New Products
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
PCB SpacerBumpon PCB Spacer products deliver critical barriers that help keep components free of damaging heat build-up, short-circuiting, vibration and board flexing. The spacers reportedly maintain board rigidity, providing uniform height across the board, and synthetic rubber adhesives supply initial and long-term adhesion to various surfaces, including plastics, metals and FR4. Produced in sheet form, the spacers are said to remove cleanly and easily from their liner, improving assembly line productivity. 3M, St. Paul, Minn.
RFI ScreeningThis company's radio frequency interference (RFI) Screening Can Div. includes free consultation and ongoing technical support for its current and potential RFI screening can customers. Structured service levels are said to be available, including maintenance access, PCB real estate, crosstalk, EMC needs, design guidance, site visits, prototyping, sample production, finish and thickness options, forming, assembly, and re-evaluation of established designs for productivity enhancements. They reportedly use a wide range of well-established systems such as photochemical machining and punch/press progression tooling to provide cans for low-, medium- or high-volume production needs. Tecan Components Ltd., Dorset, England.
Dispensing TipsEasy Release X Form dispensing tips are for conductive epoxy dispensing in die-bonding applications for auger-style pumps with compliant "Z" features. The needles are said to run in a true dispense process, as opposed to pin transfer. During the dispensing process, the material reportedly flows out through an opening in the needle's center to each of the four channels in the tip, creating the "X" shape. The polished surface interior and single-piece construction create minimal surface tension as material flows through the needle. Sizes range from 0.0197 x 0.0197" (0.5 x 0.5 mm) to 0.125 x 0.125" (3.175 x 3.175 mm). DL Technology, Haverhill, Mass.
Scientific/Industrial Imaging SoftwareInspector 3.1 is a Microsoft Windows application for image capture, processing, analysis, display and archiving. Based on the company's Imaging Library software development toolkit, this software reportedly provides point-and-click access to an extensive set of optimized functions for image processing, blob analysis, gauging and measurement, as well as pattern matching. Features are said to include easy-to-use interactive tools for OCR, bar and matrix code recognition, and watershed-based image segmentation. Matrox Imaging, Dorval, Quebec, Canada.
FEATURE PRODUCTS
Programmable Semiautomatic PrinterThe optional vision system SP100-VIS improves the repeatability of the printing quality on the programmable printer SP100. The vision system reportedly measures the deviation and calculates the required movements, and the operator is guided to do the correction, allowing for fast and easy alignment. The system's two cameras look straight through the stencil onto the circuit; therefore, the position is checked and corrected just before printing. Up to 99 different processes are said to be programmed and stored, providing reproducible printing when production lots are small and changeover frequency is high. ESSEMTEC AG, Aesch, Switzerland.
Rework SystemAPR-5000 Array Package rework system reportedly offers repeatability, accuracy and thermal control for rework of BGA, CSP, LGA, micro SMD, MLF and bumped chip component packages. The system is said to be capable of handling boards up to 8 x 10" with placement accuracy to 0.001", and interconnection pitches as low as 0.3 mm. The ergonomically designed system requires a minimum bench space of 18 x 28" and also is said to use low airflow convection heating to ensure safe and simultaneous reflow of the component being removed without disrupting any adjacent parts. Metcal, Menlo Park, Calif.
ASSEMBLY TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
Modular Production CellHiSAC 500 Modular Production Cell is a platform that includes a bottom router, odd-form assembly and final assembly. The cell's high-speed, high-performance capabilities reportedly are housed in a 500 mm wide footprint and allow operators to run three separate functions in the same space. Additionally, the company's various design and manufacturer feeders are said to be available to support axial, radial, tube and tray packaged parts, as well as a series of interfaces to accommodate other third-party feeders. PMJ automec Corp., Wimborne, Dorset, England.
Routing MachineThe Smart-Router is a standalone routing machine that singulates various PCB layouts. The machine is said to be a manually operated cell in which an operator registers a populated panel into the machine. The individual circuit boards within the array then are routed according to the preprogrammed sequence. The router reportedly can accomplish positioning speeds up to 20" per second and route speeds up to 2" per second. Wand Tool Co. Inc., WAND Singulation Systems Div., Wheeling, Ill.
CLEANING MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT
Low-foaming Organic Acid CleanerA liquid, low-foaming acid cleaner and neutralizing rinse, Citrajet reportedly is formulated for automated cleaning equipment such as warewashers, spray washers, ultrasonic cleaners and clean-in-place systems. The cleaner can remove scale, metal, oxides, metal complexes, milkstone, soil, grit, buffing compounds, grime, grease, fats, oils, particulates, amphoteric peptides, deposits, chemicals and solvents. The corrosion-inhibited formulation is said to clean glass, metal, stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, plastics, rubber and fiberglass, and soft metals such as copper, bronze, aluminum, zinc and magnesium when properly rinsed. The cleaner also can be used as an acid rinse after alkaline cleaning. Alconox Inc., White Plains, N.Y.
Spot Solder MaskChemask WF water-filterable spot solder mask is developed to work in both closed- and open-loop aqueous cleaning systems. In closed-loop cleaning systems, the solder mask is said to deliver enhanced, cost-effective performance, and extends the working life of sensitive recirculation system components. The mask reportedly contains no ionic compounds; therefore, ion exchange resin beds are not adversely affected. Additionally, the mask was developed to be free of clay and silica elements that can coat ionic and anionic resin beds, and reduce their working lifecycles. ITW Chemtronics, Kennesaw, Ga.
DISPENSING EQUIPMENT
RDisposable Print HeadPuckPack disposable enclosed print head reportedly offers the benefits of enclosed head printing without the high capital expenditure of existing enclosed systems. Solder paste manufacturers package paste directly to the print head, which is made from injected-molded plastic. This head is mounted directly to an adaptor on a stencil printer, and the printing process begins. The PuckPack also can be filled with adhesives, epoxies, conductive inks or any other printable media. Crossflow International, England.
Two-part Dispensing SystemThe AccuShot compact benchtop system offers progressive cavity pump technology and patented controls for metering/mixing two-part materials. Operators reportedly can program unique ratios, shot sizes and dispensing rates into the system, with up to 15 separate programs stored in memory for use at any time. The design is said to be targeted for use in dispensing adhesives, encapsulants and many types of coatings. Fluid Research Corp., Tustin, Calif.
HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES
Coin Cell Battery RetainerThe 2354 coin cell battery retainer is said to have a top-loading design for high-density PCB packaging. The solder tails are located outside the insulator material to support inspection by vision systems. The retainer reportedly accepts all major manufacturers' coin cell lithium batteries and is safe for most soldering and reflow operations. A version also is said to be available for through-hole applications. Keystone Electronics Corp., Astoria, N.Y.