Circuits Assembly - January 2008 - (Page 36)

Productronica Recap Essemtec’s HLX8100 placement system has a feeder capacity of 192 x 8 mm, intelligent programmable feeders and can accommodate speeds up to 11,250 cph. Ovation’s patent-pending Smart-Stencil transforms any inline screen printer (29 x 29” frame) into a fluid dispenser in minutes. Evolution in Action Mike Buetow At Productronica, the most radical sight was the transit strike. But the venerable show didn’t disappoint. e waited two years for the show to end all shows, and in the end, the catch phrase was evolution, not revolution. Materials, printing and deposition took center stage at the biennial Productronica trade show in November. Asymtek (asymtek.com) rolled out a jet-based dispenser, while ERSA (ersa.de) and Mydata Automation (mydata.com) showed new printers, the latter also a jet design. (As usual, because of space, I try to discuss only lines not previously covered in these pages.) Asymtek’s SC-400 PreciseCoat Conformal Coating Jet applies coating materials to selective areas. It uses a needle design with jetting action and fast pulse-width modulated control to deliver line widths down to a reported 1.2 mm wide. It even eliminates masking, the company says, because the flow is so closely controlled. A dualvalve configuration is available. It’s hard to mention Asymtek without also commenting on Mydata. During the show, the companies announced an agreement on earlier IP issues, clearing the way for Mydata to bring its second-generation MY500 jet printer to the worldwide market. The machine offers offline programming said to permit setups and changeovers in seconds. The machine now permits W adjustments on –the spot, in three dimensions, and comes with 2-D inspection and repair. The paste syringe and ejection technology has “snapto-machine” loading, said to permit quick paste refill as needed or switches from lead to Pb-free solder paste in seconds. Ovation Products’ (grid-lok.com) patentpending Smart-Stencil transforms any inline screen printer (29 x 29" frame) into a fluid dispenser in minutes. A proprietary servo robot cassette is inserted (as a stencil would be) into the printer. Dispense routines are programmed via Windows-based software. The dispense valve accommodates a variety of adhesives and pastes, and disconnects quickly for maintenance. ERSA, known for its soldering equipment, has entered the printer world. The Versaprint, integrates traditional printing capability with a complete post-print AOI. The line scan camera nested in the printer is capable of images for type recognition and AOI. Novel software eases set-up, operation and process optimization. Versaprint includes a substrate positioning and triple rail transport to enhance speed and accuracy. Panasonic (panasonic.co.jp/pfsc/en) also showed a new printer: the SP18P-L. With a cycle time of 8 sec. and 12.5 µm repeatability, the machine holds promise. On the placement side, Siemens (siemens. com) has raised the bar with a pick-and-place machine said to be capable of 100,000 cph rates per IPC-9850. The X4i placement machine, based on the company’s X-Series platform, comes with a dual conveyor, configurable to use the space remaining between boards as a third track. Boards 36 Circuits Assembly JANUARY 2008 circuitsassembly.com http://grid-lok.com http://asymtek.com http://ersa.de http://www.mydata.com http://panasonic.co.jp/pfsc/en http://www.siemens.com http://www.siemens.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - January 2008

Circuits Assembly - January 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business On the Forefront Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Walking on Water Flux Selection for Lead-Free Wave Soldering An A-to-Z Guide to X-Ray Inspection, Part II Evolution in Action Research Priorities for the Electronics Industry Selective Soldering Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Materials World Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - January 2008

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