Circuits Assembly - June 2008 - (Page 22)

Nepcon China China Goes ‘Upmarket’ Mike Buetow IP theft remains an issue, but business rolls on in Shanghai. T his year’s Nepcon China played to strong crowds and plenty of noise, as usual. The show, many watchers agree, needed a strong showing this year to fend off a challenge from the producers of Productronica, who are mounting a challenge to Nepcon’s longstanding supremacy in the Shanghai electronics market. While all the big name OEMs were in Shanghai for the early April trade show, what makes Nepcon China interesting is its large indigenous crowds and the ample supply of native vendors. Of the Chinese-made equipment alone, CirCuits Assembly counted 13 printers, 14 reflow ovens, 10 wave machines, 10 AOI, four x-ray machines, one XRF, three ICT, three routers, five SPI systems, two dispensers, and a smattering All the 10 native AOI systems featured color screens and touted scan times and resolutions. However, the translated names (e.g., "Fairy Boy") might struggle to captivate buyers. 22 Circuits Assembly JUNE 2008 of others (e.g., routers, stencil cleaners, washers, soldering robots). There was no selective soldering equipment, but Rizhao Prosert Electronic Equipment Co. showed an axial inserter – the first Chinese-made placement machine this reporter has seen in the past three years. There’s an extraordinary range of microscopes, ESD carts, rework stations (including BGA). Keep in mind, that’s just the Chinese-made gear. The learning curve is clearly shortening. And everyone is making everything. Companies you’ve heard of (e.g., Folungwin) and companies you haven’t (Tolo Machinery Equipment) were demonstrating a range of machines from wave to reflow to AOI to printers. All-in-one is the rage. Some improvements were noticeable. Folungwin’s printer, for example, was made from very high quality components and sturdy frames, not the weak sheet metal that once was commonplace. All the AOIs now feature color cameras. And a couple of solder vendors – ShenMao and Almit – are clearly intent on becoming world players. Generally speaking, the native equipment is not yet ready for volume. For example, none of the SPI was inline, and two were tabletops. And the components for many of the soldering machines are still substandard. Accusations of IP theft, as usual, were rampant. I saw direct copies of various DEK, EKRA and Vitronics machines, and a dead-on knockoff of Ovation’s Grik-Lok board support tool, among others. In a bit of irony, one Chinese exhibitor sported a “no photography” sign on its adhesive dispenser. Western buyers beware. circuitsassembly.com http://circuitsassembly.com

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

Circuits Assembly - June 2008 Contents Letters Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Screen Printing Better Manufacturing China Goes ‘Upmarket’ Out of the Garage Improving Production Line Performance Manufacturing Steps Onto the Enterprise IT Stage Measuring and Controlling Wave Height and Dwell Time Wave Soldering Tech Tips Test and Inspection Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Eastern Advances Semicon West Product Preview Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - June 2008

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