NORTHBROOK, IL ― Impossible Objects is pleased to announce that it has been selected for a 2022 SMT China Vision Award in the category of Wave Solder for its Wave Solder Pallets. With the SMT China Vision Award, Impossible Objects has won a total of five awards for its solder pallets.

Wave solder pallets and high temperature fixtures support the mass manufacturing process of printed circuit boards, resulting in tremendous cost benefits. They reduce setup time, improve solder flow, reduce bridging and solder skipping, eliminate labor intensive hand masking, reduce board warping and protect heat-sensitive components.

Pallets and fixtures require machining and skilled labor to produce. This traditional production process can be slow and expensive. Impossible Objects’ revolutionary Composite Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) is breaking that paradigm.

Impossible Objects 3D prints wave solder pallets and fixtures using carbon fiber reinforced with high temperature PEEK polymer. These materials provide excellent thermal and chemical resistance for the wave solder process. Impossible Objects customers report that its pallets withstand thousands of cycles without material degradation or warping.

SMT China magazine launched the SMT China Vision Awards in 2007 to recognize both international and domestic providers of SMT equipment, materials, software and services that have made outstanding contributions to the rapid growth of China's electronics manufacturing industry by their inventions and innovations.

To learn more about Impossible Objects, visit www.impossible-objects.com

PALO ALTO, CA — Arch Systems, the leading provider of machine data and analytics for electronics assembly operations, has been selected for a 2022 SMT China Vision Award in the category of Software – Process Control for its ArchFX Production Insights Suite.

“We are excited to be recognized as leading data experts for today’s electronics manufacturers by our industry colleagues,” said Arch CEO, Andrew Scheuermann. “We are encouraged to see so many manufacturers leaning into smarter uses of their data and we are delighted to be on this journey with them.”

Part of the ArchFX Platform, the Production Insights Suite surfaces entirely new and valuable insights for electronics manufacturers. These insights are providing ROI in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars for manufacturing customers and are fundamentally improving the way they approach “data projects” overall.

The ArchFX Production Insights Suite contains core Insight Applications (analytics modules) including the Quality Application, Assembly Application, Test Application and React. These applications harness the combined powers of rich machine data, domain expertise and expert data analysis – empowering electronics manufacturers to reclaim 20-60 percent in valuable quality, performance and line utilization losses from their assembly, quality and test machines.

SMT China magazine launched the SMT China Vision Awards in 2007 to recognize both international and domestic providers of SMT equipment, materials, software and services that have made outstanding contributions to the rapid growth of China's electronics manufacturing industry by their inventions and innovations.

Arch has built the largest collaboration of industry domain experts working hand-in-hand with data scientists to constantly map new signals in the data, adding them to the ever-growing library of operational analytics and recommendations. These signals and recommendations are changing how manufacturers tackle their most complex problems, allowing them to simplify and align actions both on the shop floor and the top floor. Arch also is a recipient of the 2021 Global Technology and Mexico Technology Awards and 2022 NPI, Global Technology and Mexico Technology Awards.

The ArchFX Platform provides the machine connectivity, data management and advanced insights needed to achieve digital transformation across the manufacturing organization. For more information, visit archsys.io

CLINTON, NY — Indium Corporation’s Global Head of e-Mobility and Infrastructure, Brian O’Leary, will co-chair a special panel discussion on e-Mobility on Thursday, January 26 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. local time at IPC APEX Expo in San Diego, Calif., US.

Climate change, government policy, and consumers are rapidly driving the automotive industry towards an electrified future. The printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) manufacturing industry has a vital role to play in this transition. From longer mission profiles to higher voltages, PCBAs are required to work longer, harder, and at higher operating temperatures.

The special session, one of the first of its kind, will bring together key stakeholders from across the e-Mobility industry, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), their supply chain regulators, policy, and technology experts. It will consist of two parts, the first of which will address problems and challenges facing the industry. The second part will address solutions to those problems. Audience participation is highly encouraged.

Registration for the special session is included in the All Access or Full Technical Conference packages or can also be added as a Technical Conference Single Session Pass.

O'Leary is responsible for promoting Indium Corporation's full range of products and services for e- Mobility, which includes electric cars, trucks, eVTOLs, charging stations, etc. He joined Indium Corporation in 2014 and has more than 20 years of experience in the electronics industry. He authored two books on thermal profiling called Profiling Guide for Profitability and Profiling Guide for Six Sigma. He currently serves as the chair of the IPC e-Mobility Quality & Reliability Advisory Council. In addition to regular technical conference participation, he co-hosts a free monthly webcast—EV InSIDER Live—with Loren McDonald of EVAdoption and a high-profile industry stakeholder as a guest. In the webcast, they discuss current pressing issues and hot topics in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle landscape.

CAMBRIDGE, UK — A new wave of electronics manufacturing is on the horizon, driven forward by volatile energy prices and increasing demand for sustainability. With the electronics industry accounting for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it requires substantial innovation to reduce its environmental footprint. Fortunately, this area has a lot of movement, with several potentially revolutionary technologies entering the scene. IDTechEx's "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033" report explores the key opportunities for sustainable innovation and the most promising new manufacturing approaches. The report concentrates on the fundamental building blocks of electronics - printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits (ICs).

Incentives for Sustainable Electronics

Sustainability within the semiconductor and electronics industries is being driven forward by government mandates and green investment initiatives. Increasingly relevant to the survival of traditional manufacturers is the conscious choice of the public to only purchase from, and even only work for, companies that prioritize sustainable practices.

Environmentalism is often perceived as an obstacle-laden with legislative red tape and burdensome disclosures. However, companies that embrace environmentalism reap long-term rewards, and as such, the negative perception is replaced by one of opportunity. The implementation of low-emission manufacturing processes or the adoption of material recycling and recovery schemes can be the financially astute choice presenting an opportunity to reduce costs associated with energy consumption, waste treatment, and superfluous steps. Prioritizing environmentalism keeps the industry ahead of the curve as legislation becomes stricter while positioning individual companies to benefit from designated ESG investment.

As energy prices rise globally, low temperature and rapid processing methods become more attractive. Some of these methods employ additive approaches that substantially cut waste by printing material only where needed. This spares manufacturers the costs and emissions associated with excess materials and etching required in traditional subtractive manufacturing. For example, switching to additive methods of PCB manufacturing can lower water consumption by up to 95% - an outcome that could save the sector hundreds of millions of liters of water annually.

IDTechEx's analysis expects additive manufacturing to be particularly significant to the scaling of flexible printed circuit boards. Flexible PCBs are an important part of the emerging electronics industry as they enable a wider variety of applications than conventional rigid electronics. Flexible PCBs inherently require an overhaul of traditional processing - for example, using plastic or paper rather than conventional FR substrates. Embracing a new technology enables scope for further changes, such as transitioning to new materials and additive methods. Low-temperature processing may also be imperative for PCBs made on plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), considering that these have relatively low heat tolerances.

Digitization for Smart Manufacturing

Sustainable electronics manufacturing presents many opportunities to be more efficient, reduce waste, and improve cost-effectiveness. Sustainable manufacturing can be facilitated through artificial intelligence and Internet of Things. Using smart digital manufacturing methods to automate processes and sensor technology to detect leaks and improper material usage can help companies minimize waste and cut down on excess costs.

Digital data analysis can help remove superfluous steps and illustrate where to focus efforts to eliminate excess material and energy consumption. Digitization is becoming increasingly popular, with many household name brands adopting similar measures. At the end of 2021, Apple announced it had joined Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) - a program created by the Belgian research institute, imec, to reduce the environmental impact of semiconductor manufacturing. Imec's SSTS program aims to improve sustainability by employing digital solutions that can assist in modeling less wasteful manufacturing methods. In addition to Apple, imec is also working with Microsoft and Amazon.

Outlook

Reducing the carbon footprint of the electronics industry is a daunting task, particularly for well-established manufacturers that are reluctant to divert from traditional methods. Across the world, government and consumer pressure are forcing manufacturers to take on greater responsibility in reducing their emissions. IDTechEx believes that by embracing sustainable manufacturing methods, companies can benefit financially and demonstrate significant reductions in environmental impact. A comprehensive analysis and exploration of sustainable innovations within the field can be found in IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033".

This report analyses the many innovations aiming to make electronics manufacturing more sustainable and how they are being deployed. It examines the current status and latest trends in technology performance, supply chain, and manufacturing. It also identifies the key challenges, competition, and innovation opportunities within sustainable electronics manufacturing. IDTechEx has 20 years of expertise covering emerging technologies, including printed and flexible electronics. Our analysts have closely followed the latest developments in relevant markets, interviewed key players across the supply chain, attended conferences, and delivered consulting projects on the field.

To find out more about the IDTechEx report "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033", please visit www.IDTechEx.com/SustainableElectronics.