May 16, 2011 
Europlacer, a designer and manufacturer of comprehensive SMT placement systems for the global electronics industry, announces that it has been awarded a 2011 EM Asia Innovation Award in the category of Pick-and-Place Systems/Equipment (Low/Medium Volume) for its iineo–II VLB. The award was presented to the company during a May 12, 2011 ceremony that took place at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center during NEPCON China 2011. The dual-head iineo–II VLB is the latest enhancement to the Europlacer product portfolio, designed for the growing LED assembly segment.
Many LED commercial lighting applications require long PCBs that exceed 48" in length. iineo-II VLB can process these PCBs under “one roof” at speeds often exceeding 20,000 CPH. The iineo design optimizes productivity in high-mix environments, while remaining competitively affordable.
The assembler can accommodate PCBs as large as 24"W x 63"L, making it perfectly suitable for handling LED PCB form factors, particularly industrial fluorescent lighting. Keeping with the Europlacer tradition of protecting its customers’ investment, the VLB transport system can be quickly/easily converted from single stage handling to four-stage handling of large, typical sized PCBs (up to 18" x 20"). This capability is unparalleled in the assembly market and will help to differentiate Europlacer technology along with its superior, overall flexibility.
The iineo-II VLB is backwards compatible with all iineo-II machines. Additionally, the system offers a heavy PCB option offering higher mass conveying up to 22lbs. The automatic conveyor offers full edge clamping, fiducial correction and features a SMEMA interface.
Established in 2006, the EM Asia Innovation Awards program strives to recognize and celebrate excellence in the Asian electronics industry, inspiring companies to achieve the highest standards and push the industry forward.
Europlacer (http://www.europlacer.com) has been developing machines for electronics assembly since the 1970s and invented the intelligent feeder concept in the 1980s. After acquisition by Blakell Europlacer in 1991, the company moved away from split-axis to the inherently more capable X-Y architecture that underpins the company’s machines today. Europlacer’s policy has been to ensure wherever possible that technology purchased many years ago, especially feeders, remain compatible with the latest equipment. Europlacer designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of highly flexible SMT placement systems for the global electronics industry.
