Jan 10, 2017 
KIC today announced plans to introduce its new Smart Factory Starter Kit in Booth #3019 at the 2017 IPC APEX EXPO, scheduled to take place Feb. 14-16, 2017 at the San Diego Convention Center in Calif. The retrofitable starter kit has virtually all of the elements of the smart factory concept as it relates to the reflow
- Machine optimization
-
Process transparency
-
Extreme Automation
-
Flexible production (eliminate changeover time)
-
Machine learning
-
Real-time information and insight
-
Reduced electricity use
-
Connectivity
-
Retrofitable
There is a lot of talk in the industry about a future with smart factories (IoT, Industry 4.0, IOM, etc.) that promises a leap forward in terms of productivity. The really interesting aspect of this industry trend is the potential for such technology to deliver consistent quality, significant lower production cost, and customer value.
For electronic manufacturers planning their future, this futuristic promise is tempered with a lot of risk, uncertainties, and the sheer scope of the investment and the undertaking. What if I go down the wrong road, what if I fail, what if I bet on the wrong standard etc.?
So for a limited investment ($35,000), a limited scope (in terms of engineering time), and a limited timeframe (one week), you will have the potential to immediately reap the significant benefits of consistent quality, reduced production cost (eliminate rework, scrap, downtime, excessive electricity use, etc.), and satisfied customers (traceability, world-class process control, automatic documentation sharing).
But the KIC starter kit for reflow will likely yield an even greater benefit: Namely, the opportunity to move up the smart factory learning curve on a low risk – limited scope initial project. You will learn what works best and what does not, what the pitfalls are and how to avoid them. Once the smart oven technology roadmap has been achieved, you will be well positioned to take on the much larger scope project of turning your operation into a smart factory with all the benefits that entails.
The KIC Smart Factory Starter kit for contains:
1 ea. The all-new KIC SPS 7 channel reflow Profiler
1 ea. KIC RPI (Reflow Process Inspection)
1 ea. The all-new KIC Vantage network insight software with sequel server database
(On-site visit by a KIC certified technician is included)
Based in San Diego, KIC is the industry leader in automated thermal process tools and systems for reflow, wave, curing and semiconductor thermal processes. The company pioneered the development of oven profilers and process optimization tools, and then worked to create the next generation of thermal systems to help manufacturers improve the thermal process quality while reducing cost.
KIC products include the KIC K2, X5, KICstart2, ProBot, 24/7 Wave and the KIC RPI. With the introduction of cutting edge tools, the company continues to stay on the leading edge of process optimization and automatic thermal process systems, and has won numerous industry awards. For more information about KIC, visit www.kicthermal.com.
