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From the Editor:
VISION for the Future
December 31, 1969 |
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
This year's APEX conference and exhibition in Las Vegas was a whirlwind of activity. The show is an intelligent blend of education, business, and entertainment. Acrobats welcomed exhibitors on the opening day, for example. The most rewarding mix of fun and business for us, however, was the 16th annual SMT VISION Awards. The celebration was a chance to gather for drinks with the people we work with day in and day out, meet spouses and coworkers and friends that until that night had only been frequently called upon email addresses. The business purpose of the VISION Awards is to scrutinize the current electronics assembly market and determine what products will best serve it in the near- and long-term future.
Some valuable trends emerged, not only in the winning products, but in the finalists and entry categories as well. Test, inspection, rework-and-repair, and pick-and-place received the most entries. Judges had a range of products to choose from in each category, as test technologies are being combined and enhanced on many systems, and pick-and-place manufacturers are diversifying their product groups for high-mix/high-volume through prototype and NPI. The winning inspection system, X7056 from Viscom Inc., combines AOI and X-ray inspection for enhanced coverage in a one-machine footprint. The top pick-and-place system, GXH-3 from Hitachi High Technologies America, offers a modular, flexible system. Its "Direct Drive" flexible high-speed heads have a component range of 0201/01005 through 44 × 44 mm, fitting in with the U.S. market's needs. VJ Electronix took the rework category with its Summit 2200 system. Automated site prep (scavenging), automatic and vision-assisted placement, wide area profile storage compatibility, bottom heater, and motorized table all enable lead-free rework, a major solution to one of the top problems with RoHS-compliant conversion. And in test, the winning product came from a cleaning company. Aqueous Technologies' C3 cleanliness tester demonstrates the importance of board cleanliness to reliability, particularly in harsh environments and lead-free assemblies.
Underfills dominated the non-solder materials group of epoxies/adhesives/encapsulants/underfills, with AIM's one-step underfill 688 and Henkel's Loctite 3508 corner underfill winning the top slots. These advanced-formula underfill products boast reworkability, in-line application, and in-reflow cure, eliminating extra steps and adding reliability without sacrificing throughput. As more consumer products require better reliability, and more high-reliability electronics go high-volume, like in automotive sectors, these traits are vital to processing.
The top two cleaning products represented both equipment and materials: MicroCare won with the PowerClean II solvent and Aqueous Technologies' Trident system was runner-up. PowerClean II combines cleaning potency with environmental and safety benefits. It can remove lead-free residues, but is non-flammable, ozone-safe, and low toxicity. This fits well with users globally that must meet quality requirements for their products as well as environmental regulations for their operation. The Trident from Aqueous represents another trend in cleaning: soup-to-nuts options. The machine is available in several capacities, has a host of pre-wash, wash, rinse, and dry options so users can tailor a cleaning recipe to a given production run in the same way they tailor reflow profiles. The machine also includes built-in cleanliness test, so boards don't leave the line with hidden residues remaining under components or clinging to the PCB.
Software offers heightened process control, documentation for international and customer regulations, complete traceability, and remote operation. All of these factors reduce costs and prevent recalls, maintaining profits in the thin-margin years. Software, it is no surprise, was a popular winner, and the types of software ranged from design to manufacturing to process control. The GoodBye Chain Group's MDW-EcoSolution (MDW-ES) aids customers in meeting environmental legislation's documentation requirements. Having this capability on-board at an EMS facility can not only keep current operations running smoothly and shipping out without incidence, it also can attract new business as OEMs look to outsource transitioning to lead-free. Optimal Electronics' lean-manufacturing software Optel also helps EMS providers reduce costs and cut out confusion with a high product mix, especially for the majority of U.S. manufacturers running both lead-free and tin-lead products. Lean reduces inventory and increases machine uptime; even more importantly, it can cut out mistakes that may lead to recalls. Several equipment providers straddle the line between machine builders and software suppliers, as equipment software brings increased accuracy, options, and automation to the line. Juki demonstrated this with its finalist product OPASS manufacturing software, and ECD did as well with its thermal profiler tool the MEGAM.O.L.E. 20. A combination of strong machine- and factory-level software solutions will manage an effective EMS provider with high mix and intense regulation well into the modern lead-free phase.
You can explore all the top VISION products right now at smtonline.com, and see our upcoming June issue for a full VISION wrap-up.
Seeing entire groups from various companies and customers cheering on their products brought a sense of teamwork and pride to the VISION ceremony. As some readers may already know, I am a huge hockey fan. And I am in a kind of euphoria right now, because it's NHL playoffs time, and my Boston Bruins have made it back to the postseason, after years on the outside looking in. The Bs are a great team, not just because they're my team, but because they're a good example of what strong leadership and youthful exuberance can work against heavy odds. This is coach Claude Julien's first year with the Bruins, and already those in-the-know are referring to it as the "Claude Julien era." Our opponents are daunting, but we come from a town that believes in Game 7 like no one else, and even if the Bs drop out in the first round, it's nice to see them back. So, if you don't already have a team affiliation, or your boys play in the Western conference, join me in cheering on the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. They've earned it.
Meredith Courtemanche, managing editor