SolderStar to Showcase Intelligent Manufacturing Using SMART Methods at IPC APEX Expo 2017

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SolderStar Ltd will showcase its innovative and intelligent manufacturing solutions at the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO 2017 event in San Diego, California on February 14–16, 2017.

With over a decade of specializing in the design, development and manufacture of thermal profiling equipment for the lead-free electronics industry, SolderStar will introduce its newest internet based technology, SMARTLine, which enables big data capture from reflow ovens for intelligent manufacturing requirements. The system was developed to work with the Industry 4.0/Internet of Manufacturing concept, a principle where machines are connected through intelligent networks that can control each other autonomously to create a SMART factory.

"As the requirement for cost reduction in manufacturing is always a hot topic in the industry, and the growing realisation that the way to do this is through SMART manufacturing, the importance of using solutions that work with Industry 4.0 is really important," said Mark Stansfield, Managing Director of SolderStar. "In the coming years, the SMART manufacturing concept is set to revolutionise the manufacturing process and SolderStar wanted to be ahead of this trend by ensuring our profiling systems could run efficiently in these conditions. The accessibility to obtain data will only increase and this information and its real-time processing will become one of the most important resources for companies in the future. Real-time monitoring will be key in this transition and that is where SMARTLine comes in. SMARTLine is essentially a data capture system which provides a network link and software for streaming live process data from the ovens on the production floor. The system is scalable and provides all the tools for ‘big data’ capture from single test/evaluations lines to full smart factories scenarios.

"Since introducing the system this year we have received a lot of interest and we hope to grow on this, especially within the USA. IPC Apex gives us the perfect opportunity to introduce the SMARTLine to an audience that will understand just how the capabilities of such a system will help in their future production."

SMARTLine captures data from the soldering processes with measurement sensors and interface modules that communicates via IP networks providing data from the SMT line. The system also provides tools for analysis of the captured data using web based methods via desktop or mobile platforms. These tools provide an immediate insight into the performance of the process, providing engineers with an invaluable insight into the manufacturing environment.