ProtoMat S62 circuit board plotter delivers prototyping capabilities at an entry-level price, reducing board production time while increasing overall accuracy and ease-of-use. Combining its maximum milling speed of 6" (150 mm)/sec. with its system resolution of 0.01 mils (0.25 µm) and 62,000 RPM spindle motor, the plotter produces extremely fine traces for all types of PCBs, including RF and microwave boards.

 

Has integrated head lighting and a 10-position automatic milling tool changer. Its motorized z-axis drive independently moves the plotter milling head over multiple axes, providing 3-D plotting capability for machining front panels and housings. Does not require external compressed air or chemicals, is enclosed by a soundproof acoustic cabinet. Optional accessories include a fiducial recognition camera system for automatic front-to-back alignment and an integrated vacuum tabletop for mounting PCB substrates on the plotter.

 

LPKF, lpkfusa.com

YTX-5000 in-line automated x-ray inspection system combines both AOI and x-ray inspections (AXI).  Inspects for visible and hidden defects on BGAs, flip chips and other area array devices. Other typical inspections include solder joints, leads, component presence and position, correct part, polarity, color and through-hole parts.  Features include auto-zoom 130Kv x-ray, enhanced AOI capability, off-line programming and real-time SPC data collection. 
 
Its image processing technology integrates normalized correlation and rule-based algorithms to provide inspection coverage with a low false failure rate. 
 
Uses a standard package library; remote programming maximizes machine utilization while real-time SPC monitoring provides yield enhancement.
 
YESTech, yestechinc.com

SKF profile rail guides reportedly provide precise positioning, smooth operation, high load-carrying capacity, high stiffness and unlimited stroke for linear motion applications in the semiconductor, electronics and medical industries.
 
Feature four precision-ground raceways and a slide unit with four ball circulation paths. The square configuration of raceways results in a guidance system with good rigidity able to accommodate equal load capacity in all directions. Incorporate a two-point contact of rolling elements with the raceways promoting high-speed operation, quiet running and low friction.
 
Includes high-performance, heavy duty, compact, medium and miniature series. Each is available with various slide configurations (normal, wide, long) and lengths.  Different carriage designs can meet particular load and stiffness demands (long carriages promote higher load-carrying capacity and wide carriages promote higher moment stiffness).  Guides with specific preload can be supplied.
 
SKF Motion Technologies, linearmotion.skf.com

Consulting and research firm CIMdata today released a new product review paper entitled, "Product Visualization Across the Extended Enterprise."
 
Co-authored by Ed Miller , president, and senior consultant John MacKrell, the paper explores the benefits of employing visualization and collaboration solutions across the extended enterprise using several real-life case scenarios. It also illustrates how AutoVue's visualization and collaboration facilitate global product development by providing enterprises in all industries with the ability to view, print, mark-up and collaborate on all data types throughout their product definition processes.
 
"The AutoVue family of visualization and collaboration products from Cimmetry Systems is a very powerful set of solutions," said MacKrell. "It delivers a mix of capabilities that enables it to support review, analysis, approval and verification activities on all kinds of product definition information throughout the extended enterprise of companies, their suppliers, partners and customers. Cimmetry has a track record of being attentive to customer needs and over the years has developed a line of robust visualization and collaboration applications to address the needs of product development and manufacturing organizations in industry segments as diverse as discrete manufacturing, high tech, AEC and process plant design."
 
AutoVue provides native viewing, printing, markup, digital mockup and real-time collaboration support for more than 450 engineering drawings, 2-D CAD, 3-D CAD parts and assemblies, PCB layouts and schematics and office documents without requiring the authoring applications. It integrates with several Document Management, PLM, Product Data Management, ERP, Workflow, ASPs and e-business Portals, either directly or via the Web.
 
Cimmetry Systems Inc., cimmetry.com

Model 2600-035 Tip-Seal valve for precision dispensing of medium- to high-viscosity adhesive and sealant materials opens and closes the material passage at the tip of the nozzle to precisely start and stop material flow, and prevent oozing and dripping. Combined with positive-displacement meters delivers precise shot volumes and exact bead profiles.

Use with materials that air dry or cure, such as silicones or polyurethanes. Sealing at the valve's tip prevents material from hardening in the nozzle. Can be used in high-speed stitching or repetitive on-off applications where short segments of material are deposited onto a surface.

Material is delivered to the valve by a metering assembly or under regulated pressure from supply tanks or pumps. The dispense rate can be altered during the dispense process to provide a variety of bead-profile sizes and material-flow rates.

Material is delivered to the valve by a metering assembly or under regulated pressure from supply tanks or pumps. The dispense rate can be altered during the dispense process to provide a variety of bead-profile sizes and material-flow rates.

Pneumatically actuated, the valve has large fluid inlet and outlet ports and wear-resistant fluid seals to extend its life. The valve's body slots and precision dowel holes allow easy and accurate mounting.

Sealant Equipment & Engineering, sealantequipment.com

 

Model 4040 Tandem-Cutterhead Large Cable Stripper with a pneumatic drive provides power for stripping tough insulations, such as cross-linked polyethylene, Teflon, Nylon and other wrapped or extruded insulations. Dual-port, six-stage cutterhead provides up to 1,800 psi of force to cut through insulated copper up to 0.625 in. O.D. (16 mm).  Step-stripping providesstrip lengths of up to 9.99" on the trailing end.
 
Has two Tandem cutterheads for longer strip lengths on the leading and trailing ends. Features double-acting clamp cylinders that can grip wire and cable from 0.187 to 0.625". Newly designed clamp jaws provide a better grip on wire and cable, reducing slippage and decreasing damage to insulation.
 
Eubanks Engineering Co., eubanks.com

Arena Solutions Inc. now offers Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Workgroup Edition, an entry-level version of its PLM solution, at no cost for the first year. Organizations can request edition via the company's Web site.
 
Designed for teams of five or fewer, offers full-featured product record management functionality bundled with online tutorials, sample data sets and full customer support.
 
Designed to help early stage companies and small product teams within large companies, provides core PLM functionality for managing the complete product record. Features include core product definition capabilities, document version control and basic supplier access. Detailed product definition features include item and BOM management, supplier management, document vaulting and costing. Arena will provide full support options.
 
Offers a turnkey upgrade path to PLM Professional Edition.
 
Arena Solutions, arenasolutions.com

Adjustable Flex Feeder 32-136 extends handlse component tapes up to 136 mm wide. Can also handle very deep and long tape pockets.

No tools are required to adjust the width. To adjust the length of the tape pocket opening, simply move the pitch bar backwards or forwards.

Standard configuration allows for up to 10-mm deep tape pockets, but can easily be modified to handle up to 22-mm deep tape.

Delivered with two sets of shafts -- long or short -- so that other feeders can be fitted to the magazine at the same time.

Mydata automation, mydata.se

 

Teradyne Inc. Connection Systems Division (TCS) has launched the Aptera connector platform, a low-profile solution for server, storage and networking applications.
   
The low-profile design addresses packaging challenges by balancing high-speed interconnect with the need to conserve board space and maximize airflow. The connector's 10 mm (.39") slot pitch offers flexibility for applications that need high-performance connectors in tight spaces. Electrical test results reportedly demonstrate excellent transmission characteristics and cross talk under 2% at a 50 pico sec. rise time (20-80%). Combined with a matched impedance interface and zero skew, is scalable for future system design requirements.
 
Designers can choose appropriate connection types and the amount of signals. Features a straddle mount design with solder leads for the daughtercard and press fit for the backplane.
 
With dedicated power delivery and sequencing on the card edge, the Aptera connector provides the superior reliability and convenience of a backplane connector system.
 
Offers the following components: high-speed differential, single-ended, power and an L-Series version for low-peed data lines.
 
Teradyne Connection Systems (TCS), teradyne.com/tcs

FRANKLIN, MA, Jan. 20 - Speedline Technologies, Asia, will highlight Camalot dispensing, Electrovert reflow soldering and MPM stencil printing systems at its booth (3305) during SEMICON China in Shanghai in March.

Camalot XyflexPro HVB dispenser uses a proprietary, patent-pending, conveyorless material handling system and dual dispense heads. Typical performance is three to five times faster than conventional single lane systems. Features DU (dispense unit) pump technology, with positive shut-off auger technology and a continuous flow multi-piston pump with increase flow rates and improved repeatability. 

Available on Electrovert OmniExcel Pb-free capable reflow ovens, the self-cleaning Electrovert Flux Extraction System is said to reduce maintenance intervals and deliver a gain in uptime. Consists of multiple, multi-stage collection units located within the heating sections to continuously scrub process gas for unwanted particulates. Automatically collects flux into easy-to-exchange jars and notifies users when maintenance is required.

Auer Boat print processing is now available on the MPM AccuFlex and the MPM AP Excel systems. Demonstrations will be featured on the AccuFlex stencil printer.

The AccuFlex stencil printer is suited for moderate volume, high-mix printing. Combining accuracy and flexibility in a compact footprint, the printer offers a range of expansion options.  Designed for production of about 8,000 boards per week, with two or more product changeovers per shift. 

The AP Excel printer's throughput, uptime and functionality are reportedly ideal for demanding, high-volume printing applications. Standard minimum base cycle time is 6 sec. using MPM's SpeedMax high-speed package. 

The latest High-Power Target is a transmission target consisting of an interaction layer made of tungsten and a special backing layer that provides improved heat transfer and lower focal spot temperature.

 

Its construction allows users to operate the x-ray tube with higher energies at the highest possible resolution, allowing for increased image contrast. Ideal for inspecting objects with low-contrast structures, or with high absorption structures.

 

As a rule, the thermal stress applied to the target increases with decreasing focal spot size and increasing tube power. Focal spot size, however, is a critical factor in determining geometric magnification and image resolution, while tube power influences the x-ray intensity output.

 

 

FEINFOCUS, feinfocus.com

Ultra-efficient, low-cost RF power amplifiers enable the manufacture of high-performance, low-cost RF power amplifiers in common silicon semiconductors. Architecture enables models of power amplifiers that inherently perform the function of traditional RF transmitters and eliminate traditional transmitter hardware.

Are monolithic (single chip) implementations that can be produced in less expensive, high-volume silicon semiconductor processes. Offered in two families- the vector power amplifier (VPA) and digital power amplifier (DPA). Both reduce transmitter power consumption for many battery-powered wireless products by 50 to 80%.

Currently for applications up to 3GHz RF frequencies.
 
ParkerVision Inc., parkervision.com