Outside temperaturesensor
Lanedeparturewarningsensor
Camshaft sensor
EGRvalvesensor
Steeringanglesensor
Blindspot sensor
Transmissionsensor
Temperaturesensor
T
hesedays, a car ismuchmore
than just ameansof getting from
A toB. It canalsoprovide
intelligent feedback thanks toall
kindsof comfort andsafety functions. The
typical car todayhasonaverageup to
100sensorsonboard,with thenumber
set to increase further in the future.With
thenumber of sensorson the risebut the
availablespacestaying thesame,more
compact and insome casesalsomore
robust sensorswill be ingreater demand.
Innovativeproductionsolutionsare
needed inorder for theproduction
process tokeepupwith this level of
sophistication. Belgiancompany IPTE
FactoryAutomationn.v. hasmet thenew
challengeheadonwith its latest systems.
Theexperts in factoryautomationworked
with Festo todevelopan innovative
machineconcept for theselective
solderingof sensorsdirectly in the
housing.
Reliablesoldering in thehousing
Sensors locatedoutside the car’s interior
have towithstandharshenvironments,
with temperatures ranging frombelow
-40 °C toover 100 °C, and theyalsoneed
tobecorrosionandshock resistant.These
sensorsareenclosed ina toughhousing
toprotect them.However, the inner parts
of thesensor cannot be inserted into the
housing fullypre-assembled. Certain
solderingworkhas tobedonedirectly in
thehousing. Conventional soldering
techniquessuchaswaveor reflow
solderingarenot possiblehere, since the
plastichousingwouldnot beable to
withstand the temperatures involved.The
onlyoption is themoredemanding
techniqueof selectivesoldering. An
essential requirement for this technique
isapplying the right forceat the right
angle. Thehighprocessquality, repetition
accuracyandproductionspeedneeded to
achieve this calls for fullyautomated
processes.
Development of anewmachine concept
IPTEdevelopedanew, programmable
selectivesolderingsystem for connecting
thebatteryandprinted circuit board
directly in theprotectivehousingof the
car sensors. A completemachine concept
was created for this in cooperationwith
Festo. The ready-to-install handling
systemby Festoenablesa cycle timeof
less than threeseconds throughquick
andprecisemovementsalong theX-,Y-, Z-
andW-axes, despiteamovingmassof
more than60kg. Thesolder is fedwithan
accuracyof 0.1mmand thespeedat
which thesolder isuncoiled from the reel
is controlled.Other advantagesof the
compact IPTEsystem includeautomatic
tip calibration, integrated tip cleaning,
operationwithsolder reels, colour
detectionandanoption toswitch to
unleadedsoldering. A reliablesuspension
systemensures that thesoldering tip is
applied to theprinted circuit boardwith
the right force for optimum thermal
contact duringsoldering. An integrated
The typical car todayhasonaverageup
to100sensorsonboard. Sensors located
outside the car interior, ofwhichaselection
canbeseenhere, needspecial protection
anddemandspecial productionmethods.
Issue27
trends inautomation
Synergies
32
–
33
