With major clients in sectors such as automotive and industrial electronics, RSG Elotech is an expert at tackling complex assembly challenges and demands for impeccable product quality, immense flexibility, and rapid turnaround times. While helping these clients cope with rapid technological change—electrification is revolutionizing automotive design, and Industry 4.0 is driving advanced cyber-physical systems in factory automation—the company is also a recognized manufacturer of advanced energy-saving technologies, such as high-efficiency LED lighting. Diligent investment in cutting-edge capabilities has been fundamental to its success.
The placement of the 2.3 million surface-mount components handled daily across nine highly automated production lines demands high speed, high precision, and high reliability. Not a single ingredient can be lacking. "Fortunately, we benefit from close ties with Yamaha Robotics, a chosen partner whose reliable line assembly machines have brought exceptional speed and capabilities, along with robust reliability, to our production operations," says Frank Lauterbach, Technical Director of RSG Elotech.
Long-term connection:
The connection with Yamaha Robotics goes back a long way. In fact, there are currently six generations of Yamaha line assemblers serving the production lines at RSG Elotech's factory in Bad Lobenstein. The earliest machines, from Yamaha's YV and YV II series, continue to offer high productivity and now work alongside the latest high-speed YS and YSM modular machines. "Right now we have 24 Yamaha assemblers in operation," confirms Frank Lauterbach, "and we enjoy excellent support for each one through Yamaha's European service team."
Ralf Bierschenk, chief engineer at Yamaha Robotics, comments: “We know our customers need to maximize the return on every investment they make with us. That means supporting older machines to ensure years of reliable service, as well as helping to unlock the full potential of the latest models.”
Three Yamaha YSM20 mounting machines in line place up to 285,000 cph
Yamaha's current YSM assembly line offers scalability from the single-beam/head YSM10R to the Z:TAR YSM40R, which combines four beams and four heads with advanced motion control and high-speed cameras enabling placement speeds of up to 200,000 cph. Other Yamaha innovations, such as the simplified Automatic Load Feeders (ALF) and the non-stop feed trolley exchange system, are easy to use and save changeover time, while the Automatic Tray Sequencer (ATS) increases productivity by enabling non-stop component loading onto trays.
The Yamaha Factory Tools 4.0 software suite helps owners configure and program machines and monitor their performance. The latest version includes the new Yamaha Dashboard, which incorporates Tableau Software's global data analytics expertise to graphically display performance and support continuous improvement. Live production analytics allow users to manage their lines in real time, while historical analysis tools help easily visualize important metrics such as downtime, setup time, pick errors, and the causes of stoppages.
The high feed capacity of Yamaha assembly machines increases flexibility and efficiency.
LED
arrays, this unique line strengthens the company's position in the energy-saving lighting and building automation markets by enabling high productivity and fast turnaround times.
“Our engineering group has worked with the RSG Elotech team to create special solutions for board transport and indexing, which are integrated into the standard assembly platform,” explains Ralf Bierschenk. “In addition, we’ve integrated Yamaha’s automated BIN code management software to assist with programming. It simplifies the notoriously complex challenge of correcting LED brightness differences and helps the production team manage their LED inventory efficiently.”
He concludes: "The completion of this project has further strengthened the collaboration between our two companies, which has become a lasting success."
Article provided by Yamaha Robotics SMT Section
