Increasing demand for security sensors necessitates expansion of placement capacities

Kelsterbach, May 14th, 2024 – ELESTA GmbH, a company within the PILZ Group, has expanded its placement capacity with machines from FUJI. Drivers are increasing demand and growing complexity in the sensor field. ELESTA develops and produces sensors for industrial automation, particularly in the area of functional safety. To ensure the high standards of its products, the company is expanding its production facility with a new placement line from the NXTR series consisting of five NXTR S placement modules from FUJI EUROPE CORPORATION GmbH ( www.fuji-euro.de).

ELESTA places various flat assemblies from rigid and semiflexible printed circuit boards, which are used in safety sensors. These sensors serve, among other things, for monitoring safety doors and access control of machinery and equipment. The portfolio ranges from magnetic and mechanical interlocks to Reed and RFID sensors to safety light curtains. Furthermore, ELESTA is globally active as an innovation leader in relays with forcibly guided contact sets according to IEC 61810-3.

“With the constantly growing demand for our sensors and the increased complexity of the products, accompanied by an increase in electronic components on the controllers, it became necessary to expand the placement capacity,” explains Dario Berni, Head of Production Sensors and SMD at ELESTA GmbH.

Therefore, the decision was made by the responsible parties to replace the existing FUJI placement line NXT II. It was replaced by a system consisting of five placement modules from the NXTR S series. The new placement machine offers better printed circuit board handling, more CPH (components per hour), higher flexibility regarding component size with fewer head types. Exchange heads, units, and even complete modules can be replaced without tools. In addition, predictive maintenance is possible with self-diagnosis. This minimizes unplanned production interruptions.

“With the introduction of the new placement system FUJI NXTR S, flat assemblies with very fine structures and high component density can be manufactured with high efficiency. Furthermore, production flexibility is increased, and throughput times are reduced. ELESTA is thus ideally equipped for the needs of the coming years,” says Dario Berni.