Ersa Rework minimizes downtime of CNC equipment

Allmendinger Elektromechanik shows how to keep production plants running with fast repairs and spare part deliveries

Component shortages are preoccupying and affecting the entire electronics industry. Major car manufacturers are worried about the supply of chips and entire production lines are producing with reduced capacity. But other industries are also cut short in their productivity when components and controls for CNC machines are missing. Exactly this is the service concept of Allmendinger Elektromechanik KG, who developed a business model for CNC controls more than 25 years ago. The customer base of the Swabian company ranges from small businesses to automobile manufacturers – an essential part of the success story are Ersa rework systems for component repair.

The Allmendinger team repairs electronic as well as mechanical components for CNC machines: “Usually, our customers do not contact us until there is already an acute defect,” Nadine and Daniel Allmendinger, second-generation Managing Directors, describe the typical service case. “Then it has to be fast. This is where our core competences come into play. Cross-manufacturer repairs of all assemblies at a fixed price for Siemens, Indramat, Heidenhain, Fanuc, and Bosch. Direct exchange and express shipping on request,” says Daniel Allmendinger. “Everything. Fast. Fair.” is accordingly the company credo.

It is therefore about more than the “right to repair” already introduced by the EU Ecodesign Directive in March 2021. The primary goal: to minimize downtimes on high-quality production equipment using state-of-the-art measuring and production technology such as the X-ray system. Error analysis and data backup take place at the highest technical level, for example for the Siemens Sinumerik family, Simatic panels and Heidenhain CNC controls. A 24/7 online store with direct access to more than 40,000 spare parts on around 50,000 m² of storage space is an integral part of Allmendingen´s service. An Ersa HR 550 Rework System and Ersa soldering tools play a pivotal role in board-level component repair. The range of repair services is as complex as their causes: Customer-specific components are often currently not available; rather, they must be “saved” and reused. Equally essential: the reuse of components in older controllers for which there are no longer any components available. If the solder connections on a BGA are oxidized or the entire component is faulty, it is removed, cleaned, and then prepared, placed and soldered back in. Component recycling in the best sense and with the highest demands on quality. Allmendinger backs up this quality claim with a 25-month warranty.

Pulling off the remaining solder with a soldering iron

During desoldering, the component must be gently heated. It is automatically lifted off with a vacuum pipette as soon as the solder has melted. In particular, the limit temperature for many SMD components of 260 °C should be undercut as far as possible in order not to damage the component. With homogeneous preheating of the assembly from below, targeted heat input from above and a sensor-guided process sequence, the Ersa HR 550 ensures consistent soldering results. Once the component has been desoldered, the residual solder on the board is removed. The still warm circuit board is processed with a soldering iron and a soldering tip optimized for this purpose. The component is also freed from solder residues.

To reuse desoldered BGAs, they must be prepared. For this purpose, the component is provided with flux and new solder balls. The balls are then remelted in the rework system – and the component is ready for use again. To restore the assembly function, the recycled component is provided with flux or solder paste, positioned on the board and soldered in with a solder profile.

At Allmendinger, they appreciate the reliability and flexibility of the Ersa HR 550, which convinces with a wide range of applications for almost all components and assemblies to be repaired and converted. The repair service can thus react quickly even to tricky tasks. The service life of even older CNC systems is thus sustainably extended – an outstanding practical example of sustainability in industry.