Latest purchase caps $600,000 re-invested in equipment in 2015 at electronics design and contract manufacturing facility near Rochester, NY.
October 26, 2015 – Z-AXIS has added a new SMT pick-and-place line and upgraded its existing SMT lines at its electronics design and manufacturing center near Rochester, NY. The new MY200DX-10 pick-and-place machine installed this month is the latest model from Mycronic(formerly MYDATA) of Sweden. It is fully compatible with Z-AXIS’ existing MYDATA lines, giving Z-AXIS maximum efficiency and scheduling flexibility along with doubling its SMT assembly capacity.
Photo: Z-AXIS’ new Mycronic SMT pick-and-place machine (far right) along with existing MYDATA lines during their upgrade.
The MY200DX-10 has a rated speed of 40,000 parts per hour and is able to handle any type of component from 01005 to QFP and BGA, as well as complex components such as CSP, flip chip and odd-shape.
Concurrently with installation of the new machine, Z-AXIS invested in a full upgrade of its existing MYDATA lines. Upgrades included:
- Installation of Mycronic’s latest machine vision systems for higher speed and accuracy in placing more complex parts.
- Installation of new motherboards in the machines.
- Addition of a new server and the latest line control software with workflow planning tools to minimize part changes between jobs and maximize throughput.
The new software also adds part traceability capabilities, allowing Z-AXIS to automatically capture and track the manufacturer and date code for every component on every SMT board assembly.
With all lines using same part feeders, magazines, and programming, Z-AXIS manufacturing engineers can set up a job once and run it on any line as needed. The Mycronic/MYDATA systems offer fast changeover, which benefits Z-AXIS’ in-house design team as well as the manufacturing team.
Z-AXIS design engineers, after completing board designs for customers, can create prototypes using the same Mycronic/MYDATA lines that will be used to manufacture the final PCB assemblies. This allows Z-AXIS to take customer products from prototype and pre-production to volume manufacturing with no re-programming.
Additional 2015 equipment investments add capabilities
In addition to the new and upgraded SMT lines, Z-AXIS has made additional investments throughout 2015 to extend its PCB manufacturing capabilities. These include a new Hylax HT200 UV laser for depaneling printed circuit board assemblies, a new Ionograph BT Series ionic contamination testing system, a new Airwolf AW3D HD2X high-performance 3D printer, and an upgraded humidity control system for the manufacturing center along with a dry box for safe and convenient storage of moisture-sensitive devices.
“We continue to re-invest in the latest and best manufacturing equipment to meet our customers’ needs,” said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. “We are extremely proud to provide the quality and agility that leading commercial and industrial equipment companies need from their contract manufacturing partner.”