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What is the lifespan of your SMT machines?

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines?

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I'm curious to people's findings. What is the life span / ex... - Nov 18, 2005 by Avalancher

We have Siemens machines 0f 1992 Vintage to run daily and we... - Nov 18, 2005 by tommyttr

About 6 months before the lease is up, those fine machines s... - Nov 18, 2005 by URL

We run 5 Fuji lines. The newest machine is a 97 and the olde... - Nov 18, 2005 by Sr. Tech

I know plenty of 1980's CP3's & IP1's still out there, and t... - Nov 18, 2005 by Rob

Lifespan and Useful life are two completely separate items. ... - Nov 18, 2005 by twoods

most pick and place machines will run for a very long time p... - Nov 18, 2005 by Larry

Hi Lawrence, I would agree with that in the main, however... - Nov 18, 2005 by Rob

We had some experience that some of our old machines went ov... - Nov 18, 2005 by Mika

Many companies don't think of the importance of the maintena... - Nov 21, 2005 by

Avalancher

#37967

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

I'm curious to people's findings. What is the life span / expectancy of your SMT machine?

Recently, I heard, through the grapevine, that Fuji listed 5 years as a lifespan for their machines. After that, they would either need to be retired.

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tommyttr

#37968

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

We have Siemens machines 0f 1992 Vintage to run daily and we do not have any problems with them.

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URL

#37971

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

About 6 months before the lease is up, those fine machines some how become lousy! Seriously, it all depends on many factors. How you use the machine, how ofter you use it, the preventitive maintenace (if any), as well as how well the machine was made.

Fuji says 5 years? I always thought 7 years was the rule of thumb. And I believe this was driven by the availability of spare parts the manufacturer would keep on hand.

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Sr. Tech

#37973

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

We run 5 Fuji lines. The newest machine is a 97 and the oldest is a 94. Some of them were seriously neglected PM wise before we got them. All of them place parts "dead nuts". They very rarely break down.

We run 3 shifts 5 days a week.(We run the crap out of them) Fuji's are rock solid.

I have never seen or heard of a Fuji that was "worn out" from normal use and the PM's were followed.

I can't see one ever wearing out. The only time they would become obsolete is when they can no longer support the new packages.

No...I don't have any affiliation with Fuji. I am just a guy that has worked with them for 10 years or so.

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Rob

#37974

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

I know plenty of 1980's CP3's & IP1's still out there, and the CP4's & 6's, IP2's & 3's are still going very strong after a decade or so & still commanding top dollar second hand.

It depends on how well a machine is made & the type of engineering used to how long it will last. Fuji may claim 5 years but the evidence points to a great deal longer.

I also know of plenty of Siemens HS180's still in production & they've got to be at least 13 years old.

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twoods

#37979

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

Lifespan and Useful life are two completely separate items. I agree some mfrs machines are mre robust than others, but there is typically a trade off. As Sr Tech intimated, PM is the key to keeping all machines humming.

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Larry

#37985

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

most pick and place machines will run for a very long time provided the operators keep them clean and well lubricated (10 years +). Often we end up replacing equipment not due to inoperability as much as due to capability. as packages and use change, many older machines are required to place parts they were never designed for. Additionally computers and software evolve over time to make newer machines easier to program and changover. It is usually a question of $. A machine that runs twice as fast as an older machine and has greater accuracy can make the company enough additional money to pay for itself in a couple of years

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Rob

#37986

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

Hi Lawrence,

I would agree with that in the main, however in some cases some machines can be almost "timeless".

We don't go below 0402 (1005), missplacements are negligable, and a actual placement rate typically hitting 28-30K an hour makes "upgrading" 1994/5 Fuji's pointless.

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Mika

#37999

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 18 November, 2005

We had some experience that some of our old machines went over 10 years. In this case the machines became to be obsolete. The machine manufactories in most cases, is only required to handle spare parts during this period of time. This is what I am being told. Please correct me and I will push a little bit harder to them... But if so; then, there could be a spare part issue... /Sincerly

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#38016

What is the lifespan of your SMT machines? | 21 November, 2005

Many companies don't think of the importance of the maintenance in the machines. I proved to my Boss that following the proper maintenance we were able to get more out of the machines, he did not do maintenance for 2 years till I came to this place after I started doing maintenance we doubled our CPH. So I'm sure that the lifespan of the SMT machines depends on how you threat your equipment, because I also know that you can find espare parts in some other places not nescessary from the manufacturer. Thanks

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