HANAU, GERMANY – Heraeus, Alpha Assembly Solutions and Henkel have won in the patent infringement lawsuit against Senju Group (Senju Metal Industry Co., Ltd., Senju Metal Europe GmbH and Senju Manufacturing Europe S.R.O.) as pronounced by the District Court Frankfurt on April 3, 2024. The 1 st instance judgment confirmed Senju’s infringement of the patent EP 1 617 968 B1 in Germany by the M794 solder alloy material.

The legal dispute culminated in a victory for Heraeus, Alpha Assembly Solutions, and Henkel, with the court granting motions for declaration of liability for damages, injunction, and the recall of infringing products, namely Senju's M794 solder material from its industrial customers in Germany. The ruling, which can be appealed by Senju, reinforces the significance of intellectual property protection in the electronics assembly industry and upholds the commitment of the plaintiffs to defend their innovative materials.

In response to Senju's attempts to invalidate the patent-in-suit through a patent nullity suit, the German Federal Patent Court upheld the patent with some amendments, in first instance on August 31, 2023. This decision confirms the validity of the amended form of the patent EP 1 617 968 B1, covering innovative solder alloy formulations. Senju’s appeal to the Federal Court of Justice is pending.

The patentees sell solder alloy formulation, marketed under the brand names Innolot® (MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions and Heraeus) and Multicore 90ISC (Harima Chemicals Group, formerly Loctite 90ISC Henkel), representing a breakthrough in lead-free solder technology. Developed through a cooperative project, these materials offer improved reliability performance, particularly in harsh environment electronics applications. They are designed to withstand high temperatures while remaining solderable at standard lead-free process temperatures, making them ideal for automotive applications and other demanding environments.

CRANSTON, RI – AIM Solder, a global leader in solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Katherine Blake as the new Business Development Manager - Automotive. Operating from Belgium, Blake's appointment underscores AIM Solder's commitment to enhancing its strategic initiatives worldwide.

Blake brings a wealth of experience and expertise to AIM Solder, tasked with spearheading the company’s growth and development efforts in the automotive electronics sector. Her role involves forging strong relationships with large multi-site automotive electronics producers globally, ensuring that AIM Solder remains at the forefront of industry trends and customer needs. Her strategic insights and industry knowledge will be crucial in guiding AIM Solder’s efforts to meet both the current and future demands of the automotive electronics marketplace.

“Kate’s understanding of the automotive electronics industry and her ability to align business strategy with customer requirements make her an invaluable addition to the AIM Solder team,” said Andy Dolan, Vice President of Business Development. “Her appointment is a clear reflection of our dedication to serving the automotive market with innovative and reliable solder solutions. We are confident that Kate’s contributions will lead to significant advancements for AIM Solder in this critical sector.”

Katherine Blake can be reached at kblake@aimsolder.com 

CRANSTON, RI – AIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming Advanced Electronics Assembly Conference taking place on April 24, 2024 at BOK Hall in Budapest, Hungary. AIM Technical Application Engineer, Norbert Labai, will present on the topic: Addressing Concerns of Ultra-Miniature Component Assembly: M0201, 008005, and Micro/MiniLEDs.

Norbert Labai has been in the electronics industry for over 20 years. Mr. Labai supports AIM customers throughout Eastern Europe in solving the most challenging technical issues and adopting the latest application technologies.​​

The abstract for his presentation is as follows:

The use of ultra-miniature components is driven by the demand for increased functionality in electronic devices. SMT components such as 008004/M0201 are being used in consumer and automotive applications today. Similarly, MiniLED components are finding their way into displays available in the market. Manufacturers are creating new PCB designs, using novel assembly techniques, and introducing innovative materials to overcome the unique challenges faced when implementing these components. This presentation will discuss how to overcome the challenges faced in ultra-miniature component assembly and address the needs of emerging markets.

Mr. Labai will deliver his presentation at the Advanced Electronics Assembly Conference at 10:15 am on April 24. To learn more about AIM’s products and services, visit www.aimsolder.com 

CONKLIN, NY – Universal Instruments will showcase a lineup of electronics assembly automation solutions on Booth 2405 at the 2024 IPC APEX EXPO, held at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 9–11. On the booth, Universal will demonstrate its industry benchmark Fuzion® Platform and versatile Uflex® automation platform, as well as its new value-driven Omni™ Inserter. The company’s IQ360™ factory software suite will also be featured.

Fuzion delivers a low cost per placement for any product mix, from traditional to complex PCBA and odd-form to various semiconductor applications. The Fuzion portfolio supports a range of production environments, including extra-capacity (XC) models with up to 272 feeder inputs to support multiple products in NPI and high-speed models with 30-spindle placement heads and up to 66,500 cph.

Uflex accommodates an array of process modules, as well as a wide variety of feeding options to perform virtually any automation task. It supports up to four independent process modules on a single gantry, including vacuum or pneumatic placement, screw driving, UV curing, dispensing, and more.

For more basic automation tasks, the Omni Inserter offers simplified operation and single-process efficiency. It leverages a linear motor positioning system and a host of intelligent features to deliver accurate, high-speed insertion of axial, radial and other odd-form components.

The IQ360 Software Suite is a full complement of smart factory modules designed to control, monitor and improve production efficiency. Comprised of Design & NPI, Material Management, Production Control, and Monitoring & Analytics modules, IQ360 offers individual capability bundles that meet specific factory requirements, providing a true “connected factory” production environment.

“SMT processes are already highly automated, but end-of-line and back-end processes can be predominantly manual and highly inefficient,” said Glenn Farris, Universal Instruments Vice President, Global Customer Operations and Corporate Marketing. “Typical high-volume customers note that these processes account for <5% of total placements but the majority of all rework,” continued Farris. “The key is to alleviate these inefficiencies with intelligent solutions that align with the operators’ level of automation experience. From the basic user to the power user, we offer plug-and-play through highly configurable solutions for complex automation tasks.”

To learn more about Universal’s solutions for any electronics manufacturing challenge, contact Universal Instruments at +1-800-432-2607 or +1-607-779-7522 or visit www.uic.com