The automated solution has helped the Livingston-based electronics manufacturer become more competitive while maintaining its commitment to precision and quality.

J-TEQ is known for producing complex electronic assemblies and systems, meeting strict quality and regulatory restrictions at every stage of the manufacturing processes.

The company previously had two operators using hand applications for a typical assembly when employing temporary solder masking compound to PCBs. By introducing Fisnar F4403N Advance, the company could eliminate variance and improve its environmentally conscious practices by reducing waste and increasing energy efficiency.

As well as increasing return on investment, staff could focus on higher-value tasks elsewhere in the business including hand soldering and mechanical assembly, helping to increase the product ranges that run through J-TEQ’s selective soldering process.

“It’s a win-win all around for both J-TEQ and our customers, and it has made us more competitive for quoting new business,” explained Michael Page, General Manager of J-TEQ EMS Solutions. “This has helped us continue to excel in the production of complex electronic assemblies with high precision, ensuring optimal performance and reliability. Where we see automation, it’s to work alongside our existing staff they can be work in other areas.”

The success of this partnership means that Intertronics and J-TEQ will work on further projects involving potting and dispensing.

“The system was required to have the capability to mask 14 component variants, while offering the functionality to add additional variants in the future,” explained Craig Hamilton, Business Development Manager at Astech Projects.

Part of Schauenburg International group of companies, Astech Projects is a supplier of robotics and automation solutions to the advanced manufacturing and regulated industries including pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer healthcare, chemical, aerospace and automotive. It builds systems from concept to completion on a custom basis, and can turn their hands to any application not currently available in the market.

“The main drivers behind the project were to accurately and repeatably mask the component,” said Baseley. “The final result dispenses to an accuracy of 100 microns, a great achievement. Astech Projects’ bespoke system offers the client a significant labour saving and increases throughput, with the client now channelling 60% of its components through the system.”

Fully automated system

Together the team came up with a fully automated system which incorporates a 3-axis cartesian robot and two 6-axis robots working in sync according to one robot program. It also includes a high-definition vision system, masking dispensing system and UV curing station.

On a batch-by-batch basis, the system can correctly identify and orientate 14 types of part against the preeflow eco-PEN450, which accurately dispenses the Dymax 717-R SpeedMask product.

The part is then taken to a curing chamber, where it is illuminated with high intensity UV. Once the process is complete, the component is returned to its original input location. The process repeats itself until the entire batch of components has been processed.

“Intertronics is an extremely knowledgeable company, providing Astech with vital coatings expertise. Intertronics was a great partner for this project and we look forward to working together in the future,” concluded Hamilton.

The application of adhesives, potting compounds, encapsulants or other liquids, fluids or pastes, is something that can often be readily automated with a dispensing robot. However, manufacturers that are still performing these processes manually may be concerned about the potential risks of transforming their processes with automation. On the other hand, the potential rewards are great — including improved consistency, speed, and accuracy that lead to gains in productivity.

According to the International Federation of Robotics 2021 World Robot Report, the UK ranks below the global average of 126 robots per 10,000 employees, placing it 24th in the world in terms of robot density. Europe’s most automated country, Germany, has 371 robots per 10,000 employees, while the UK has just 101 per 10,000 employees. This trend, of increased robot use in mainland Europe contrasted with a downward trend in the UK, looks set to continue. In 2021, robot installations across Europe were up 24% to 4,302 units – a new peak – but down by 7% to 2,054 units in the UK.

Britain’s lack of investment in robots has its roots in the financial crisis of 2008. This is due, in part, to the culture of British industry. If you attend a manufacturing facility in Germany, for instance, the team might proudly point out their newest technology investments. In the UK, the plant manager is more likely to point to a trusted, reliable machine that has been in use for more than 20 years.

Britain has fallen behind the global average investment in robots. As the rest of Europe invests heavily in automation to drive productivity, the UK’s ability to remain competitive will be dependent on breaking the barriers to automation.

Automation: risk or reward?

One of the historic barriers to automation is the perceived risk of investing in new equipment. After all, if a manual process is working well then why upset the applecart? Nevertheless, recent events like Covid, the war in Ukraine, and Brexit have impacted how we do business, and how industry perceives risk.

Supply chain challenges are making it more difficult to source components, and the risks associated with long global supply chains mean that many manufacturers are reshoring their manufacturing operations. Businesses are also increasing their local supplier base. According to a survey by Make UK, three quarters of companies have increased the number of British suppliers they are using.

The success of these reshoring programmes depends on the availability of labour and, at present, the UK is facing a high number of job vacancies. If manufacturers are unable to recruit the people they need to reshore manual processes, then alternative methods of production become more attractive.

Following the events of the last few years, manufacturers are now more likely to see the opportunities of robots, rather than the risks. As Henry Ford once said: “If you need a machine and don’t buy it, you pay for it without getting it.”

With these factors in mind, the application of adhesives and other materials is a prime candidate for automation. A dispensing robot can apply materials with positional accuracy and precise quantities, and repeat that all day long. The output is often faster than a manual process and, sometimes, robots can achieve results that are not possible for a human. For example, applying an even bead of gasketing around a complex profile is not manually feasible.

For manufacturers looking to invest in dispensing automation, there are four main components to the system. They are, first, the robot used to position and actuate the dispenser and, second, the dispenser (valve, pump, syringe or cartridge as well as the required controller and material reservoir) that is chosen to distribute the material. The third component is the tooling used to hold the parts in place and, fourth, the enclosure – an important consideration for health and safety.

The specification and choice of the dispensing methodology (valve, pump, syringe, cartridge, etc) is quite complex and material dependent. By working with a reliable supplier that understands the intricacies of both the chemistry and the dispensing technology, manufacturers are more likely to invest in an optimal combination of technologies for their application – and get better results. Your supplier should also be able to integrate the dispenser with the robot and configure and customise the system with holding tools and fixtures, benches, and safety enclosures. The last piece of the puzzle is installation and training, to ensure that you are up and running right away, and that your team understands how to operate the equipment to get the best from it.

Reducing the risk

To help de-risk the investment further, check that the supplier has been validated by a third party. Do they have a number of case studies that show successful robot installations? At Intertronics, we also offer customers the opportunity to visit our Technology Centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, where we can support with trials and tests to establish how the equipment will perform in your application.

In many cases, the upfront cost of dispensing robots is not as high as some manufacturers think; at Intertronics, we often see our customers achieve a payback period of six months-to-a year, although it may take up-to two years in some applications.

With the UK lagging in its robot uptake, it’s time we focus on the rewards of robots: improved productivity, efficiency, output, quality, and flexibility. In applications like dispensing, which lend themselves so well to automation, manufacturers have a lot to gain and very little to lose.

Visit the Intertronics website for more information

See all stories for Intertronics

The benefits of robotics are well known: improved productivity, efficiency, output, quality, and flexibility. In addition to their production benefits, they can improve health and safety and job satisfaction for employees. However, these things can be difficult to quantify against upfront costs, leaving some businesses unclear about whether their investment will deliver business value.

Here is an imagined scenario: I am the managing director of an electronics CEM. We make 1,000 potted electronics assemblies per week, regularly 200 per day. This is done manually by experienced operators. Pat is my best operator, she’s been with me the longest time.

Some weeks, about 2.5% of these are rejected after potting. Each one costs £50, so I lose £1,250 that week. The potting compound has to be mixed by hand, and dispensed into the assembly without voids or bubbles. It’s a bit of a messy and tricky job, in an area of the factory I’m not proud of.

Sometimes I have capacity problems, when the operators, especially Pat, are on holiday or sick. I worry about Pat, as she has talked to me about reducing her hours or retiring. It would be better if I could de-skill this operation to take some risk out of it.

If I invested £30,000 to £40,000 in a robot to mix the potting material and apply it automatically, we could get through all 1,000 units in half a day each week. We would still need an operator to load/unload the robot, but that could be done with someone less experienced. We think that the reject rate would go down to about 1% (and with work we could get it lower as we reduce the process variables). There would be less handling of the chemicals, improving the health and safety of my team.

Installing this automation would allow us to reallocate 4.5 days per week on labour to something more useful, saving us about £35,000 per year in labour overhead on this assembly. With the savings on rejects of about £20,000 per year, a really simple ROI sum says that we would pay off the investment in less than 12 months.

Our customer for this product has been making noises about raising the quantities from 1,000 to 10,000 per week. If that happens, we would need to hire nine more people and train them, but in this labour market, that will be really difficult. I need to keep the people I have by giving them less monotonous, more engaging work. So if we get the increased order, we would have to make the robot investment. However, I am worried that we won’t get the job unless we get our reject rate down.

One of my competitors has some of its robots pictured on its website, which makes it look really professional and up to date. Raising our image and brand would be another benefit of investing in automation, although it’s a bit more difficult to put a number on the financial value.

In conversation with our dispensing supplier, I realised that this level of automation costs much less than I thought – less than my new car. I think we can justify the cost through a fast ROI, deskilling some jobs, motivating our workforce, upping our image, and reducing risk both commercially and in production.”

Visit the Intertronics website for more information

See all stories for Intertronics

The engineering of effective sealing technology can be a challenging task. To seal electronic products, manufacturers have used preformed, moulded or pre-punched gaskets, or the installation of elastomeric strip profiles or self-adhesive foams, all of which have clear downsides.

Currently, automation is a key driver in many manufacturing businesses. UK industrial robot sales are continuing to rise – in 2020 they were up 7.5% on the previous year, according to a recent study by BARA. In Q4 of 2020, robot sales were up 52% on the previous two quarters, so it seems this trend is showing no signs of slowing down. But, gasket processes that involve laying a strip of pre-formed material into a groove are performed by hand and require a high level of dexterity. The process is difficult and expensive to automate, and it remains a time-consuming manual process. Because it is much easier to automate a liquid gasket process, the heightened interest in robotics is driving manufacturers to consider liquid gasketing approaches.

Another approach is stamping gaskets from sheet material, which requires a tool for each part. If the manufacturer has several designs, it requires several tools. Should a new gasket design be required, it will add a lead time, as well as a cost, while the tool is manufactured. If the company is ordering stamped gaskets from a third-party supplier, it adds additional lead time while the part is shipped. Manufacturers using this approach typically store a large, costly inventory of gaskets of different shapes and sizes, to ensure product is on hand.

Compared with preformed gasket assembly processes, liquid gasket processes require lower tooling costs, save time, reduce inventory costs and offer more design flexibility. Liquid gaskets can easily accommodate component design changes and part variation without additional development costs – should a new gasket design be needed, it is a simple case of reprogramming a robot.

Liquid gaskets are already used in automotive, mobile device, lighting, electrical device, HVAC, energy and industrial hardware applications. To apply a liquid gasket, a bead of adhesive is dispensed onto a part and then cured to form a soft seal. There are two main types of liquid gasket, cure-in-place (CIP) and form-in-place (FIP). In CIP gasket production, the compound is dispensed onto one surface of the assembly and left to cure. Once cured, the assembly is typically mechanically fixed using fasteners, compressing the cured compound to form a seal.  The alternative is form in place gaskets, where curing achieves both adhesion and a seal between two surfaces.

An experienced adhesives supplier should be able to recommend some suitable materials to test, based on what you are sealing against, the environmental and temperature conditions your product will be subject to, and the length and width of the gasket and the throughput you would like to achieve. The compression characteristics of the material are important to understand in order to achieve a reliable seal.

If your application is suited to liquid gaskets, silicones are one of the more popular materials for this application; they are available both as single- and two-part products.  Alternatively, manufacturers can test UV light curing materials or flexible two-part epoxies. Other options include foaming two-part polyurethanes, or anaerobic gasketing material if the substrates are metal. If the gasket is to provide EMC shielding in addition to sealing, the gasketing material can be provided with fillers to give the appropriate amount of conductivity.

Those looking to reduce cycle times may want to trial single-part UV curing materials, which offer instant on-demand curing to eliminate ovens, racking, stacking, and waiting for traditional CIP gaskets to cure. Able to seal intricate, complex configurations as well as flat surfaces or wide, shallow grooves, permanent UV CIP gaskets can eliminate the delay experienced with slow-curing resins and the design and inventory expense associated with pre-cut gaskets.

Once you have narrowed your material selection, you can then combine it with dispensing technology. FIP/CIP gaskets typically require precision dispensing, so our customers often opt for volumetric dispensing technology like the preeflow eco-PEN, combined with a robot. There are usually several ways of automating the same application, so work with your supplier to find what is right for your process, both now and for future scale up. Some materials are more challenging and may require more specialist dispensing equipment such as foaming gaskets, or thermally conductive gasketing materials which can be quite abrasive.

Many of our customers have successfully used Fisnar benchtop robots, which can be readily programmed to perform the operation accurately and repeatably. The dispensing equipment is readily integrated with the robot, with materials fed either from cartridges or bulk packaging. When matched with RTV silicones or Dymax light-curing adhesives, Fisnar robots can achieve the accuracy required to meet the tolerances of the gasket design. Alongside this, your supplier can help point out areas of your process that may need to be adapted, for example refining work in progress needs to accommodate for curing materials.

If required, the robot can be combined with additional technology to improve results. For example, a vision system can be used in conjunction with fiducial markings to automatically adjust the dispensing location due to misalignment, therefore ensuring material is dispensed where required. A pressure sensor can provide real time data on air bubbles or material clogs, to reduce the risk of the final product including a void.

One successful customer example is Shot Scope Technologies, an Edinburgh based designer and manufacturer of wearable technology that helps golfers improve their game. The team approached us for an effective way to seal the back of a wearable device to the main body, to prevent ingress of water and dirt and deal with humidity. Stamping or preforming a gasket were deemed too challenging due to the thin gasket width, and manual dispensing of silicone was rejected as too challenging to do in a tidy and accurate way. Aware of the benefits of automation, the team approached us.

We proposed an automated dispensing system, consisting of an F5200N.1 gantry robot, 790HP-LF high pressure dispensing valve controlled by a SL101N digital liquid dispenser, and 310 ml dispensing cartridge holder for the material feed. The technology applies a single part RTV silicone acting as a FIP gasket. The customer now benefits from a faster manufacturing time, reduced labour costs, and a consistently high-quality result with no defects or wasted material.

Return on investment

Using liquid gaskets often reduces the cost per gasket when material and process costs are factored in, but this is balanced with the capital cost of equipment upfront and how it is amortised. Historically, the cost and physical size of robots was a constraint for SMEs looking to adopt liquid gaskets. However, robots are now available in bench-top size and for a modest price. It is useful to have the return on investment (ROI) conversation up front with your supplier to balance the financial aspect with the less tangible or indirect improvements to your process. In many cases, the overall cost and constraints of outsourcing, the lead times and the traceability benefits drive manufacturers to consider bringing gasketing in-house.

Changing a process should not be a leap of faith, but a well-considered decision taking into account the risks. It will help to choose a supplier that is a single source – who can supply the materials, dispensing technology, automation and integration. This will facilitate your evaluations and proof of concept, and demonstrate cycle times and accuracy. They should also provide ongoing support to get your process up and running smoothly. It will be beneficial for your supplier to train you and your colleagues on the new technology, to ensure you achieve good return on investment and productivity enhancement.

Liquid gaskets eliminate many of the manual and time-consuming processes of preformed gaskets, as well as reduce inventory costs. The design and production flexibility, as well as the high-quality sealing make them an attractive option. The process can be automated in a way that delivers good return on investment, even for small batches.

Visit the Intertronics website for more information

See all stories for Intertronics

Intertronics has recently added the Fisnar F4500N benchtop dispensing robot to its range, which shares all the technical advantages of the F4000 series in an expanded format of 500x500mm working area.

By adding the appropriate dispensing setup to the robot (including syringes, valves or pumps) it can be configured for the application of form-in-place gaskets, adhesives, coatings, potting and encapsulation materials, sealants, filling and RFI/EMI shielding, and can handle single part or multi-component materials. The Fisnar F4500N can dispense beads, dots, arcs and infills in three dimensions, with a positioning resolution of 0.001mm/axis. Robust and reliable, it is suitable for use in continuous manufacturing environments, as well as in product development.

Programming the Fisnar F4500N is straightforward, and step-by-step intuitive instructions allow a programme to be entered and running in minutes. A 16-channel I/O interface provides for communication with external devices for secondary applications and multiple dispensing equipment components.

Intertronics can work with customers to provide a complete bespoke package to have you up and running quickly. This might include safety enclosures, integration of all component parts, installation, and training, which means that you can quickly gain benefits like higher production rates and increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better product quality, improved safety, and reduced lead times, and you’ll achieve rapid payback on investment.

Visit the Intertronics website for more information

See all stories for Intertronics