DERRY, NH – StenTech® Inc., the leading multinational SMT Printing Solutions company, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest facility in Huntingdon Valley, Philadelphia. The new facility offers local support, manufacturing of Laser cut Stencils and Laser Welded Steps. The Philadelphia facility also features the Advanced Nano coating, proven to be the best coating in North America.

Over the last 21 years, StenTech has built a reputation of quality, service and commitment. StenTech uses the highest quality materials and the latest technologies, supported by its highly skilled and experienced technical team members.

Introductory offers at the new facility include:

• Free First Stencil Order*
• Free Edit library setup*
• Free On-boarding Consulting*
• Free upgrade to Laser Welded Steps on your first stencil order*
• Free upgrade to Advanced Nano on your first stencil order*

*some restrictions may apply

Please email philly@stentech.com for your stencil requirements.

Operations: Jeff Poulos Jeff.Poulos@stentech.com 

978-259-8398

Sales: Greg Starrett Greg.Starrett@stentech.com 

609-932-9571

StenTech has been leading the way in stencil technology, being the first company to introduce Fiber Diode lasers into North America. With more than 30 experienced CAD designers, their strength is the support they provide in stencil modifications, materials and thickness recommendations. StenTech incorporates sub-brands, PhotoStencil and ADT, and offers a complete array of stencil technology, custom-tailored to suit your manufacturing requirements. They manufacture all types of stencils for the SMT industry.

To learn more, visit www.StenTech.com or www.photostencil.com

FARNBOROUGH, UK — Gen3, Global leader in SIR, CAF, Solderability, Ionic Contamination & process optimisation equipment, is pleased to announce that they were once again selected by Retronix – this time for two NC25 PCB Cleaning Systems. The first unit was installed at the company’s factory in Scotland and the other at their factory in Austin, Texas.

This is an exciting time for Retronix as the company’s investment in people, premises, processes and equipment accelerates at an exponential rate to meet growing industry demands. Recently, the company was in need of a new cleaning system to clean their components after processing.

In order to meet their high quality Component / PCB cleaning requirements after processing, Retronix decided on the highly efficient MB-Tech NC25. Retronix performed trials at the Zestron lab and quickly realized they achieved better cleaning results with the NC25, and having the components completely dry after cleaning was an added bonus for Retronix.

Specially designed around a patented filtration system providing high cleaning performance, Components / PCBs are first immersed in a washing tank where they undergo the combined action of vertical agitation and a turbulent spray under immersion action that achieves the desired cleaning efficiency. Components are then transferred in two stages of DI Water rinsing and are finally dried during a unique process combining forced convection and vacuum.

Graham Dickson, Area Technical Manager for the North, commented: “When the initial interest in the MB-Tech NC25 was discussed, I thought the NC25 was overkill for the intended use. But after realising how stubborn the fluxes were to clean off properly it became apparent that the NC25 was the perfect tool for the job. Retronix’s customers demand extremely high levels of cleanliness & this is what the NC25 delivers.”

SUWANEE, GA — The SMT Solutions division of market leader ASMPT will once again demonstrate its position as the industry’s technology pioneer at booth 1701 at the IPC APEX Expo 2023 from January 24 to 26 in San Diego. Among the exhibits will be new DEK TQ L solder paste printer for large circuit boards measuring up to 600 by 510 millimeters and innovative software for the integrated smart factory. Also on display will be the smart shop floor management suite WORKS for optimizing SMT line processes, smart SaaS applications for factory and enterprise uses, and an MES solution that was specially designed for the needs of SMT manufacturers. Modular, manufacturer-independent and retrofittable, all hardware and software solutions being shown fit seamlessly into ASMPT’s Open Automation concept for the economically sensible automation of SMT production.

Best-in-class SMT line

At the ASMPT booth, visitors can see for themselves how high-performance printers, high-end SPI systems, high-performance placement systems, industry-leading feeding solutions and fully automated storage systems work together perfectly and with the highest precision on a fully functional SMT line. And for the first time on U.S. soil, the new DEK TQ L solder paste printer will demonstrate how effectively it handles circuit boards measuring up to 600 by 510 millimeters (23.6 by 20 inches). With this new printer, manufacturers significantly increase their flexibility and product range, thus opening the door to a completely new set of markets.

Full integration for Open Automation

Thanks to open interfaces such as IPC-HERMES-9852 and IPC-CFX, all ASMPT systems are designed for seamless M2M and M2H communication. They fit easily and comprehensively into the modular and manufacturer-independent Open Automation concept for the economically sensible automation of SMT production, which runs as a recurrent theme through the entire trade fair presentation.

Today, software is just as important to ASMPT as hardware. With smart solutions and SaaS applications (Software as a Service) for the machine, shop floor, factory and company levels, ASMPT is underlining its technological leadership at APEX in this field as well.

Process optimization on the shop floor

The smart shop floor management suite WORKS covers all production workflows. WORKS Command Center, for example, optimizes employee assignments by automatically generating tasks and sending them to their smartphones, tablets, or smart watches while the WORKS Performance Monitor provides information about all of the production’s relevant performance indicators at the line in real time. And the unique WORKS Process Expert turns the high-end Process Lens SPI system into the world’s first self-learning inline expert system that can control and optimize the printing process fully autonomously if desired.

Intelligent software for the Integrated SMT factory

In the area of factory solutions, ASMPT will focus on SaaS applications such as the Factory Equipment Center, its comprehensive solution for company-wide asset and maintenance management, and on Data Analytics for extensive reporting across the whole enterprise. Virtual Assist is the brand-new AI- and NLP-supported ASMPT expert system that lets users handle all maintenance, repair and service tasks with help from their smartphones or tablets. The system answers concrete questions like an experienced coworker and reduces the time spent looking for information by up to 95 percent. As a special feature, it works even for third-party systems.

Powerful MES for electronics manufacturers

ASMPT recognized at an early stage the hugely important role that software would play today and decided in 2018 to invest in Critical Manufacturing (CMF), an MES developer specializing in the electronics industry. Today, the Portuguese company is also responsible for ASMPT’s software applications on the factory and enterprise levels. At this year’s APEX show, CMF will present its leading “Critical Manufacturing MES”, which was designed to meet the special needs of the electronics manufacturing industry.

HOUSTON, TX — MacroFab, the cloud manufacturing platform for building electronics from prototype to high-scale production, with a network of more than 100 factories across North America, announced today $42 million in new growth capital.

The funding was led by Foundry and joined by BMW i Ventures, as well as existing investors Edison Partners and ATX Venture Partners. With this round of financing MacroFab has raised a total of $82 million, enabling the company's accelerated growth amid the ongoing transformation of global supply chains.

MacroFab's shipments were up 275% year-over-year, as more companies moved their electronics production to North America. The company has doubled its workforce and opened a new facility in Mexico to help customers manage inventory and reduce the impact of tariffs. As reshoring momentum increases, MacroFab is well positioned at the forefront of enabling companies to overhaul their global supply chains and modernize their electronics manufacturing.

The platform MacroFab helps manage electronics manufacturing and provides customers with visibility into their production. Access to real-time supply chain and inventory data puts its customers in control and is key to MacroFab's achieving the best customer satisfaction rates in the industry, with Net Promoter Scores (NPS) remaining above 50 even during historic supply chain disruptions.