STOCKHOLM – Mydata Automation will unveil next month what it is calling the first stencil-free printer. Seven years in the making, the MY500 jet printer will debut at Productronica in Munich next month.
 

The MY500 uses a patented jet to shoot volumes of solder paste at a reported 500 dots per second (1.8 million dots/hour).

The printer was developed in concert with solder paste suppliers Nihon Almit Co. Ltd. and Senju Metal Industry, Mydata said in a statement.

The printer is of special interest because its developer is known for placement equipment, not printers. Yet Mydata CEO Mårten Lundberg calls the MY500 "without a doubt the most important innovation in the company’s 20-year history."

The new printer reportedly eliminate stencils (and thus the hazardous solvents needed to clean them), and provides instant control over paste volumes on pads. It is also said to reduce the consumption of solder paste.