Hellbender Brings SMT Assembly In-House with Europlacer to Supercharge Product Development; Brian Beyer and Cameron Baldwin Comment
Hellbender Inc., a fast-growing leader in AI-on-edge device design and manufacturing, has brought surface mount technology (SMT) assembly fully in-house — and credits Europlacer’s high-mix platform as a key driver behind faster cycles, higher yields, and scalable innovation.
Focused on next-gen electronics for industries ranging from medical to industrial automation and entertainment, Hellbender is redefining the possibilities of physical AI with compact, energy-efficient devices that demand high precision and rapid iteration.
“We move fast. We’re prototyping new designs every week. To keep up, we needed to own the full production process — and that meant bringing SMT in-house,” said Brian Beyer, CEO and Founder of Hellbender. “Europlacer’s equipment gave us everything we needed: ease of use, flexibility, and the ability to hit the quality standards our customers demand.”
Hellbender worked with Brad Kendall of Quality Associates to design an SMT line tailored to its low-volume, high-mix environment. From loader to unloader, Europlacer’s platform enabled seamless integration, rapid changeover, and robust performance.
“The user interface is incredibly intuitive,” added Cameron Baldwin, Hellbender Co-founder and SMT Production & Process Engineer. “We’ve trained multiple technicians from scratch and had them running live production within a week. That kind of onboarding speed just doesn’t happen with most SMT systems.”
Bringing SMT in-house allowed Hellbender to dramatically shorten design-to-build timelines and reduce reliance on external quick-turn suppliers — all while improving product consistency and control.
“Europlacer didn’t just provide us with machines — they supported our growth like a true partner,” Beyer said. “From day one, their team, especially Chris Merow, treated us like we were their most important customer. That level of service has made a real impact.”
With a new, faster Europlacer machine on order and plans for a larger facility underway, Hellbender is doubling down on its in-house production capabilities to meet growing demand.
“If you're a high-mix company looking to scale intelligently, I’d strongly recommend Europlacer,” Beyer said. “It’s reliable, flexible, and easy to use — and it's helped us deliver high-performance products faster than we thought possible.”
Hellbender Inc. designs and manufactures AI-on-edge devices for industries, including medical technology, sports and entertainment, and industrial systems. With a focus on speed, flexibility, and high-performance design, Hellbender delivers next-generation solutions that move intelligence out of the cloud and directly into the device. Learn more at www.hellbender.com.
Watch the video featuring Hellbender story on Youtube :
https://youtu.be/E8DvasQFdgo?si=l1Jf7rqiDhWUwYRH
For more information about Europlacer and its advanced SMT solutions, visit www.europlacer.com.
