Case Study: Malaysian EMS Company Cut PCB Rework by Up to 80% Using Hakko HF‑600

How a Malaysian EMS Manufacturer Reduced Rework by 70–80% by Upgrading to a 400W Hakko HF-600 Auto Soldering Head 

Customer Profile 

• Industry: Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) 
  
• Location: Malaysia 
  
• Application: Robotic auto soldering (connector / through-hole)
  
• Existing Equipment: Chinese auto soldering robot with low-power soldering head
  

The customer was running high-volume production on an existing robotic platform but faced persistent soldering instability.

The Engineering Challenge 

The original soldering head lacked sufficient heating power, resulting in:

• Extended dwell times
  
• Slow thermal recovery
  
• Inconsistent wetting 
  
• High rework rates
  
• Yield instability 
  

Cycle time was longer than required, and solder joints frequently required manual rework.
Replacing the entire robot would have meant high capital cost and operational disruption.

The requirement: 

Improve soldering performance without replacing the full automation system.

Solution Implemented 

Toki proposed a soldering head refurbishment strategy:

• Replaced the existing head with a Hakko HF-600 (400W) auto soldering head
• Designed and fabricated a custom adapter jig
• Performed electrical integration and wiring
• Optimized soldering parameters

The existing robot platform was fully retained.
This approach reduced capital expenditure and avoided unnecessary equipment disposal — supporting manufacturing sustainability goals.
Total implementation time: 3 days (install, wiring, programming, release to production).

The Results 

Following the upgrade: 

• Rework reduced by 70–80%
• Cycle time reduced by 50%
• Improved thermal recovery under load
• More consistent solder joint formation
• Higher first-pass yield

The 400W HF-600 provided stable high-power delivery, eliminating the previous thermal bottleneck.

Strategic Impact 

• Avoided full system replacement 
  
• Reduced electronic waste through refurbishment 
  
• Improved production efficiency
  
• Strengthened process stability

This project demonstrates that targeted engineering upgrades can deliver measurable performance gains without major capital investment.

Request a Process Evaluation

If your auto soldering system is experiencing poor thermal recovery or leading to high rework and yield inconsistency, speak to our Toki Team!

Toki can assess whether a high-power soldering head upgrade can improve performance while retaining your existing platform.

Related Products:

• Auto Soldering