The NPI Award, which premiered this year, recognizes the leading new products for electronics assembly during the past 12 months. An independent panel of practicing industry engineers selected the recipients.

The winners were:

Automation Tools:  Inovaxe (InoCart-MSD)
Cleaning Equipment:  Aqueous Technologies (Trident)
Cleaning Materials:  Kyzen (Aquanox A4625B)
Component Placement–High-Speed:  Siemens (SIPLACE X4i)
Component Placement–Multi-Function:  Europlacer (iineo)
Device Programming:  BPM Microsystems (Flashstream)
Dispensing Equipment:  Ovation Products (Stinger)
Labeling:  Polyonics (Polyimide Label Stock)
Materials-Flux:  Nihon Superior (NS-F850)
Process Control Tools:  ECD (Megam.o.l.e. 20 Thermal Profiler)
Rework/Repair:  R&D Technical Services (Vapor Works 24)
Screen/Stencil Printing:  ICON Technologies (ICON i8)
Software-Management:  Optimal (Optel)
Software-Process Control:  DEK (Instinctiv V9)
Software-Production:  Juki (OPASS)
Soldering-Materials:  Nihon Superior/Balver-Zinn/DKL/FCT (SN100C)
Soldering-Reflow:  Speedline Technologies (Electrovert IFC)
Soldering-Selective:  Juki (Juki 350)
Soldering-Other:  EVS International (EVS 1000 Solder Recovery System)
Test & Inspection–AXI:  VJ Electronix (Vertex Series "A")
Test & Inspection–ICT:  Everett Charles Technologies (Gemini Spring Pin)
Test & Inspection–AOI:  Mirtec (MV-7L)
Underfills:  Henkel (Loctite 3508)
           
The awards were presented during a special ceremony at the IPC Apex trade show. A donation of $1,000 was made on the participants' behalf to the Surface Mount Technology Association Atlanta Chapter's Ron Daniels Scholarship (atlantasmta.com/scholarship.html). Daniels was a longtime editor and publisher of Circuits Assembly.

"Time and again, the judges expressed admiration for some of the ingenuity this year's NPI entrants showed," said Mike Buetow, editor-in-chief of Circuits Assembly. "We were also pleased with the overwhelming reception and enthusiasm for the NPI Award."

Contact Chelsey Drysdale, cdrysdale@upmediagroup.com, to find out how to enter next year's awards program.

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