) and reflow oven REHM (type VXS basic 2100). The main targets have been:

• increase the productivity of the SMT line by at least 100%
• obtain a sufficient number (> 120) of feeder positions to meet the requirements of the heterogenous production program with small batches
• the use of an automatic tray station without “giving up” feeder positions
• introduce full traceability from the PCB over the parts to the complete product, ideally with an interface to existing databases
• have a brand reflow oven at a reasonable price that can meet all requirements for a stable process
• have fast and full service within Czech Republic at reasonable rates

After a detailed market research and after receiving offers from all bigger players, BONNEL by far favored the offer from Amtest Czech Republic, s.r.o. (Mr. Kollár). The reasons are as follows:

• The two pick and place machines HANWHA type SM481PLUS and type SM482PLUS had together a lower price than a single comparable machine of the brand competitors. But the two machines offer a higher flexibility and far more feeder positions (240) than at a comparable single machine solution. The productivity is now three times higher than before. Moreover, the fail-safety at two machines is far higher – in worst case the production can continue using only one of the two machines.
• After a firmware update, the tray station works perfectly without blocking feeder positions.
• After some minor issues at the beginning, Amtest did not give up until the traceability was working according to BONNEL’s (complex) requirements.
• The HELLER reflow oven works fine, the process is stable, and the price performance ratio is great. It was even possible to get rid of long-lasting problems at some solder points.
• If service visits will be as enduring and target-orientated as the colleagues during the installation, it will almost become a pleasure to order it 😉

Even though the operation of the HANWHA devices is, according to the operators, quite different to that one of the old Assembleon machine and some functions are not implemented too much straight-forward, the SMT line operators are happy to learn the features and possibilities of their new “toys”. The operators now even begin to notice benefits compared to what they have used for years 😉

BONNEL is aware, that especially the requirements regarding traceability were quite particular. Still, Amtest managed finally to set-up everything according to the needs, although a close cooperation with BONNEL’s IT department was necessary. BONNEL hopes, that Amtest was able to gain some know-how for future installations and that it was thus a win-win-situation.

Hereby, BONNEL would like to thank the team at Amtest Czech Republic and especially Mr. Kollár for the great assistance while choosing the right machines and also for the support during the installation. BONNEL does not regret the decision to cooperate with Amtest for one single second.