Limtronik Solves Increasing Placement Complexity with a New SMD Line from FUJI
Reduced Changeover Times, Increased Quality, and Enhanced Flexibility – Thanks to New Placement Machines
Kelsterbach, February 20th, 2025 – The EMS industry is subject to high volatility due to shorter product life cycles, increasing product variations, and the ongoing miniaturization of electronic components. To meet these challenges with maximum flexibility and scalability, EMS provider Limtronik has expanded its production capacity with a new SMD line. This line is based on NXT III placement systems and additional components by FUJI EUROPE CORPORATION GmbH (www.fuji-euro.de). As a result, Limtronik has significantly reduced changeover times, increased quality, and enhanced production flexibility.
Like many other companies in the electronics industry, Limtronik faces high dynamism and increasing complexity in manufacturing. “Electronic devices are becoming smaller, while performance, quality, and functionality continue to increase. The miniaturization of PCB structures and components requires placement accuracy of ±30 µm. At the same time, we need to remain highly flexible—sometimes producing small batches, other times handling large-volume orders,” explains Gerd Ohl, Managing Director of Limtronik GmbH.
With the new SMD line, Limtronik has significantly increased its placement capacity. The line includes six new FUJI NXT III placement machines. “This setup theoretically enables a placement performance of up to 122,500 components per hour. At the same time, there are sufficient feeder slots available to easily handle products with a large variety of components”, says Gerd Ohl.
The NXT III is ideal for placing multifunctional and high-performance electronics, particularly when high-density placement of tiny components is required. The machine features a modular, scalable architecture and supports automated processes. This allows Limtronik to execute projects quickly, even under changing conditions.
Faster Changeovers and Maintenance
With the NXT III, Limtronik has significantly reduced changeover times while increasing maintenance efficiency. Feeders and placement heads can be exchanged quickly and flexibly. Additionally, the intelligent setup concept, featuring guided instructions and automated feeder recognition, ensures an error-free changeover. This allows for quick product transitions—regardless of batch size or assembly complexity.
Maintenance has also been optimized through smart automation solutions. The Smart Nozzle Cleaner efficiently cleans, tests, and stores nozzles (placement pipettes), extending their lifespan and ensuring consistent placement quality. At the same time, nozzle nests for the next product are pre-configured, enabling a fast transition between different jobs. This technology not only enhances placement reliability but also significantly reduces production process times.
Process Control Through Monitoring and Traceability
In addition to the new SMD line, Limtronik operates three other lines with FUJI placement systems, all equipped with powerful monitoring and traceability technology. A barcode scanner identifies incoming PCBs using their 2D codes before they enter the first placement module. This enables product-dependent, automatic program adjustments and process interlocking in case of deviations.
Furthermore, Limtronik utilizes a board-skip feedforward function, which automatically prevents defective PCBs—identified as faulty by the SPI—from being placed. This prevents unnecessary placements, reduces scrap, and saves materials and production time. All collected traceability data can be transmitted to higher-level systems for further analysis.
“Limtronik is a highly experienced electronics manufacturer that leverages the advantages of the NXT concept, particularly regarding the ever-growing demand for flexible setup strategies and changing market requirements. The EMS provider is so well positioned that it can quickly adapt to shifting production volumes while maintaining exceptionally high quality,” explains Sascha Frieling, Manager Technology at FUJI EUROPE CORPORATION.
