Production tools from Z-AXIS let us add value, remove costs, and deepen our understanding of customer projects..
Boards that weren’t designed for manufacturability need a way to be held during production. That’s why Z-AXIS designs and builds fixtures, jigs, and other types of tools to secure and guide them.
During pick-and-place, boards are moved on conveyors. It’s not possible to hold them when parts hang off the sides, but fixtures called pallets can keep entire arrays in place.
These custom tools can last for the life of a project, and Z-AXIS builds multiples of the same pallet to keep production humming, especially with higher volumes.
Z-AXIS makes tools like this from DuroStone, a glass-fiber reinforced plastic that can handle solder reflow temperatures while maintaining dimensional stability and flatness. DuroStone can be challenging to work with, but we skillfully machine it in-house.
With wave soldering, universal pallets are a cost-effective choice for small quantities of boards. These adjustable tools can be used with boards of many sizes. For higher volume runs, custom wave pallets are used for ease of use and to keeping production running without interruption.
Hand soldering fixtures also promote efficiency. Let’s say you have a board with a part that needs to be hand soldered. Instead of chasing the board around a bench, we’ll drop it in a soldering fixture and solder in parts or wires as needed.
For tasks like wire stripping, gauges come in handy. They don’t have to be complicated, and a simple tool that uses color as an indicator can help show that we removed just the right amount of jacketing.
Functional fixtures support a wide variety of tasks, including voltage testing. These custom tools help simulate the PCB’s operating environment before the board is integrated into the final product.
The fixtures that Z-AXIS creates are also used for tasks like robotic soldering and holding through-hole pins. When it’s time to eject a board, spring-loaded features help save time.
At Z-AXIS, all our custom fixtures are designed and made in-house. This lets us add value and deepen our understanding of your project to work quickly and efficiently.