NORTHBROOK, IL ― Impossible Objects today announced the appointment of MaRCTech2 as its manufacturers’ representative. Jennifer Eby and the team at MaRCTech2 will provide sales and service for Impossible Objects’ customers in the Pacific Northwestern states of: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Vancouver, B.C. Pacific NW centered and globally supported, MaRCTech2 is a premier manufacturers’ representative with more than 25 years of experience.

Combining the company’s history with its progressive attitude and commitment to supporting our customers (both internal and external), MaRCTech2 is able to offer solutions that allow its customers to best compete in their space. Being incredibly connected in the NW market, the team can offer the best solutions to its customers and principals, putting people together strongly benefiting all parties.

“New Product Development moves very quickly,” says Jennifer Eby, President / CEO of MaRCTech2. “Impossible Objects’ technology allows the speed that our customers are looking for, without making large investments in tooling. We are excited to share this new technology with our Pacific NW customers."

Impossible Objects 3D prints composite tools and parts that would normally be machined or injected molded. Their high-speed, high-performance low-labor CBAM process is perfect for NPI projects, since it is able to both produce inexpensive complex quality tools for customers in less than a week and be cost-effective in low-volume manufacturing of up to 10,000 units when compared to injection molding. In particular, Impossible Objects can do low-cost prototyping with finished product quality.

NPI is not just about parts, though. In many cases projects can be held up for months due to tooling for electronics or other manufacturing processes and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Impossible Objects’ automated manufacturing is changing that with turn-around times of shorter than a week, in-house design services for tooling, and pricing that’s independent of complexity and lower than machining. All of this without sacrificing an inch in material properties: Impossible Objects’ Carbon fiber – PEEK composite parts can withstand temperatures in excess of 500F and virtually any caustic manufacturing environment used today making them ideal for many tooling applications.

This unique set of qualities makes Impossible Objects ideal for NPI.

For more information about MaRCTech2, visit www.marctech2.com

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

LOVELAND, CO – X2F is making waves with their breakthrough molding technology, unlocking new manufacturing capabilities for protecting electronics from heat. X2F’s unique technology molds highly filled and extremely viscous materials that are “impossible to mold” with today’s conventional approaches. Their innovative molding process provides a superior solution to potting and conformal coating when extreme thermal management is needed, and it improves thermal performance of the end product by as much as 200%.

Accomplishing the Impossible

Motivated by the tremendous need for high-performance thermally conductive solutions to dissipate heat from electronics used in a variety of industries, X2F developed a patented low- pressure and Controlled Viscosity Molding (CVM) approach. Typical difficult-to-mold materials such as highly filled thermally conductive hot melt adhesives, thermoplastic elastomers, polycarbonates, and nylons are no problem with X2F technology.

High-tech advances in a variety of industries have created electronics with more power and functionality. Today’s electronics require improved cooling methods to prevent overheating and ensure long-term reliable performance. For instance, printed circuit boards (PCBs) used to manage battery power in today’s power tools often develop hot spots during operation. These hot spots reduce the product’s lifespan by degrading battery charging and discharging performance. X2F technology eliminates hot spots via over-molding of electronics with highly filled thermally conductive materials. This type of thermal management is critical to achieving superior performance for today’s advanced electronics, batteries, and LED lighting.

Unique X2F Process

X2F’s technology delivers highly filled materials to the mold cavity via extruders that are designed specifically for X2F’s unique Extrude to Fill (“X2F”) process. The X2F process combines specialized hardware, sensors, software, and a process feedback loop. Utilizing electrically generated heat instead of high-pressure shearing, X2F technology precisely controls the pressure, temperature, and viscosity of the melted material throughout the molding process. And by continuously sensing mold cavity pressure and using their patented “pulse-pack” process, X2F molding can be performed at 70 to 90% lower pressure than traditional injection molding.

Faster Production

The X2F process easily molds highly filled materials at high-volume production speeds. Cycle times of 30 to 60 seconds are common with X2F, which is significantly faster than potting and conformal coating, which can take several hours. Companies can also expect ultra-fast prototyping from X2F – typically 5 to 10 business days for samples depending on the complexity. Their process even includes the ability to provide compounding at the press – adding fillers (ceramics, graphite, etc.) to impart added performance.

Enabling Innovation

In their recent collaboration with Covestro, X2F co-developed a thermally conductive automotive heat-sink with in-mold-electronics that was 49% lighter than traditional cast aluminum. And by eliminating the need for brackets, fasteners, thermal pastes, and adhesives, the X2F process was significantly less expensive. Covestro also saw improvements in thermal performance with the X2F solution compared to traditional injection-molding processes. This illustrates how X2F technology is enabling innovation. With X2F, previously un-moldable materials can be used, new higher-performance materials can be developed, and more intricate molded shapes can be designed.

“This innovative technology is a game-changer for the industry, helping to accelerate innovation and technology for new products with higher performance. Our molding technologies are eliminating barriers with materials everyone thought where impossible to mold. We can now streamline production, reduce manufacturing complexity, and add significant thermal enhancements to products with ever expanding performance requirements.” said Antonio Aceves, VP of Strategy & Business for X2F

COSTA MESA, CA — West-Tech Materials, a commercial partner to leading manufacturers specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of medical products and electronic assemblies has entered into a sales agreement with Trans-Tec, a premier distributor of Yamaha SMT equipment. West-Tech was approached by Yamaha and Trans-Tec after being impressed by their synergistic line of products that allows them to provide a complete solution to their customers in the medical device and electronic assembly industries.

West-Tech Materials engineers assist clients with material selection, sampling, and evaluation of all types of soldering materials, supplies and equipment, thermal interface materials, adhesives, cleaning chemistries, conformal coatings, ESD Solutions, and many other needs. With access to a large array of specialized materials and manufacturers, the West-Tech team can offer specific solutions to address a variety of client needs.

“West Tech Materials can now supply turn-key solutions from consumables to solder paste, Yamaha screen printing, SMT placement, automated optical inspection, and conformal coating and dispensing.  With demonstration and training sites in Fremont CA, and Chandler AZ, Trans-Tec America and West Tech Materials are uniquely positioned to train and support customers in this territory.” John Stempfle, Trans-Tec America.

“We serve markets that expect extremely high product reliability, and flexibility to adapt quickly to requirement changes. With many of our customers serving the medical and defense industries, having a reliable commercial partner who specializes in SMT equipment is foundational to what we do. Our customers trust us to respond quickly to their needs and our relationship with Yamaha and Trans-Tec helps us maintain that reputation.” Explains Rick Campo, CEO.

From soldering equipment to ESD Solutions and specialized materials, West-Tech’s team of engineers is comprised of industry specialists, allowing them to guide customers in their design, development, engineering, and manufacturing processes.

Yamaha has recently introduced important new inline machines and major software updates with state-of-the-art graphics and data analytics. The latest generation of assembly equipment includes the YSP screen printer with fully automated stencil changeover, the YRM20 high-speed mounter with single high-speed rotary head and advanced motion control, and the YRi-V 3D AOI with enhanced optics and auto program generation. Connected together in the unique 1 STOP SMART SOLUTION that shares real-time process and diagnostic data for maximum productivity, and with YSUP factory software tools, Yamaha’s portfolio is continuously adding new features ready for customers to achieve their next manufacturing targets.

HERTFORDSHIRE, UK — The eighteenth annual survey of tin users carried out by the International Tin Association (ITA) estimated that refined tin use in 2021 increased 7.6% to 389,500 tonnes with a strong recovery to pre-trade war highs.

However, estimates showed expected 2022 growth stalling below previous forecasts of 3-4% towards -0.6%. High inflation unexpectedly impacted demand in H2.

One hundred twenty-eight companies took part in this year’s study, accounting for some 46% of estimated global refined tin use in 2021.

Provisional estimates of total global tin use, including refined and unrefined forms, totalled 436,100 tonnes in 2021, up 3.9% from 2020. The Recycling Input Rate (RIR) was calculated to be 28.2% in 2021 and is forecast to increase slightly to 28.5% in 2022.

Refined tin stocks held by surveyed companies at the end of 2021 amounted to the equivalent of 2.7 weeks’ supply. Extrapolating to global consumption implies that world consumer stock holdings were around 20,400 tonnes. Consumer stocks were lower through much of 2021, but more ample supply towards the end of the year enabled a recovery, giving a net slight decrease from 2.9 weeks in 2020. Forecasts for 2022 suggest that consumers are looking to destock as demand falters; held stock is forecast to fall to an estimated 2.2 weeks’ supply.

Solder still accounts for the largest global share of tin use, increasing slightly to 49% in 2021. Global average growth of refined tin use in this sector was 12.2%. 2022 forecasts reflect the impact of inflation on consumer segments: an average decrease of -3.7% is expected globally, with a larger effect in China. Solar ribbon now represents 10% of solder production and is emerging as a major new use. Respondents are still optimistic about longer-term prospects for increased use in solar, 5G, electric vehicles, and other new technologies.

The average proportion of lead-free solders in electronics grew to 86% globally in 2021, up from 80% in 2020. 65% of tin use globally in lead-free solders was specified at < 100ppm Pb, down from 82%. The trend toward higher-purity, lower-lead specifications in tinplate continued in 2021, as 95% of refined tin specified by reporting participants was < 50ppm Pb, a marked shift from 79% in 2020.

In chemicals, tin use by survey participants increased by 4.0% in 2021 and was forecast to grow by 4.9% in 2022. Market dynamics in this sector have been complex through the pandemic, with both positive and negative effects in different sectors. This data reflects broad recoveries continuing through 2022, with China markets weakened by its ongoing property crisis.

Pandemic-boosted tin use growth in tinplate markets continued through 2021 at 5.2%. Participants forecasted this higher baseline to be maintained with a modest 0.3% growth in 2022. Some turbulence can be expected with both positive and negative effects possible in relation to forecasted food market disruption.

Lead-acid battery tin use markets reflected a significant pandemic boost to e-bike use in China as well as some recovery in auto markets, growing by 6.9% in 2021 and forecast at 7.6% growth in 2022. Tin intensity increases in start-stop hybrid vehicles and other advanced batteries are also supporting growth. Markets will continue to grow steadily in the medium-term despite ongoing development of lithium-ion and other technologies.

Tin use in tin-copper markets increased significantly in 2021, with global growth of 15.8% reflecting pandemic recovery supported by new technology markets including electric vehicles and new electrical infrastructures. Negative growth forecasts for 2022 at -9.2% are mainly based on the cost-of-living crisis. Other traditional metal product markets averaged a -4.4% decline in 2021, largely rebalancing a large 2020 boost from float glass installations in China. Outside of China, markets showed some recovery. Markets are expected to resume a steady 1.2% growth in 2022. More information about tin use is available on the ITA website: www.internationaltin.org