HOUSTON, TX – Alert Tech SMT, a contract electronics manufacturer in Houston, Texas, is excited to announce Troy Schlegel's recent appointment to director of production operations.

A veteran of the electronics manufacturing industry, Schlegel brings more than 30 years of experience to this role. His career began at Texas Instruments in 1989, where he served as a surface mount technology (SMT) line technician. Through the years, he served in a wide range of roles, from equipment operator and maintenance technician to process engineer and director of production engineering. From 2001 to 2015, he led the Hunting (formerly Innova) facility in Houston with a laser focus on high-quality and high-reliability electronics and box build assemblies.

Most recently, Schlegel served as the director of engineering for MacroFab, a Houston-based electronics manufacturing platform. In addition to leading the engineering team and providing manufacturing support, he was responsible for planning, managing and executing the company's move to a new production facility. This experience — his second time to lead a facility expansion — makes him uniquely suited to join the Alert Tech SMT team, as the company is currently in the process of expanding to a 35,000-square-foot facility.

Schlegel's firsthand knowledge and attention to detail will help Alert Tech SMT continue putting out the quality products for which it is known, Chief Operating Officer Brian Laney said.

"Troy possesses an extensive understanding of diverse manufacturing processes, in addition to a talent for documentation and continuous improvement," Laney explained.

As director of production operations, Schlegel will oversee manufacturing production during the move and ensure streamlined process support production in the new facility. He will also be responsible for identifying qualified candidates and leading the production team in the pursuit of Alert Tech SMT's quality commitment to zero item failures. For this, he will draw on decades of experience managing electronics manufacturing teams both locally and internationally.

"Troy is a strong leader with the soft skills required to attract and maintain a workforce that enjoys the work they do," Laney said. "He fits perfectly with our company's ethos and culture."

Schlegel, too, views his new role as a quality fit.

"Alert Tech SMT is a leader in our industry, and they've really made a name for themselves in the surface mount technology sphere," he said. "I'm looking forward to helping facilitate the coming move and continuing to build upon an already solid reputation."

CHINO, CA – Scienscope International, a leading supplier of cabinet-style micro-focus X-ray systems in the United States, is excited to announce its first-ever appearance at a tradeshow in Canada. The company looks forward to discussing its array of innovative component solutions and advanced X-ray inspection systems at EPTECH Vancouver, scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Scienscope will showcase its latest innovations at the event, including the AXC-800III X- ray component counter, IMS-100 (T) inventory management system, and the new Stencil Rack.

The new Smart Stencil Rack has been engineered to enhance the efficiency of storing and retrieving solder stencils. With a retrieval or storage time of a few seconds per stencil, this innovative system minimizes operators’ time locating the appropriate position for their stencil. The Smart Stencil Rack has been meticulously designed to accommodate stencil sizes from 23”x23” to 29”x29” with spacing to accommodate stencils with widths of 5mm, 20mm, and 40mm.

The AXC-800III is an award-winning device that utilizes AI algorithms and X-ray technology to count components inside reels with an accuracy rate of 99.9%. Additionally, the AXC-800III can upload results to a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) in real-time, generating new labels automatically as reels are removed from the machine, simplifying the labeling process, and ensuring accurate inventory management.

The IMS-100 (T) is a high-resolution barcode camera capable of reading and storing information for up to four 7", one 13", and one 15" reel. The system helps automate your incoming process and makes the relabeling process safe and easy, helping minimize human error.

With these cutting-edge solutions, Scienscope is dedicated to improving quality control and efficiency in the electronics manufacturing industry. Be sure to visit Scienscope at EPTECH Vancouver to learn more.

CLINTON, NY – Indium Corporation senior research chemist Mary Ma is set to deliver a technical presentation titled Printable Copper Sintering Paste for High-Power Die-Attach Applications at CSTIC, taking place in Shanghai, June 26-27.

Low-temperature copper (Cu) sintering paste, with high thermal and high electrical conductivity, is apromising material for die-attach applications in power electronics and third-generation semiconductor devices. Large size die-attach applications or IGBT modules require high efficiency printing transfer processes.

“As demand for high-power devices such as EVs and consumer electronics grows, so does the need for solder solutions that can meet the efficiency and operating temperature demands,” said Ma. “This paper elaborates on the influence of printing processes to obtain flat Cu paste deposit and high volume and I am honored to have the opportunity to present its findings at CSTIC.”

Ma is a senior research chemist in Research and Development at Indium Corporation. She joined Indium Corporation in 2010 and has more than ten years’ experience in the development of advanced materials which are applied in the semiconductor and electronics assembly industry. She has led the development of ultra-low-voiding solder paste and launched an advanced solder paste which was widely applied in the electronics assembly field. Ma is also responsible for product development for copper sintering materials which are used in advanced die-attach technology for semiconductors.

SILICON VALLEY – Zero Defects International [ZDI] has announced their participation as an exhibitor at the SMTA Oregon Expo and Tech Forum. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Portland South. The date of this event is Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Foremost among the PCBA test and inspection products and services to be shown will be ZDI's flying-probe ICT test services including reverse engineering and failure analysis. Additionally featured are ZDI partners' PCBA products including Europlacer SMT assembly equipment, Tagarno digital microscopes, Arcadia smart component racks, Epoch International's functional test fixtures, Seica flying probe and ICT test systems as well as Velan's PCB and PCBA engineering software services.