What a great day yesterday! The morning spent educating high school students on careers in manufacturing and the afternoon chatting with Aerospace professionals.
What a great day yesterday! The morning spent educating high school students on careers in manufacturing and the afternoon chatting with Aerospace professionals.
Click to read the full article as it appeared in the Hartford Courant – by Stephen Singer
Local Expos and Tech Forums have become one of the great benefits of SMTA’s local chapters. Attendees get valuable technical info, meet leading suppliers
New England Expo and & Tech Forum to be held in Worcester MA.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018.
Local Expos and Tech Forums have become one of the great benefits of SMTA’s local chapters. Attendees get valuable technical info, meet leading suppliers, and get a FREE lunch. Exhibitors get a great opportunity to connect with people in their region who want to know about their products and services.
Employees eager to learn new skills, adding to their qualifications. Way to go Stephen, Valerie, Ted, and Maria!
Employees eager to learn new skills, adding to their qualifications. Way to go
Thanks to our trainer David for his expertise and guidance.
Attendees will see examples on both the manufacturing floor as well as administrative functions where teams are improving safety and efficiency through formal workplace organization
Attendees will see examples on both the manufacturing floor as well as administrative functions where teams are improving safety and efficiency through formal workplace organization, identifying waste through process mapping, improving communication through visual management, improving flow through kaizen, reducing set up times through set up reduction activities, and addressing gaps through root cause problem-solving.
Agenda: 8:30 a.m. Registration, networking and continental breakfast
9:00 a.m. Presentation on LEAN/Continuous Improvement at Altek
9:45 a.m. Factory Tour – examples of LEAN and Continuous Improvement initiatives
11:00 a.m. Depart
Price: SMTA member: $25 Non-member: $35
TORRINGTON — Made in Connecticut was the theme on Wednesday when 5th District Democratic candidate Mary Glassman toured Altek Electronics Inc. at 89 Commercial Blvd.
“I want to help facilitate new jobs,” Glassman said during the tour.
She noted that 13,000 jobs in Connecticut go unfilled because potential workers do not have the skills required for manufacturing jobs.
“There are good jobs, good pay and good futures,” in industry, Glassman said.
She pointed to a a success story from Torrington High School’s Innovation Class, which collaborates with Northwestern Connecticut Community College. Through the program, Altek employee Alain Malcom learned the skill of soldering and was hired two years ago. The 20-year-old now works as a junior buyer.
That type of collaboration could boost the economic health of the 41 towns within the sprawling 5th district.
“I know how cities make decisions,” said Glassman, who served as Simsbury’s first selectwoman for 16 years. “We can leverage state and local government.”
Ravi Kailan, director of operations for Altek, said the company grew by 15 percent about a year ago. Through the application of lean engineering, which practitioners use to pinpoint more effective manufacturing processes, Kailan said Altek was able to recoup the cost of a $365,000 machine in less than two years.
Luciana Rodriguez, a trainer for the surface mount team, said she’s learned how to help her team be more efficient.
“What used to take two days now takes less than a day,” she said.
That result allows the company to grow its business, Kailan added.
Altek, a family-owned company with almost 200 employees, opened in 1972. Sabrina Beck, vice president and co-owner of the company, said Mexico and China are their biggest competitors. “We are constantly asked to reduce prices,” she said.
“I want to keep the cost of working in Connecticut down,” Glassman responded.
Glassman’s Democrat opponent for the 5th District seat is Jahana Hayes, of Wolcott. She is a Waterbury teacher who was named national teacher of the year in 2016.
They will face off in the primary election on Aug. 14.
A veteran-owned small business privately held by three family members (Stephan Altschuler, David Altschuler, and Sabrina Altschuler Beck), Altek Electronics, Inc. manufacturers printed circuit board assemblies and box builds for many industries including medical, military, industrial and telecommunications.
When Altek Electronics Inc. CEO David Altschuler talks about understanding the company’s customers, he means he visits the customer’s plant once a week, walks through security wearing the badge they gave him 18 years ago, and he talks to various people in the receiving department, production, engineering, and supply chain about what they need and how Altek is performing.
The latest and greatest equipment along with the people who are passionate about what they can do for you.
This investment aids in our goal of continuously improving and staying at the leading edge of available technologies in the field of electronic assembly. We believe this gives our customers best in class value on products and services.
The new 3D AOI uses a simple yet extremely effective and repeatable technology called Multi-Frequency Quad Moiré lighting (Figure 1) to make measurements of all the components on the PCB. It works by projecting a line pattern at a given angle then shifting and varying the patterns frequency for a total of 8 different unique patterns (Figure 2). To accomplish this the Mirtec uses four opposing pattern projectors that are positioned at 0, 90, 180 and 270°. The result is a total of 32 images for the 3D computation as well as an additional 7 images with standard 2D imaging from the main camera.
These line patterns are captured by the
The primary advantage of a 3D AOI over traditional 2D AOI is the ability to give a true measurement of components. With these measurements, you can establish criteria/tolerances for the length, width, height, coplanarity, lead height as well as solder filet height, angles and volume. This adds an ever-increasing number of variables that can be inspected. For instance, let’s consider a standard 1206 ceramic capacitor. A typical 2D AOI compares the component being inspected to an image or series of images of a good component that is stored in the AOI machine’s library. This comparison has some drawbacks as it is subject to a higher rate of false calls and escapes. For instance, if the component varies in size, shape, or color slightly and there is not a good representation of this in the good image library then the component will be flagged as a defect. Consider also how many shades of tan there are for the ceramic material of the capacitor. It is common to have several shades from one
Where 3D AOI shines is that ability to measure all the features on the component and compare them to the present criterion in the machines database. The machine can then rely on measurements instead of comparing 2D images. Furthermore, with 3D AOI you can measure the capacitors placement position (X, Y
In conclusion the current 3D AOI technology allows Altek Electronics to better automate inspection of PCB’s in regards to surface mount technologies to distinguish what is really bad from good while offering improved coverage, capability and improved throughput. ?
Altek employees consumed 13,000 K-Cups of coffee last year. After learning about the negative impact plastic K-Cups have on the environment, Altek managers worked to find a greener solution. We switched to biodegradable coffee pods, which are more environmentally friendly and cost less, saving over $3,000 per year.
Here are employees Luis Martinez and Elizabeth Reyes in front of the new coffee pod vending machine. Offering 12 different flavors in a sustainable, fresher tasting cup makes Altek a friendlier place to work.
Surface Mount Equipment and specifications:
Board Size Min = 50 mm x 50 mm (2” x 2”)
Board Size Max = 410 mm x 460 mm (16” x 18”)
Ball Grid Array and Advanced SMD’s
BGA’s (BGA placement up to 55mm² 1.0mm pitch)
Wave and Selective Soldering – Lead or Lead Free (RoHS)
Through-Hole assembly equipment
Board Size Min = 50 mm x 50 mm (2” x 2”)
Board Size Max = 350 mm x 460 mm (14” x 18”)
Inspection
Automated Optical Inspection
Board Size Min = 50 mm x 50 mm (2” x 2”)
Board Size Max = 410 mm x 460 mm (16” x 18”)
X-Ray Inspection
Automated Depaneling
Cleaning
Board Size Min = n/a
Board Size Max = 24 x 25”
PCB Conformal Coating and Potting
PCB Conformal Coating
Circuit Board Testing
Supporting Equipment
We invest in Technology that keeps Altek’s facility running efficiently, allowing us to consistently provide the best possible product to our customers.
