BOSTON --  Nepcon East, the longtime expo for electronics assembly, took place under chilly conditions in Boston. But that didn't deter decent-sized crowds from checking out the latest equipment and materials.

The biggest exhibitors were Universal, Assembleon and Bosch Rexroth. Some notable local suppliers chose to forego exhibiting while competitors made the trip to Boston. For example, of the three leading screen printer suppliers in North America, NJ-based DEK exhibited, although Speedline Technologies and EKRA America, both of which are based in the Boston suburbs, did not.

Numerous bare-board fabrication (MEI, Bare Board Group, Circuit Connect, Printed Circuit Corp., Sierra Proto Systems) and assembly companies (Masstech EMS and LightSpeed Manufacturing among others) were on hand. Most told Circuits Assembly that business growth was modest year-to-date and orders for lead-free boards were few and far between.

Among the highlights:

• Juki Automation, the second leading seller of placement machines worldwide, rolled out a pair of selective soldering units. Called the 300L and 400L, the machines come with internal spray or drop-jet fluxers, nozzles ranging from 4 mm to 30 mm and preheat capability, and the 400L has a three-stage inline system for high-speed automated soldering. The 400L can also be customized for three miniwaves or a combination of one miniwave and one full wave.
  
• Datron Dynamics, a supplier of milling and routing equipment for assemblers, showed off its new low-cost (under $47,000) CNC machine for milling and engraving. The mini-Raptor has a 51 x 51" footprint and comes with a 60,000 rpm spindle, a solid granite table and a 3-tool changer feed. It is said to reach rates up to 400" per minute.
  
• Excelta is offering the Smart Tweezer, a slick little device that among other things IDs the capacitance, resistance or inductance of the surface mount device being picked up.
  

Once a major convention in its own right, the expo has morphed into a solid regional show. It was in its third location in three years, having shifted this year to the brand new Boston Convention Center, a mammoth (510,000 sq. ft.) hall located on a pier just east of downtown.

Official attendance numbers have not yet been released.