NEUSS, GERMANY – Yamaha Robotics SMT Section has supplied three Sigma G5SII surface mounters and the latest YRi-V 3D optical inspection system to Vimar, which produces wiring devices, systems for smart home and building automation, video door entry, CCTV and temperature control products.

Vimar has chosen the Yamaha equipment for a new surface-mount assembly line going live this summer in the Company’s new logistics and production hub at Marostica, north eastern Italy. The new line delivers extra manufacturing capacity, needed to meet surging market demand for Vimar’s products, which utilise advanced technologies to support secure, safe, and energy-efficient living. They include smart switches, home automation products, climate management controllers, door entry systems, and others. Some of these products are based on Bluetooth® wireless technology or KNX protocol and they are widely used in all environments, from small to large buildings, as well as ships and yachts.

“Smart spaces are designed to be comfortable, connected, and enhance sustainability. We believe they should be stylish too, and our approach has won industry awards throughout Europe,” explains Michele Campagnolo, Engineering Manager and Purchasing Director at Vimar. “We blend great aesthetic designs with cutting-edge technology embedded in our products. Our long-standing connection with Yamaha helps ensure all the electronic assemblies we build are of the highest quality.”

Vimar already owns three Yamaha G5SII mounters and has extensive experience with the Sigma platform, having worked with Yamaha key account manager Riccardo Fiocchi for more than 20 years. According to Michele Campagnolo, the existing machines have delivered excellent reliability and advanced features that help maintain consistently high placement speed and accuracy. He adds, “When we expanded the factory and planned our new line, we chose the Sigma G5SII again for its excellent performance and to keep compatibility with our existing feeders and nozzles. Riccardo at Yamaha understands our business and the values we seek to maintain, so his help enabled us to ensure the right specification for our needs.”

In the existing line, the three G5SII machines are working alongside a Yamaha YSi-V 3D AOI system. The YSi-V delivers inspection resolution up to 12Mpixels, with 4-angle inspection at multiple wavelengths to enhance accuracy. Vimar’s manufacturing team members are familiar with the YSi-V and pleased with its abilities to help quickly localise the causes of any defects. It can identify in near real-time the exact mounter nozzle and stencil aperture concerned with any discovered defect.

“Our YSi-V AOI has performed so well that the next-generation YRi-V system was the only choice we considered for the new line,” continues Michele Campagnolo. “With AI-accelerated component recognition and even more powerful inspection capabilities, we can introduce new products more quickly and rely on consistent inspection coverage. This will allow us to continue creating new board designs that leverage greater component density to pack more features in smaller dimensions.”

The YRi-V has an enhanced illumination system with an 8-way projector that prevents shadowing to enhance inspection of closely spaced components. The new system also comes with an upgraded image-processing subsystem that accelerates inspection cycle time by at least 60%, 4-angle camera resolution increased to 20Mpixel, and a new and enhanced 5µm lens option that can spot defects such as minute scratches and cracks in the most state-of-the-art miniaturised component packages. Moreover, the embedded AI uses machine learning to automate component-library selection and generate new component files, as well as aiding pass/fail image assessment.

“The latest-specification Sigma G5SII delivers advanced performance with legacy compatibility, and the next-generation YRi-V 3D AOI is ready to inspect the most difficult and challenging assemblies,” comments Yamaha’s Riccardo Fiocchi. “Combining both in their new line has enabled Vimar to increase manufacturing capacity while also securing future-proof capability. It’s good to see that the team is equipped to succeed as the building automation market continues to grow and evolve.”

CAMBRIDGE, UK – It is no secret that electronic devices are becoming increasingly compact, with greater functionality contained in smaller volumes. As such, increasing efforts are being made to mount integrated circuits (ICs) and other components such as antennas closer together, sometimes within the same semiconductor package. This proximity means that conventional board-level shielding of electromagnetic interference (EMI) with metal enclosures is being replaced with package-level shielding, with metallic coatings applied directly to semiconductor packages.

IDTechEx’s report “EMI Shielding for Electronics 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Applications” explores the current status and technology trends within this essential aspect of many electronic circuits. Based on IDTechEx’s expertise in evaluating developments within advanced semiconductor packaging and conductive inks, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the status, innovations, players, and opportunities within EMI shielding, focusing on developments at the package level.

Conformal package-level shielding is especially important for consumer devices where both ness and wireless communications are needed. These include smartphones, smartwatches, and AR/VR headsets. By analyzing a range of teardowns, the report identifies the types of IC packages with conformal shielding and forecasts the market for conformal EMI shielding across multiple applications.

Emerging deposition methods

At present, sputtering is the dominant method of creating conformal EMI shields. Deposition occurs in a vacuum chamber, with ions fired at a metallic ‘sputtering target’ to produce nanoscale metal particles that coat the package surface. While the capital equipment is expensive, the metallic sputtering targets are cost-effective, with many providers having existing systems installed.

Emerging methods such as spraying and printing are gaining traction and offer much lower equipment costs since no vacuum chamber is required, along with additional benefits such as reduced variation in package top and side coating thickness and fewer process steps. However, conductive inks are typically more expensive than equivalent sputtering targets per gram of deposited material due to the additional ink formulation steps. The report evaluates the merits of different deposition techniques and discusses the key players.

An additional benefit of techniques such as inkjet printing is digital selective deposition, which enables reduced material consumption and hence mitigates the higher material costs of conductive inks. As the trend towards ‘system-in-package’ architectures gains further traction, greater use of compartmentalization will increase demand for selective deposition, such as the top of a specific compartment. In the longer-term, approaches such as fully additive 3D electronics will enable EMI shielding to be integrated throughout a complex bespoke package containing multiple compartmentalized components.

<pMaterial developments

While materials for board-level shielding enclosures, and indeed sputtering, are straightforward metals and metal alloys (typically copper, steel, aluminum, zinc, or nickel), there is considerable innovation within solution processable conductors for package-level shielding. Silver-based conductive inks dominate, with available products spanning a wide range of particle sizes and rheology. The report outlines the properties of competing conductive inks marketed at EMI shielding and the status of material innovations.

Especially notable is the increasing adoption of particle-free (also known as molecular) inks, which are metalized in situ and hence produce smooth coatings and eliminate the risk of nozzle clogging. Metamaterials, in which periodic structures are introduced during manufacturing, can also be used to introduce frequency-dependent EMI shielding if desired. Another material alternative for solutions processable EMI shielding is MXenes. This term refers to a class of materials made up of metal carbides or metal nitrides that have excellent conductivity and are lightweight.

Comprehensive coverage

IDTechEx’s report “EMI Shielding for Electronics 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Applications” provides a detailed overview of the EMI shielding for electronics market, with a focus on innovations that will support the increasing adoption of heterogeneous integration and advanced semiconductor packaging. 10-year forecasts for both deposition method and conductive ink consumption are provided, drawing on analysis of consumer electronic device to assesses the semiconductor package area requiring conformal shielding. Forecasts are segmented across multiple application categories, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, AR/VR devices, vehicles, and telecoms infrastructure.

For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/EMI, or for the full portfolio of research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com

NEWMAN LAKE, WA – Hentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Kyocera International has finalized the purchase of a Hentec/RPS Odyssey 1325 robotic hot solder dip component lead tinning machine.

The Odyssey 1325 is a MIL spec complaint high-volume, high-mix component lead tinning machine equipped with auto load/unload functionality and is capable of processing dual solder alloys. Designed to tin component leads for re-conditioning, gold removal and re-tinning applications, including high reliability and military applications including DIP, SIP, QFP, BGA, axial and radial components as well as BGA de-balling. The Odyssey 1325 complies with all applicable GEIA-STD-006, MIL-PRF-38535, MIL-PRF- 38524E and ANSI-J-STD-002 standards.

OSAKA, JAPAN – Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) have found uses in a wide variety of applications, including health/wellness, mobile devices, aerospace and many more. Conventional FPCs consist of copper patterns formed on the surface of a flexible film using standard subtractive printed circuit board fabrication processes. Historically, polyimide resin (PI) has been widely used because it is readily available and possesses heat-resistant properties which make it compatible with high-volume assembly processes like solder reflow. However, new applications and device designs like wearables are driving the development of more conformable circuits. Stiff, high-modulus films such as polyimide are not suitable for these products. Currently available pliable, low modulus films like thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) are not compatible with conventional surface mount (SMT) assembly processes. Researchers at Panasonic Electronic Materials are developing a new material technology that overcomes the limitations of these conventional FPCs.

Development of Copper Clad Stretch (CCS)

To address the limitations imposed by (1) the stiffness of polyimide and (2) the poor heat durability of TPU, the researchers developed an innovative approach using a copper-clad pliable and stretchable thermosetting resin. This construction is abbreviated CCS for Copper Clad Stretch technology; meaning it can be stretched, unlike conventional copper clad laminates (CCLs). The same resin system is used for both the circuitry layer and the insulative coverlay. The coverlay construction consists of a PET protective film, uncured resin, and polyimide release liner. The unique thermosetting polymer technology can be used in both fully-cured and un-cured format depending on the application. The polyimide release liner in the coverlay also acts as a mechanical support for the soft circuit board during SMT process discussed later in the paper.

Heat Durability

Assuming exposure to typical SAC (Tin-Silver-Copper alloy) reflow conditions in the SMT process, the researchers conducted a solder float test at 288°C for 10 seconds and confirmed that no blistering or delamination of the CCS occurred. And the bare film made by etching CCS showed pliability and stretchability even after the solder float. On the other hand, TPU which is a thermoplastic resin, melted almost instantaneously and turned out to be incompatible with this SMT process.

Mechanical Properties

The resin of CCS is much more pliable than polyimide, leading to accommodation of various device form factors such as twisting and bending. Therefore, it is well-suited for non-planar and dynamic applications in healthcare, wearables, and the like.

A 10%-stretch cycle test for 10,000 cycles was conducted using a serpentine-patterned CCS. The sample finished the test without any failures in copper pattern. That means CCS has durability for stretch and is suitable for application requiring movements.

CCS Compatibility with Standard FPC Fabrication Processes

CCS was evaluated for standard PCB double-sided processes compatibility which consist of mechanical drilling, wet desmear, plating, chemical etching, coverlay patterning-molding, and surface mounting technology (SMT). The CCS could pass through the process. The polyimide release liner in the coverlay acted as a support structure for avoiding deformation during SMT.

Conclusion

This new CCS technology exhibits pliability and stretchability not possible with polyimide FPC products. Because of the temperature-resistant thermosetting resin system, CCS is compatible with reflow in the SMT process that TPU cannot withstand. As a result, CCS can be a foundational technology for building more pliable, conformable, and even stretchable devices utilizing conventional FPC manufacturing processes.

As a use case of CCS, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has been developed by researchers in Osaka University to effectively deliver the radio waves in 6G band. The radio waves at these frequencies are easily blocked by buildings and other physical structures. Researchers in Osaka University fabricated a metasurface reflector that can be attached to various locations and whose angle can be adjusted by expanding and contracting. By the combining a metasurface pattern and the inherent stretchability of CCS, it is possible to reflect radio waves efficiently.

In addition to the research noted above, there are many product development projects in progress using the CCS technology. Panasonic Industry is proceeding with the development of CCS technology together with our customers and preparing for mass production.