Mid-speed, high-mix manufacturers have often found themselves between a rock and a hard place when deciding on the best placement technology for a dynamic assembly environment.
While many features of higher-speed systems, such as vision inspection, placement head flexibility and easy-to-use software are desirable for the mid-speed market, the cost of high-volume placement platforms for mid-volume use doesn’t necessarily make sound economic sense.
But, as today’s manufacturing operation in the mid-speed sector becomes more complex with increasing product variation, challenging NPI demands, shorter planning cycles and stringent build-to-order requirements, the need for a more capable system to manage remote programming and ongoing set-up changeovers is greater than ever before. Naturally, high-quality results and cost-competitiveness for the mid-range market remain key considerations for any high-mix manufacturing operation.