ATLANTA – This year’s Top 50 Americas Authorized Distributors Report is now available for download. This comprehensive and highly anticipated annual analysis is authored by ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford and published by Electronics Sourcing North America. The report is derived from detailed surveys, extensive analysis of company data, and interviews with company executives.

“Interviews with experienced distribution executives yield important understanding regarding major issues confronting authorized electronics components supply chain participants,” explained Ford. “As part of the survey to identify the ‘Top 50 Americas Authorized Distributors,’ executives were asked to rate the level of severity they anticipate for various supply chain challenges. The results for 2023 are compared to the responses for 2022. The good news is that almost every category saw a reduction in the level of anticipated challenge. Increasing costs, inflation, recruiting new talent and inventory management were identified as the areas of greatest concern.”

The report includes frank and thoughtful discussions from the industry’s leading executives about the future direction of the industry. Topics covered include supply chain technology breakthroughs, the industry’s response to the global environmental crisis, important new initiatives in ESG, such as the pressure to determine and report the carbon footprint of components, the effect of ‘nearshoring’ and ‘friend shoring’ on the global supply chain, the likely impact of advances in artificial intelligence on the industry, and much more. The industry is evolving rapidly, and this report, based on the comments from executive leadership of the Top 50 Americas Authorized Distributors, is a must-read for anyone navigating the increasingly choppy waters of the electronic component channel.

To download your copy of this invaluable report, go here.

MUNICH, GERMANY – Nordson TEST & INSPECTION today announced that it will exhibit at SMTConnect, scheduled to take place May 9-11, 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany. The company will feature the multi-award-winning CyberOptics SQ3000™ Multi-Function system for AOI, SPI and CMM, along with the X3 AXI system in Hall 4, Stand 216 with SmartTec.

The CyberOptics SQ3000 Multi-Function system, deemed best-in-class, can identify critical defects and measure critical parameters, in order to fix what can be found and control what can be measured. In addition to AOI and SPI applications, highly accurate coordinate measurements can be attained faster than a traditional Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) – in seconds, not hours.

Powered by proprietary Multi-Reflection Suppression® (MRS®) sensor technology, the 3D SQ3000 all-in- one system offers an unmatched combination of high speed, high resolution and high accuracy. The MRS sensor meticulously identifies and rejects reflections caused by shiny components and surfaces, making it an ideal technology solution for a wide range of applications, particularly high-end and challenging applications with stringent quality requirements.  

“Since the close of the acquisition last November, CyberOptics systems have complemented  Nordson TEST & INSPECTION 's broad portfolio with its world-leading optical inspection and metrology technology powered by MRS technology,” said Perry Duffill, VP of Nordson TEST & INSPECTION. "Having established a leading position in the X-ray inspection systems market, I am pleased that our fundamental expertise in X-ray technology is coupled with industry leading automated optical technology to improve our customers yields, processes and productivity. Plus, our application experts can ensure seamless transitions from one system to another, enabling the entire electronics manufacturing process in Nordson's SMT and semiconductor markets to be designed with interlocking systems.”

The AXI X-Series is a dedicated autonomous high-speed inline X-ray inspection system for the inspection of PCB assemblies in single or multi panels or in workpiece carriers. The system offers market-leading inspection speed and is ideal for electronics manufacturing with high throughput requirements. The X series is characterized by a high degree of flexibility and configurability. Microfocus X-ray tube, in-house detector from the Quadra series from Nordson MXI and the latest 3D analysis architecture as well as a comprehensive software environment guarantee complete traceability via customer-specific MES and SECS/GEM interfaces.

For more information, visit www.cyberoptics.com and www.nordson.com 

MANASSAS, VA – ZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, is proud to announce its upcoming webinar titled "Concentration Monitoring – From Manual to Automatic: A Collaborative Discussion with Sr. Application Engineer, Naveen Ravindran". The webinar is scheduled for May 11, 2023, at 2:00 PM EST.

Are you consistently monitoring wash bath concentration? Still using refractive index and looking for a more efficient process but unsure of your options? You are in luck!

This webinar will cover the importance of maintaining the target concentration of wash bath for achieving the highest cleanliness levels for critical electronics in high-reliability applications. The session will review the manual and automated concentration monitoring methodologies, their benefits, and their limitations. As well as emphasize the significance of consistent concentration management in your process.

The 30-minute technical presentation will be followed by a collaborative discussion providing an opportunity to interact with Sr. Application Engineer, Naveen Ravindran, and clarify any doubts or queries regarding concentration monitoring methodologies. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and learn from the experts. Register HERE.

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Smooth, functional surfaces that provide touch sensing, often with backlighting, are becoming increasingly common. Applications range from vehicle interiors and domestic appliances to medical devices and aircraft seating. Rather than relying on a mechanical or membrane switch, these surfaces utilize capacitive touch sensing - the same principle used in smartphone displays. Capacitive sensing and backlighting of course require electronics behind the decorative exterior surface: in-mold electronics is an emerging manufacturing approach that promises to make functional surfaces cheaper, lighter, and more aesthetically pleasing.

What Is In-Mold Electronics?

As the name suggests, in-mold electronics (IME) is a manufacturing method in which at least some of the electronics are subjected to a molding process. Typically, this starts with screen printing the desired pattern of conductive ink onto a substrate (often polycarbonate) - these conductive patterns enable capacitive touch sensing. Next, a decorative layer is applied to the front, and the conductively patterned substrate is thermoformed to produce the required curvature. A subsequent injection molding step is often applied. This approach of integrating electronics into the molded part contrasts with conventional electronics manufacturing techniques, in which decorative user-facing parts would be molded, and a printed circuit board (PCB) mounted onto the back afterward.

Why risk subjecting the electronics to this molding process when a PCB behind a decorative surface would often suffice? Depending on the approach used, IME enables a weight and material consumption reduction of up to 70% relative to conventional mechanical switches. Furthermore, since fewer individual parts are required, both assembly and associated supply chains can be simpler. Given these advantages, along with growing engagement from both suppliers and integrators, IDTechEx forecast the market for IME parts that incorporates SMD (surface mount device) components to reach around US$2bn by 2033.

What Are the Competing Approaches?

Within the umbrella term of 'in-mold electronics', there are many subtly different manufacturing approaches. Establishing which approach has been used is often tricky since the resulting functional surfaces look extremely similar. Two key variables are whether and at what point SMD components such as LEDs are mounted, and whether injection molding is utilized.

Arguably the most comprehensive approach to IME, developed by Tactotek and termed IMSE (in-mold structural electronics), involves mounting SMD components on a flat substrate prior to thermoforming. This is followed by injection molding, embedding the components and conductive traces in plastic. The process results in a robust part with fully enclosed electronics, potentially including an integrated circuit.

A competing strategy is to mount the SMD components onto an already thermoformed part and neglect the injection molding. This requires a thicker polymeric substrate to provide sufficient rigidity, which generally reduces the degree of distortion and curvature that can be introduced via thermoforming. Furthermore, SMD components can only be mounted via pick and place on regions that remain flat. However, for many applications, only slight curvature around the perimeter or in other specific locations is required, and since mounted components will not be subjected to the heat and pressure associated with molding material specifications and design rules may be more forgiving.

The simplest approach to IME is to omit the SMD components altogether. Decorative surfaces with integrated capacitive touch can be produced relatively straightforwardly by first screen printing conductive ink then thermoforming the substrate. Subsequent injection molding is optional. While these parts would require conventional electronics for backlighting, they represent an intermediate step between purely decorative and fully functional surfaces that can meet the needs of simpler use cases.

What Does the Future Hold?

The wide variety of competing manufacturing approaches to in-mold electronics doesn't imply a Darwinian scenario with only one winner - each approach offers a different balance of cost, form factor complexity, functionality, robustness, and size/weight reduction that can meet a particular need. Overall, IDTechEx envisages a gradual trend towards greater functionality integration since it offers the most scope material and weight reduction but with greater adoption barriers than simpler manufacturing approaches.

How Do I Learn More?

IDTechEx's new report, "In-Mold Electronics 2023-2033", draws on over 20 company profiles, the majority based on interviews, to explore this emerging manufacturing methodology. This comprehensive report evaluates the technical processes, material requirements and applications. It includes 10-year market forecasts by manufacturing methodology and application sector, expressed as both revenue and functional surface area. Furthermore, the report provides a detailed evaluation of competing approaches, such as functional film bonding and the merits of including components such as LEDs within the IME parts.

To find out more, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/IME