Choosing the right magazine handlers can significantly improve throughput and accuracy in the processing of microelectronic components.

Sometimes the decision over what may be considered “ancillary” production equipment can make an enormous difference to the bottom line and product quality. The choice of magazine unloading and loading handlers is often such a decision. The efficient and accurate handling of semiconductor and microelectronic components can make a significant difference in the quality and cost of assembly, particularly in high-production environments.

Consisting of single or multiple parts, electronic packages are conveyed in process carriers, such as carriers or trays. The magazines involved may be composed of various materials in a variety of dimensions, depending on the requirements of the component “packages” process carrier it is intended to transport.

When it comes to high-volume operations such as die attachment, wire bonding, sealing, surface treating and assembly procedures for a multitude of microelectronic componentry – parts that are conveyed via process carriers loaded into magazines – the right magazine handling system can substantially increase production yield and throughput as well as save on costs.

The basic advantages of magazine handlers are three-fold: reduced contamination, reduced cost of operators providing manual labor, and increase quality of product due to the avoidance of human interference or error. And when the best magazine handler design is applied, those advantages can be amplified dramatically.

While there is a variety of magazine handler (a.k.a. magazine loader/unloader) designs available, they essentially perform the same basic function: to automatically remove unprocessed devices or components from loaded “magazines” onto a manufacturing line or processing cell, and then feed the processed components back into empty magazines for transport to the next production procedure.

Likewise, the handlers to unload and load magazines are available in a broad range of designs, and the variables in magazine handler design features and capabilities can have a direct bearing on potential benefits such as optimal yield and reduced operator intervention.

Design simplicity. The design simplicity of magazine handlers can be a major virtue in microelectronics production, leading to greater system reliability, improved productivity and ease of integration.

“One of the most important factors in choosing a magazine handler is simplicity of design,” says Alexander Komposch, head of package and process development at Infineon Technologies. Komposch’s division is a high-volume manufacturer of RF power transistors used in high volumes by cellphone base stations.

Manufacturing millions of units yearly is challenging because the production of RF power transistors requires a very high degree of consistency. The magazine handler has an impact on meeting that challenge successfully.

“Simplicity of design guarantees ease of operation and manufacturing robustness,” Komposch explains. “In the past, we have worked with highly sophisticated designers who are top-notch in wire bonding, a critical capability in the manufacture of RF transistor products. Yet, when it came to developing a magazine handler, they tended to over-design what should be a fairly simple process, overcomplicating it to the point that the handler was unreliable and had to be removed from the production line after a short time.”

Low maintenance. Design complexity leads to maintenance and unscheduled downtime, both of which directly affect the bottom line.

Many OEMs that incorporate magazine handlers into their systems insist that handlers – whether off-the-shelf or customized -- require little maintenance. They not only want to avoid unnecessary maintenance trips to the field, but also do not want their primary systems, such as wire-bonding equipment, to suffer downtime due to maintenance requirements of the magazine handlers.

“Essentially, companies that use magazine handlers want them to do what they need them to do, and to provide reliable performance,” says Mark Netherland, president of Martek Automation. “If they are well designed and built, a high-quality magazine handler will perform accurately and consistently for a long time.”

Infineon’s Komposch agrees. “The only part on our magazine handlers that requires replacement is the pinch roller, which is a simple silicon wheel,” he explains. “This is important to us because in 24/7 production you don’t want to have downtime, and the reliability of our magazine handler is essential to the avoidance of that problem.”

Consistency of alignment. Alignments are critical when incorporating magazine handlers into a microelectronics production line. Some handlers are built using designs and materials based on cost savings and not ruggedness. These systems can become misaligned when simply brushed by an operator.

“I believe that magazine handlers with welded steel frames provide stability that protects alignment,” Komposch says. “This is very important because magazine handlers are not typically anchored, it is free-standing equipment that maintains alignment by standing on its own weight. That ensures it will remain inline with a conveyor system of any type of production equipment.”

“Some people don’t understand why some models are made so heavy,” adds Netherland. “But if you have them at the beginning or end of a production cell, and somebody comes around and leans on one of them, you don’t want them to lose alignment; you want them to be heavy and sturdy . . . that’s a very good feature.”

Capacity and flexibility. The capacity of a magazine handler to carry the optimum number of magazines has a direct correlation to throughput and productivity. Also, the ability to carry nonstandard magazine sizes and accommodate special carriers or materials can be of acute importance when choosing magazine handler.

Says Komposch: “We are able to have up to eight magazines on the input and output sides, where as most competitors’ handlers were able to deliver only four. Also, the handlers we use have the ability of carry two rows, which also improves the speed of throughput.”

Komposch also values the magazine handler’s capability to detect the next magazine or carrier, and to detect the location of an empty slot.

“Also, there are no rules about how many Auer boats you need to have in one magazine, how many magazines you have to have in it, which positions you need to have,” he adds. “It is a very simple mechanism that always finds the next slot for providing you an Auer boat or an empty slot to receive an Auer boat. So, it’s a very independent, simple design that minimizes the amount of moving parts needed to provide you with the exact thing you need. It always has an Auer boat available for the processing equipment, when needed.”

Martek Automation (martekautomation.com) can be reached at sales@martekautomation.com.