SIPLACE and BILTON 900,000 meters of flexible LED modules produced in-house with the SIPLACE SX Working with technologies of the future

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1 SIPLACE Case Study SIPLACE and BILTON 900,000 meters of flexible LED modules produced in-house with the SIPLACE SX Working with technologies of the future Since its foundation in 2009, BILTON International GmbH in the Austrian town of Saalfelden has made tremendous progress. With now 50 employees, the company develops, manufactures and sells in 20 countries controllers, dimmers and everything else needed for top-of-the-line LED lighting. In 2013, BILTON decided to implement a revolutionary project and start producing linear LED modules using the reel-to-reel (R2R) process on an SMT line specially built for this purpose in Saalfelden. The flexible substrate for the LEDs and resistors proved to be an especially difficult challenge. In close cooperation with the SIPLACE team s special design experts ( called SOKO, based on the German word Sonderkonstruktion, or special design ) and other partners, BILTON started up its production in 2014 following a three-month test run. Unusual projects often involve special SIPLACE designs. Embarking in new directions and redefining what s feasible is what makes our work so exciting, says Wolfgang Eisner, head of SIPLACE s SOKO team. To this day, BILTON has already produced 200,000 linear meters of LED modules, but that is far from the line s maximum capacity. We are confident that we can churn out 900,000 linear meters or more per year on this line, says general manager Patrick Müller. That is our benchmark. Most LED modules for lighting applications continue to come from Asia. This is also where BILTON procured the reels for its products until the company decided in 2013 to shift the production in-house. We had many good reasons for moving the production of our LED modules to Austria, remembers general manager Patrick Müller. With our reel-to-reel process we consider ourselves to be a trailblazer in the lighting industry. There aren t many others who produce these in-house, as most of our competitors focus on assembling purchased components. As a result, only a few still work on the Page 1 von 8

2 development of these new and exciting technologies, which means that there is not a lot of progress. By producing in-house, BILTON has a much better handle on the R2R process. We conduct research, we test, and we continuously advance this technology. This is turning us more and more into a developer and full-line producer. It also inspires and motivates our competitors. SIPLACE as a partner for an unusual project The greatest challenge in implementing the R2R process was without a doubt the flexible substrate, which had to be printed and populated with LED components. A specially built transport system was needed to ensure top-of-the-line quality. As a result, the project was uncharted territory for BILTON s equipment suppliers as well. ASM Assembly Systems was our first choice, says Müller. Our project manager at the time had worked with SIPLACE machines in the past and loved them. Harald Bauer, SIPLACE s sales manager for Austria, remembers: There is virtually no other company in Europe that produces flexible LED modules with this R2R process. The conveyor system posed a challenge for our special design team. And since even the non-siplace machines required custom solutions, we had to cooperate closely with other partners on the line. That was exciting for us. Technical experts from BILTON, SIPLACE, the suppliers of printers and ovens, and a specialist for custom solutions with whom SIPLACE had successfully worked in the past began implementing the new line in The goal: Mastering R2R and improving the process We knew from the start that the substantial additional costs of this project would pay off for BILTON, remembers Patrick Müller. We wanted to have full control over our products top quality was important to us. In many appliances such as refrigerators, our lighting systems indicate proper functionality, which is why our customers have such high requirements. Having its own LED module production was also a sign of BILTON s commitment to its young enterprise and the Saalfelden plant. Going to Asia is not always the most effective option. The personnel and location costs are not so Page 2 of 8

3 critical for us. Instead, we gained full access to the R2R process and the opportunity to advance this exciting technology. One kilometer of perfect LED modules per shift For BILTON, a single SIPLACE SX with two collect-and-place heads turned out to be the ideal machine. The setup effort is minimal in the R2R production in Saalfelden, and any of the rare setup changes that may be needed can be executed quickly. We paid more attention to the precise synchronization of the entire process, explains Bauer. BILTON splits the linear modules into seven sections along the process chain. Each section is 30 centimeters long and populated with 30 to 60 LEDs and their corresponding resistors, depending on the product. The conveyor system turned out to be a major challenge. A vacuum system keeps the flexible substrate in place on the transport plate and ensures that LEDs and resistors are placed in the right locations. Our SIPLACE developers had to customize the standard transport software for the interface with this special conveyor system. The placement process was relatively easy, says Patrick Müller, but printing and infrared soldering turned out to be more problematic. The thermal expansion of our flexible substrate was tricky, as was the precise control of the soldering profiles. The cutting machine at the end of the line, which splits the wide substrate into 35 strips, was another headache. Tests of the new SMT line, which was initially installed in Ismaning near Munich, took three months. After moving the line to Saalfelden, another month went by until the R2R process was properly synchronized. In the meantime, the R2R production has been running successfully for one year. The line s utilization ratio is high, and no operator interference is needed during a shift. Only quality control and testing are performed on-site by BILTON employees. We have a minimal fault ratio of 0.03 percent, which is something we are very proud of. In each shift we produce approximately 1,500 linear meters of our LED modules. Page 3 of 8

4 In summary: Having total control pays off The response to the new R2R production in Saalfelden was overwhelmingly positive. BILTON s customers from the appliance, furniture, lighting and lighting wholesale and retail segments as well as from OEM producers in the automobile, appliance, furniture, electronics and lighting industries were quickly convinced of having the production located in nearby Saalfelden. We deliver products with constant quality and color, which is very important for our customers. And since we are not at the other end of the world, tracking and finding a rare error is quick and easy. Adapting our LED modules to changing customer requirements is also easy, and new product introductions are no problem on our line, says Müller. After the successful start of BILTON s in-house production of linear LED modules, the company already has expansion plans: At this time we produce only white LED modules in Saalfelden. Shifting the production of RGB lights in-house is next on the agenda. This means that we will need another SIPLACE machine, of course. SIPLACE special designs: Redefining what s feasible The SIPLACE SOKO team enters the picture whenever electronics manufacturers must tackle new technologies or want to carefully analyze and rethink their processes in order to achieve a specific goal, explains Wolfgang Eisner, SIPLACE s special design expert and team head. Predicting what the next project will look like is virtually impossible for the SOKO team, because the possibilities of SIPLACE s special designs are almost limitless. From small modifications of SIPLACE products and machines that quickly benefit everyday production operations to major conversions involving hardware and software experts the team has already realized even the most exotic customer requirements. Some producers require a special solution for extra-large or extra-long boards, or special alarm lights with audio signals for loud production environments. We also handle kitting area processes, for example with the SIPLACE Active Feeder Rack, with special designs that have proven their usefulness in many production plants. We also have customers who come to us with very unusual projects, such as a company in the solar panel industry that successfully populates solar modules with highly customized SIPLACE machines, feeders and conveyors, says Page 4 of 8

5 Eisner. In such cases, the SIPLACE SOKO team will give anything a try. SIPLACE is considered the industry s technology leader, because we come up with new solutions and redefine what s feasible on a daily basis. Page 5 of 8

Bilton International GmbH BILTON International is a specialist for LED light management and flexible LED modules. Based in Saalfelden, Austria, it exports products to 20 countries.

6 Bilton International GmbH BILTON International is a specialist for LED light management and flexible LED modules. Based in Saalfelden, Austria, it exports products to 20 countries. Everything that BILTON sells is made in Austria. BILTON International GmbH is not only the only company in the world that offers LED controls in all signal variants, but one of the few companies in Europe that produce flexible LED modules with a unique reel-to-reel process. With its 50 employees, BILTON International currently has annual capacities for 250 million components and 900,000 meters of flexible LED modules in addition to 10,000 operating devices per month. 01-ASM-Assembly-Systems-Bilton-CS-12_Binder_0: Customers use BILTON s linear LED modules to implement state-of-the-art lighting concepts. (Photo: BILTON International) Page 6 of 8

7 02-ASM-Assembly-Systems-Bilton-CS-Taxer-8390: BILTON production manager Mario Taxer administered the implementation of the R2R process in Saalfelden, Austria. (Photo: BILTON International) Page 7 of 8

8 04-ASM-SIPLACE-SX12-S-2011blau5593_SX_2_front: A SIPLACE SX2 equipped with a specially designed conveyor system was the ideal solution for BILTON. Page 8 of 8

PRC CO ² -LASER PRESENTATION

Page 1 of 7 PRC CO ² -LASER PRESENTATION GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS - Embedded PC104 Electronics with exchangeable software allowing very easy integration of customer specified functions: such as eg. specific