The automation of spray coating and dispense processes within an assembly line is an effective way to reduce labor and material costs and improve quality, giving manufacturers a competitive edge on their products. While selective coating systems have been in the industry for some time, features continue to be developed to help manufacturers achieve maximum efficiency and flexibility as they spray and dispense coatings onto printed circuit assemblies, devices and other substrates.

The following are features that help manufacturers achieve such efficiency and improve the quality of their products, and can be considered “must-haves” for any production environment.

Programmable Tilt and Rotate: Programmable tilt and rotate capabilities provide users the flexibility of 5-axes to coat alongside and underneath a wide variety of components. In addition to precise movement along the x, y and z axes, this option offers programmable tilt up to ± 60° and complete 360° rotation in 1° increments. This flexibility enables the system to articulate a virtually unlimited number of angles to coat the most complex components.

Needle Calibration: Needle calibration tools are designed to verify that the needle is in the correct position. If the needle is offset, the system’s software will adjust accordingly so that the board is accurately coated. The software can be set to calibrate at user-defined intervals or it can be manually calibrated at any time, typically upon insertion of a new needle. If the calibration indicates the needle is offset beyond the user-defined tolerance, an error message will indicate that it is necessary to replace the needle.

Vision Systems: Vision systems utilize fiducial recognition to identify the exact location of the board to be coated. If the board is offset, the program will compensate for its new position, ensuring that each and every board is coated exactly as the user intended.

Offline Programming: Offline programming software enables users to create and modify board profiles while minimizing down time on their coating system. Using a close-up photo of the board to be coated, easy-to-use software allows coating profiles to be created while the spray and dispense coating system continues on its production schedule, increasing the efficiency of the system.

Barcode Reader: Barcode readers enable coating systems to “read” the bar code on a board. That code then determines which profile the system uses to coat the board, eliminating the need for manual intervention when multiple boards are run in the same production environment.

In addition to these features, manufacturers should evaluate spray and dispense head options, conveyor options, head cleaning systems, flow meters and cure oven interfaces that today’s selective spray and dispense systems offer. The precision that these systems offer instantly improves quality and saves time over other coating methods,

For more information on how to improve your coating quality and efficiency with a selective spray and dispense coating system, contact Specialty Coating Systems at 317-244-1200 or visit www.scscoatings.com/howto to learn more.

Bill Boyd
Equipment Program Manager
Specialty Coating Systems
7645 Woodland Drive
Indianapolis, Indiana 46278 USA
317-244-1200
E bboyd@scscoatings.com