Polyonics introduces 1 and 2 mil color polyimide labels. The labels are coated with a permanent pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive and a high opacity, medium gloss topcoat available in six tinted colors ¾ pink, yellow, orange, blue, green and violet. They are thermal transfer printable and scan with both visible and IR scanners. Barcode labels made from the materials reportedly demonstrate excellent performance in lead-free wave solder environments, which range from 260º to 290ºC.
 
Designed for barcode or alphanumeric identification of PCBs or electronic components, can withstand mixed circuit board processes, on either the top or bottom side of the board. Said to have excellent resistance to harsh fluxes, cleaning agents, saponifiers and wave solder environments, and resist common methods of cleaning.
 
Polyonics developed the labels, which will survive both standard and lead-free processes on top or bottom side of the board, for manufacturers looking to color code production/process lines.   Some companies choose to use the plain white polyimide labels for standard “non-compliant” subassemblies, and a color-coded label (e.g., pink, yellow, orange, blue, green or violet) for the compliant products. 
 
Polyonics Asia Ltd., polyonics.com

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 By combining the Cogiscan Smart Material Control technology with its component feeders, Hover-Davis will be able to provide a one-stop shop for Intelligent Feeding Solutions. 
 Features of intelligent feeders include:
Identify and track components and feeders with barcode and RFID
Provide real-time visibility of all materials on the shop floor
Reduce waste of time and materials
Eliminate human errors and improve productivity
Generate complete component traceability reports
Standardize data acquisition across multi-vendor lines
Enable communication between feeders, machines and systems
 

 Cogiscan, cogiscan.com

CAT 35 ILDS (Integrated Liquid Delivery System) dual-mode spray head is an alternative to conventional air-atomizing, film coating and dispensing technologies. 
 
Consists of an ultrasonic transducer with a titanium spray forming head and integrated liquid and air applicators. Has two modes: narrow (5 mm pattern width) and wide (3 to 25 mm pattern width). Applies a thin, defect-free coating 0.5 to 5 mils in thickness, said to provide excellent uniformity.
 
Nozzle-free spray head works with urethanes, acrylics, water-based, solvent-based and 100% solids UV curable conformal coatings and is compatible with all Prism Systems.
 
Ultrasonic Systems, ultraspray.com

New software for In-Sight vision sensors reportedly improves workflow, eases integration and speeds deployment of vision sensors on the factory floor:
 
In-Sight Explorer 3.1 features a Windows XP look and feel, and supports the use of industry-standard OPC communication tags.
In-Sight OPC Server makes it easy to exchange data with other OPC programs and systems including PLCs, distributed control systems (DCS) and distributed I/O networks.
In-Sight ActiveX Display Control allows users to integrate In-Sight images and display graphics into third-party HMI and SCADA packages.
 
Trial software is available at http://www.cognex.com/insight.
 
Cognex Corp., cognex.com

 

 

 

 

KIC will display Wave Surfer, a new wave application fixture, in booth 5511 at AT Expo.
 
The self-contained measurement system for wave solder machines provides critical data on wave solder machine setup and its process. Has five embedded thermocouples, works in conjunction with SlimKIC 2000 for profiling and setup. 
 
Made of a material similar to typical wave solder pallets, can withstand thousands of passes. The fixture holds the SlimKIC in place during each run to measure the pertinent process data in the wave solder machine including peak temperature, dwell time, parallelism and conveyor speed. 
 
KIC, kicthermal.com

Kester will showcase EnviroMark 907 (EM907), a no-clean, lead-free solder paste, in booth 5636 at AT Expo next week. Designed for high-yield, lead-free manufacturing, was engineered specifically for the higher thermal demands and higher melting temperature lead-free alloys, such as the SnAgCu (SAC) alloys.
 
Features a long stencil life, offers lead-free joints that closely resemble those achieved with Sn/Pb solder paste. Capable of extended downtimes in printing, maintains excellent print quality at print speeds up to 6 in/sec. (150 mm/sec). Has excellent cold and hot slump behavior, preventing bridges and solder ball formation.
 
Said to have excellent solderability to a variety of board surface metallizations, including OSP, Ni/Au, Immersion Sn and Immersion Ag. Features solderability to an array of component metallizations, including Pd/Ag and Alloy 42.
 
Flux chemistry offers bright solder joints, even in air reflow. This cosmetic feature is an added benefit during inspection. The paste leaves only a light-colored residue and provides a stable tack life.
 
Reflowable in air or nitrogen, prints down to 0201 pad sites, has superior printing characteristics to 16 and 20 mil pitches (0.4 and 0.5 mm) and meets J-STD-004 Flux Classification ROL0.
 
Kester, kester.comhttp://www.kester.com

Kyzen Corp. will highlight AQUANOX A4630 in booth 5834 at the upcoming Assembly Technology Expo.
 
Designed from the ground up to clean lead-free materials while providing low cost of ownership. This sixth-generation product brings ambient temperatures and low concentrations while exceeding industry standards for both people and environmental safety. It also is multi-metal safe for use on yellow metals, aluminum, ferrous and composites as well as most precious metals and some plastic, rubber, glass and ceramic substrates.
 
Typically used in aqueous spray-in-air equipment at 10 to 20% from ambient temperatures. Said to provide brilliant joints, pass after pass, without the use of sump side additives and throughout an extended bath life.
 
Equally effective on all no-clean materials. 

 

VJ Electronix will display the Model 1550 fully automated x-ray inspection system in booth 5626 at Assembly Technology Expo in Rosemont, IL.
 
Designed for the manufacturing floor, features large board x-ray inspection with automated motion control, measurement and analysis. Includes advanced solid-state detector-based inspection for lead-free assembly, choice of Image Intensifier and CMOS-based high-resolution detectors, full programmability with integrated motion control and image measurement analysis, and simple set up of program using 1-2-GO Interface. Low maintenance, requires minimum operator intervention.
 
Is part of the 15XX Series, which is built around a choice of x-ray sources from 80 to 130 kV. 1550 offers a 130 kV x-ray source, with a continuously variable field of view (up to 1.8" with zoom).
 
Easy to learn, use and maintain. Provides: large-board handling area (18 x 24"), magnification 700X, low-maintenance, high MTBF, fully integrated compact system and image archiving in popular file formats.
  
The simple set up program using 1-2-GO interface allows users to characterize the entire process with one simple solution. Onscreen representation of boards for easy maneuvering allows for maximum productivity and quality assurance based on instant and accurate information.
 
Incorporates key innovations necessary for high-resolution x-ray microscopy:
· A revolutionary manipulator design that provides fast, accurate, repeatable sample positioning.
· The Nexus 300 software with 1-2-GO interface and onscreen sample representation for easy maneuverability
· CMOS-based 12 bit solid-state detectors for high-contrast resolution x-ray inspection.
 
Comes  with an advanced image processor and a complete library of measurement and analysis tools. Proprietary New ElectroniX User Software (NEXUS) is used to enhance, analyze and view real-time x-ray images. The software comes with: advanced 1-2-GO based operator interface for easy programming in minutes; automated BGA analysis module (# of balls, void size, # of voids, ball size, pitch and circularity); percent void measurement module (user definable pass/fail thresholds); onscreen representation of sample; drill offset measurement module (deviation measurements, etc.); dimensional measurement module; wire sweep measurement module; quad-view display; Advanced Defect Enhancement module; histogram analysis tools (gray-level analysis); image filtering (3-D rendering, sharpen, relief, etc.) ; and pseudo color pallet manipulation.
 
VJ Electronix, vjelectronix.com

Finetech has developed a Mobile Device Rework (MDR) System for the Fineplacer Pico for the demands of reworking mobile phones, PDAs, gaming handhelds, multimedia portables, Bluetooth and WLAN equipment, memory cards, notebooks and portable medical equipment such as pacemakers. The new system will be on display in booth 5002 at ATExpo in Rosemont, IL
 
Equipped with a new motorized placement module, the system achieves a degree of reproducibility unrivalled in manual rework and minimizes operator influence.  WinCOMISS software controls bond force during placement and soldering, resulting in a production-compatible reflow process.
 
The lead-free capable system provides the capability to perform the entire rework process for the smallest of devices up to RF shield cans, and for extremely high-density packages.  A fully automated version is also available to process pallets of system boards through the entire rework cycle: shield can and device removal, residual solder paste removal, printing, and device and shield replacement.
 
Also available, but not on display, is an optional integrated solder paste dispenser module that can dispense solder paste dots small enough for 01005 rework.  It can also be configured to dispense epoxy and underfill.  
 

Finetech Inc., finetechusa.com