Eli Westerlaken, president and CEO, said, "As part of our continuous drive towards quality improvements and batch-to-batch reduction of variation of QC data, we have reviewed some of our lab routines and have improved them, to keep up with current methodologies being adopted across the industry. The result, we're pleased to say, has been improved reproducibility of testing routines such as acid number titration."

Westerlaken added that the titration routine, for example, will marginally change the measuring range of some of the company's products, but does not signal or reflect any change in raw material properties, product formulas or manufacturing methods.

"Our Cobar products remain unchanged; our SPC data will be more precise, however. Near-term, in some cases, users will see a small and temporary change in parameters such as Six Sigma numbers and Cpk values. In the long run, these improved routines will mean more verifiable data..."

Cobar, cobar.com

Austin American Technology has combined two cleaning systems - the X-Series multi-solvent system and the high-precision Mega series - into a single high-capacity, single-chamber closed-loop regenerative system, the X-40F. Developed for a Hi-rel military waterless application, cleans product up to 35 lbs. and 32 x 18". Has high-precision cleaning chemistry and technology provided by Mega, with cleaning chamber capacity and material handling capabilities of the X-series.

Single processing chamber minimizes footprint, specialized technologies enable wash, rinse and dry cycle automation in one chamber with minimized dragout or cross-contamination. Reportedly offers greater process efficiency and reduced costs though a proprietary ion bed filtration/regeneration system, allowing the rinse solvent to be recycled and cleaned ionically after each cycle.

Typically used for stencil and misprint cleaning. Does not require transferring between wash, rinse and dry; offers fully automated operation for a range of chemistries. Has a large processing chamber, closed-loop capability, plus counter-rotating spray wand and the ability to handle large product dimensions and weight.

Austin American Technology, www.aat-corp.com

Speedline Technologies has released Benchmark 5.0 software for its Camalot XyflexPro liquid dispensing system for surface mount electronics and chip packaging applications.
 
The new release reportedly offers increased throughput of up to 15%, improved process control and enhanced program functionality.
 
New features include a Flip Chip Calculator, used to determine underfill weight and volume for both die within a cavity and standard assembly methods. TurnBack allows any of the dispense units or pumps to be reversed. This gives precise control of material on the needle tip and can eliminate material balling or dripping due to backpressure.
 
Also features Die Edge Detection, a one-snap process that simultaneously finds all four edges of a flip chip for pinpoint positioning. The vision algorithms have been further developed for edge find of any rotated die, CSP/BGAs and other molded packages.
 
Line Sequence command for faster, smoother  travel around corners when dispensing underfill; encapsulation and micro display applications; needle cleaning during product transfer; faster vision processing; and a pipeline conveyor mode that allows parallel product transfer between conveyor zones help to reduce transfer time by up to 40%.
 
Easily upgradeable, available as an option for all existing XyflexPro users and shipped standard on new systems.
 
Speedline Technologies, speedlinetech.com