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Productronica is still the king of trade shows. The Munich
exhibition opened Nov. 15 to strong crowds, massive booths and general
optimism.
One of the brightest lookers was Siemens Automation and Drives president
Tilo Brandis, who told reporters that the company projects sales of
placement machines to reach 1,730 units in 2006, up from 1,579 in 2005.
Siemens currently claims 33% market share in assembly placement
equipment, up about 6 points from 2004.
The
company is committed to improving the modularity of its Siplace
pick-and-place (changeover of heads, dual lane configuration, etc.).
The dual lane configuration works in asynchronous (placing the top side
only with no downtime) and synchronous (top and bottom simultaneously)
modes.
Samsung Techwin introduced the next-generation SM310 placement machine, featuring a dual-lane conveyor and nonstop tape feeder, three-camera vision system, and a reported placement accuracy of 50 microns at 3 Sigma. The placement speed is 30,000 cph per the IPC-9850 standard.
Speedline Technologies debuted XyFlex+, said to have a 30% increase in throughput and twice the accuracy of previous dispensers, and OmniFlex, a 10-zone reflow oven that reduces power and nitrogen consumption by 30-40%. The company is forecasting a solid 2006, with growth coming from expansion and replacement orders. Sales of its Accuflex printer should overtake its MPM Ultraprint 2000 by December 2006, and the company expects to add up to two more manufacturing lines (for a total of four) for its Accela printer, which debuted just this year.
Lead-free will likely lead to extra touchup, asserts ERSA president and COO Mark Cannon. That has led the equipment maker to develop a combination AOI and automatic rework system. Ecoselect AOI+R performs pass/fail inspection on assemblies, then repairs bridges and other PTH defects by means of selective soldering nozzle contained in the same 4.4 x 6.9' unit.
Assembléon added to its M series of pick-and-place machines, rolling out the MG-8. The three-head machine, adapted from Yamaha in
Japan, has a new area CCD camera and handles from 01005 through 55 sq.
mm and oddforms (height up to 25.5 mm). Accuracy is 50 microns for
chips and 30 microns for QFPs; throughput rate for ICs and QFPs is
8,400 cph. New president Dr. Leon Hussen was on hand.
DEK president
Richard Heimsch said 2005 is expected to end on a high note, the second
straight solid year for the printer company. Its Galaxy and Europa
platforms rose 10 and 6 points, respectively, as a percentage of the
company’s sales. The third quarter was particularly strong, Heimsch
said.
OK International rolled out an
array of soldering and rework irons and fume extractors. The firm noted
that the approach by many operators to crank up the heat when
hand-soldering with Pb-free alloys results in shorter tip and equipment
life, but doesn’t have much impact for soldering. Instead, it’s the
power generated through the tip that is the key factor.
Polar Instruments showed
off its new field solver. The slick new tool, Si9000, models loss and
attenuation, performs extractions of S parameters and can graph
impedance and frequency. Polar is also opening an office in Japan.
Sales at AOI and x-ray equipment maker Viscom are
up 15% this year following a 40% spike in 2004. Viscom showed its
S6056, a high-end inspection machine capable of 10 micron resolution.
The AOI has a dual track, dual shuttle transport system, and is
designed to prohibit gases from coming up to the sensor, so the lens
doesn’t need cleaning. The machine can inspect two PCBs simultaneously.
Concoat, fresh off the Nov. 14 merger with Chase Corp. (the parent company of Humiseal),
debuted a UV curable conformal coating and a water-based cleaner for
Pb-free. It’s “business as usual” for Concoat’s sales and distribution,
company officials said. Concoat Systems, the equipment side of the
business, remains a separate entity and will change its name sometime
in the next several months.
Adeon, the
Dutch software vendor, introduced CXInsight, a project and content
management system for electronics designers, fabricators and
assemblers. The e-collaboration tool is product oriented and comes with
a server and seat license. They have one installation already at a
major automotive supplier. (Adeon is a longtime distributor for Valor.)
Managing director Paul Walter said PCBA test gear maker Dage is
working with Jedec to standardize on its bond tester for Pb-free. A
standard could be released within a year. Jedec is coordinating with
EIAJ on the specification.
The IPC
Solder Products Value Council will preview a soon-to-be-released report
on voiding in Pb-free solder joints. In what is likely to stir some
controversy, according to IPC’s Tony Hilvers, the Council (made up of
most of the world’s leading solder vendors) found no correlation
between voids and failures.
Overheard: One
equipment president said he thinks knockoffs of Western SMT equipment
brands made by Chinese firms would surface in North America.
The number of screen printers sold in 2005 is slightly behind 2004.
Now that it has finalized the purchase of Concoat, expect Humiseal to make a global push.
And finally …This is Productronica’s 30th
year, as illustrated by a large memorial with pictures of past events.
Walking the dimly lit and eerily quiet exhibit proved a brief but
welcome respite from the bustle of the rest of the show.
Ed.: This report was first published Nov. 15. For more information on products released at Productronica, click here.
Aerial MY double-sided flying probe tester for loaded boards has vertical, double-sided probing. Includes the Viva Integrated Platform (VIP). Has One Touch Per Net (OTPN) option with DSP-based multifrequency net analysis. Autolearns programs from a good board.
Seica, seica.com
Booth A1, 445
 EKRA's Steve Hall |
The merger of ASYS and EKRA in July surprised many observers who felt the screen-printer OEM would be absorbed by one of its main competitors. “Merger” might be misleading: The companies will remain separate legal entities and a new printer will be rolled out under the EKRA brand name this week. EKRA managing director Steve Hall spoke with Circuits Assembly editor-in-chief Mike Buetow last week.
RFID Smart Feeder Cart expands the concept of intelligent feeders from SMT placement machines and feeder banks to storage carts.
Benefits include:
Ability to track feeders and components offline.
Provide real-time inventory.
Eliminate human intervention.
Eliminate bar code scanning.
Reduce waste of time and materials.
Can be used in combination with Cogiscan software applications (Line Set-up Control, Traceability, Inventory Tracking, etc.) or with third-party software applications. It can enhance existing systems by eliminating manual barcode scanning.
Cogiscan, cogiscan.com
Booth A4, 380 (PB-Technik, Cogiscan’s local distributor in Germany)
Booth A5, 224 (Hover-Davis, Cogiscan technology partner)
Benefits include:
Ability to track feeders and components offline.
Provide real-time inventory.
Eliminate human intervention.
Eliminate bar code scanning.
Reduce waste of time and materials.
Can be used in combination with Cogiscan software applications (Line Set-up Control, Traceability, Inventory Tracking, etc.) or with third-party software applications. It can enhance existing systems by eliminating manual barcode scanning.
Cogiscan, cogiscan.com
Booth A4, 380 (PB-Technik, Cogiscan’s local distributor in Germany)
Booth A5, 224 (Hover-Davis, Cogiscan technology partner)
MVP will display its wire bond capability with the high-speed AutoInspector Ultra II. Defects such as wire trace conformity, bent wires, distance to adjacent wires, loop height, straightness tolerance, ball/wedge geometry and contamination can be detected with wire bond configuration.
3-D inspection and color camera solutions will also be presented for wire bond or other applications that benefit from color cameras. Flexible algorithms process the color image and enhance detection performance.
3-D inspection capability extends the AutoInspector Series defect coverage by adding 3-D coverage for paste inspection for the entire board or selected areas of the board, as well as for production sampling mode in which the system inspects 3-D based on a user-selected sampling rate. The modularity maximizes flexibility and provides for field upgrades capable for 0201s and microBGAs.
GEM Series Software version 5.0 is said to improve the overall ease of use of the system with a redesigned graphical interface for quick algorithm set-up and guidance in setting parameters. The software guides users on setting up the inspection parameters, for a significant improvement in productivity and reduction of training time. Enhancements include onscreen graphics, spreadsheet utilities, modular debug within each algorithm, and database and algorithm navigation tools.
Machine Vision Products Inc., sales@machinevisionproducts.com
Booth A2, 251
3-D inspection and color camera solutions will also be presented for wire bond or other applications that benefit from color cameras. Flexible algorithms process the color image and enhance detection performance.
3-D inspection capability extends the AutoInspector Series defect coverage by adding 3-D coverage for paste inspection for the entire board or selected areas of the board, as well as for production sampling mode in which the system inspects 3-D based on a user-selected sampling rate. The modularity maximizes flexibility and provides for field upgrades capable for 0201s and microBGAs.
GEM Series Software version 5.0 is said to improve the overall ease of use of the system with a redesigned graphical interface for quick algorithm set-up and guidance in setting parameters. The software guides users on setting up the inspection parameters, for a significant improvement in productivity and reduction of training time. Enhancements include onscreen graphics, spreadsheet utilities, modular debug within each algorithm, and database and algorithm navigation tools.
Machine Vision Products Inc., sales@machinevisionproducts.com
Booth A2, 251
Designed for the manufacturing floor, X1550 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. Reportedly low-maintenance, requiring minimum operator intervention.
Offers a 130 kV x-ray source, with a continuously variable field of view (up to 1.8" with zoom). Said to be easy to learn, use and maintain. Has large-board handling area (18 x 24"), magnification 700X, high MTBF, fully integrated compact system and image archiving in popular file formats.
Provides high-contrast resolutio, has integrated motion control and image measurement analysis.
Incorporates a manipulator design that is said to provide fast, accurate, repeatable sample positioning; Nexus 300 software with 1-2-GO interface and onscreen sample representation for easy maneuverability; and CMOS-based 12 bit solid-state detectors.
Comes with an advanced image processor and a complete library of measurement and analysis tools. NEXUS 300 software has: 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 (ADE) module; histogram analysis tools (gray-level analysis); image filtering (3-D rendering, sharpen, relief, etc.) ; and pseudo color pallet manipulation.
VJ Electronix, vjelectronix.com
Comes with an advanced image processor and a complete library of measurement and analysis tools. NEXUS 300 software has: 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 (ADE) module; histogram analysis tools (gray-level analysis); image filtering (3-D rendering, sharpen, relief, etc.) ; and pseudo color pallet manipulation.
VJ Electronix, vjelectronix.com
Booth A1 339
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