How to increase the operation rate of the surface mount technology (SMT) machine

How to increase the operation rate of the surface mount technology (SMT) machine

First, clarify the core formula and bottleneck of the engagement rate
The downtime rate = (planned operating time - downtime)/planned operating time × 100%
Key impact dimensions: equipment failure, line change and debugging, material interruption, program anomaly, and human waiting

Ii. Technical Optimization: Reduce forced equipment shutdowns
Standardization of preventive maintenance (PM)
Daily: Clean the suction nozzle/guide rail, calibrate the camera lens, and check the airway pressure;

Weekly: Replace the filter, lubricate the moving parts, and verify the mounting accuracy;

Monthly: Deep maintenance of the motor/sensor and update of the equipment firmware.
Case: A certain factory reduced the failure rate by 40% through PM standardization and cut the average monthly downtime by 12 hours.

2. Quick Cable Switching (SMED) technology
Step:

Prepare materials in advance (the Feeder is pre-loaded with the next model of materials);

Standardized nozzle library (compatible with multiple products)

Use program templates (to reduce the debugging time of new lines).
Effect: The cable replacement time has been reduced from 45 minutes to within 15 minutes.

3. Program and process optimization
Mounting path optimization: Adopt the "shortest path algorithm" to reduce the headarm movement distance (such as YAMAHA YSM series);

Improvement of panel design: Increase the number of Mark points to enhance recognition stability;

Nozzle matching strategy: Dynamically allocate nozzle types based on component sizes (to avoid frequent replacements).

Iii. Management Process: Eliminating Hidden Time Waste
1. Material early warning system
Set the minimum safety stock (automatically alarm when there are 30 rolls remaining);

Implement Feeder RFID management (real-time tracking of material location and lifespan).

2. Real-time monitoring and response mechanism
Deploy the MES system to monitor the occupancy rate dashboard (automatically calculate MTBF/MTTR);

Establish a "5-minute response mechanism" (technicians must arrive within 5 minutes when the equipment malfunctions).

3. Scientific planning and production scheduling
Centralized production of similar products (reducing the frequency of line changes);

Reserve a 10% buffer time to deal with sudden downtime.

Iv. Personnel Efficiency: Enhance operational and collaborative levels
1. Multi-skill training
The operator is proficient in handling basic faults (such as high material rejection rate and identification errors);

Cross-device training for technicians (supporting different brands of surface mount technology (SMT) machines).

2. Performance incentive linkage
Set up a tiered bonus for the engagement rate (such as rewarding the team with ≥85%);

Publish the team rankings (to stimulate the sense of competition).

3. Standardization of shift handover
Use the "Handover Checklist" (including equipment status, unfinished work orders, and pending anomalies);

Overlap for 15 minutes for face-to-face handover.

V. Data-Driven: Continuous Improvement Cycle (PDCA)
Application of phased action key points tool
Plan analysis of the TOP3 causes of downtime (such as line replacement/material discharge) Pareto chart and fishbone chart
A/B test comparison of the Do pilot optimization scheme (such as the dual-track feeder)
Check the real-time MES report and OEE dashboard for monitoring the changes in the feeding rate/material discharge rate
Effective measures for Act standardization and promotion of SOP updates, training and verification
Vi. Practical Case: A certain electronics factory increased its sales rate from 78% to 92%
Problem: Frequent line changes (an average of 6 times per day), and the material discharge rate reaches 0.3%.

Measures:

Introduce intelligent feeding vehicles (reducing the line changing time to 10 minutes);

Optimize the parameters of the suction nozzle (reduce the material discharge rate to 0.08%);

Implement cross-shift competitions (increase fault response speed by 50%).

Result: The monthly production capacity has increased by 18%, and the annual downtime cost savings exceed 2 million yuan.

Key summary
Technical side: Preventive maintenance + SMED + program optimization → Reduce hard downtime;

Management side: Material early warning + real-time monitoring + scientific production scheduling → Eliminate hidden waste;

Personnel side: Multi-skill training + performance incentives → Enhance response speed;

Data side: PDCA cycle → Continuous Improvement.

Action Tip: Prioritize addressing the type of downtime with the highest proportion (typically line replacement/failure). For every 1% increase in the downtime rate, the production capacity benefits will increase significantly!