How I.C.T Improved SMT Output for an Automotive Electronics Manufacturer in Portugal
From 160 to 180 PCS/H: SMT Process Optimization for a Portuguese Automotive Electronics Manufacturer
A Portuguese automotive electronics manufacturer was preparing production for an MC52 mainboard used in vehicle electronics and control applications. The board contained 168 components, and the customer needed to connect new SMT equipment while transferring existing production data from previous equipment.
The project required more than basic equipment setup. Existing XML programs, PCB references, MARK points, feeder positions, component parameters, printer settings, and inspection data all needed to be checked and adjusted before stable production could begin.
I.C.T provided 6.5 days of on-site engineering support covering program migration, PCB and MARK setup, printer and SPI coordination, placement-machine troubleshooting, operator training, and production optimization. After the adjustments, the documented production capability increased from approximately 160 PCS/H to 180 PCS/H, with a first production batch of approximately 200 boards.
Project Background
The MC52 mainboard was part of the customer’s automotive electronics production, with applications including vehicle lighting, controllers, sensors, and radar-related products.
The SMT process included automatic solder paste printing, 3D SPI inspection, and two placement machines. Before production could begin, the customer needed to connect the equipment and transfer existing product programs into the new production environment.
The engineering team therefore checked the complete process rather than treating each machine separately. PCB origin settings, MARK points, feeder positions, component parameters, and inspection settings were reviewed against the actual MC52 board.
For manufacturers planning a similar setup, an automatic SMT production line needs to account for program migration and process verification as well as equipment selection.
Key Production Challenges
XML Program Migration
The customer already had production programs from previous equipment. These XML files were transferred to the new SMT environment, but the existing data could not simply be used without verification.
I.C.T engineers checked the MC52 programs for the S1 and S2 placement machines and corrected PCB origin settings, MARK points, feeder positions, and component parameters.
This process helped ensure that the transferred production data matched the actual machine configuration and PCB.
PCB MARK and Origin Setup
PCB positioning was another important part of the preparation.
The PCB origin and MARK points were checked and corrected so that the machines could accurately identify and position the MC52 board during production.
These settings were verified together with the production program rather than being treated as an isolated machine parameter.
Printer and SPI Coordination
The solder paste printing process also required adjustment before production.
The engineering team checked the printer and SPI communication and optimized the related production settings. The automatic SMT stencil printing machine was adjusted according to the customer’s actual PCB requirements.
The solder paste print inspection system was also optimized to verify solder paste results before the board moved to component placement.
During commissioning, printing problems and blocked stencil apertures were identified and handled as part of the production troubleshooting process.
Placement Machine Troubleshooting
Once trial production started, several placement-related problems appeared.
The documented issues included:
- Component rejection
- Vacuum abnormalities
- Vacuum-pump overload
- Z-axis alarms
- Nozzle contamination
The engineering team investigated these problems through both equipment maintenance and parameter adjustment.
Nozzle cleaning and cleaning-paper replacement were carried out for vacuum-related problems. The Z-axis condition was also checked, while vacuum sensitivity was adjusted where appropriate.
The Hanwha SMT placement machine was then tested again under actual production conditions.
This approach allowed the team to distinguish between maintenance-related problems, parameter issues, and equipment alarms instead of simply resetting the machine and continuing production.
Printer, SPI, and Placement Communication
Some production interruptions were related to communication between the printer, SPI, and placement equipment.
I.C.T engineers checked the relevant software menus, hardware functions, and communication signals during the on-site support period.
When printer and SPI communication became unstable, a Wi-Fi connection was installed to provide a practical method for remote diagnosis after the on-site service period.
This gave the customer an additional way to investigate software and signal-related issues without waiting for another on-site visit.
6.5 Days of On-Site Engineering Support
I.C.T engineer Andy provided 6.5 days of on-site support.
The work focused on the actual production requirements rather than following only a standard installation checklist.
The support included:
- XML program migration
- PCB origin and MARK correction
- Feeder-position adjustment
- Component parameter verification
- Printer and SPI coordination
- Placement-machine troubleshooting
- Vacuum and nozzle troubleshooting
- Production parameter adjustment
- Operator training
The customer team was also trained in daily operation, equipment maintenance, nozzle care, vacuum troubleshooting, cleaning procedures, and handling production abnormalities.
This allowed the customer’s operators to understand how the problems encountered during commissioning were identified and resolved.
Production Results
After the program migration, equipment adjustments, troubleshooting, and production verification, the documented production capability improved from approximately:
160 PCS/H → 180 PCS/H
The MC52 mainboard contained 168 components, and the production record noted a first batch of approximately 200 boards after optimization.
The final acceptance record confirmed that equipment installation, training, and production were completed, with the result accepted as OK.
These figures describe the production conditions recorded during this specific project. Actual output will vary according to PCB design, component quantity, product mix, machine configuration, and production parameters.
What the Production Data Shows
The improvement from 160 PCS/H to 180 PCS/H did not come from simply increasing the nominal machine speed.
The engineering work addressed several factors affecting actual production:
- Program data compatibility
- PCB positioning
- MARK recognition
- Feeder setup
- Component parameters
- Solder paste printing
- SPI inspection
- Placement stability
- Vacuum conditions
- Equipment communication
This is important when evaluating SMT production capacity. A machine specification describes equipment capability, while actual PCS/H depends on the complete production process and the product being manufactured.
Preparing for Future Automotive Electronics Products
The customer’s automotive electronics business also covers product areas such as vehicle lighting, controllers, sensors, and radar-related applications.
The optimization of the MC52 production process therefore provided a more practical foundation for future product introduction.
The same principle can be seen in other electronics manufacturing projects. A SMT and DIP production expansion project addressed the need for flexible production across different consumer electronics products.
Quality control can require a different approach again. In an SMT inspection and online ICT testing optimization project, the focus was on connecting inspection and testing capabilities with the production process.
For factories developing multiple PCBA processes, an SMT, DIP, and coating production readiness project shows another approach to preparing equipment and production teams for broader manufacturing requirements.
Customer Factory Video
The following video provides a view of the customer factory and the SMT production environment in Portugal:
The footage provides additional context for the production environment and the equipment supported during the project.
Conclusion
This Portuguese automotive electronics project focused on a specific production challenge: transferring existing SMT product data to new equipment while improving the stability and output of MC52 mainboard production.
Over 6.5 days of on-site engineering support, I.C.T addressed XML program migration, PCB origin and MARK settings, feeder positions, printer and SPI coordination, vacuum and nozzle issues, Z-axis alarms, and other production abnormalities.
Following the adjustments, the documented production capability increased from approximately 160 PCS/H to 180 PCS/H, and the first production batch reached approximately 200 boards.
The case demonstrates how detailed SMT process optimization can make a measurable difference when equipment, programs, materials, and actual PCB production conditions need to work together.
