Nivelco boosts SMT throughput with new machines from Fuji
Hungarian industrial electronics manufacturer Nivelco Process Control Co. has upgraded its surface-mount technology (SMT) production line with two AIMEX IIIc placement machines from Fuji Europe Corporation. The move is part of an effort to replace ageing equipment and address increasing production demands.
Nivelco, which specialises in measurement and automation solutions for sectors such as electronics, chemical processing, and food production, previously operated with placement machines installed in 1999 and 2005. The older systems were no longer meeting performance requirements due to the growing complexity and volume of components handled in the manufacturing process.
To address these limitations, Nivelco integrated the Fuji AIMEX IIIc platform, which supports up to 130 feeder slots and is designed for high-mix production environments. The machines also feature automatic format change and calibration functions aimed at reducing setup times and improving placement accuracy.
“It was important for us to be able to handle more component variants with a single machine, minimize setup times, and increase throughput. That’s why we decided to invest in an AIMEX IIIc from Fuji. With the introduction of the new placement machine, we were able to reduce the load on our existing equipment and significantly increase our production efficiency,” explains Tibor Sári, Production Director at Nivelco in a press release.
Following the successful installation of the first AIMEX IIIc, Nivelco quickly decided to purchase a second machine of the same type, which was seamlessly integrated into the existing SMT line. As a result, one of the older machines was taken out of production.
“The integration not only increased our production capacity at Nivelco, but also marks the beginning of a future-ready placement strategy that allows for seamless adaptation to new requirements. In the future, we also plan to replace the other older machine entirely and to purchase a new SMT stencil printer and a reflow oven. Our goal is to further optimise solder paste application and the reflow process,” Tibor Sári, continues.