The decision to add additional capability and capacity was taken due to a significant increase in demand for its SMT manufacturing services. This news further echoes the thoughts of many who see that UK CEM's are well positioned to support customers who trade within Europe and the wider global market.
Gemini Tec has recently won a major contract to manufacture a suite of highly complex electronic PCB products for use within the transportation infrastructure market sector. The success of this contract win was primarily based on the use of 'solder jet printing technology' to ensure product reliability.
The additional Mirtec MV3 was purchased to ensure the increase in business could be inspected 100% for compliance and conformance to IPC class 3 standards. The latest Mirtec MV3 will compliment its fleet of MV3 AOI systems, to ensure product compliance is beyond customer expectation for now and for future growth.
Why did Gemini Tec choose Mirtec again?
Unlike traditional AOI systems that have a limited field of view, the Mirtec MV3 is feature rich with technologies that include 10 mega-pixel and 9.8 micron cameras to provide superior speed and accuracy in correctly identify any potential production concerns within the manufacturing process. And with five cameras to provide full coverage, even the smallest of defects can be identified early in the process.
Our AOI inspection department has a team of eight IPC trained staff, who also use three additional offline inspection stations to compliment the AOI machines. This allows the optimum accuracy to be achieved during the programming stages of any new products, and with increased capacity we can maintain our strict 100% inspection criteria for all products produced.
The offline AOI inspection also allows us to track each PCBA with a unique serial ID number, through the various stages of production, allowing us to create valuable record keeping for board level tracking and important SPC data on production performance. This level of tracking will prove to be a significant addition, when Gemini Tec seeks the AS9100 aerospace quality approval later in 2015.
Gemini Tec often produces SMT products with densely populated surface mount areas, that prove highly challenging for traditional single camera AOI systems to handle effectively. Single camera systems often mean obscured fields of vision, which prompt too many 'false error calls' and lead to a misinterpretation of good and bad board defects. A situation that Gemini Tec simply could not accept.
Even defective components, such as fine pitch connectors, that arrive with lifted pins have previously been extremely difficult to locate with single camera systems. Only the use of side view optics, intense magnification and of course clever software can reveal all hidden surprises that effect product quality.
By removing failures and suspect issues well ahead of any functional test or delivery naturally reduces the cost of rework and the total cost of manufacture for both Gemini and its customers.
Thankfully, the fleet on MV3 systems in place at Gemini Tec provides the advanced inspection capability required to meet today's demanding and high mix products, and ensure its customers receive assured quality.
Commenting on the latest investment at Gemini Tec was Darren Wallis (Production Director)
"Our core business is surface mount PCB assembly, often with complex SMT devices. To ensure complete product conformance, the Mirtec MV3 series of AOI machines meets our needs with ease and we are extremely pleased to welcome another Mirtec AOI system into our busy inspection department.
With our continued growth its imperative that we invest correctly to increase our capacity and capability to support our growing customer base with a level of quality that is superior"
