Standard of Excellence: The Future of Fabrication—From Art to Automation
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: The Business Case for Component Reclamation
Global Sourcing Spotlight: The Hidden Power of the Rep Network
Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment for the electronics industry, has successfully supplied Concurrent Technologies Plc (Concurrent), a designer and manufacturer of mission-critical embedded computing solutions, with their second ASSCON vapour phase soldering system, the innovative VP2100-100 inline unit.
Following the proven success of their ASSCON VP6000 batch system, Concurrent has invested in this latest technology to scale production capacity while maintaining the exceptional soldering quality their applications demand. The use of vapour phase technology for Concurrent is critical because it provides an inert and uniform heating environment for the most complex board requirements. This uniformity ensures quality soldering even in the face of large and heavy components alongside small and light ones which they see in many key variants they manufacture. In their specific application, this included soldering processors weighing 98 grams with 4,500 balls alongside typical SMT componentry which is incredibly challenging to do in another reflow process type.
The ASSCON VP2100-100 is a high-performance inline vapour phase system designed for higher-volume applications. With its generous 750 x 620mm soldering chamber, the system can process multiple PCBs simultaneously while delivering oxygen-free heat transfer with dynamic profiling and sensor-based gradient control, ensuring reproducible process conditions that prevent overheating, component damage, or PCB delamination.
Ian Gardiner, Process Engineer at Concurrent said: "We're very excited to have the new ASSCON VP2100-100 at our facility. Having previously purchased the VP6000, we were already familiar with ASSCON's capabilities and trusted their technology to meet our needs. This latest investment focuses on increasing our capacity while expanding automation within a proven vapour phase process.
"Given the complexity of our products and their intricate designs, vapour phase reflow is clearly the optimal solution for achieving superior reflow performance with minimal voiding by providing uniform heat in an inert atmosphere. The VP2100's inline capability perfectly addresses our throughput requirements, providing a true inline system that eliminates the need for special carriers or manual loading operations."
The VP2100-100 offers multiple PCB loading configurations with component heights up to 60mm. The system delivers 70% lower energy consumption compared to conventional reflow systems, with rapid 30-minute start-up times and full traceability capabilities, which are critical features for high-reliability applications.
Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group, said: "Concurrent is a very exciting OEM in the UK, building highly relevant products that are in strong demand. It's always rewarding when a customer invests in a repeat machine for their production facility, it signals both their business success and the proven value of the technology.
“ASSCON has been a true pioneer in inline vapour phase technology for higher-volume applications, and this Concurrent installation is part of a growing number of ASSCON deployments across the UK. We're excited to see more installations planned in the coming months."
