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SMT's 2002 VISION Awards
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
At APEX, innovation was seen at several successful conferences, programs, sessions and more; however, it took center stage at SMT Magazine's 2002 VISION Awards ceremony, held in conjunction with APEX on Monday, March 31, 2003. In a standing-room-only crowd, 13 companies were honored for their innovative contributions to the surface mount industry in 15 categories. A panel of independent industry experts judged the new equipment, products and services on their ability to face an industry challenge, the creative application of a new or existing technology, and overall quality of performance and throughput characteristics.
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Reflecting current trends in the industry, the VISION Award categories for inspection, assembly tools and software were the most heavily entered and hardest-fought categories. SMT's staff would like to congratulate the winners and thank all those who participated in the 2002 VISION Awards program. SMT recognizes each participant's part in keeping this constantly changing industry at the forefront of excellence. The following pages are a review of the winning products.
ADHESIVES/COATINGS/ENCAPSULANTS
XCE 3104XL Emerson & Cuming
XCE 3104XL is an electrically conductive solder alternative adhesive that is said to double stencil or screen print life, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing product waste for circuit board assemblers. XCE 3104XL maintains processing consistency over two eight-hour shift periods, rather than one, allowing the manufacturer to forgo stencil or screen printer cleaning for 18 hours, saving valuable production time and materials.
Some key attributes of XCE 3104XL reportedly include increased adhesion on bending, elimination of reject boards on start-up, and reduced hazardous waste and increased board productivity because of longer print life. In addition to these benefits, this solder alternative product provides contact resistance stability with tin and tin/lead terminated components.
CLEANING
Aquanox A4512 Kyzen Corp.
Aquanox A4512, designed for enhanced cleaning of reflowed no-clean flux residues, is effective on reflowed solder paste as well as uncured SMD adhesives. Environmentally safe, the solvent is said to be effective on solder joints and shows no negative effect even after multiple passes through the cleaning process. A4512 features state-of-the-art inhibition technology that protects solder joint/bumps from oxidation, providing a brilliant finish after cleaning. It is a concentrated cleaning solvent for use in aqueous batch or in-line spray machines. A4512 is the only cleaning agent to be subjected to a thorough screening of the industry's leading solder pastes prior to release.
CONTRACT SERVICES
Integrated Services Probe Manufacturing Industries
This company's PCB design and prototype services were combined into one quick turn service that reportedly includes PCB design, 3-D modeling, material acquisition and prototype assembly. Customers supply a schematic, BOM and form factors. The company then designs a PCB to customer's specifications, while designing in manufacturability and testability, reducing the need for future design revisions. Designs are translated into virtual 3-D models, allowing customers to view the boards prior to any fabrication or assembly. A simulated assembly sequence, which can include multiple PCBAs, also is provided to ensure mechanical fit with enclosures before fabrication.
ASSEMBLY TOOLS
DATUM Cencorp
DATUM is said to be a revolutionary concept in depaneling systems, incorporating both circular saw and router technology into a single automation platform. It specifically addresses the increasing demands of densely populated, multilayered boards with traces near the edge of the score line. It reportedly is the first machine to simultaneously address board spacing problems while meeting the demands of standard panel layouts. The servo-driven Z-axis saw blade accommodates varying component heights, and can rotate 360° to perform angular cuts. DATUM offers route speeds up to 3" per second or saw speeds up to 8" per second.
DISPENSING EQUIPMENT
CAMALOT XyflexPro Cookson Electronics Equipment
XyflexPro is available in two sizes. XyflexPro Small offers a 13 x 10" dispense area, while XyflexPro Large provides 22 x 22". Both models reportedly can be converted to support SMT or semiconductor packaging applications with average speeds of 30,000 dph. Additionally, XyflexPro is modular, allowing customers to link up to four units to increase their dot-per-hour rate to 120,000. With various quick-release dispense units and pumps, and a configurable transport system, XyflexPro reportedly can be adapted to suit virtually any type of material/product. XyflexPro provides ±0.0015" X/Y dot placement accuracy at 3 sigma and ±0.0006" repeatability without frequent recalibration.
INSPECTION
XT6600 Dage Precision Industries
XT6600 offers magnification up to 5,800X and feature recognition of less than 1 µm over its 16 x 18" inspection area. XT6600 reportedly achieves high resolution and magnification levels through use of a proprietary X-ray tube design, technology, focusing lens and optimized imaging chain. The level of inspection analysis is controlled by Image Wizard operating software. The software enables inspection procedures to be taught simply, thereby providing the user with more time for analysis without compromising throughput.
COMPONENTS
Line Setup Control Cogiscan
Line Setup Control is a new approach to address an old industry problem. During product changeover on an SMT line, many chemicals, components, feeders, tooling and machine programs that sometimes are visually identical must be loaded at the right location at the right time. Line Setup Control is said to offer a solution to verify all materials, tooling and machine programs across the complete assembly line. A combination of barcode labels and RF tags enable reliable identification of any item, including the common JEDEC matrix trays that otherwise cannot be identified using existing barcode technology. The system reportedly is independent of machine type and provides a simple and consistent user interface in a mixed vendor assembly line.
OPTOELECTRONICS
MRSI-5005 OPTO Newport/MRSI
MRSI-5005 OPTO offers 5 µm eutectic capability for assembly laser submounts. Precise placements are said to be achieved with a thermally and mechanically stable platform offering fast settling times and ±5 µm (0.0002") or better placement accuracy required for photonic applications. Capabilities include a heated assembly station with fast closed-loop temperature ramping and controlled contact force for placing small, delicate InP and GaAs die with "no touch" surface and edge features, and small thin preforms.
PICK-AND-PLACE
4797L HSP Universal Instruments Corp.
The 4797L HSP Chipshooter was introduced because Internet infrastructure board sizes are driving the need for large-board capability in process manufacturing lines. The 4797 series is said to feature a simplified design with fewer mechanical parts, making these machines reliable and easy to use and maintain. Additionally, with a maximum board size of 18 x 24" with a population of 18 x 23", 4797L HSP accommodates most large-board applications. Key characteristics reportedly include a 33 percent improvement in placement speed, with a maximum speed of 48,000 cph, vs. 36,000 cph for the previous model; broader component range; placing component sizes from 0201 to 26 mm sq., as well as area-array packages; and more.
PRINTING
DirEKt Ball Placement DEK
DirEKt Ball Placement leverages ProFlow high-mass imaging to place solder balls on wafers or substrates at high speed, and to populate area grid arrays for advanced package styles including CSP and flip chip in high volumes at commercial prices. The solution includes purpose-designed wafer handling compatible with 300 mm FOUPs or 150/200 mm open cassettes. Alternatively, the company's Virtual Panel Tooling allows up to 60 singulated substrates to be processed simultaneously in less than 30 seconds. The process is said to be cost effective; the platform can be changed over quickly to populate wafers or substrates as required, saving capital expenditure.
SOFTWARE
Line Setup Control Cogiscan
Line Setup Control is a new approach to address an old industry problem. During product changeover on an SMT line, many chemicals, components, feeders, tooling and machine programs that sometimes are visually identical must be loaded at the right location at the right time. Line Setup Control is said to offer a solution to verify all materials, tooling and machine programs across the complete assembly line. A combination of barcode labels and RF tags enable reliable identification of any item, including the common JEDEC matrix trays that otherwise cannot be identified using existing barcode technology. The system reportedly is independent of machine type and provides a simple and consistent user interface in a mixed vendor assembly line.
SOLDERING MATERIALS
ALPHA OM-6106 Cookson Electronics Equipment
ALPHA OM-6106 is said to be the first no-clean solder paste made with Type 3 powder and specifically formulated to print for 0201 components. The use of universally available Type 3 powder offers numerous important advantages over Type 4. ALPHA OM-6106 reportedly performs exceedingly well at high print speeds up to 6"/second with no smear, delivers high print definition, has extended stencil life up to 24 hours, generates virtually no mid-chip solder balls, and has an excellent processing window.
REWORK & REPAIR
X-1 SMT/BGA Rework Station
Precision Manufacturing Tools, Div. of Prodev Inc.
X-1 is an innovative rework system that reportedly provides a simplified, cost-effective rework process for large boards with accurate and repeatable results. While most rework stations use a fixed heater head and a movable board fixture, X-1 uses a rugged gantry similar to that of a pick-and-place machine, allowing the heater head to move while the PCB remains stationary. This design reportedly allows for a large bottom-side preheater that covers the entire board area in a smaller footprint. Additionally, the system offers a 2,000 W hot gas top heater and up to 3,000 W of low mass proportionally controlled I/R bottom-side heating.
SOLDERING EQUIPMENT
FM-202 American Hakko Products Inc.
FM-202 soldering station reportedly meets the requirements of a process-controllable soldering station suitable for rework and assembly. Temperature control incorporates U.S. patented pulse repetition and dwell techniques to enhance temperature accuracy, thermal stability and rapid response. Tip identification is registered at the factory on a nonmagnetic barcode, which permits automatic compensation within the processor when inserted into the "process gate" (patent pending feature). For SMT, the Parallel Remover's unique parallel movement (patent pending feature) reportedly allows precise alignment and easy SMD removal.
TESTING
VT-WIN II Omron Electronics LLC
VT-WIN II PCB solder inspection system can be used for either in- or off-line rapid, accurate identification of various circuit board assembly defects. VT-WIN II's inspection system incorporates the company's patented Color Highlight System, which reportedly enables instant, consistently accurate recognition of solder quality, wettability and correct component placement. The inspection system's optical zoom camera provides up to 10 µm magnification and is one of the highest in the industry, allowing it to accurately inspect 0201 components and solder integrity.