Bring your SMT Assembly in House circuit boards Customer News

Macurco Doubles In-House Circuit Board Production with Help from Manncorp

Macurco Inc., based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been a trusted name in gas detection technology since 1972. With more than five decades of innovation behind them, Macurco's solutions—including their Macurco Building and Home, AimSafety, and TracXP product lines—protect lives in residential, commercial, and industrial settings around the world.

Bringing Electronics Manufacturing In-House

In late 2022, Macurco made a bold move to strengthen control over quality, lead times, and production scalability: they partnered with Manncorp to build a fully automated surface-mount technology (SMT) production line—despite having no prior in-house electronics manufacturing experience.

Chris Ellis from Manncorp guided the Macurco team through every stage of the process, from BOM (Bill of Materials) analysis to line layout and equipment selection. The result was a high-efficiency, custom SMT line designed for reliability, speed, and scalability.

Macurco's newly installed SMT line includes automated loaders, AP435 stencil printer, MC889 pick and place machine, CR8000 reflow oven, and a wave soldering system.

The Equipment Behind the Transformation

The initial line, which went live in early to mid-2023, included:

The investment immediately improved product turnaround and flexibility, enabling Macurco to begin assembling key components for their 6-series products and beyond.

Scaling with Confidence

Just recently, Macurco expanded their production line with the addition of a second MC889 pick and place machine, doubling their placement capacity to 40,000 components per hour and significantly boosting throughput.

"This new pick and place machine will double our production rate for the SMT process on the 6-series product line—up to 500 circuit boards per day in theory,” said Hans Haase, Manufacturing Manager at Macurco Inc. "It also significantly reduces changeover time between products, cutting it in half and enhancing our overall manufacturing efficiency."

"Adding this machine is a major step forward for our fast-growing PCBA line," added Jeffrey Christiansen, President of Macurco Inc. "By being able to build more of our circuit boards in house, we're not only keeping pace with rising demand—we’re getting products to our customers faster and with even greater control over quality and lead times.”

A Partnership Built on Trust

Thanks to Manncorp's technical expertise and responsive support, Macurco has gone from zero in-house electronics manufacturing experience to operating a full-fledged SMT production line in under a year. It's a transformation that underscores their commitment to innovation, quality, and rapid response to customer needs.

Interested in setting up your own SMT line? Learn more at manncorp.com or contact our team for a personalized consultation.

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