Cables and energy chains for circuit board assemblers: 17 million cycles per year

Precision in continuous operation: control and servo cables as well as e-chains extend maintenance intervals

With the "Speedmounter" PCB assembler, the name says it all. The special mounter of the automation company IPTE works at speeds of up to 300°/s, and in many companies in the computer and automotive industry in three-shift operation and around the clock. A new solution had to be found because cable problems in the past often led to restrictions in the availability of the systems under these conditions. By replacing with chainflex control and servo cables as well as type E2 energy chains, the maintenance intervals of the cable plate assembler could be significantly extended and production downtimes avoided.

Profile

What was needed: chainflex control cables of type CF9 and CF10, servo cables of type CF27, energy chains of type E2 mini, E2 medium and E2/000
Requirements: High speeds of 300°/s, compact installation with little installation space, reliability in continuous operation
Industry: PCB assembly
Success for the customer: In the past, cable failures led to standstills and production losses. Since replacing the cables and cable guidance, the maintenance intervals have been significantly extended.

By replacing the cable guidance with E2 energy chains and chainflex cables, the maintenance intervals of the special circuit board assembler "Speedmounter" could be significantly extended.

Problem

With a turret head, the "Speedmounter" can pick up up to twelve different components at the same time and assemble the circuit board with them. This is happening at breakneck speed.
The turret of the IPTE custom mounter moves at a speed of 300°/s, with the head moving in 30° increments each time twelve tools are mounted. The results are shown in comparison with other special mounters. The actual placement performance with this process is significantly higher than with all other machines worldwide.
The demands on the components that perform their service in the special assembler are accordingly high. The focus is always on system availability. The reliability of the individual assemblies must always be given. The suppliers of the parts from which the machines are made also have to face tough tests. As an ISO-certified company, the quality and reliability of suppliers are checked very carefully.
This is not least due to the fact that in the past there were often limitations in the availability of the systems due to cable problems. Downtimes and production losses had to be prevented. A complete weekend to dismantle and replace the cable assembly is not acceptable to any customer.

Learn more about chainflex cables

Solution

Various chainflex cables and energy chains are used in the "Speedmounter" today, all of which were specially developed for moving applications.
For the control cables, IPTE relies on the chainflex CF9 (unshielded) and CF10 (shielded), which with their minimum bend radius of 5xd allow use with tight radii in the smallest installation spaces. And they also take up little space in the energy chain. This is because a mechanically optimised TPE jacket material and the core insulation enable small outer diameters. And thanks to the gusset-filling extruded inner jacket, the cables retain their transmission properties even after many millions of double cycles. The control cables are supplemented by halogen-free, flame-retardant and UL-approved servo cables of the CF27 series for supplying the servo motors.
The cables are used in energy chains of the series E2 mini, E2 medium and E2/000. With the E2 medium, the stress is particularly high. The chain and cables follow around 17 million cycles per year. In order to avoid electrostatic charging in the printed circuit board assembly, all energy chains are delivered in a conductive ESD version.
Overall, the maintenance intervals could be significantly extended through the use of the energy chain systems and chainflex cables.

Find out more about E2 energy chains