Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG (SEAS) now offers additional conveyor capabilities for its flexible SIPLACE SX-Series machines with new options for long boards, heavy boards and thick boards. The increased placement area of the SIPLACE SX with the Long Board Option allows the user to populate boards up to 610 mm long in a single, consistent placement process, which increases the line throughput rate for extra-long boards considerably. With the Heavy Board Option, boards weighing up to 5 kilograms (single conveyor) or 2 x 2 kilograms (dual conveyor) can be processed. And with the Thick Board Option, SIPLACE SX machines can be upgraded for board thicknesses of 4.5 to 6 mm. In combination with its wide range of head, gantry and feeder module options, the new options for exotic boards expand the SIPLACE SX platform s flexibility even further. Unusual board formats pose special challenges for electronics manufacturers and their SMT lines. With new options for long boards, heavy boards and thick boards, the SIPLACE team strengthens its claim to establish the new SIPLACE SX as the dominating platform for high-mix production environments with small and medium lot sizes even further. More line performance for larger PCBs With its exceptionally large placement area, the new SIPLACE SX can populate oversized boards (up to 610 x 560 mm) without intermediate stepping. If a dual conveyor is installed, two boards with dimensions of up to 610 x 262 mm can be processed side-by-side in synchronous, asynchronous or i-Placement mode. The elimination of the stepping requirement improves the throughput rate for large boards and makes expensive duplicate setups unnecessary. Boards weighing up to 5 kilograms Many oversized boards are also very heavy. For such cases, the SIPLACE team offers the Heavy Board Option with a heavy-duty conveyor. In a single-lane environment, it allows boards weighing up to 5 kilograms (approx. 11 pounds) to be processed. In a dual-conveyor environment, two boards weighing up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) each can be handled. Support pins, vario-grids and soft mats stand ready to keep the boards from sagging even under heavy pressure, for example when placing connectors. Extra-thick boards with thicknesses of 4.5 to 6 millimeters can be processed with the Thick Board Option on the SIPLACE SX, and the line can be converted between setups from thick boards to normal boards up to 4.5 mm thick. New transport options available with current station software All new transport options are available with the current V. 704 of the SIPLACE station software. With the options for special board formats, SIPLACE is giving the usability spectrum of its SIPLACE SX Capacity-on-Demand platform another significant boost. By offering a wide range of options in terms of placement heads, software, conveyors and feeder modules, the SIPLACE team is positioning its SX-Series as a platform for small and medium-sized production environments that is as speedy as it is flexible. Product marketing manager Wolfgang Heinecke confirms this: ?Compared to other solutions on the market, the new SIPLACE SX Series is already the benchmark in terms of flexibility, as confirmed by our sales numbers the feedback we receive from our customers. The new conveyor options for the SIPLACE SX take this important platform another step forward.?± For more information about SIPLACE, visit www.siplace.com.