When safety is the product, process reliability is not optional.
A customer conversation about long-term reflow stability, high-mix manufacturing, traceability and confidence in the thermal process.
Safety-critical products require confidence in the process
At HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH in Germany, reliability is at the heart of what the company does.
HIMA develops safety solutions for demanding applications where dependable operation is critical. During our factory visit, Sascha and Marvin shared how that same focus on reliability extends to the SMT and reflow process.
“We have been working with KIC for around 12 years. It is a very good system, and it has proven to be stable and reliable throughout all these years.”
— Sascha, Plant Operations SMT, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH
At a Glance
Q: Sascha, can you introduce yourself and your experience with HIMA and KIC?
Sascha: I have been working at HIMA for 23 years, and I have worked with the KIC system for around 12 years. I started as an operator on the SMT line, so I experienced the production process directly from the shop floor and saw how it developed over time. Two years ago, I was promoted to Plant Operations SMT, giving me a broader responsibility and perspective on our SMT production. Today, after many years of using KIC, I still see it as a very good, stable and reliable system.
Q: What does HIMA manufacture, and which industries do you support?
Sascha: Our main business is safety systems. We provide safety solutions for areas such as petrochemical and oil & gas applications, rail and traffic systems, airports and package transport, and automotive applications. The main purpose of our business is to protect people, so the reliability and quality of what we produce are extremely important.
Q: Do your customers also look closely at how those products are manufactured?
Sascha: Yes. We have many audits, and our business partners also come to the factory. We give them factory tours so they can see what we produce, where we produce it and how we produce it. For us, it is important to be transparent about the production process and to give our customers confidence in the way their products are manufactured.
Q: Your SMT line handles a very large product mix. What does that look like in practice?
Sascha: We have around 600 different products, including top- and bottom-side assemblies and products of very different sizes. For each product, we have a dedicated reflow recipe. That means the process needs to be flexible, but at the same time we need consistency and control across a large number of recipes.
Q: How easy is it to set up and manage those reflow recipes with KIC?
Sascha: For us, it is very easy. Once we establish the correct process for the product, KIC supports us in managing and monitoring that thermal process. It also shows us what we need to do and in which direction we can optimize the profile when further optimization is needed.
From profiling to continuous process visibility
For HIMA, the value of KIC goes beyond creating a thermal profile: the process information remains available to support production, troubleshooting and traceability.
“The more I learn, the more it shows me how powerful it is – how much information we can get back in a short time and how precisely it shows us when something changes.”
– Marvin, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH
Q: Marvin, how has your experience with KIC developed over time?
Marvin: I have been working at HIMA for around 12 years, including about 10 years as an SMD operator. Earlier, I did not have so much contact with the software and mainly used it from time to time when creating a profile. As I have learned more, I have realized how powerful the system is, how much information we can get back in a short time and how precisely it can show us when something in the process has changed.
Q: Can that information help when a process condition changes unexpectedly?
Marvin: Yes. A good example is a recent situation related to the transport speed. When something changes in the process, the information from KIC gives us a much clearer picture of what happened. That helps us investigate the situation and understand whether the change can create trouble for the process.
Q: Sascha, how is KIC integrated into the reflow production environment?
Sascha: The KIC system is integrated together with the oven. When we start a recipe on the reflow oven, KIC automatically follows the recipe. That makes our work much easier because the thermal-process monitoring is connected to the production setup instead of being a separate manual activity.
Q: What happens if an issue is detected later at inspection, X-ray or further downstream?
Sascha: We can go back into the history and see the profile for that product. This means that if something happens later in the process, or if we need to investigate a product, we have the thermal-process information available and can review what happened during reflow. For us, that gives an important level of traceability at product level.
Q: We have also seen very stable results during recurring KIC visits. Is that consistent with your experience?
Sascha: Yes. When KIC comes for the recurring calibration and service activities, we continue to see that the X5 profiler and eTPU are stable and remain within specification. From our side, everything has been very stable over the years. That repeatability is important because it gives us confidence that the measurements and the process remain consistent.
Q: Marvin, after working with the system, what is your overall impression?
Marvin: My experience is not as long as Sascha’s, but I agree with him. The more I work with the system, the more I understand what it can do for us. From my side, it is really a good product.
Safety. Traceability. Reliability.
Around 600 products. Approximately 12 years of KIC experience. A stable and transparent reflow process that supports HIMA’s commitment to dependable safety solutions.