Smt today issue 7

Exploring AOI and X-Ray The Smart Factory Science Fiction or Fact

red carpet

Who’s doing what, where?

Season’s

Greetings

from all at

meet the CEos Page 4 Volker Pape, Viscom AG (cover) Glenn Qiu of GKG Precision Machine Co Ltd Dee Claybrook of Rapid Tooling Inc. Carsten Salewski of Viscom Inc. Ron Corey of Fancort Industries | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

smttoday.com

magazine contacts...

Lin Ramsay, Editor

Editor Lin Ramsay lin@smttoday.com

+44(0)1292 834009

skype: lin-smttoday

Advertising Enquiries To enquire about available advertising opportunities, please use the contacts below for more information.

Design Big Blue Dog bigbluedogdesign.com

+44(0)1292 280022

European Advertising europe@smttoday.com UK Advertising

uk@smttoday.com

Website

USA Advertising

usa@smttoday.com

smttoday.com

NEXT EDITION January/February’s edition will focus on IPC APEX 2015 in San Diego/Storage and Handling.

inside this issue...

Technology Today

Industry experts share their knowledge

38

8

Exploring AOI and X-ray

12 Spray Fluxing Technology

14 Quality: What Goes Around Does Not Necessarily Come

Back Around 20 The Smart Factory

22 JAVAD EMS Continues Best Performance Strategy

New Products

30 Horizon Sales

34 Speedprint Furthers Silicon Mountain’s Mission 40 Fancort Industries

42 Choosing the Right CEM

12 Spray Fluxing Technology

4

Meet the CEOs

33

Industry News

44 Growth in America

46 Where Is My Component?

Technology Today Interviews Interviews with industry experts 4 Meet the CEOs

5 Viscom AG’s Volker Pape

18 Dr. Subodh Kulkarni from CyberOptics 24 Ralph Hoeckle from Zestron Europe 28 Rod Howell from Libra Industries

Industry News

What’s happening in the world of electronics

New Products

44

Exciting new industry innovations

Red Carpet

32

38

Photo gallery of industry personalities and events

48

Growth in America

Articles appearing in this magazine do not necessarily express the views of the Editor or the publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information published. No legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from articles/information contained and published.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publishers.

Page 3

magazine contacts...

Lin Ramsay, Editor

Editor Lin Ramsay lin@smttoday.com

+44(0)1292 834009

skype: lin-smttoday

Advertising Enquiries To enquire about available advertising opportunities, please use the contacts below for more information.

Design Big Blue Dog bigbluedogdesign.com

+44(0)1292 280022

European Advertising europe@smttoday.com UK Advertising

uk@smttoday.com

Website

USA Advertising

usa@smttoday.com

smttoday.com

NEXT EDITION January/February’s edition will focus on IPC APEX 2015 in San Diego/Storage and Handling.

inside this issue...

Technology Today

Industry experts share their knowledge

38

8

Exploring AOI and X-ray

12 Spray Fluxing Technology

14 Quality: What Goes Around Does Not Necessarily Come

Back Around 20 The Smart Factory

22 JAVAD EMS Continues Best Performance Strategy

New Products

30 Horizon Sales

34 Speedprint Furthers Silicon Mountain’s Mission 40 Fancort Industries

42 Choosing the Right CEM

12 Spray Fluxing Technology

4

Meet the CEOs

33

Industry News

44 Growth in America

46 Where Is My Component?

Technology Today Interviews Interviews with industry experts 4 Meet the CEOs

5 Viscom AG’s Volker Pape

18 Dr. Subodh Kulkarni from CyberOptics 24 Ralph Hoeckle from Zestron Europe 28 Rod Howell from Libra Industries

Industry News

What’s happening in the world of electronics

New Products

44

Exciting new industry innovations

Red Carpet

32

38

Photo gallery of industry personalities and events

48

Growth in America

Articles appearing in this magazine do not necessarily express the views of the Editor or the publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information published. No legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from articles/information contained and published.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publishers.

Page 3

director

spotlight

meet the CEOs the people who make it happen Our industry is driven by a global network of CEOs with the energy and vision that brings new technology and innovation down the line. Every edition, we will introduce you to the faces behind the companies.

GKG Asia

Glenn Qiu is the founder of GKG Precision Machine Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Dongguan, China (Guangdong province), GKG is the leading China brand for fully automatic vision printers supplied to the SMT industries for PCB assembly.

Numerous printers are installed worldwide and GKG is the fastest growing company in this sector. The company’s marketing and training center, GKG ASIA PTE LTD, was incorporated in Singapore in 2009 to further enhance its global presence. Today, the company’s products are represented in more than 20 countries outside China by established sales and service partners.

an interview with Volker Pape

Rapid Tooling

Established in 1994, Rapid Tooling Inc. is a reliable resource for manufacturing and product development needs. With 13 CNC machining centers and a lathe center staffed 24 hours a day, Rapid Tooling is headed by President and CEO Dee Claybrook, and can deliver product quickly. Same day and 24-48 hour turns are not unusual depending on material availability and finish requirements. The company was created to address the challenges faced by engineers and managers in PCB assembly and semi-conductor packaging. Claybrook and his team strive to match exact tooling to customers’ needs to eliminate set up variation, reduce changeover times and defects, and provide the ultimate prize of bringing a quality product to market. As an outsource provider of sustaining and transparent engineering services, Rapid Tooling puts its many milestones down to its employees and astute management.

Viscom Inc.

Viscom Inc., a Georgia Corporation since 1998, serves the Americas as the sales, applications and service subsidiary of Viscom AG. The company is led by President and CEO, Carsten Salewski. The Americas operation is established in all industry segments, from large to medium and small EMS providers, as well as OEM customers, both large and small. Salewski and his team inspect varying types of products using the company’s AOI, SPI and X-ray systems, including automotive assemblies, medical devices, telecommunications equipment, military and aerospace products, as well as semiconductor devices. Carsten has extensive knowledge of Viscom equipment, having managed new product development for many years prior to relocating to the US and heading Viscom Inc.

Headquartered in Germany, Viscom’s inspection systems are used in virtually every branch of the electronics industry – from automotive electronics to aerospace technology, to industrial electronics and the semi-conductor industry. Our editors recently spoke with Volker Pape, Executive Board of Sales, International Business and Company Development at Viscom, about the state of the company as well as the state of Europe’s electronics manufacturing industry.

Q. As the co-founder of Viscom, what is your main goal for the company?

Has this changed since you started the company in 1984?

Fancort Industries

Ron Corey is the CEO of Fancort Industries, a company that provides solutions for electronics manufacturing processes including robotic soldering from Japan UNIX, SMT lead forming equipment and services, PCB depaneling solutions, hot bar bonding equipment, pneumatic and servo-presses, and ESD-safe racks for PCB handling. A manufacturer and integrator of production solutions for electronics manufacturers, the company has a strong competency in precision tool design and construction. Over the past 42 years, Corey and his team have led the company through many successful growth periods.

Today, the company sells a range of equipment through a global network of independent sales reps and distributors.

Page 4

Viscom has successfully marketed its inspection solutions since 1984 and has grown from a pioneer in the field of industrial image processing to a leader using a staff of several hundred employees today. The focus is high-quality inspection systems for the electronics industry, especially automatic optical inspection systems (AOI), placement and solder joint inspection, solder paste inspection (3-D SPI) as well as X-ray inspection (AXI). In this sector, the company has become one of the leading suppliers worldwide and a market leader in Europe.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

A.

My personal goal for Viscom has always been to make it a sustainable player in the market of machine vision technology. This target has been achieved and we continue to work towards improving this position. We have always been technology-driven and strive to provide premium products to customers with high demands and to make these products available for mass production.

Q.

Currently, what is your largest customer group and to what do you attribute this? Has that group changed from 10 years ago?

A. Our biggest customer group since the early 1990s has been – and remains – the automotive electronics manufacturing business. This is true since the early 1990’s.

The automotive industry operates with very high quality demands, which has driven inspection technology and, in the field of low to mid-price products, the awareness of inspection as a tool for yield improvement is growing.

Accordingly, the share of customers

for consumer goods, computers and communications is also growing. ____________________________________

we have always ‘‘ been technology-

driven and strive to provide premium products to customers with high demands

____________________________________

director

spotlight

meet the CEOs the people who make it happen Our industry is driven by a global network of CEOs with the energy and vision that brings new technology and innovation down the line. Every edition, we will introduce you to the faces behind the companies.

GKG Asia

Glenn Qiu is the founder of GKG Precision Machine Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Dongguan, China (Guangdong province), GKG is the leading China brand for fully automatic vision printers supplied to the SMT industries for PCB assembly.

Numerous printers are installed worldwide and GKG is the fastest growing company in this sector. The company’s marketing and training center, GKG ASIA PTE LTD, was incorporated in Singapore in 2009 to further enhance its global presence. Today, the company’s products are represented in more than 20 countries outside China by established sales and service partners.

an interview with Volker Pape

Rapid Tooling

Established in 1994, Rapid Tooling Inc. is a reliable resource for manufacturing and product development needs. With 13 CNC machining centers and a lathe center staffed 24 hours a day, Rapid Tooling is headed by President and CEO Dee Claybrook, and can deliver product quickly. Same day and 24-48 hour turns are not unusual depending on material availability and finish requirements. The company was created to address the challenges faced by engineers and managers in PCB assembly and semi-conductor packaging. Claybrook and his team strive to match exact tooling to customers’ needs to eliminate set up variation, reduce changeover times and defects, and provide the ultimate prize of bringing a quality product to market. As an outsource provider of sustaining and transparent engineering services, Rapid Tooling puts its many milestones down to its employees and astute management.

Viscom Inc.

Viscom Inc., a Georgia Corporation since 1998, serves the Americas as the sales, applications and service subsidiary of Viscom AG. The company is led by President and CEO, Carsten Salewski. The Americas operation is established in all industry segments, from large to medium and small EMS providers, as well as OEM customers, both large and small. Salewski and his team inspect varying types of products using the company’s AOI, SPI and X-ray systems, including automotive assemblies, medical devices, telecommunications equipment, military and aerospace products, as well as semiconductor devices. Carsten has extensive knowledge of Viscom equipment, having managed new product development for many years prior to relocating to the US and heading Viscom Inc.

Headquartered in Germany, Viscom’s inspection systems are used in virtually every branch of the electronics industry – from automotive electronics to aerospace technology, to industrial electronics and the semi-conductor industry. Our editors recently spoke with Volker Pape, Executive Board of Sales, International Business and Company Development at Viscom, about the state of the company as well as the state of Europe’s electronics manufacturing industry.

Q. As the co-founder of Viscom, what is your main goal for the company?

Has this changed since you started the company in 1984?

Fancort Industries

Ron Corey is the CEO of Fancort Industries, a company that provides solutions for electronics manufacturing processes including robotic soldering from Japan UNIX, SMT lead forming equipment and services, PCB depaneling solutions, hot bar bonding equipment, pneumatic and servo-presses, and ESD-safe racks for PCB handling. A manufacturer and integrator of production solutions for electronics manufacturers, the company has a strong competency in precision tool design and construction. Over the past 42 years, Corey and his team have led the company through many successful growth periods.

Today, the company sells a range of equipment through a global network of independent sales reps and distributors.

Page 4

Viscom has successfully marketed its inspection solutions since 1984 and has grown from a pioneer in the field of industrial image processing to a leader using a staff of several hundred employees today. The focus is high-quality inspection systems for the electronics industry, especially automatic optical inspection systems (AOI), placement and solder joint inspection, solder paste inspection (3-D SPI) as well as X-ray inspection (AXI). In this sector, the company has become one of the leading suppliers worldwide and a market leader in Europe.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

A.

My personal goal for Viscom has always been to make it a sustainable player in the market of machine vision technology. This target has been achieved and we continue to work towards improving this position. We have always been technology-driven and strive to provide premium products to customers with high demands and to make these products available for mass production.

Q.

Currently, what is your largest customer group and to what do you attribute this? Has that group changed from 10 years ago?

A. Our biggest customer group since the early 1990s has been – and remains – the automotive electronics manufacturing business. This is true since the early 1990’s.

The automotive industry operates with very high quality demands, which has driven inspection technology and, in the field of low to mid-price products, the awareness of inspection as a tool for yield improvement is growing.

Accordingly, the share of customers

for consumer goods, computers and communications is also growing. ____________________________________

we have always ‘‘ been technology-

driven and strive to provide premium products to customers with high demands

____________________________________

director

spotlight

Q. How do you foresee the electronics manufacturing industry in Europe progressing through the end of 2014 and into 2015? How much of an impact do you believe that will have on Viscom?

A.

The electronics industry is still important in Europe. Nevertheless it is more technology than volume related. For this reason it will be more the technology driver than the major business area for electronics mass production. How long that can be kept alive is a question I can’t answer.

Additionally, there are tendencies showing production movement to eastern European countries and to areas like Turkey.

Q.

We understand that Viscom has celebrated many successful product launches this year, especially the high-speed 3D AOI S3088 ultra and the system for conformal coating inspection. Can you please briefly state the highlights of these for our readers?

A. The

S3088 ultra system is a highspeed 3D AOI. Equipped with our powerful XM 3D camera technology it provides a fast, precise and shadow-free 3D analysis – and a full range capability of 2D and 2.5 D. In combination with Viscom Fast-Flow Handling, the system is one of the fastest AOI in the market.

It provides first-class inspection depth, high throughput together with its straightforward, simple operation, the 3D AOI S3088 ultra was a big success right from the beginning. ____________________________________

the electronics ‘‘ industry is still

important in europe. nevertheless it is more technology than volume related

____________________________________

The second new system introduction was the S3088 CCI for conformal coating inspection. The system features high performance camera technology and is also equipped with UV LEDs which accurately contrast UV-reactive conformal coatings. With a changeable resolution it quickly and reliably detects typical defects such as cracks, coating voids, too-thin or too-thick coatings, smears, contamination and splashes.

We also provide it with angular views that even check the spaces between the components. It is also available for wet inspection, where the coating is

Page 6

inspected before the protective coating is fully dry. ____________________________________

‘‘

effectiveness not only plays an important role in logistics and workflow but also big data solutions offer a lot of benefits by linking informati0n

____________________________________

Please also allow me to mention the uncountable improvements we put into our systems and software update releases. They contain real new features and improvements based on customer needs or our own developments.

Q.

Quality Uplink was another big software news, correct? Can you explain how it works and how it benefits your customers?

A. Effectiveness not only plays an important role in logistics and workflow but also, in respect of the inspection concept, big data solutions offer a lot of benefits by linking information.

Closed loops between SPI and printer are the first small step to go that way and are self-evidently part of this concept. The idea behind the Viscom Quality Uplink is to make the results of each inspection system along the line available to improve the whole process. Our software is able to link SPI, pre- and post-reflow AOI, AXI and MXI. Later steps may include data from other systems like printers, ovens and so on. Utilizing the collected information effectively prevents human false accepts, reduces manufacturing costs and increases the first-pass yield. An example of this would be the Viscom Quality Uplink which features a closed-loop connection to the paste printer. This allows the SPI to initiate an automated correction of the solder paste printing or optimize cleaning cycles. Looking down the line to the direction of the AOI, the Quality Uplink alarms the AOI to be more critical in inspecting a solder joint which has weak, but still accepted paste print on it.

Last but not least, even the human verification operator can rely on images and criteria from all points of inspection, helping to be much more efficient.

Q. How important is process feedback in inspection? Would you say that it has become more or less

important as new technologies and smaller boards become available?

Why/why not?

A. In any case process feedback becomes more and more important.

This can also be seen in the industry 4.0. discussion where smart software plays an important role in improving production. Inspection systems are a huge source of information and linking this information makes automatic process optimization possible resulting in lower costs and increasing efficiency, higher yields and reduces the need for manual process adaptation. ____________________________________

even the human ‘‘ verification

operator can rely on images and criteria from all points of inspection

____________________________________

Q.

From Viscom’s global presence, we gather that having a global customer base is very important to the company. We have also been reading about Viscom’s new representative/ distributor appointments throughout Europe. Can we take that to mean that Viscom is expanding? What about your North American and Asian operations? Are those experiencing growth as well?

A. The market for inspection technology was characterized by some consolidation and shake out over recent years. We used this opportunity to strengthen our own sales organization and enhancing growth. As I said earlier, we are willing to be consistent and reliable to our customers. That is why we are investing in all opportunities to improve our network, especially in northern and eastern Europe. In general we are working on strengthening our worldwide internal and external sales and support organisations. Sometimes these are purely operational changes but bigger changes will be published as soon as they are in place.

Q.

Can we expect to see new products/technologies from Viscom in 2015? If so, can you give us any general details?

A.

In 2015 we will certainly be introducing interesting new Viscom products, but we do not want to give away too much at this point.

However, they will be in the field of AOI as well as in X-ray and there will be some surprises!

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

director

spotlight

Q. How do you foresee the electronics manufacturing industry in Europe progressing through the end of 2014 and into 2015? How much of an impact do you believe that will have on Viscom?

A.

The electronics industry is still important in Europe. Nevertheless it is more technology than volume related. For this reason it will be more the technology driver than the major business area for electronics mass production. How long that can be kept alive is a question I can’t answer.

Additionally, there are tendencies showing production movement to eastern European countries and to areas like Turkey.

Q.

We understand that Viscom has celebrated many successful product launches this year, especially the high-speed 3D AOI S3088 ultra and the system for conformal coating inspection. Can you please briefly state the highlights of these for our readers?

A. The

S3088 ultra system is a highspeed 3D AOI. Equipped with our powerful XM 3D camera technology it provides a fast, precise and shadow-free 3D analysis – and a full range capability of 2D and 2.5 D. In combination with Viscom Fast-Flow Handling, the system is one of the fastest AOI in the market.

It provides first-class inspection depth, high throughput together with its straightforward, simple operation, the 3D AOI S3088 ultra was a big success right from the beginning. ____________________________________

the electronics ‘‘ industry is still

important in europe. nevertheless it is more technology than volume related

____________________________________

The second new system introduction was the S3088 CCI for conformal coating inspection. The system features high performance camera technology and is also equipped with UV LEDs which accurately contrast UV-reactive conformal coatings. With a changeable resolution it quickly and reliably detects typical defects such as cracks, coating voids, too-thin or too-thick coatings, smears, contamination and splashes.

We also provide it with angular views that even check the spaces between the components. It is also available for wet inspection, where the coating is

Page 6

inspected before the protective coating is fully dry. ____________________________________

‘‘

effectiveness not only plays an important role in logistics and workflow but also big data solutions offer a lot of benefits by linking informati0n

____________________________________

Please also allow me to mention the uncountable improvements we put into our systems and software update releases. They contain real new features and improvements based on customer needs or our own developments.

Q.

Quality Uplink was another big software news, correct? Can you explain how it works and how it benefits your customers?

A. Effectiveness not only plays an important role in logistics and workflow but also, in respect of the inspection concept, big data solutions offer a lot of benefits by linking information.

Closed loops between SPI and printer are the first small step to go that way and are self-evidently part of this concept. The idea behind the Viscom Quality Uplink is to make the results of each inspection system along the line available to improve the whole process. Our software is able to link SPI, pre- and post-reflow AOI, AXI and MXI. Later steps may include data from other systems like printers, ovens and so on. Utilizing the collected information effectively prevents human false accepts, reduces manufacturing costs and increases the first-pass yield. An example of this would be the Viscom Quality Uplink which features a closed-loop connection to the paste printer. This allows the SPI to initiate an automated correction of the solder paste printing or optimize cleaning cycles. Looking down the line to the direction of the AOI, the Quality Uplink alarms the AOI to be more critical in inspecting a solder joint which has weak, but still accepted paste print on it.

Last but not least, even the human verification operator can rely on images and criteria from all points of inspection, helping to be much more efficient.

Q. How important is process feedback in inspection? Would you say that it has become more or less

important as new technologies and smaller boards become available?

Why/why not?

A. In any case process feedback becomes more and more important.

This can also be seen in the industry 4.0. discussion where smart software plays an important role in improving production. Inspection systems are a huge source of information and linking this information makes automatic process optimization possible resulting in lower costs and increasing efficiency, higher yields and reduces the need for manual process adaptation. ____________________________________

even the human ‘‘ verification

operator can rely on images and criteria from all points of inspection

____________________________________

Q.

From Viscom’s global presence, we gather that having a global customer base is very important to the company. We have also been reading about Viscom’s new representative/ distributor appointments throughout Europe. Can we take that to mean that Viscom is expanding? What about your North American and Asian operations? Are those experiencing growth as well?

A. The market for inspection technology was characterized by some consolidation and shake out over recent years. We used this opportunity to strengthen our own sales organization and enhancing growth. As I said earlier, we are willing to be consistent and reliable to our customers. That is why we are investing in all opportunities to improve our network, especially in northern and eastern Europe. In general we are working on strengthening our worldwide internal and external sales and support organisations. Sometimes these are purely operational changes but bigger changes will be published as soon as they are in place.

Q.

Can we expect to see new products/technologies from Viscom in 2015? If so, can you give us any general details?

A.

In 2015 we will certainly be introducing interesting new Viscom products, but we do not want to give away too much at this point.

However, they will be in the field of AOI as well as in X-ray and there will be some surprises!

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Exploring AOI and X-Ray

by Don Miller, Nordson YESTECH Manufacturers of advanced PCB assemblies know that simultaneously producing cost-competitive products and meeting the quality expectations of customers are vital to their success. Driven by advancing board complexities and the desire to improve yields by effectively using real-time process information, manufacturers are increasing their adoption of automated test and inspection technologies.

Two of the guiding philosophies for the implementation of test and inspection technologies are prevention and detection.

Prevention places the priority on process control and elimination of defects by implementing corrective action. Detection focuses inspection efforts on ensuring that no defective assemblies escape from the factory floor.

Different inspection goals will dictate the need for process information at varying levels of detail. Having a well-understood set of goals helps ensure that the selected technologies can be used to maximum benefit.

A comprehensive test and inspection strategy will often use a combination of automated optical inspection (AOI), automated X-ray (AXI), in-circuit test and functional test to ensure inspection coverage and yield rates are maximized (Figure 1). The sum of results from multiple inspection techniques far outweighs the capabilities of any one system alone. In addition, the process can be streamlined by delegating the inspection duties of the equipment to what it is best suited for, eliminating total dependency on any one method.

Figure 1. Test Coverage Example

With improvements in inspection technology comes enhanced defect analysis and ultimately more accurate data. Although data collection is a critical aspect of process improvement, to ensure the process remains in control, you must also enforce a plan that provides immediate feedback.

The benefits of this plan are quickly realized by minimizing the response time and cost caused by a process anomaly. AOI and AXI systems can address multiple tasks in various locations of the manufacturing process and have become the leading technologies in the quest to identify defects and improve process yields (Figure 2).

Page 8

are essential for today’s inspection requirements:

Figure 2. PCB Assembly Process and Inspection Points

Automated Optical Inspection When comparing the speed, efficiency and flexibility of AOI to other test and inspection methods, the benefits are clear. For example, a typical manufacturing line may use two to four inspectors to visually identify and repair component and solder defects.

In contrast, an AOI system requires only one operator to detect and repair defects as well as collect all necessary data for yield improvements. This can either reduce the per-shift requirement for labor or enable reallocation of resources to another part of the manufacturing process. Because AOI systems can be placed in various in-line and off-line configurations, it is important to thoroughly analyze the factors that influence the overall yields to determine the best fit for your process.

A return-on-investment model is an excellent tool for estimating the benefits of the AOI system in different process configurations.

The goal of this exercise is to reduce the cost per function and improve the current yield rates.

If the main objective of your plan is to deploy a better defect detection system, then placing the machine at the end of the manufacturing line or in an off-line location will be best for your model. If you are more interested in defect prevention, then you will want to insert the AOI system farther upstream in the process.

Depending on individual requirements, the best results could be achieved by placing the machine at one or more of the following locations: post-print, pre-reflow, or postreflow. In any of these scenarios, the reduction or reallocation of labor is of particular interest, especially when considering research has shown that, on average, human inspection is only approximately 50% efficient when detecting visible defects on PCBs. There are many factors behind this inefficiency but it is primarily the repetitive and demanding nature of the work that makes concentration difficult to maintain.

The monotony can also result in a high staff turnover with consequent costs in hiring and training personnel.

In contrast to human inspection, AOI delivers both accurate and repeatable results. In many installations, it has been tested with efficiency as high as 99%.

AOI Essentials Various characteristics of AOI systems

Magnification Pixel counts and optical and digital magnification are important criteria that often determine the ultimate capabilities of an inspection system. To accurately inspect small devices, such as 01005s, the combined optical and digital magnification must provide the necessary amount of resolution and information to the AOI software inspection algorithms.

Higher magnification, however, leads to a smaller field of view (FOV), longer image acquisition times and more data to process.

As cycle times shorten, the AOI system must offer a balance between magnification and image acquisition speed.

The pixel size is determined by the properties of the imaging sensor and the optics of the AOI system. Take, for example, a typical 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensor with an array size of 1,280 x 1,024 fitted with a lens that produces a field of view of 32 mm x 25.6 mm, which has a pixel size of 25 µm. If you consider that a 01005 resistor is 200 x 400 µm, the projected image of the component would be 8 x 16 pixels.

This may not be enough information for the inspection algorithms to provide sufficient defect detection. However, the same sensor with a lens that has an FOV of 16 x 12.8 mm results in a pixel size of 12.5 µm, which would display the component at 16 x 32 pixels. This x4 increase in area may now provide enough information for the inspection algorithms to accurately detect the defect conditions.

Optics For increased accuracy and repeatability, the use of telecentric optics has become increasingly popular in AOI equipment.

Traditional lenses exhibit varying magnification for objects at different distances from the lens and can show the apparent shape of objects changing with distance from the center of the FOV. Telecentric lenses have the same magnification at all distances. An objectspace telecentric lens creates images of the same size for objects at any distance and has constant angle of view across the entire FOV. Because their images have constant magnification and geometry, telecentric lenses are useful for metrology applications when an AOI system must determine the precise size of objects independently from their position within the FOV and even when their distance is affected by some degree of unknown variations.

Programmable Lighting In any machine vision application, lighting is critical to achieving the desired results.

Trying to find one light source that will enable detection of all defect conditions is nearly impossible given the ever-changing environment of electronics manufacturing.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Exploring AOI and X-Ray

by Don Miller, Nordson YESTECH Manufacturers of advanced PCB assemblies know that simultaneously producing cost-competitive products and meeting the quality expectations of customers are vital to their success. Driven by advancing board complexities and the desire to improve yields by effectively using real-time process information, manufacturers are increasing their adoption of automated test and inspection technologies.

Two of the guiding philosophies for the implementation of test and inspection technologies are prevention and detection.

Prevention places the priority on process control and elimination of defects by implementing corrective action. Detection focuses inspection efforts on ensuring that no defective assemblies escape from the factory floor.

Different inspection goals will dictate the need for process information at varying levels of detail. Having a well-understood set of goals helps ensure that the selected technologies can be used to maximum benefit.

A comprehensive test and inspection strategy will often use a combination of automated optical inspection (AOI), automated X-ray (AXI), in-circuit test and functional test to ensure inspection coverage and yield rates are maximized (Figure 1). The sum of results from multiple inspection techniques far outweighs the capabilities of any one system alone. In addition, the process can be streamlined by delegating the inspection duties of the equipment to what it is best suited for, eliminating total dependency on any one method.

Figure 1. Test Coverage Example

With improvements in inspection technology comes enhanced defect analysis and ultimately more accurate data. Although data collection is a critical aspect of process improvement, to ensure the process remains in control, you must also enforce a plan that provides immediate feedback.

The benefits of this plan are quickly realized by minimizing the response time and cost caused by a process anomaly. AOI and AXI systems can address multiple tasks in various locations of the manufacturing process and have become the leading technologies in the quest to identify defects and improve process yields (Figure 2).

Page 8

are essential for today’s inspection requirements:

Figure 2. PCB Assembly Process and Inspection Points

Automated Optical Inspection When comparing the speed, efficiency and flexibility of AOI to other test and inspection methods, the benefits are clear. For example, a typical manufacturing line may use two to four inspectors to visually identify and repair component and solder defects.

In contrast, an AOI system requires only one operator to detect and repair defects as well as collect all necessary data for yield improvements. This can either reduce the per-shift requirement for labor or enable reallocation of resources to another part of the manufacturing process. Because AOI systems can be placed in various in-line and off-line configurations, it is important to thoroughly analyze the factors that influence the overall yields to determine the best fit for your process.

A return-on-investment model is an excellent tool for estimating the benefits of the AOI system in different process configurations.

The goal of this exercise is to reduce the cost per function and improve the current yield rates.

If the main objective of your plan is to deploy a better defect detection system, then placing the machine at the end of the manufacturing line or in an off-line location will be best for your model. If you are more interested in defect prevention, then you will want to insert the AOI system farther upstream in the process.

Depending on individual requirements, the best results could be achieved by placing the machine at one or more of the following locations: post-print, pre-reflow, or postreflow. In any of these scenarios, the reduction or reallocation of labor is of particular interest, especially when considering research has shown that, on average, human inspection is only approximately 50% efficient when detecting visible defects on PCBs. There are many factors behind this inefficiency but it is primarily the repetitive and demanding nature of the work that makes concentration difficult to maintain.

The monotony can also result in a high staff turnover with consequent costs in hiring and training personnel.

In contrast to human inspection, AOI delivers both accurate and repeatable results. In many installations, it has been tested with efficiency as high as 99%.

AOI Essentials Various characteristics of AOI systems

Magnification Pixel counts and optical and digital magnification are important criteria that often determine the ultimate capabilities of an inspection system. To accurately inspect small devices, such as 01005s, the combined optical and digital magnification must provide the necessary amount of resolution and information to the AOI software inspection algorithms.

Higher magnification, however, leads to a smaller field of view (FOV), longer image acquisition times and more data to process.

As cycle times shorten, the AOI system must offer a balance between magnification and image acquisition speed.

The pixel size is determined by the properties of the imaging sensor and the optics of the AOI system. Take, for example, a typical 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensor with an array size of 1,280 x 1,024 fitted with a lens that produces a field of view of 32 mm x 25.6 mm, which has a pixel size of 25 µm. If you consider that a 01005 resistor is 200 x 400 µm, the projected image of the component would be 8 x 16 pixels.

This may not be enough information for the inspection algorithms to provide sufficient defect detection. However, the same sensor with a lens that has an FOV of 16 x 12.8 mm results in a pixel size of 12.5 µm, which would display the component at 16 x 32 pixels. This x4 increase in area may now provide enough information for the inspection algorithms to accurately detect the defect conditions.

Optics For increased accuracy and repeatability, the use of telecentric optics has become increasingly popular in AOI equipment.

Traditional lenses exhibit varying magnification for objects at different distances from the lens and can show the apparent shape of objects changing with distance from the center of the FOV. Telecentric lenses have the same magnification at all distances. An objectspace telecentric lens creates images of the same size for objects at any distance and has constant angle of view across the entire FOV. Because their images have constant magnification and geometry, telecentric lenses are useful for metrology applications when an AOI system must determine the precise size of objects independently from their position within the FOV and even when their distance is affected by some degree of unknown variations.

Programmable Lighting In any machine vision application, lighting is critical to achieving the desired results.

Trying to find one light source that will enable detection of all defect conditions is nearly impossible given the ever-changing environment of electronics manufacturing.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

To ensure the widest defect coverage for component and PCB configurations, a dynamic light source is crucial. With the reduction in cost of light-emitting diodes, AOI equipment manufacturers can configure light arrays that are highly customizable within the inspection software. With multiple colors at various angles, AOI users have the flexibility to enhance the contrast of the image to easily identify a multitude of defect conditions.

Even within a given component type, the possibilities are endless. There are many variations of color and surface properties along with the variations of paste composition, pad size and material, and PCB color and texture. Programmable lighting is an invaluable tool for ensuring the widest range of defect detection.

Positional Accuracy As component size decreases, the positional accuracy of both manufacturing and inspection equipment becomes critical.

As a rule of thumb, the AOI system should have subpixel accuracy. This will ensure the system is sufficiently accurate to detect small deviations in position that can lead to a 01005 defect.

Network-Capable Software Two important functions of an AOI system are data collection and retrieval. The data can be in the form of a text output, a database, an image collection, or a combination of several formats. Collecting the data is a basic function of most AOI systems; however, retrieving the information often is more complex and depends on the configuration of the manufacturing line.

In a networked environment, the AOI can simultaneously inspect a PCB assembly while transmitting results from the previous assembly to a downstream review/rework station. The downstream station not only communicates with the AOI system, but also stores inspection results and reviews operations into a statistical process control (SPC) database. Inspection results can be viewed in real time or archived for later review.

While most automated test equipment is designed for post-reflow or end-ofline inspection, an AOI system can be implemented almost anywhere within the process. This flexibility allows the overall inspection plan to be fine-tuned by moving or adding AOI equipment to different manufacturing line locations until the desired yield is achieved.

Automated X-Ray Inspection AXI is becoming increasingly popular because, like AOI, it is a non-invasive inspection solution that provides real-time process data and can be used effectively for defect detection and yield improvements.

X-ray images of solder joints can be analyzed automatically to detect structural defects such as insufficient solder, voiding shorts, opens and other defects that can account for upwards of 90% of the total defects on a complicated board. But unlike AOI, X-ray imaging is not hindered by hidden solder joints, component shields and high-density double-sided boards.

This key advantage of inspecting hidden solder joints makes AXI the logical choice for inspecting complicated boards, especially ones with BGAs, CGAs, CSPs, or components that are under RF shields. This is a critical advantage of AXI considering a

Page 10

significantly large number of boards fall into this category with the increasing popularity of array-style packaging. Additionally, many cell phones and wireless communications products are placing RF shields over unsoldered components at pick-and-place, using the reflow processes to solder them to the board.

AXI can be useful at many stages of the assembly process, but time and resource constraints usually limit most products to a single X-ray inspection. For that reason, it should be implemented only where it will provide the maximum benefit to the process.

Since automatic analysis of finished solder joints is AXI’s strength, most systems are placed after the solder process, whether wave or reflow. At this point, all solder joints on the board are present and can be covered in a single test. In addition, by waiting for the completion of the assembly process any other defects, such as damaged or missing components, will be detected.

AXI Types 2-D or Transmission X-Ray With the 2-D technique, X-rays are generated at a fixed-point source, pass through the PCB assembly and form an image on an electronic detector. The image is converted into a digital image and transferred to a computer where the analysis takes place.

This technology is widely used for singlesided boards in automotive and other highreliability applications.

Advanced image processing software is now available to distinguish components and conduct automated inspection of solder defects. Transmission X-ray is the most common form of X-ray inspection for electronic assemblies.

3-D X-Ray 3-D X-ray technology provides clear images of single layers or slices of the board to facilitate unimpeded inspection of double-sided boards in a single pass. The laminographic 3-D technique requires the X-ray source and detector to move in a circular pattern 180 degrees out of phase.

Only features in one plane are in focus.

Components and solder joints not in the plane are sufficiently blurred out.

The tomosynthesis technique creates 3-D images by reconstructing multiple transmission images taken from different angles. These images are digitally combined to create slices at any depth. Both techniques are commonly used today in X-ray inspection applications for more complicated doublesided electronic assemblies (Figure 3)

A critical challenge for AXI systems has historically been to accurately identify defects within the allowed cycle time. To maximize throughput and defect coverage, some systems today permit selective 2-D or 3-D inspection on the same assembly.

Specific components or regions of interest can be selected for 3-D inspection without significantly impacting overall inspection time.

Another recent development is the portability of data between AXI and AOI systems from some suppliers. The capability to share libraries, inspection programs, and SPC data between AOI and AXI systems can greatly enhance machine usage and defect coverage.

Conclusion The flexibility of today’s AOI and AXI systems extends beyond placement within the manufacturing process. There has been a steady progression in performance and usability since the introduction of the machines in the early 1980s. Initial versions were very expensive, limited in capability, difficult to program and required many hours or days to create and maintain inspection programs. Unless running in a high-volume, low-mix production line, it was difficult to justify these technologies as a viable solution.

Thanks to the rapid evolution of hardware and software technologies, the latest generation of AOI and AXI systems has overcome most of these limitations. Operators can quickly and easily create inspection programs and manage daily runtime operations with very little intervention. As a result, both high-mix and high-volume manufacturing lines can recognize immediate yield-improvement automated inspection results.

In addition to real-time process feedback, many proponents of automated inspection have praised the substantial time reduction on first-article inspection and line changeovers. By using the latest network and communications methods, there are unlimited possibilities in how data is recorded and retrieved.

In-line or off-line review stations can seamlessly convert the inspection results into an efficient rework process by identifying the defective areas of the PCB assembly and recording the actions performed by the operator. The operator’s actions and machine data can then be analyzed via Web-based SPC and statistical quality control software packages to create an instant snapshot of the process via standard Internet browsers on a desktop PC. Finally, AOI and AXI have been following the trend of most recent technologies to provide more performance for less cost.

The resulting price/performance ratio of these systems has become a driving factor in the ever-increasing acceptance of these technologies. Whether high-volume or highmix, both large and small companies can quickly realize the value in automated optical and X-ray inspection. When considering the power of AOI and X-ray systems that can be used in multiple process locations with unlimited data collection and reporting capabilities, the benefits are compelling.

Figure 3. Tomosynthesis Slice Analysis

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

To ensure the widest defect coverage for component and PCB configurations, a dynamic light source is crucial. With the reduction in cost of light-emitting diodes, AOI equipment manufacturers can configure light arrays that are highly customizable within the inspection software. With multiple colors at various angles, AOI users have the flexibility to enhance the contrast of the image to easily identify a multitude of defect conditions.

Even within a given component type, the possibilities are endless. There are many variations of color and surface properties along with the variations of paste composition, pad size and material, and PCB color and texture. Programmable lighting is an invaluable tool for ensuring the widest range of defect detection.

Positional Accuracy As component size decreases, the positional accuracy of both manufacturing and inspection equipment becomes critical.

As a rule of thumb, the AOI system should have subpixel accuracy. This will ensure the system is sufficiently accurate to detect small deviations in position that can lead to a 01005 defect.

Network-Capable Software Two important functions of an AOI system are data collection and retrieval. The data can be in the form of a text output, a database, an image collection, or a combination of several formats. Collecting the data is a basic function of most AOI systems; however, retrieving the information often is more complex and depends on the configuration of the manufacturing line.

In a networked environment, the AOI can simultaneously inspect a PCB assembly while transmitting results from the previous assembly to a downstream review/rework station. The downstream station not only communicates with the AOI system, but also stores inspection results and reviews operations into a statistical process control (SPC) database. Inspection results can be viewed in real time or archived for later review.

While most automated test equipment is designed for post-reflow or end-ofline inspection, an AOI system can be implemented almost anywhere within the process. This flexibility allows the overall inspection plan to be fine-tuned by moving or adding AOI equipment to different manufacturing line locations until the desired yield is achieved.

Automated X-Ray Inspection AXI is becoming increasingly popular because, like AOI, it is a non-invasive inspection solution that provides real-time process data and can be used effectively for defect detection and yield improvements.

X-ray images of solder joints can be analyzed automatically to detect structural defects such as insufficient solder, voiding shorts, opens and other defects that can account for upwards of 90% of the total defects on a complicated board. But unlike AOI, X-ray imaging is not hindered by hidden solder joints, component shields and high-density double-sided boards.

This key advantage of inspecting hidden solder joints makes AXI the logical choice for inspecting complicated boards, especially ones with BGAs, CGAs, CSPs, or components that are under RF shields. This is a critical advantage of AXI considering a

Page 10

significantly large number of boards fall into this category with the increasing popularity of array-style packaging. Additionally, many cell phones and wireless communications products are placing RF shields over unsoldered components at pick-and-place, using the reflow processes to solder them to the board.

AXI can be useful at many stages of the assembly process, but time and resource constraints usually limit most products to a single X-ray inspection. For that reason, it should be implemented only where it will provide the maximum benefit to the process.

Since automatic analysis of finished solder joints is AXI’s strength, most systems are placed after the solder process, whether wave or reflow. At this point, all solder joints on the board are present and can be covered in a single test. In addition, by waiting for the completion of the assembly process any other defects, such as damaged or missing components, will be detected.

AXI Types 2-D or Transmission X-Ray With the 2-D technique, X-rays are generated at a fixed-point source, pass through the PCB assembly and form an image on an electronic detector. The image is converted into a digital image and transferred to a computer where the analysis takes place.

This technology is widely used for singlesided boards in automotive and other highreliability applications.

Advanced image processing software is now available to distinguish components and conduct automated inspection of solder defects. Transmission X-ray is the most common form of X-ray inspection for electronic assemblies.

3-D X-Ray 3-D X-ray technology provides clear images of single layers or slices of the board to facilitate unimpeded inspection of double-sided boards in a single pass. The laminographic 3-D technique requires the X-ray source and detector to move in a circular pattern 180 degrees out of phase.

Only features in one plane are in focus.

Components and solder joints not in the plane are sufficiently blurred out.

The tomosynthesis technique creates 3-D images by reconstructing multiple transmission images taken from different angles. These images are digitally combined to create slices at any depth. Both techniques are commonly used today in X-ray inspection applications for more complicated doublesided electronic assemblies (Figure 3)

A critical challenge for AXI systems has historically been to accurately identify defects within the allowed cycle time. To maximize throughput and defect coverage, some systems today permit selective 2-D or 3-D inspection on the same assembly.

Specific components or regions of interest can be selected for 3-D inspection without significantly impacting overall inspection time.

Another recent development is the portability of data between AXI and AOI systems from some suppliers. The capability to share libraries, inspection programs, and SPC data between AOI and AXI systems can greatly enhance machine usage and defect coverage.

Conclusion The flexibility of today’s AOI and AXI systems extends beyond placement within the manufacturing process. There has been a steady progression in performance and usability since the introduction of the machines in the early 1980s. Initial versions were very expensive, limited in capability, difficult to program and required many hours or days to create and maintain inspection programs. Unless running in a high-volume, low-mix production line, it was difficult to justify these technologies as a viable solution.

Thanks to the rapid evolution of hardware and software technologies, the latest generation of AOI and AXI systems has overcome most of these limitations. Operators can quickly and easily create inspection programs and manage daily runtime operations with very little intervention. As a result, both high-mix and high-volume manufacturing lines can recognize immediate yield-improvement automated inspection results.

In addition to real-time process feedback, many proponents of automated inspection have praised the substantial time reduction on first-article inspection and line changeovers. By using the latest network and communications methods, there are unlimited possibilities in how data is recorded and retrieved.

In-line or off-line review stations can seamlessly convert the inspection results into an efficient rework process by identifying the defective areas of the PCB assembly and recording the actions performed by the operator. The operator’s actions and machine data can then be analyzed via Web-based SPC and statistical quality control software packages to create an instant snapshot of the process via standard Internet browsers on a desktop PC. Finally, AOI and AXI have been following the trend of most recent technologies to provide more performance for less cost.

The resulting price/performance ratio of these systems has become a driving factor in the ever-increasing acceptance of these technologies. Whether high-volume or highmix, both large and small companies can quickly realize the value in automated optical and X-ray inspection. When considering the power of AOI and X-ray systems that can be used in multiple process locations with unlimited data collection and reporting capabilities, the benefits are compelling.

Figure 3. Tomosynthesis Slice Analysis

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Spray Fluxing Technology and a Tale of Two Fluxes

By Bennett Bruntil, Regional Sales Manager, Sono-Tek Corporation

In order to meet customer demands, many contract manufacturers (CMs) are using two different flux types on a single wave soldering line. Typically, this is handled in one of three ways: using two separate spray fluxers, using a complicated dual headed fluxer, or manually switching flux tanks and purging the system, which is a time-consuming process. Sono-Tek Corporation, a worldwide supplier of ultrasonic spray fluxing systems located in Milton, NY, offers an alternative option with more flexibility, seamless changeover, and the cost advantage and simplicity of using one head. ____________________________________

‘‘

the fluxer has the ability to switch from one flux to the other simply by selecting the recipe

____________________________________

Sono-Tek’s SonoFlux Servo with Dual Flux option takes a unique approach to changing from one flux type to another.

This ultrasonic spray fluxing system has two fully independent flux dispensing systems incorporated into one fluxing system while using a single ultrasonic nozzle. The fluxer has the ability to switch from one flux to the other simply by selecting the recipe. During operation, when the operator picks a different recipe that calls for alternate flux, the system will automatically switch fluxes and purge the other. This level of automation not only saves time but also reduces the chance of using the wrong flux. Additionally, it enables CMs to have rapid changeovers from one flux to another. ____________________________________

‘‘

Sono-Tek’s unique flow through nozzle design creates a continuous self-cleaning effect due to the ultrasonic action

____________________________________

The SonoFlux Servo system has two fully separate wetted systems for flux one and two (two tanks, two pumps, two sets of liquid lines, separate valves), ensuring that flux from Tank 1 will never get into flux from Tank 2. When a recipe calls for a flux change, the nozzle purges the old flux for 10-20 seconds.

The system’s special tubing and valving

Page 12

is designed to eliminate any chance of cross contamination. Sono-Tek’s unique flow through nozzle design creates a continuous self-cleaning effect due to the ultrasonic action, ensuring that there is no residual flux left in the nozzle between changeovers.

Since its introduction in 2011, several major CMs have been using the SonoFlux Servo Dual Flux System with success and no reports of crosscontamination, including switching between water soluble and no-clean fluxes. Other standard features of the Sono-Flux Servo include: • Easy integration and operation in all major wave solder machines • Full Windows®-based control recipedriven control of flux one and flux two process parameters with recipe storage • Automatic flux purge when switching fluxes to eliminate cross contamination • High-precision flux delivery pump for repeatable flow rates • No solvent purge required • Compatible with all fluxes • Selective area fluxing capability for greatly reduced flux consumption For more information, visit Sono-Tek’s Website at www.sprayfluxing.com to learn about the company’s extensive line of ultrasonic spray fluxers. SonoTek is one of the originators of ultrasonic spray fluxing technology, and continues to be a world leader in the industry.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Spray Fluxing Technology and a Tale of Two Fluxes

By Bennett Bruntil, Regional Sales Manager, Sono-Tek Corporation

In order to meet customer demands, many contract manufacturers (CMs) are using two different flux types on a single wave soldering line. Typically, this is handled in one of three ways: using two separate spray fluxers, using a complicated dual headed fluxer, or manually switching flux tanks and purging the system, which is a time-consuming process. Sono-Tek Corporation, a worldwide supplier of ultrasonic spray fluxing systems located in Milton, NY, offers an alternative option with more flexibility, seamless changeover, and the cost advantage and simplicity of using one head. ____________________________________

‘‘

the fluxer has the ability to switch from one flux to the other simply by selecting the recipe

____________________________________

Sono-Tek’s SonoFlux Servo with Dual Flux option takes a unique approach to changing from one flux type to another.

This ultrasonic spray fluxing system has two fully independent flux dispensing systems incorporated into one fluxing system while using a single ultrasonic nozzle. The fluxer has the ability to switch from one flux to the other simply by selecting the recipe. During operation, when the operator picks a different recipe that calls for alternate flux, the system will automatically switch fluxes and purge the other. This level of automation not only saves time but also reduces the chance of using the wrong flux. Additionally, it enables CMs to have rapid changeovers from one flux to another. ____________________________________

‘‘

Sono-Tek’s unique flow through nozzle design creates a continuous self-cleaning effect due to the ultrasonic action

____________________________________

The SonoFlux Servo system has two fully separate wetted systems for flux one and two (two tanks, two pumps, two sets of liquid lines, separate valves), ensuring that flux from Tank 1 will never get into flux from Tank 2. When a recipe calls for a flux change, the nozzle purges the old flux for 10-20 seconds.

The system’s special tubing and valving

Page 12

is designed to eliminate any chance of cross contamination. Sono-Tek’s unique flow through nozzle design creates a continuous self-cleaning effect due to the ultrasonic action, ensuring that there is no residual flux left in the nozzle between changeovers.

Since its introduction in 2011, several major CMs have been using the SonoFlux Servo Dual Flux System with success and no reports of crosscontamination, including switching between water soluble and no-clean fluxes. Other standard features of the Sono-Flux Servo include: • Easy integration and operation in all major wave solder machines • Full Windows®-based control recipedriven control of flux one and flux two process parameters with recipe storage • Automatic flux purge when switching fluxes to eliminate cross contamination • High-precision flux delivery pump for repeatable flow rates • No solvent purge required • Compatible with all fluxes • Selective area fluxing capability for greatly reduced flux consumption For more information, visit Sono-Tek’s Website at www.sprayfluxing.com to learn about the company’s extensive line of ultrasonic spray fluxers. SonoTek is one of the originators of ultrasonic spray fluxing technology, and continues to be a world leader in the industry.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Quality: What Goes Around Does Not Necessarily Come Back Around

By Michael Ford, Senior Marketing Development Manager, Mentor Graphics Corporation Quality is a cornerstone of the PCB electronics manufacturing industry.

The cost of poor quality can be sudden and extreme in many sectors of the market. Market quality reports that were once private and manageable are out on the World Wide Web, and totally uncontrolled.

Hundreds of thousands of dramatized shopping reviews, social media comments, and videos from unsatisfied customers are posted on the Internet every day.

Today, taking control of market quality and reducing the instances of defects, means being able to trace quality issues back to source. It also means closing the loop with manufacturing data in a real and specific way, which is critical for improving design, engineering, supply-chain, and manufacturing performance. Traceability is an important contribution to the overall cost reduction of the complete product lifecycle, and removing defects is especially compelling in quality and safety critical applications.

The Market Changes That Should Have Driven Business Changes Before the Internet existed, a lot of effort was made to ensure the quality of manufactured products, given the limited information technology available at the time. Where defects did happen, the main risk was that the potential consequence would become serious enough to trigger a damaging report in the printed media or a public product recall. The noise-level of “acceptable” poor market quality was effectively unheard, and so manufacturers had little incentive to put much effort into answering routine quality issues.

Third-party companies were often selected to take on the burden of managing inwarranty claims. Repairs could be done by an unfathomable number of local repair shops. Repair in this context, of course, does not mean the actual repair of the defect that caused the product not to work or to work incorrectly. More likely, the repair operation was to replace a printed circuit board or, in many cases, simply to replace the endproduct. Because this practice survives to the present day, customers are under the mistaken assumption that they are getting responsive service.

This is no longer the case. Customers today expect that products should not have any defect (unless they are aware of the manufacture-for-obsolescence that is prevalent in manufacturing today). Relying on old practices no longer satisfies the market.

The noise level of defects is no longer hidden.

As soon as a product is purchased on-line,

Page 14

the customer is asked to write a review.

These are people who are not professional writers, and they are probably not going to be in the best frame of mind if they are reviewing a product that has just let them down. This problem exists, with different symptoms, across the whole of the electronics industry.

For consumer products, consider the child opening a present on Christmas morning: a mobile telephone that doesn’t work. One minute later, the story of disappointment, linked to the specific product without opportunity for any content control, is out there on social media. Consider also the case of the central heating boiler controller that fails a month after the warranty expired. The knowledge of product quality and longevity is out there for consumers and also for the retailers and installers who take responsibility for products even though they actually know very little when it comes to fault diagnostics.

Safety critical systems in a car, in aerospace engines, even nuclear power plant regulation systems—defects at installation can cause project delays costing millions of dollars.

Failures after installation can change family lives or even the shape of the planet.

All of these areas have one thing in common today. If there is a failure with the electronics, the result can be catastrophic. As a society, we have given everyone a voice and handed control of the most sensitive parts of our world to automation. The current approach to electronic product market quality needs to be updated accordingly.

Taking Responsibility for Defects Defects found in the market can be the result of many complex issues. Determining the exact cause of each defect is essential to resolving the root cause of the issue. It can be an issue of design, manufacturing, materials, test, or even distribution. For example, a failure could be found to be from a particular SMT chip. The origin of the issue could be a fault of the material used, perhaps a batch of chips from a certain manufacturer, or even an alternative source that was used has performed poorly from a reliability perspective, outside of the specification for that part.

In this case, the issue needs to be proven statistically, using the market repair data and followed up with purchasing and the supplier. The issue instead could be related to breaking solder joints, which then need to be chased down with manufacturing process engineering. The problem may be that failures are related to materials that are known to be ESD-sensitive, which may follow a time pattern within manufacturing and indicate a line or shift at fault. It may follow a geographical pattern in the market, prompting a change in design to provide additional protection for exposed electrical connections.

To begin to track down defects requires traceability, which is built on data collection from each assembly step where materials are added or changed or the product is subjected to crucial process parameters.

For example, a case was found where the incidence of cracked printed circuit boards causing defects in the market was traced back to a certain start date, which just happened to be the same date as speed bumps were introduced at the exit of the factory. Not all defects are manufacturing-, materials-, or design-related.

A study was done some years ago to take fault diagnosis one step further. A trial was done to place sensors inside key new consumer electronic products, which recorded such things as the internal temperature of the device, input supply voltage and current, ingress of water, and mechanical shock detection, as well as stresses on various usecases of the devices. The information coming back to the design team was used to change tolerances of components that contributed to the reduction of many seemingly random defects reported in the market. With today’s digital products, it is quite reasonable to expect that similar kinds of self-diagnostics can become more commonplace, with products being able to communicate potential triggers or causes of market failures.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Quality: What Goes Around Does Not Necessarily Come Back Around

By Michael Ford, Senior Marketing Development Manager, Mentor Graphics Corporation Quality is a cornerstone of the PCB electronics manufacturing industry.

The cost of poor quality can be sudden and extreme in many sectors of the market. Market quality reports that were once private and manageable are out on the World Wide Web, and totally uncontrolled.

Hundreds of thousands of dramatized shopping reviews, social media comments, and videos from unsatisfied customers are posted on the Internet every day.

Today, taking control of market quality and reducing the instances of defects, means being able to trace quality issues back to source. It also means closing the loop with manufacturing data in a real and specific way, which is critical for improving design, engineering, supply-chain, and manufacturing performance. Traceability is an important contribution to the overall cost reduction of the complete product lifecycle, and removing defects is especially compelling in quality and safety critical applications.

The Market Changes That Should Have Driven Business Changes Before the Internet existed, a lot of effort was made to ensure the quality of manufactured products, given the limited information technology available at the time. Where defects did happen, the main risk was that the potential consequence would become serious enough to trigger a damaging report in the printed media or a public product recall. The noise-level of “acceptable” poor market quality was effectively unheard, and so manufacturers had little incentive to put much effort into answering routine quality issues.

Third-party companies were often selected to take on the burden of managing inwarranty claims. Repairs could be done by an unfathomable number of local repair shops. Repair in this context, of course, does not mean the actual repair of the defect that caused the product not to work or to work incorrectly. More likely, the repair operation was to replace a printed circuit board or, in many cases, simply to replace the endproduct. Because this practice survives to the present day, customers are under the mistaken assumption that they are getting responsive service.

This is no longer the case. Customers today expect that products should not have any defect (unless they are aware of the manufacture-for-obsolescence that is prevalent in manufacturing today). Relying on old practices no longer satisfies the market.

The noise level of defects is no longer hidden.

As soon as a product is purchased on-line,

Page 14

the customer is asked to write a review.

These are people who are not professional writers, and they are probably not going to be in the best frame of mind if they are reviewing a product that has just let them down. This problem exists, with different symptoms, across the whole of the electronics industry.

For consumer products, consider the child opening a present on Christmas morning: a mobile telephone that doesn’t work. One minute later, the story of disappointment, linked to the specific product without opportunity for any content control, is out there on social media. Consider also the case of the central heating boiler controller that fails a month after the warranty expired. The knowledge of product quality and longevity is out there for consumers and also for the retailers and installers who take responsibility for products even though they actually know very little when it comes to fault diagnostics.

Safety critical systems in a car, in aerospace engines, even nuclear power plant regulation systems—defects at installation can cause project delays costing millions of dollars.

Failures after installation can change family lives or even the shape of the planet.

All of these areas have one thing in common today. If there is a failure with the electronics, the result can be catastrophic. As a society, we have given everyone a voice and handed control of the most sensitive parts of our world to automation. The current approach to electronic product market quality needs to be updated accordingly.

Taking Responsibility for Defects Defects found in the market can be the result of many complex issues. Determining the exact cause of each defect is essential to resolving the root cause of the issue. It can be an issue of design, manufacturing, materials, test, or even distribution. For example, a failure could be found to be from a particular SMT chip. The origin of the issue could be a fault of the material used, perhaps a batch of chips from a certain manufacturer, or even an alternative source that was used has performed poorly from a reliability perspective, outside of the specification for that part.

In this case, the issue needs to be proven statistically, using the market repair data and followed up with purchasing and the supplier. The issue instead could be related to breaking solder joints, which then need to be chased down with manufacturing process engineering. The problem may be that failures are related to materials that are known to be ESD-sensitive, which may follow a time pattern within manufacturing and indicate a line or shift at fault. It may follow a geographical pattern in the market, prompting a change in design to provide additional protection for exposed electrical connections.

To begin to track down defects requires traceability, which is built on data collection from each assembly step where materials are added or changed or the product is subjected to crucial process parameters.

For example, a case was found where the incidence of cracked printed circuit boards causing defects in the market was traced back to a certain start date, which just happened to be the same date as speed bumps were introduced at the exit of the factory. Not all defects are manufacturing-, materials-, or design-related.

A study was done some years ago to take fault diagnosis one step further. A trial was done to place sensors inside key new consumer electronic products, which recorded such things as the internal temperature of the device, input supply voltage and current, ingress of water, and mechanical shock detection, as well as stresses on various usecases of the devices. The information coming back to the design team was used to change tolerances of components that contributed to the reduction of many seemingly random defects reported in the market. With today’s digital products, it is quite reasonable to expect that similar kinds of self-diagnostics can become more commonplace, with products being able to communicate potential triggers or causes of market failures.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

Motivation Is the Key Even at a simple level, however, the cost and time overhead of collecting and correlating complex repair and diagnostic data can be significant. Defect analysis in the market is regarded as being expensive to support and also limited to being, in most cases, an academic exercise. In many areas, a single defect can be regarded as insignificant, but if that defect is not analyzed, how can it be known whether other defects found in other places and at other times are related, which could indicate a serious issue about to hit the market? Even inside factories, with everyone working under a single guidance and direct management, it is hard to collect and accurately qualify quality data that is itself of good quality.

Service companies out in the market, mainly third parties, have different approaches and skills. Their priority is most likely simply to get enough justification to have a replacement circuit board placed under warranty, charging the manufacturer for the service, or to be able to ask the customer to purchase a replacement PCB. In one case an obvious single cracked resistor on some circuit boards caused hundreds of PCBs to be replaced because they had no scope to do the simple two minute replacement of the resistor, which would have worked equally well.

____________________________________

‘‘

Making the manufacturing traceability information available to market repair centres reduces time and cost for diagnosis and repair

____________________________________ How to motivate repair organizations to perform even simple diagnosis and repairs has been an issue for a long time. In the case of some higher end manufacturers, starting mainly with the Japanese, the repair process was managed to a much higher degree. In one case, repair centers were purposefully built at the same sites as the manufacturing process, creating a completely “closed loop” of feedback from the market repairs through to design, purchasing, and manufacturing.

This was certainly effective to close both the “time gap” for gathering information and creating an impressive level of available detail.

One problem that remained, however, was the ability to judge the context of the information and to qualify issues in such a way that the exact and appropriate countermeasures could be taken.

Page 16

The Joy of Traceability Pretty much every electronic product in the market is shipped with a unique serial number. Defects and repairs can be logged against that serial number. The introduction of traceability into manufacturing provides the critical element for that data to have significance. A good production traceability system should yield a complete individual build-record of each product, including when and how it was made, details of the exact materials used, and test results.

and repair processes. The key issue is to ensure that all of the different elements of the traceability data gathered across all of these disciplines is compatible and requires no human intervention other than the standard operation of production. Only an integrated manufacturing software package, linked directly to SMT machines, assembly, test, and repair processes, can understand the whole hierarchy of the product construction, and can provide excellent levels of traceability data information necessary with which to qualify defect and repair information coming from the market.

Registration of vendor data from each reel can be easily automated by capturing the barcode data and writing the information into the correct field in the central database.

Total traceability pulls data from all three silos of materials, process, and quality.

However, often the perception is that the additional cost to the manufacturing operation in gathering this detailed and accurate data is prohibitive in most cases. Either there is no traceability; or where some mandate has been made, it is a partial solution for a part of the process, such as SMT parts placed by a certain machine, which the production operation can see as being effectively free from operational overhead.

The excellent production traceability system, however, should be complete and without any net burden to the operation. Process traceability records the path of the product through the different required manufacturing and test processes. Any factory will already have a way of controlling and managing the production flow to make sure that all products go through the designated paths.

Combining the traceability element with the control mechanism and applying it across the whole factory means that traceability data can be accumulated without any additional operational cost.

The same is true for materials. Picking materials from the warehouse, taking them to the shop-floor and performing verification into the designated positions on to the SMT machines and other processes is a key part of any factory operation today.

Building traceability recording into these processes means again that important traceability data can be acquired at the same time. It is a similar procedure to gather test data results as part of the test

Closing the Cost Loop Making the manufacturing traceability information available to market repair centers reduces time and cost for diagnosis and repair. Not knowing the revision of a product, the material content, or even software version can cause delay and additional cost.

These are the real-world issues that repair companies face, which can be completely avoided when traceability data is available.

This is the missing motivation—reduced cost and time of repair in return for better defect data gathering.

Making this practically happen for management of third-party companies, the financial implications and the effect on the service level to the customer will need to be figured out on a case-by-case basis depending on the value and application of the product. For companies at the higher end of brand awareness, or for any company that provides critical systems, the traceability loop between manufacturing and the market is becoming increasingly essential.

Author Bio Michael Ford is Senior Marketing Development Manager with the Valor division of Mentor Graphics Corp. He joined Valor in 2008. He focuses on delivering solutions based on the Lean Thinking methodology.

Before joining Valor, Michael spent a number of years managing Lean Manufacturing solutions for Sony. Michael graduated with a degree in electronics from the University of Wales. In his spare time, he enjoys rock and popular music in addition to West End theatre productions.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

Motivation Is the Key Even at a simple level, however, the cost and time overhead of collecting and correlating complex repair and diagnostic data can be significant. Defect analysis in the market is regarded as being expensive to support and also limited to being, in most cases, an academic exercise. In many areas, a single defect can be regarded as insignificant, but if that defect is not analyzed, how can it be known whether other defects found in other places and at other times are related, which could indicate a serious issue about to hit the market? Even inside factories, with everyone working under a single guidance and direct management, it is hard to collect and accurately qualify quality data that is itself of good quality.

Service companies out in the market, mainly third parties, have different approaches and skills. Their priority is most likely simply to get enough justification to have a replacement circuit board placed under warranty, charging the manufacturer for the service, or to be able to ask the customer to purchase a replacement PCB. In one case an obvious single cracked resistor on some circuit boards caused hundreds of PCBs to be replaced because they had no scope to do the simple two minute replacement of the resistor, which would have worked equally well.

____________________________________

‘‘

Making the manufacturing traceability information available to market repair centres reduces time and cost for diagnosis and repair

____________________________________ How to motivate repair organizations to perform even simple diagnosis and repairs has been an issue for a long time. In the case of some higher end manufacturers, starting mainly with the Japanese, the repair process was managed to a much higher degree. In one case, repair centers were purposefully built at the same sites as the manufacturing process, creating a completely “closed loop” of feedback from the market repairs through to design, purchasing, and manufacturing.

This was certainly effective to close both the “time gap” for gathering information and creating an impressive level of available detail.

One problem that remained, however, was the ability to judge the context of the information and to qualify issues in such a way that the exact and appropriate countermeasures could be taken.

Page 16

The Joy of Traceability Pretty much every electronic product in the market is shipped with a unique serial number. Defects and repairs can be logged against that serial number. The introduction of traceability into manufacturing provides the critical element for that data to have significance. A good production traceability system should yield a complete individual build-record of each product, including when and how it was made, details of the exact materials used, and test results.

and repair processes. The key issue is to ensure that all of the different elements of the traceability data gathered across all of these disciplines is compatible and requires no human intervention other than the standard operation of production. Only an integrated manufacturing software package, linked directly to SMT machines, assembly, test, and repair processes, can understand the whole hierarchy of the product construction, and can provide excellent levels of traceability data information necessary with which to qualify defect and repair information coming from the market.

Registration of vendor data from each reel can be easily automated by capturing the barcode data and writing the information into the correct field in the central database.

Total traceability pulls data from all three silos of materials, process, and quality.

However, often the perception is that the additional cost to the manufacturing operation in gathering this detailed and accurate data is prohibitive in most cases. Either there is no traceability; or where some mandate has been made, it is a partial solution for a part of the process, such as SMT parts placed by a certain machine, which the production operation can see as being effectively free from operational overhead.

The excellent production traceability system, however, should be complete and without any net burden to the operation. Process traceability records the path of the product through the different required manufacturing and test processes. Any factory will already have a way of controlling and managing the production flow to make sure that all products go through the designated paths.

Combining the traceability element with the control mechanism and applying it across the whole factory means that traceability data can be accumulated without any additional operational cost.

The same is true for materials. Picking materials from the warehouse, taking them to the shop-floor and performing verification into the designated positions on to the SMT machines and other processes is a key part of any factory operation today.

Building traceability recording into these processes means again that important traceability data can be acquired at the same time. It is a similar procedure to gather test data results as part of the test

Closing the Cost Loop Making the manufacturing traceability information available to market repair centers reduces time and cost for diagnosis and repair. Not knowing the revision of a product, the material content, or even software version can cause delay and additional cost.

These are the real-world issues that repair companies face, which can be completely avoided when traceability data is available.

This is the missing motivation—reduced cost and time of repair in return for better defect data gathering.

Making this practically happen for management of third-party companies, the financial implications and the effect on the service level to the customer will need to be figured out on a case-by-case basis depending on the value and application of the product. For companies at the higher end of brand awareness, or for any company that provides critical systems, the traceability loop between manufacturing and the market is becoming increasingly essential.

Author Bio Michael Ford is Senior Marketing Development Manager with the Valor division of Mentor Graphics Corp. He joined Valor in 2008. He focuses on delivering solutions based on the Lean Thinking methodology.

Before joining Valor, Michael spent a number of years managing Lean Manufacturing solutions for Sony. Michael graduated with a degree in electronics from the University of Wales. In his spare time, he enjoys rock and popular music in addition to West End theatre productions.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Dr. Subodh Kulkarni CyberOptics’ President and CEO

by SMT Today Staff Editor

Founded in 1984, CyberOptics Corporation is a leading provider of sensors and inspection systems that provide process yield and throughput improvement solutions for the global electronics assembly and ‘semi-conductor’ capital equipment markets. The company’s products are deployed on production lines that manufacture surface mount technology circuit boards and semi-conductor process equipment. Through internal development and acquisitions, CyberOptics is strategically repositioning itself to become a global leader in high-precision 3D sensors. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, CyberOptics conducts worldwide operations through facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Our editors recently spoke with Dr. Kulkarni to find out more about the company’s success at the recently held SMTA International exhibition.

Q. We understand that the company launched its newest automated conformal coating inspection machine, CX150i, at this exhibition. Can you briefly explain the benefits this machine provides as well as the needs that it meets by performing automated inspection of conformal coating? Who do you envision using this system?

A. CyberOptics’ CX150i is a simple-touse and extremely fast conformal coating inspection system, leveraging our proven and well-accepted QX150i AOI product platform. Just like QX150i, CX150i uses SIM/AI2 (Strobed Inspection Module/ Autonomous Image Interpretation) technology with UV illumination in addition to white light to enable detection of the blue dye in conformal coatings. Our unique technologies enable fast set-up, ease of use, zero escapes and very low false call rates. Customers needing to inspect their conformal coated products will use the CX150i, for example, companies building PCBs for automotive and smartphone industries. Also, companies that currently are performing visual inspection of conformal coated boards will gain tremendous quality and cost benefits by switching to automated inspection as it is faster, more reliable and significantly reduces operator costs.

Q.

Why did you choose SMTA International for the launch of CX150i?

A.

The US is one of the primary markets with a need for conformal coating inspection, so launching the product at a premier US show seemed to be a natural choice.

Q.

We saw that CyberOptics also exhibited the multi-award winning

Page 18

SE600 3D SPI system from the SPI Line during SMTA International. What makes this machine the recipient of so many industry awards? What does it provide that competing machines cannot?

A. CyberOptics’ SE600 3D SPI is the most accurate SPI system today, measuring the true height and volume of the solder paste as certified by NIST standards. No other SPI system today can claim the accuracy that the SE600 can. The highest accuracy, coupled with an easy-to-use, state-of-theart software garners significant attention, resulting in multiple awards.

Q.

CyberOptics was also included in the SMTA International Tech Tours, a new feature of the exhibition. In your opinion, how did that go? Did you feel it was beneficial to be included?

A.

The SMTA International Tech Tours offered a great platform to interact with a larger audience. It gave us an excellent opportunity to share our company vision, demonstrate our latest products and field questions from the many interested attendees.

Q.

In terms of other new products, we read in the news recently that CyberOptics has developed new, unmatched 3D sensing capabilities that incorporate multi-reflection suppression (MRS) technology and highly sophisticated 3D algorithms.

Can you tell us a little more about this new technology and when we can expect the official launch?

A.

MRS sensor technology is a novel, innovative 3D sensing technology. The significantly higher accuracy and speed

enabled by MRS as compared to any other 3D sensing technology is due to the architecturally superior hardware configuration providing parallel acquisition of multiple images while sophisticated software algorithms suppress multiple reflections and fuse those images. This results in a precise 3D representation.

We continue to drive innovation that delivers even more value to our customers worldwide in terms of process, quality and operational efficiency improvement in various manufacturing environments.

We plan to incorporate this breakthrough 3D sensing technology in our 3D AOI product SQ3000 to be launched at the end of 2014, and use it in other applications such as semiconductor inspection and metrology measurements.

Q. For the past 30 years, the company has focused on optical technology advancements, but now is changing to 3D sensing. What is driving this change?

A. At CyberOptics, we continue to innovate in the area of intelligent inspection and sensing solutions. We are still using optical technology for many of our inspection and sensing solutions and, therefore, continue to advance optical technology to enable these solutions. However, the focus is more on customer needs. As chips and components continue to shrink, customers need inspection solutions to detect defects, and 3D sensing is needed for many sophisticated applications. Customers need to make sure that they have zero escapes and lowest possible false call rates at highest possible speeds. Our focus on 3D sensing, as opposed to optical technology, reflects the changing needs of customers.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Dr. Subodh Kulkarni CyberOptics’ President and CEO

by SMT Today Staff Editor

Founded in 1984, CyberOptics Corporation is a leading provider of sensors and inspection systems that provide process yield and throughput improvement solutions for the global electronics assembly and ‘semi-conductor’ capital equipment markets. The company’s products are deployed on production lines that manufacture surface mount technology circuit boards and semi-conductor process equipment. Through internal development and acquisitions, CyberOptics is strategically repositioning itself to become a global leader in high-precision 3D sensors. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, CyberOptics conducts worldwide operations through facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Our editors recently spoke with Dr. Kulkarni to find out more about the company’s success at the recently held SMTA International exhibition.

Q. We understand that the company launched its newest automated conformal coating inspection machine, CX150i, at this exhibition. Can you briefly explain the benefits this machine provides as well as the needs that it meets by performing automated inspection of conformal coating? Who do you envision using this system?

A. CyberOptics’ CX150i is a simple-touse and extremely fast conformal coating inspection system, leveraging our proven and well-accepted QX150i AOI product platform. Just like QX150i, CX150i uses SIM/AI2 (Strobed Inspection Module/ Autonomous Image Interpretation) technology with UV illumination in addition to white light to enable detection of the blue dye in conformal coatings. Our unique technologies enable fast set-up, ease of use, zero escapes and very low false call rates. Customers needing to inspect their conformal coated products will use the CX150i, for example, companies building PCBs for automotive and smartphone industries. Also, companies that currently are performing visual inspection of conformal coated boards will gain tremendous quality and cost benefits by switching to automated inspection as it is faster, more reliable and significantly reduces operator costs.

Q.

Why did you choose SMTA International for the launch of CX150i?

A.

The US is one of the primary markets with a need for conformal coating inspection, so launching the product at a premier US show seemed to be a natural choice.

Q.

We saw that CyberOptics also exhibited the multi-award winning

Page 18

SE600 3D SPI system from the SPI Line during SMTA International. What makes this machine the recipient of so many industry awards? What does it provide that competing machines cannot?

A. CyberOptics’ SE600 3D SPI is the most accurate SPI system today, measuring the true height and volume of the solder paste as certified by NIST standards. No other SPI system today can claim the accuracy that the SE600 can. The highest accuracy, coupled with an easy-to-use, state-of-theart software garners significant attention, resulting in multiple awards.

Q.

CyberOptics was also included in the SMTA International Tech Tours, a new feature of the exhibition. In your opinion, how did that go? Did you feel it was beneficial to be included?

A.

The SMTA International Tech Tours offered a great platform to interact with a larger audience. It gave us an excellent opportunity to share our company vision, demonstrate our latest products and field questions from the many interested attendees.

Q.

In terms of other new products, we read in the news recently that CyberOptics has developed new, unmatched 3D sensing capabilities that incorporate multi-reflection suppression (MRS) technology and highly sophisticated 3D algorithms.

Can you tell us a little more about this new technology and when we can expect the official launch?

A.

MRS sensor technology is a novel, innovative 3D sensing technology. The significantly higher accuracy and speed

enabled by MRS as compared to any other 3D sensing technology is due to the architecturally superior hardware configuration providing parallel acquisition of multiple images while sophisticated software algorithms suppress multiple reflections and fuse those images. This results in a precise 3D representation.

We continue to drive innovation that delivers even more value to our customers worldwide in terms of process, quality and operational efficiency improvement in various manufacturing environments.

We plan to incorporate this breakthrough 3D sensing technology in our 3D AOI product SQ3000 to be launched at the end of 2014, and use it in other applications such as semiconductor inspection and metrology measurements.

Q. For the past 30 years, the company has focused on optical technology advancements, but now is changing to 3D sensing. What is driving this change?

A. At CyberOptics, we continue to innovate in the area of intelligent inspection and sensing solutions. We are still using optical technology for many of our inspection and sensing solutions and, therefore, continue to advance optical technology to enable these solutions. However, the focus is more on customer needs. As chips and components continue to shrink, customers need inspection solutions to detect defects, and 3D sensing is needed for many sophisticated applications. Customers need to make sure that they have zero escapes and lowest possible false call rates at highest possible speeds. Our focus on 3D sensing, as opposed to optical technology, reflects the changing needs of customers.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

The Smart Factory: Science Fiction or Fact

By Kim Sauer (@kimsauermedia)

the wheel is already in motion and the future is going to and already does involve artificial intelligence (AI), cyber space, machines, robots and process transparency throughout the value chain. It’s the way we deal with it and embrace it that will make the difference. Those that focus on the opportunities will become the market leaders of tomorrow.

Buzzwords are “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”, “Industry 4.0” (a concept launched by the German government), “The Internet of Things” (IoT), “The Internet of Manufacturing” (IoM) and “Big Data”. All play a role in promoting computerization of the manufacturing industry.

Their goal is the intelligent factory (Smart Factory), which is characterized by adaptability, resource efficiency and ergonomics as well as the integration of customers and business partners in business and value processes.

All driven and enabled by automation, cyber-physical systems, Big Data and the Internet of Things.

The vision for manufacturing of the future is clear: it’s a world where a component, product or unit self identifies at the start of its life and manages its own way through the manufacturing process and through the supply chain, communicating with each machine, component or process it comes in contact with. A world where the “Smart Factory”, Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things combine to achieve flexible, selforganising, intelligent and resource efficient manufacturing environments that integrate all components of the supply and value chain.

There are already many great examples of initiatives, work-groups, research projects, collaborations, seminars, conferences and pioneers all paving the way for the future of manufacturing.

For many it’s a scary scenario. Of course it’s not at all helped by the talented folk in Hollywood who continuously and very successfully explore and exploit this fear in great movies like Metropolis, 2001, Bladerunner and Matrix. And those are just the block buster ones… how about The Black Hole, the Stepford Wives, District 9… it’s an endless list of science fiction story telling where humans are turned into and controlled by machines or where machines become so intelligent that they take over the world. Then there’s everything in between that deals with information security breaches (War Games, The Net, Hackers, etc.), industrial espionage, virtual reality, cybercrime and many more.

In eight key topic tracks (Real time Manufacturing, Controlling, Education and Training, Organisation, MES and Big Data, Security, IT and Production and Strategy/ Norms/Research) the organisers of the summit successfully managed to put some order into the complexity of the subject, setting the scene with a key-note about the German Norm-Roadmap for Industry 4.0 by Dr. Günter Hörcher of the Fraunhofer IPA who managed to turn a relatively dry subject into a lively and encouraging basis for debate.

There is, of course, a reason why these themes are so popular and that, no doubt, is based purely on simple human psychology: the need to self-protect, self-preserve, to remain in control. Handing over decision making to a machine is a threat. Sharing personal information is too much exposure that is open to abuse or misinterpretation. By publicising, sharing and simplifying work processes, our job security is at risk and we’re easily replaceable and expendable. Ultimately the world is going to be taken over by machines to whom we become slaves!

So, that’s the view of the pessimists and I might advise staying away from watching too many science fiction movies. Why? Because

Page 20

Most recently, industry dignitaries gathered for the 2nd “Markt & Technik Summit Industry 4.0” (http://www.industrie4-summit.de/home. html) in Munich. Over two days the latest thinking and trends were discussed, analysed, presented and exchanged with an audience eager to future-proof their operations.

A reoccurring question and comment whenever the subject is mentioned, which may also explain the reluctance of some companies to jump on the bandwagon, is in fact a lack of understanding. Thus giving ‘Norming’ the opening act which was a great introduction to address the loud call for standards and definitions as a solution for acceptance.

I also agree that standards and norms are at the top of the agenda but so are so many other issues. In my view it’s actually the complexity and revolutionary approach that lies at the core of the issue. First and foremost a radical rethink of organisational structures, HR, workflows and processes, supply chain management, etc. is needed. In a way, we need to re-wire our minds to accept that the complexity of the 4th revolution can’t be comprehended if we stick to thinking in terms of how we manage our businesses today.

Traditional and existing management models have to be turned upside down or ignored completely. Any individual, team, department or company working in a silo, won’t get very far. Communication, and with it a need for a universally comprehensible language, is a definite starting point.

Manufacturing is moving from a rigid hierarchical structure to a very fluid network structure. Harmonisation, standardisation, classification, identification and consolidation of processes and workflows need to follow.

When I was at University in the 90’s we called it ‘Systems Thinking’ – so the concept isn’t new, but its scope definitely is. To support it, the surrounding IT structure has to be centralised and simplified. This isn’t a reduction in workforce! It’s the creation of brand new job opportunities for programmers, process engineers, data miners and data analysts.

‘The Smart Factory’ needs people as much as people will need the smart factory. There are real time simulations such as the co-operation between iTAC Software and Limtronik EMS and their Smart SMT-line consisting of a number of machines from companies such as Fuji, Koh Young, Rehm, Goepel, Ekra and Teradyne. They are proving that the goal is not to make humans obsolete, but rather to optimize the whole manufacturing process through IT in order to increase output, quality and yield and to reduce defects, manufacturing and non-conformance costs as well as environmental impacts.

In some factories it’s already a reality. When ASM Assembly Systems announced the successful completion of DEK’s integration into their SMT Solutions business, they chose the Siemens’s Electronics Works Amberg (EWA), Germany plant as their press-conference venue giving me the chance to snoop around. This is one of the most advanced manufacturing plants in the world where the idea of the ‘intelligent factory’ has successfully been put into practice. During the introductory key note from Prof. Dr. Büttner, Head of Siemens Electronics Works Amberg, he highlighted achievements in quality with just 12 dpm (defects per million) as well as efficiency improvements as a result of automation that supports and empowers his staff, not replaces them. The evidence was there – the immaculate manufacturing floor was alive with activity performed by people aided by technology and automation – a far cry from a soulless manufacturing environment filled with humanoid robots, threatening to rule the world.

I’m not saying we should ignore the threats (I’d rather call them ‘possibilities’ anyway) so realistically interpreted by Hollywood and I for one do enjoy a good sci-fi movie. However, our approach needs to be a solutions-driven one that overcomes barriers. And the sooner we get involved, open up our minds, think outside of the box and throw away the rule book (or the Hollywood script), the greater the chance of securing our competitive advantages in the future.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

The Smart Factory: Science Fiction or Fact

By Kim Sauer (@kimsauermedia)

the wheel is already in motion and the future is going to and already does involve artificial intelligence (AI), cyber space, machines, robots and process transparency throughout the value chain. It’s the way we deal with it and embrace it that will make the difference. Those that focus on the opportunities will become the market leaders of tomorrow.

Buzzwords are “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”, “Industry 4.0” (a concept launched by the German government), “The Internet of Things” (IoT), “The Internet of Manufacturing” (IoM) and “Big Data”. All play a role in promoting computerization of the manufacturing industry.

Their goal is the intelligent factory (Smart Factory), which is characterized by adaptability, resource efficiency and ergonomics as well as the integration of customers and business partners in business and value processes.

All driven and enabled by automation, cyber-physical systems, Big Data and the Internet of Things.

The vision for manufacturing of the future is clear: it’s a world where a component, product or unit self identifies at the start of its life and manages its own way through the manufacturing process and through the supply chain, communicating with each machine, component or process it comes in contact with. A world where the “Smart Factory”, Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things combine to achieve flexible, selforganising, intelligent and resource efficient manufacturing environments that integrate all components of the supply and value chain.

There are already many great examples of initiatives, work-groups, research projects, collaborations, seminars, conferences and pioneers all paving the way for the future of manufacturing.

For many it’s a scary scenario. Of course it’s not at all helped by the talented folk in Hollywood who continuously and very successfully explore and exploit this fear in great movies like Metropolis, 2001, Bladerunner and Matrix. And those are just the block buster ones… how about The Black Hole, the Stepford Wives, District 9… it’s an endless list of science fiction story telling where humans are turned into and controlled by machines or where machines become so intelligent that they take over the world. Then there’s everything in between that deals with information security breaches (War Games, The Net, Hackers, etc.), industrial espionage, virtual reality, cybercrime and many more.

In eight key topic tracks (Real time Manufacturing, Controlling, Education and Training, Organisation, MES and Big Data, Security, IT and Production and Strategy/ Norms/Research) the organisers of the summit successfully managed to put some order into the complexity of the subject, setting the scene with a key-note about the German Norm-Roadmap for Industry 4.0 by Dr. Günter Hörcher of the Fraunhofer IPA who managed to turn a relatively dry subject into a lively and encouraging basis for debate.

There is, of course, a reason why these themes are so popular and that, no doubt, is based purely on simple human psychology: the need to self-protect, self-preserve, to remain in control. Handing over decision making to a machine is a threat. Sharing personal information is too much exposure that is open to abuse or misinterpretation. By publicising, sharing and simplifying work processes, our job security is at risk and we’re easily replaceable and expendable. Ultimately the world is going to be taken over by machines to whom we become slaves!

So, that’s the view of the pessimists and I might advise staying away from watching too many science fiction movies. Why? Because

Page 20

Most recently, industry dignitaries gathered for the 2nd “Markt & Technik Summit Industry 4.0” (http://www.industrie4-summit.de/home. html) in Munich. Over two days the latest thinking and trends were discussed, analysed, presented and exchanged with an audience eager to future-proof their operations.

A reoccurring question and comment whenever the subject is mentioned, which may also explain the reluctance of some companies to jump on the bandwagon, is in fact a lack of understanding. Thus giving ‘Norming’ the opening act which was a great introduction to address the loud call for standards and definitions as a solution for acceptance.

I also agree that standards and norms are at the top of the agenda but so are so many other issues. In my view it’s actually the complexity and revolutionary approach that lies at the core of the issue. First and foremost a radical rethink of organisational structures, HR, workflows and processes, supply chain management, etc. is needed. In a way, we need to re-wire our minds to accept that the complexity of the 4th revolution can’t be comprehended if we stick to thinking in terms of how we manage our businesses today.

Traditional and existing management models have to be turned upside down or ignored completely. Any individual, team, department or company working in a silo, won’t get very far. Communication, and with it a need for a universally comprehensible language, is a definite starting point.

Manufacturing is moving from a rigid hierarchical structure to a very fluid network structure. Harmonisation, standardisation, classification, identification and consolidation of processes and workflows need to follow.

When I was at University in the 90’s we called it ‘Systems Thinking’ – so the concept isn’t new, but its scope definitely is. To support it, the surrounding IT structure has to be centralised and simplified. This isn’t a reduction in workforce! It’s the creation of brand new job opportunities for programmers, process engineers, data miners and data analysts.

‘The Smart Factory’ needs people as much as people will need the smart factory. There are real time simulations such as the co-operation between iTAC Software and Limtronik EMS and their Smart SMT-line consisting of a number of machines from companies such as Fuji, Koh Young, Rehm, Goepel, Ekra and Teradyne. They are proving that the goal is not to make humans obsolete, but rather to optimize the whole manufacturing process through IT in order to increase output, quality and yield and to reduce defects, manufacturing and non-conformance costs as well as environmental impacts.

In some factories it’s already a reality. When ASM Assembly Systems announced the successful completion of DEK’s integration into their SMT Solutions business, they chose the Siemens’s Electronics Works Amberg (EWA), Germany plant as their press-conference venue giving me the chance to snoop around. This is one of the most advanced manufacturing plants in the world where the idea of the ‘intelligent factory’ has successfully been put into practice. During the introductory key note from Prof. Dr. Büttner, Head of Siemens Electronics Works Amberg, he highlighted achievements in quality with just 12 dpm (defects per million) as well as efficiency improvements as a result of automation that supports and empowers his staff, not replaces them. The evidence was there – the immaculate manufacturing floor was alive with activity performed by people aided by technology and automation – a far cry from a soulless manufacturing environment filled with humanoid robots, threatening to rule the world.

I’m not saying we should ignore the threats (I’d rather call them ‘possibilities’ anyway) so realistically interpreted by Hollywood and I for one do enjoy a good sci-fi movie. However, our approach needs to be a solutions-driven one that overcomes barriers. And the sooner we get involved, open up our minds, think outside of the box and throw away the rule book (or the Hollywood script), the greater the chance of securing our competitive advantages in the future.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

JAVAD EMS Continues Best Performance Strategy with Nordson YESTECH

by SMT Today Staff Editor

JAVAD Electronic Manufacturing Services (JEMS) was founded to focus on low- to medium-volume, high-mix applications for customers that need prototype through volume production and want to get it from one source. Today, the company is a thriving, full-service contract electronics manufacturer that provides leading-edge, high-quality products for its customers.

The company runs numerous continuous flow SMT lines complete with inline 3-D solder paste inspection and AOI. These lines are highly flexible, allowing for diverse and complex products using the latest in component packaging technologies to be assembled and with quick changeover between products, enabling high-mix, lowto medium-volume production.

To continue ensuring the best quality, JEMS began working with Nordson YESTECH in 2009, implementing an F1 AOI system and later trading it in for the new FX model.

Today, JEMS has four FX AOI systems on the production floor of its state-of-the-art facility located in San Jose, CA. JAVAD EMS prides itself on its quality, from equipment and processes to employees and finished products.

Nordson YESTECH’s advanced 5 megapixel color camera imaging technology offers high-speed PCB inspection with exceptional defect coverage. With one top down viewing camera and four side viewing cameras, the FX Series inspects solder joints and verifies correct part assembly enabling users to improve quality and increase throughput.

Gary Walker, Vice President at JAVAD EMS, commented, “The YESTECH AOI systems provide 100 percent in-process inspection for every single board, prototypes included, which greatly enhances our test yields for all boards.” He added that YESTECH provides continuous, excellent customer service and that aspect, combined with YESTECH’s ease of use and comprehensive support, are the main reasons that JEMS chose YESTECH over other AOI companies – and why it continues choosing YESTECH today.

Programming the FX Series is fast and intuitive. Operators typically take less than 30 minutes to create a complete inspection program including solder inspection. The FX Series utilizes a standard package library to simplify training and ensure program portability across manufacturing lines.

Advanced Fusion Lighting™ and 5 megapixel image processing technology integrates several techniques, including color inspection, normalized correlation and rule-based algorithms, to provide complete inspection coverage with an extremely low false failure rate.

Configurable for all line positions, the FX Series is equally effective for paste, pre-/ post-reflow and final assembly inspection.

Off-line programming maximizes machine utilization and real-time SPC monitoring provides a valuable yield enhancement solution.

JAVAD’s California facility JEMS has more than 40,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in the heart of Silicon Valley, and has updated it to the highest standards of electronic manufacturing services, communication, client support, employee comfort and training.

Page 22

Walker said that these features make the FX AOI system ideal for JEMS, and the value of the machines cannot be beat. “Most of our customers have highcomplexity products, high-mix, low- to medium-volume production quantities so we use the systems to provide continuous monitoring, verification and feedback of 100 percent of our surface mount process regardless of board quantity (prototypes through production),” added Walker. “This

has allowed us to improve our quality significantly so that we have average first pass yields of greater than 98 percent and average defects per million opportunity (DPMO) rates of less than 70.”

Both JAVAD and Nordson YESTECH believe in close collaboration in order to provide the best quality to their customers.

A long and strong partnership between JAVAD and YESTECH has grown over the past five years and is expected to continue with the purchase of a large board format

JEMS’ Gary Walker believes that YESTECH’s FX system is ideal for meeting the company’s needs at an unbeatable return on investment. machine in the near future. Pam Walke, JEMS’ operation manager, commented that YESTECH’s provides great support on both the service and sales sides, making YESTECH an ideal partner that is able to completely meet JEMS’ needs.

For more information about Nordson YESTECH contact the company at 2747 Loker Ave. West Carlsbad, CA 920106603; E-mail: sales@nordsonyestech. com; Web site: www.nordsonyestech. com. For more information about JAVAD Electronic Manufacturing Services, contact the company at 900 Rock Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131, USA; 408-770-1700; E-mail: ems@javad.com; Web site: www.javad.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

JAVAD EMS Continues Best Performance Strategy with Nordson YESTECH

by SMT Today Staff Editor

JAVAD Electronic Manufacturing Services (JEMS) was founded to focus on low- to medium-volume, high-mix applications for customers that need prototype through volume production and want to get it from one source. Today, the company is a thriving, full-service contract electronics manufacturer that provides leading-edge, high-quality products for its customers.

The company runs numerous continuous flow SMT lines complete with inline 3-D solder paste inspection and AOI. These lines are highly flexible, allowing for diverse and complex products using the latest in component packaging technologies to be assembled and with quick changeover between products, enabling high-mix, lowto medium-volume production.

To continue ensuring the best quality, JEMS began working with Nordson YESTECH in 2009, implementing an F1 AOI system and later trading it in for the new FX model.

Today, JEMS has four FX AOI systems on the production floor of its state-of-the-art facility located in San Jose, CA. JAVAD EMS prides itself on its quality, from equipment and processes to employees and finished products.

Nordson YESTECH’s advanced 5 megapixel color camera imaging technology offers high-speed PCB inspection with exceptional defect coverage. With one top down viewing camera and four side viewing cameras, the FX Series inspects solder joints and verifies correct part assembly enabling users to improve quality and increase throughput.

Gary Walker, Vice President at JAVAD EMS, commented, “The YESTECH AOI systems provide 100 percent in-process inspection for every single board, prototypes included, which greatly enhances our test yields for all boards.” He added that YESTECH provides continuous, excellent customer service and that aspect, combined with YESTECH’s ease of use and comprehensive support, are the main reasons that JEMS chose YESTECH over other AOI companies – and why it continues choosing YESTECH today.

Programming the FX Series is fast and intuitive. Operators typically take less than 30 minutes to create a complete inspection program including solder inspection. The FX Series utilizes a standard package library to simplify training and ensure program portability across manufacturing lines.

Advanced Fusion Lighting™ and 5 megapixel image processing technology integrates several techniques, including color inspection, normalized correlation and rule-based algorithms, to provide complete inspection coverage with an extremely low false failure rate.

Configurable for all line positions, the FX Series is equally effective for paste, pre-/ post-reflow and final assembly inspection.

Off-line programming maximizes machine utilization and real-time SPC monitoring provides a valuable yield enhancement solution.

JAVAD’s California facility JEMS has more than 40,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in the heart of Silicon Valley, and has updated it to the highest standards of electronic manufacturing services, communication, client support, employee comfort and training.

Page 22

Walker said that these features make the FX AOI system ideal for JEMS, and the value of the machines cannot be beat. “Most of our customers have highcomplexity products, high-mix, low- to medium-volume production quantities so we use the systems to provide continuous monitoring, verification and feedback of 100 percent of our surface mount process regardless of board quantity (prototypes through production),” added Walker. “This

has allowed us to improve our quality significantly so that we have average first pass yields of greater than 98 percent and average defects per million opportunity (DPMO) rates of less than 70.”

Both JAVAD and Nordson YESTECH believe in close collaboration in order to provide the best quality to their customers.

A long and strong partnership between JAVAD and YESTECH has grown over the past five years and is expected to continue with the purchase of a large board format

JEMS’ Gary Walker believes that YESTECH’s FX system is ideal for meeting the company’s needs at an unbeatable return on investment. machine in the near future. Pam Walke, JEMS’ operation manager, commented that YESTECH’s provides great support on both the service and sales sides, making YESTECH an ideal partner that is able to completely meet JEMS’ needs.

For more information about Nordson YESTECH contact the company at 2747 Loker Ave. West Carlsbad, CA 920106603; E-mail: sales@nordsonyestech. com; Web site: www.nordsonyestech. com. For more information about JAVAD Electronic Manufacturing Services, contact the company at 900 Rock Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131, USA; 408-770-1700; E-mail: ems@javad.com; Web site: www.javad.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Ralph Hoeckle from Zestron Europe

by SMT Today Staff Editor

ZESTRON offers the world’s leading cleaning media, but more importantly focuses on being an architect for reliable cleaning processes within the electronics industry. With more than 30 years of experience, ZESTRON’s global network and local teams of application engineers stand ready to provide world-class cleaning support, whether considering cleaning processes for SMT or semiconductor applications. Here we speak with Ralph Hoeckle, Managing Director of ZESTRON, to find out about the latest news in electronics cleaning.

Q. Zestron is known as the leading manufacturer of cleaning chemistry.

However, with your latest product, the ZESTRON EYE, a digital concentration measurement system, you went a different way. Can you explain why?

A. In general, we see it as our task as a process specialist to provide our customers with solutions all around the cleaning process and not just with cleaning chemistry. We’ve shown this in the past with our manual test kits for bath monitoring and surface cleanliness. A cleaning process is only as good as its process control method.

The development of the ZESTRON EYE is typical for our drive for change and innovation. It is the first digital concentration measurement system available in the electronics cleaning industry. Before, customers had to rely on conventional measuring methods, such as refractive index, which are not suitable to control a cleaning process, as they are too inaccurate for today’s requirements and sensitive to contamination in the cleaning bath.

Supporting many sophisticated electronics manufacturers, we put a lot of effort and more than two years time into the development of an automatic concentration measurement system to meet the customers’ growing desire for process transparency and traceability. Today, it is more important than ever to provide automatic measurements that can be allocated to the respective production lot and a tool that is easy to use and if necessary exact to the second.

Manual measurements with our established test kits are also precise; however, they can neither realize any real-time measurement nor any automated data recording. Thus, the ZESTRON EYE is an innovation in process control and a major tool for customers to ensure a stable and reliable cleaning process.

Page 24

Q. The ZESTRON EYE was launched in 2013. How has it been received?

The launch was very successful and the feedback that we received over the last 12 months was actually kind of overwhelming and clearly exceeding our expectations.

We will probably not reach triple digit sales numbers this year, but we will be close, which even surprised us. This positive development definitely proves that process monitoring kind of hit the nerve of the market and that the ZESTRON EYE is a benefit to our customers and worth the investment.

For many customers the cleaning process is a “side issue” and therefore it is often neglected and not cared for as it actually should be. We understand this and therefore help customers to realize a proper bath monitoring process with minimal operator effort. The ZESTRON EYE can be integrated with the PLC of the cleaning machine for a fully automated monitoring and control of the cleaning agent concentration. It has been successfully integrated with the major machines of international equipment manufacturers and helps our customers to save costs as it prevents that too little or too much cleaning agent concentrate is used.

Customers confirm its high accuracy and tolerance against contamination load, thus ensuring precise measurements irrespective of the time the cleaning bath has already been in use. Due to data recording options, it is a clear improvement for process audits and quality management.

Q.

With this successful first year in mind, what is next?

A. We are already working on additional features of the ZESTRON EYE to extend its functionality to increase the customer benefit and make their lives easier. We

are looking forward to further improving cleaning process automation and control for our customers by developing a portfolio of different ZESTRON EYE configurations and are currently planning to launch an update mid 2015. So we can ensure there will be interesting news in this area, but hope you will understand that we cannot provide too many details yet.

Q.

You mentioned earlier that a cleaning process is only as good as its process control. What are the other main aspects that customers should be looking for when they think about a cleaning process?

A. In some cases, customers consider the cleaning process just as a machine and a chemical. But at the end of the day, what the customer needs in the long run is a stable, reliable cleaning solution. Of course, the cleaning process consists of the machine and the chemical and these have to be defined carefully. It must be ensured that the machine, the chemistry and the contamination that needs to be removed match so that the user’s cleanliness requirements are met. To define optimal combinations of machine and chemistry is our daily business and our Technical Centers featuring more than 70 cleaning machines from leading manufacturers are available for customers for cleaning trials. However, the analytics—the process monitoring—is also extremely important, as are the internal

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Ralph Hoeckle from Zestron Europe

by SMT Today Staff Editor

ZESTRON offers the world’s leading cleaning media, but more importantly focuses on being an architect for reliable cleaning processes within the electronics industry. With more than 30 years of experience, ZESTRON’s global network and local teams of application engineers stand ready to provide world-class cleaning support, whether considering cleaning processes for SMT or semiconductor applications. Here we speak with Ralph Hoeckle, Managing Director of ZESTRON, to find out about the latest news in electronics cleaning.

Q. Zestron is known as the leading manufacturer of cleaning chemistry.

However, with your latest product, the ZESTRON EYE, a digital concentration measurement system, you went a different way. Can you explain why?

A. In general, we see it as our task as a process specialist to provide our customers with solutions all around the cleaning process and not just with cleaning chemistry. We’ve shown this in the past with our manual test kits for bath monitoring and surface cleanliness. A cleaning process is only as good as its process control method.

The development of the ZESTRON EYE is typical for our drive for change and innovation. It is the first digital concentration measurement system available in the electronics cleaning industry. Before, customers had to rely on conventional measuring methods, such as refractive index, which are not suitable to control a cleaning process, as they are too inaccurate for today’s requirements and sensitive to contamination in the cleaning bath.

Supporting many sophisticated electronics manufacturers, we put a lot of effort and more than two years time into the development of an automatic concentration measurement system to meet the customers’ growing desire for process transparency and traceability. Today, it is more important than ever to provide automatic measurements that can be allocated to the respective production lot and a tool that is easy to use and if necessary exact to the second.

Manual measurements with our established test kits are also precise; however, they can neither realize any real-time measurement nor any automated data recording. Thus, the ZESTRON EYE is an innovation in process control and a major tool for customers to ensure a stable and reliable cleaning process.

Page 24

Q. The ZESTRON EYE was launched in 2013. How has it been received?

The launch was very successful and the feedback that we received over the last 12 months was actually kind of overwhelming and clearly exceeding our expectations.

We will probably not reach triple digit sales numbers this year, but we will be close, which even surprised us. This positive development definitely proves that process monitoring kind of hit the nerve of the market and that the ZESTRON EYE is a benefit to our customers and worth the investment.

For many customers the cleaning process is a “side issue” and therefore it is often neglected and not cared for as it actually should be. We understand this and therefore help customers to realize a proper bath monitoring process with minimal operator effort. The ZESTRON EYE can be integrated with the PLC of the cleaning machine for a fully automated monitoring and control of the cleaning agent concentration. It has been successfully integrated with the major machines of international equipment manufacturers and helps our customers to save costs as it prevents that too little or too much cleaning agent concentrate is used.

Customers confirm its high accuracy and tolerance against contamination load, thus ensuring precise measurements irrespective of the time the cleaning bath has already been in use. Due to data recording options, it is a clear improvement for process audits and quality management.

Q.

With this successful first year in mind, what is next?

A. We are already working on additional features of the ZESTRON EYE to extend its functionality to increase the customer benefit and make their lives easier. We

are looking forward to further improving cleaning process automation and control for our customers by developing a portfolio of different ZESTRON EYE configurations and are currently planning to launch an update mid 2015. So we can ensure there will be interesting news in this area, but hope you will understand that we cannot provide too many details yet.

Q.

You mentioned earlier that a cleaning process is only as good as its process control. What are the other main aspects that customers should be looking for when they think about a cleaning process?

A. In some cases, customers consider the cleaning process just as a machine and a chemical. But at the end of the day, what the customer needs in the long run is a stable, reliable cleaning solution. Of course, the cleaning process consists of the machine and the chemical and these have to be defined carefully. It must be ensured that the machine, the chemistry and the contamination that needs to be removed match so that the user’s cleanliness requirements are met. To define optimal combinations of machine and chemistry is our daily business and our Technical Centers featuring more than 70 cleaning machines from leading manufacturers are available for customers for cleaning trials. However, the analytics—the process monitoring—is also extremely important, as are the internal

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

components such as the recovery system, water treatments systems or cost-saving peripheral devices. ZESTRON has a whole portfolio of so called process optimization products, starting with bath monitoring - from manual test kits for concentration measurements up to the ZESTRON EYE - leading to devices for cleaning agent regeneration and recovery, such as an adsorber, and finally manual analytic test kits for surface analysis to indicate the distribution of remaining contamination on electronic assemblies.

At the end of the day the user does not want to talk to five different parties; he wants one answer from one party. That is what ZESTRON principally stands for, to provide knowledge on all cleaning requirements and questions in the market. ____________________________________

‘‘

We put a lot of effort and more than two years time into the development of an automatic concentration measurement system to meet the customers’ growing desire for process transparency and traceability

____________________________________

Q.

Now that we talked quite a bit about products, what about the latest news on the company development?

A. Currently we have six globally linked Technical Centers located in Germany, Virginia/USA, Malaysia, East and South China and Japan, to support customers locally with their cleaning processes. Each Technical Center offers a wide choice of cleaning machines of leading international and local equipment manufacturers available for cleaning trials and local teams of experienced process engineers supporting customers with any question on and around cleaning. This concept is worldwide unique and we are constantly expanding our local

Page 26

teams to serve an increasing customer base.

Just recently, in May this year, our South Asian team moved to a new facility in Penang.

Since opening the first state-of-art Technical Center in South Asia in Kulim, Malaysia in 2009, the continued success of the South Asian operation has enabled the team to grow and expand. Thus, the new facility offers 46,500 sq. ft. including office space, technical and R&D labs, production and warehouse spaces. It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of ZESTRON to providing unparalleled technical service and support to our customers in order to meet their ever increasing cleaning challenges.

Production is currently scheduled to start operation in Q2/2015, so that we will have three production sites on a global level that will also ensure that the varying needs of the different regions are best taken care of.

As ZESTRON is continuously growing, we also use this as a chance to optimize our distribution network in the different European regions. In the course of the last year, for example, we have reorganized our distribution in the UK by expanding our local sales and support team and taking BLT Circuit Services Ltd on board as official sales partner for England and Wales in addition to Heraeus Materials Ltd supporting Scotland.

Thus we were able to significantly increase presence and technological support for our customers in this region. ____________________________________

‘‘

At the end of the day the user does not want to talk to five different parties; he wants one answer from one party. That is what ZESTRON principally stands for, to provide knowledge on all cleaning requirements and questions in the market. ____________________________________

Q.

What are the main cleaning challenges that you see today?

A. Europe was - and I would principally say today still is - very much no-clean based.

Whoever does not want to clean, does not do it, especially when quality requirements are not an issue. However, more and more people see the benefit of cleaning, specifically in the high-end field, where quality requirements are continuously increasing, and we see this tendency growing. Cleaning also becomes even more important today due to the low-cost idea driving the market.

For example, with lower cost components from Asia, which tend to be more sensitive in terms of material compatibility, cleaning issues increase. Material compatibility is also one of the main topics when it comes to semiconductor packaging applications or cleaning of power electronics. The use of unsuitable cleaning agents leads to compatibility issues or, for example, results in insufficient wire bonding quality. ____________________________________

‘‘

In the course of the last year, for example, we have reorganized our distribution in the UK by expanding our local sales and support team and taking BLT Circuit Services Ltd on board as official sales partner for England and Wales in addition to Heraeus Materials Ltd supporting Scotland.

____________________________________ Fortunately, in the recent past, we were able to develop the first pH-neutral defluxing agent, which is excellent with regard to material compatibility, and in the meantime extended this portfolio by several agents to meet specific cleaning requirements in the SMT and semiconductor industry.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued...

components such as the recovery system, water treatments systems or cost-saving peripheral devices. ZESTRON has a whole portfolio of so called process optimization products, starting with bath monitoring - from manual test kits for concentration measurements up to the ZESTRON EYE - leading to devices for cleaning agent regeneration and recovery, such as an adsorber, and finally manual analytic test kits for surface analysis to indicate the distribution of remaining contamination on electronic assemblies.

At the end of the day the user does not want to talk to five different parties; he wants one answer from one party. That is what ZESTRON principally stands for, to provide knowledge on all cleaning requirements and questions in the market. ____________________________________

‘‘

We put a lot of effort and more than two years time into the development of an automatic concentration measurement system to meet the customers’ growing desire for process transparency and traceability

____________________________________

Q.

Now that we talked quite a bit about products, what about the latest news on the company development?

A. Currently we have six globally linked Technical Centers located in Germany, Virginia/USA, Malaysia, East and South China and Japan, to support customers locally with their cleaning processes. Each Technical Center offers a wide choice of cleaning machines of leading international and local equipment manufacturers available for cleaning trials and local teams of experienced process engineers supporting customers with any question on and around cleaning. This concept is worldwide unique and we are constantly expanding our local

Page 26

teams to serve an increasing customer base.

Just recently, in May this year, our South Asian team moved to a new facility in Penang.

Since opening the first state-of-art Technical Center in South Asia in Kulim, Malaysia in 2009, the continued success of the South Asian operation has enabled the team to grow and expand. Thus, the new facility offers 46,500 sq. ft. including office space, technical and R&D labs, production and warehouse spaces. It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of ZESTRON to providing unparalleled technical service and support to our customers in order to meet their ever increasing cleaning challenges.

Production is currently scheduled to start operation in Q2/2015, so that we will have three production sites on a global level that will also ensure that the varying needs of the different regions are best taken care of.

As ZESTRON is continuously growing, we also use this as a chance to optimize our distribution network in the different European regions. In the course of the last year, for example, we have reorganized our distribution in the UK by expanding our local sales and support team and taking BLT Circuit Services Ltd on board as official sales partner for England and Wales in addition to Heraeus Materials Ltd supporting Scotland.

Thus we were able to significantly increase presence and technological support for our customers in this region. ____________________________________

‘‘

At the end of the day the user does not want to talk to five different parties; he wants one answer from one party. That is what ZESTRON principally stands for, to provide knowledge on all cleaning requirements and questions in the market. ____________________________________

Q.

What are the main cleaning challenges that you see today?

A. Europe was - and I would principally say today still is - very much no-clean based.

Whoever does not want to clean, does not do it, especially when quality requirements are not an issue. However, more and more people see the benefit of cleaning, specifically in the high-end field, where quality requirements are continuously increasing, and we see this tendency growing. Cleaning also becomes even more important today due to the low-cost idea driving the market.

For example, with lower cost components from Asia, which tend to be more sensitive in terms of material compatibility, cleaning issues increase. Material compatibility is also one of the main topics when it comes to semiconductor packaging applications or cleaning of power electronics. The use of unsuitable cleaning agents leads to compatibility issues or, for example, results in insufficient wire bonding quality. ____________________________________

‘‘

In the course of the last year, for example, we have reorganized our distribution in the UK by expanding our local sales and support team and taking BLT Circuit Services Ltd on board as official sales partner for England and Wales in addition to Heraeus Materials Ltd supporting Scotland.

____________________________________ Fortunately, in the recent past, we were able to develop the first pH-neutral defluxing agent, which is excellent with regard to material compatibility, and in the meantime extended this portfolio by several agents to meet specific cleaning requirements in the SMT and semiconductor industry.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Rod Howell/ Libra Industries Recent Acquisitions: Focus Manufacturing & Tetrad Electronics Libra Industries is a leading provider of integrated Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) serving OEMs with complex or technologically sophisticated manufacturing requirements in a broad range of industries. Four world-class manufacturing facilities allow Libra Industries to provide customers with manufacturing flexibility including complete system build, module and sub-assembly production, as well as simple to complex PC board assembly. With an ongoing commitment to investment in people, quality systems, and the latest manufacturing equipment and processes, Libra Industries is committed to managing clients’ products from initial design and prototype to full production; assisting their clients in their efforts to improve time to market, reduce total systems cost, and increase quality.

Here we speak with CEO and owner Rod Howell to find out more about the company’s recent acquisitions and how these benefit customers, both existing and potential.

Q.

Rod, we’ve seen Libra Industries’ name in the news quite a bit lately, especially in regards to two recent acquisitions: Tetrad Electronics in August 2014 and Focus Manufacturing in September 2014. Can you tell our readers the reasoning behind these acquisitions?

A.

Libra Industries’ investment in Focus Manufacturing and Tetrad Electronics demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to providing customized manufacturing solutions to help make our new and existing customers more competitive and to help improve their profitability.

Q. What benefits does the Tetrad Electronics acquisition bring to Libra and, most importantly, to its customers?

A.

Tetrad is in a slightly different market segment than Libra Industries. Libra focuses on high-reliability, medium- to high-volume specialized markets such as industrial automation, medical, military and aerospace, instrumentation and LED lighting, while Tetrad specializes in lowvolume industrial manufacturing and light medical. Additionally, Tetrad brings us the added capability of in-house cable and wire harness assembly.

Page 28

Combining Libra Industries and Tetrad Electronics brings together more than 65 years of experience and manufacturing expertise.

Q.

What about Focus Manufacturing?

What benefits does that company bring to the table?

A. Libra Industries gains many new capabilities for our customers. We can now offer best-in-class complete EMS and metal fabrication services. Focus Manufacturing actually serves several requirements for us: it provides good, reliable sheet metal services and light precision machining capabilities.

Additionally, they give us the capability to perform powder coat painting, allowing Libra to ensure quality and reduce our in-house cycle time. Thus providing an improved time to market for our customers.

Q. What happens to both of these companies now that they’ve been purchased by Libra Industries?

A.

Focus Manufacturing will continue operations under its own name and facility, it will remain a separate entity and has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Libra Industries. Tetrad Electronics also will remain a separate facility, but has become a part of the Libra Industries family. Prior to the

acquisition, Tetrad Electronics operated two manufacturing facilities in Willoughby and Hudson, Ohio with 60 employees, most of whom will join the Libra Industries team. We absorbed the Hudson facility because it was a very small, rented facility.

Q. Why did Electronics?

you

choose

Tetrad

A. We felt that making Tetrad Electronics part of Libra Industries family was the best course for our company because Tetrad Electronics is an electronics contract manufacturer, similar to Libra Industries.

We chose them because of the similarities in our customer profiles, company culture, and our shared focus on quality and service. These are just a few of the reasons Tetrad Electronics is an excellent fit for us.

Sharing these things in common allows for a seamless integration into our organization.

Q. Why have you chosen this time (second half of 2014) to expand?

How does this relate to your current growth strategy, especially from your customers’ viewpoint?

A.

We wanted to participate in additional markets but we did not want to abandon our current markets so we decided that the best strategy was to acquire companies in these new areas to help us expand. We are at a place in our company where the daily operations are running smoothly, allowing me to focus more time and bandwidth on strategically growing Libra Industries.

As a result of these acquisitions, Libra Industries is a more vertically integrated company: We now provide services from board level to cable/wire and sheet metal/ machining. They also bring us the benefit of reducing our time to market while increasing our reliability, flexibility and quality offerings.

Q.

Do you foresee additional acquisitions in the near future?

We have been working on integrating both operations into Libra Industries for only a couple months, but everything is moving along smoothly. Once we complete these integrations, we will continue to look for more quality companies that will add additional value and services to our customers.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Interview with Rod Howell/ Libra Industries Recent Acquisitions: Focus Manufacturing & Tetrad Electronics Libra Industries is a leading provider of integrated Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) serving OEMs with complex or technologically sophisticated manufacturing requirements in a broad range of industries. Four world-class manufacturing facilities allow Libra Industries to provide customers with manufacturing flexibility including complete system build, module and sub-assembly production, as well as simple to complex PC board assembly. With an ongoing commitment to investment in people, quality systems, and the latest manufacturing equipment and processes, Libra Industries is committed to managing clients’ products from initial design and prototype to full production; assisting their clients in their efforts to improve time to market, reduce total systems cost, and increase quality.

Here we speak with CEO and owner Rod Howell to find out more about the company’s recent acquisitions and how these benefit customers, both existing and potential.

Q.

Rod, we’ve seen Libra Industries’ name in the news quite a bit lately, especially in regards to two recent acquisitions: Tetrad Electronics in August 2014 and Focus Manufacturing in September 2014. Can you tell our readers the reasoning behind these acquisitions?

A.

Libra Industries’ investment in Focus Manufacturing and Tetrad Electronics demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to providing customized manufacturing solutions to help make our new and existing customers more competitive and to help improve their profitability.

Q. What benefits does the Tetrad Electronics acquisition bring to Libra and, most importantly, to its customers?

A.

Tetrad is in a slightly different market segment than Libra Industries. Libra focuses on high-reliability, medium- to high-volume specialized markets such as industrial automation, medical, military and aerospace, instrumentation and LED lighting, while Tetrad specializes in lowvolume industrial manufacturing and light medical. Additionally, Tetrad brings us the added capability of in-house cable and wire harness assembly.

Page 28

Combining Libra Industries and Tetrad Electronics brings together more than 65 years of experience and manufacturing expertise.

Q.

What about Focus Manufacturing?

What benefits does that company bring to the table?

A. Libra Industries gains many new capabilities for our customers. We can now offer best-in-class complete EMS and metal fabrication services. Focus Manufacturing actually serves several requirements for us: it provides good, reliable sheet metal services and light precision machining capabilities.

Additionally, they give us the capability to perform powder coat painting, allowing Libra to ensure quality and reduce our in-house cycle time. Thus providing an improved time to market for our customers.

Q. What happens to both of these companies now that they’ve been purchased by Libra Industries?

A.

Focus Manufacturing will continue operations under its own name and facility, it will remain a separate entity and has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Libra Industries. Tetrad Electronics also will remain a separate facility, but has become a part of the Libra Industries family. Prior to the

acquisition, Tetrad Electronics operated two manufacturing facilities in Willoughby and Hudson, Ohio with 60 employees, most of whom will join the Libra Industries team. We absorbed the Hudson facility because it was a very small, rented facility.

Q. Why did Electronics?

you

choose

Tetrad

A. We felt that making Tetrad Electronics part of Libra Industries family was the best course for our company because Tetrad Electronics is an electronics contract manufacturer, similar to Libra Industries.

We chose them because of the similarities in our customer profiles, company culture, and our shared focus on quality and service. These are just a few of the reasons Tetrad Electronics is an excellent fit for us.

Sharing these things in common allows for a seamless integration into our organization.

Q. Why have you chosen this time (second half of 2014) to expand?

How does this relate to your current growth strategy, especially from your customers’ viewpoint?

A.

We wanted to participate in additional markets but we did not want to abandon our current markets so we decided that the best strategy was to acquire companies in these new areas to help us expand. We are at a place in our company where the daily operations are running smoothly, allowing me to focus more time and bandwidth on strategically growing Libra Industries.

As a result of these acquisitions, Libra Industries is a more vertically integrated company: We now provide services from board level to cable/wire and sheet metal/ machining. They also bring us the benefit of reducing our time to market while increasing our reliability, flexibility and quality offerings.

Q.

Do you foresee additional acquisitions in the near future?

We have been working on integrating both operations into Libra Industries for only a couple months, but everything is moving along smoothly. Once we complete these integrations, we will continue to look for more quality companies that will add additional value and services to our customers.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Horizon Sales Works Hard to Ensure Customer Satisfaction

by SMT Today Staff Editor

Q. Congratulations Dave. We

understand that you’ve recently earned your second consecutive Best Representative/Distributor – Americas’ award from Global SMT & Packaging Magazine’s Global Technology Awards program.

What does this say about your company’s mission?

A.

We are proud of this accomplishment – and grateful to our partners for nominating us. At Horizon Sales, each one of us approaches the day, not with the thought of receiving accolades or awards, but rather looking forward to the day ahead and the challenges that it will present. We do this day in and day out to support our partners and their customers, and to contribute to the betterment of the industry. Receiving our second Global Technology Award in as many years drives home the fact that our mission is working. Having said that, however, these awards do not mean that we can allow ourselves to become complacent. Receiving them simply raises the bar for us to continue offering our partners top-rated, highquality service.

Page 30

in your opinion, what makes a good representative today? How has that changed over the past 10 years?

A. Today’s Representative must be

humble and show humility at all times.

To have a customer show his trust in us and our principles is an honor.

There is much competition in today’s marketplace and multiple sources of similar products, all of which may perform to a minimum standard expected from the customer.

Located in the heart of the Midwest and founded in 1992, Horizon Industrial Systems, Inc. (DBA Horizon Sales) is a leading manufacturers’ representative corporation that specializes in the sales and marketing of premier electronics assembly equipment.

The company supplies machinery and supplies to the electronics industry through partnerships with key companies. Horizon Sales manages and sells to the Midwestern states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania and the greater Chicago area. We recently met with Dave Trail, Principal, to discuss the company’s two “rep of the year” awards and to find out the company’s secret to its success.

Q. As a follow up to that question,

To differentiate one’s self and offerings in this competitive environment, one must be at the customers’ beck and call, responsive to their need for information, be willing to drive that extra few miles, and work after the sun has gone down and be in the office before the sun comes up, ready to respond to the customers’ needs.

Q. Which of your partners

nominated Horizon Sales for this second award? How long have you worked with each of the partner companies?

A. We were nominated for the award

by our partners Juki Automation Systems, Seika Machinery and Valtronic. I have represented Juki Automation Systems’ assembly and soldering systems for 22 years, and personally have worked with Seika Machinery for 15 years and Valtronic for 20 years. During this time we have furnished these important manufacturers, and many others, with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies, helping them to achieve best-in-class status in their respective markets.

____________________________________

‘‘

these awards do not mean that we can allow ourselves to become complacent.

Receiving them simply raises the bar for us to continue offering our partners top-rated, high quality service ____________________________________

Q. Can you tell our readers the key to your success?

A. There are many, and they

constantly change with each situation.

However, there are some things we never change: we strive to present ourselves in a very professional manner and act beyond reproach with regard to our integrity and respect for our customers and principles.

Another strong belief of ours is to stay with our suppliers for the long haul.

We are not easily swayed by the latest ‘hot item’ that may require us to make sudden switches from one principle to another. We have had most of our base lines for many years and we find that our customers appreciate that longevity. In fact, many of our customers tell us that the thing that they dislike most about some of the competing Reps in our area is their constant switching of lines and principles. We do not take on a new line without significant due diligence and discussion.

Our relationship with our customer base is our most important asset and we are very protective of that. Serving our customers is priority one. If we do that in a serious, conscientious and respectful way, the compensation will follow.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

A significant change to today’s successful rep vs 10 years ago is the always ‘on demand’ nature of today’s business environment. It is no longer sufficient to respond to customers’ request for quotes in the next few days or to come visit the “next time I’m in the area.” Our customers are under intense pressure to perform so they do not have time for idle chatting and a casual cup of coffee in the company cafeteria.

____________________________________

‘‘

we strive to present ourselves in a very professional manner and act beyond reproach with regard to our integrity and respect for our customers and principles ____________________________________

Q. How has your new sales office

in Chicago helped your business?

Do you think this expansion played a part in winning this most recent award? Why?

A. Yes, I think our expansion has helped on multiple fronts. First, it sends

a signal to principles and suppliers that we are growing and are not afraid to invest for the future. Next, it tells our existing customer base that we are a successful company due largely to their support in the past and present.

Finally, it says to the new prospective customers in our Chicago area region that we have been successful for more than 20 years in the Michigan/ Ohio and related areas, and are eager to show them what has helped us rise to the levels that we have been able to achieve. ____________________________________

‘‘

many of our customers tell us that the thing that they dislike most about some of the competing Reps in our area is their constant switching of lines and principles ____________________________________

Q. We’ve noticed Horizon Sales’

name in the news often during 2014. Your involvement with industry expos and conferences is commendable. How does your participation (as opposed to just your attendance) benefit your manufacturing partners?

A. We are strong supporters of the

SMTA and I am a local chapter officer.

We want to participate in local events to show both our local customers and our principles that we are making an investment in the area and that we value their support by making an investment in personnel and booth or table costs. We want to be present in the territory not just to get an order but also to be there to educate and service.

____________________________________

‘‘

our customers are under intense pressure to perform so they do not have time for idle chatting and a casual cup of coffee in the company cafeteria ____________________________________

Q. As a leading representative

corporation in the Midwest, how do you see your business growing? Have you had to change or refocus your strategies based on the current industry needs?

A. Currently, we are looking to add at least one other sales person and we are starting to add some additional general office support to keep up with the volume of communication and order processing. We have also started offering some of our lines ‘direct’ to the customer, meaning that we act more like a traditional distributor would. ____________________________________

‘‘

We want to participate in local events to show both our local customers and our principles that we are making an investment in the area and that we value their support by making an investment in personnel and booth or table costs ____________________________________

Additionally, we have begun a program to update and improve our Website.

The intent is to not only make it a more useful site for our customers to get product information and technical specifications but to also make it a more interactive portal with two-way communications of order status, work in progress, etc.

We have also started a bi-monthly marketing campaign intended to keep our customers and prospects informed regarding new items and events that may be happening in our industry.

Finally, we are looking at the possibility of sponsoring some “mini’ hotel type shows where there is a limited set of products or equipment types displayed whereby local customers can come by for some hands-on experience and to meet with the technical representatives from the particular manufacturer whose product may be on display.

Horizon Sales Works Hard to Ensure Customer Satisfaction

by SMT Today Staff Editor

Q. Congratulations Dave. We

understand that you’ve recently earned your second consecutive Best Representative/Distributor – Americas’ award from Global SMT & Packaging Magazine’s Global Technology Awards program.

What does this say about your company’s mission?

A.

We are proud of this accomplishment – and grateful to our partners for nominating us. At Horizon Sales, each one of us approaches the day, not with the thought of receiving accolades or awards, but rather looking forward to the day ahead and the challenges that it will present. We do this day in and day out to support our partners and their customers, and to contribute to the betterment of the industry. Receiving our second Global Technology Award in as many years drives home the fact that our mission is working. Having said that, however, these awards do not mean that we can allow ourselves to become complacent. Receiving them simply raises the bar for us to continue offering our partners top-rated, highquality service.

Page 30

in your opinion, what makes a good representative today? How has that changed over the past 10 years?

A. Today’s Representative must be

humble and show humility at all times.

To have a customer show his trust in us and our principles is an honor.

There is much competition in today’s marketplace and multiple sources of similar products, all of which may perform to a minimum standard expected from the customer.

Located in the heart of the Midwest and founded in 1992, Horizon Industrial Systems, Inc. (DBA Horizon Sales) is a leading manufacturers’ representative corporation that specializes in the sales and marketing of premier electronics assembly equipment.

The company supplies machinery and supplies to the electronics industry through partnerships with key companies. Horizon Sales manages and sells to the Midwestern states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania and the greater Chicago area. We recently met with Dave Trail, Principal, to discuss the company’s two “rep of the year” awards and to find out the company’s secret to its success.

Q. As a follow up to that question,

To differentiate one’s self and offerings in this competitive environment, one must be at the customers’ beck and call, responsive to their need for information, be willing to drive that extra few miles, and work after the sun has gone down and be in the office before the sun comes up, ready to respond to the customers’ needs.

Q. Which of your partners

nominated Horizon Sales for this second award? How long have you worked with each of the partner companies?

A. We were nominated for the award

by our partners Juki Automation Systems, Seika Machinery and Valtronic. I have represented Juki Automation Systems’ assembly and soldering systems for 22 years, and personally have worked with Seika Machinery for 15 years and Valtronic for 20 years. During this time we have furnished these important manufacturers, and many others, with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies, helping them to achieve best-in-class status in their respective markets.

____________________________________

‘‘

these awards do not mean that we can allow ourselves to become complacent.

Receiving them simply raises the bar for us to continue offering our partners top-rated, high quality service ____________________________________

Q. Can you tell our readers the key to your success?

A. There are many, and they

constantly change with each situation.

However, there are some things we never change: we strive to present ourselves in a very professional manner and act beyond reproach with regard to our integrity and respect for our customers and principles.

Another strong belief of ours is to stay with our suppliers for the long haul.

We are not easily swayed by the latest ‘hot item’ that may require us to make sudden switches from one principle to another. We have had most of our base lines for many years and we find that our customers appreciate that longevity. In fact, many of our customers tell us that the thing that they dislike most about some of the competing Reps in our area is their constant switching of lines and principles. We do not take on a new line without significant due diligence and discussion.

Our relationship with our customer base is our most important asset and we are very protective of that. Serving our customers is priority one. If we do that in a serious, conscientious and respectful way, the compensation will follow.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

A significant change to today’s successful rep vs 10 years ago is the always ‘on demand’ nature of today’s business environment. It is no longer sufficient to respond to customers’ request for quotes in the next few days or to come visit the “next time I’m in the area.” Our customers are under intense pressure to perform so they do not have time for idle chatting and a casual cup of coffee in the company cafeteria.

____________________________________

‘‘

we strive to present ourselves in a very professional manner and act beyond reproach with regard to our integrity and respect for our customers and principles ____________________________________

Q. How has your new sales office

in Chicago helped your business?

Do you think this expansion played a part in winning this most recent award? Why?

A. Yes, I think our expansion has helped on multiple fronts. First, it sends

a signal to principles and suppliers that we are growing and are not afraid to invest for the future. Next, it tells our existing customer base that we are a successful company due largely to their support in the past and present.

Finally, it says to the new prospective customers in our Chicago area region that we have been successful for more than 20 years in the Michigan/ Ohio and related areas, and are eager to show them what has helped us rise to the levels that we have been able to achieve. ____________________________________

‘‘

many of our customers tell us that the thing that they dislike most about some of the competing Reps in our area is their constant switching of lines and principles ____________________________________

Q. We’ve noticed Horizon Sales’

name in the news often during 2014. Your involvement with industry expos and conferences is commendable. How does your participation (as opposed to just your attendance) benefit your manufacturing partners?

A. We are strong supporters of the

SMTA and I am a local chapter officer.

We want to participate in local events to show both our local customers and our principles that we are making an investment in the area and that we value their support by making an investment in personnel and booth or table costs. We want to be present in the territory not just to get an order but also to be there to educate and service.

____________________________________

‘‘

our customers are under intense pressure to perform so they do not have time for idle chatting and a casual cup of coffee in the company cafeteria ____________________________________

Q. As a leading representative

corporation in the Midwest, how do you see your business growing? Have you had to change or refocus your strategies based on the current industry needs?

A. Currently, we are looking to add at least one other sales person and we are starting to add some additional general office support to keep up with the volume of communication and order processing. We have also started offering some of our lines ‘direct’ to the customer, meaning that we act more like a traditional distributor would. ____________________________________

‘‘

We want to participate in local events to show both our local customers and our principles that we are making an investment in the area and that we value their support by making an investment in personnel and booth or table costs ____________________________________

Additionally, we have begun a program to update and improve our Website.

The intent is to not only make it a more useful site for our customers to get product information and technical specifications but to also make it a more interactive portal with two-way communications of order status, work in progress, etc.

We have also started a bi-monthly marketing campaign intended to keep our customers and prospects informed regarding new items and events that may be happening in our industry.

Finally, we are looking at the possibility of sponsoring some “mini’ hotel type shows where there is a limited set of products or equipment types displayed whereby local customers can come by for some hands-on experience and to meet with the technical representatives from the particular manufacturer whose product may be on display.

Industry News Keep up to date with what’s new With each issue we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest industry news from around the globe.

ACD to Manufacture World’s First 16nm ASIC-based Bitcoin Miner developed by CoinTerra™ RICHARDSON, TX ACD, a leading supplier to the electronics industry, today announced that it will manufacture CoinTerra’s next-generation Bitcoin mining system – the AIRE Miner™. CoinTerra, the market leader in Bitcoin mining solutions, anticipates a performance per watt of 5X the current generation miners with the new AIRE Miner.

The 16nm ASIC-based AIRE Miner is now available for limited time pre-order with expected delivery in Q1 2015.

Timo Hanke, CTO of CoinTerra, Inc., commented, “After months of hard work we are proud to announce the technical details of our upcoming Bitcoin mining system – the AIRE Miner – based on the 16nm ASIC SHIVA™. With exceptional hashing performance and power efficiency, we are ready to put the power of high-performance Bitcoin mining back into the hands of Bitcoin enthusiasts the world over.”

____________________________________

Cogiscan and Juki Provide VIP-VIRANT Group with Complete TTC Solution Cogiscan Inc., the leading Track, Trace and Control (TTC) solutions provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, together with Juki, has provided VIP-

Page 32

VIRANT Group with a complete TTC solution for its new assembly line.

VIP-VIRANT Group’s new fully integrated assembly line consists of JUKI loaders, transport systems and linked repairing stations. The JUKI GL printer together with the JUKI SPI/AOI system RV-1, a nitrogen reflow oven and two JUKI mounters also are included. The new line is complemented by a continuous traceability and quality management system from Cogiscan.

____________________________________

Etek Europe Appointed as Distributor of PDR – IR Rework Systems Etek Europe are proud to announce that they have been appointed as distributor for PDR – IR Rework Systems covering Algeria, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates.

This appointment reinforces the relationship between two great companies: PDR, manufactures of IR Rework Systems for SMT, BGAs, CSPs, QFNs, LEDs , 0201s and Etek Europe, a global supplier to the electronics industry.

Mike Nelson, Managing Director and founder of Etek Europe, added “The PDR range of systems are some of the finest BGA rework systems on the market and we are extremely proud to announce this appointment and look forward to working with the team at PDR. Their products provide us with the opportunity to further extend our portfolio of equipment offerings to our customers.”

____________________________________

New generation of multifunctional Boundary Scan I/O modules of GOEPEL electronic improves test coverage In context of the ITC International Test Conference 2014 in Seattle, GOEPEL electronics will present the CION-LX Module/FXT96, a new Boundary Scan module with high functionality and dynamics for test of analog, digital and mixed signals. The module allows the extension of Boundary Scan test to non scannable circuit components such as connectors, clusters or analog interfaces. The standards IEEE1149.1, IEEE1149.6 and IEEE1149.8.1 are supported. There are 96 single-ended, 12 High Current and 24 differential channels available. Each channel is bi-directional and can be programmed using many different parameters. Unique in the industry, dynamic test resources such as frequency counter, event detector, arbitrary waveform generator or digitizer are available to increase test flexibility. The new model is based on the ASIC CION-LX™, a JTAG controllable Mixed Signal Tester-on-Chip (ToC), developed by GOEPEL electronics.

____________________________________

New Campaign Debunks Science Perception One well-known global cleaning technologies company is about to turn a longstanding perception on its head and they have rebranded and launched a new marketing campaign to help them do it. For years, the perception of scientists as very competent on one hand, but cold and uncaring on the other, has existed. Yet KYZEN, a global leader in pioneering environmentally responsible cleaning technologies, owes its success to more than just getting the science right. The company has built a worldwide reputation on caring by consistently putting the customer’s needs and success above its own.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Libra Industries Acquires Focus Manufacturing Libra Industries, a privately held electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Focus Manufacturing. Focus Manufacturing produces precision machined parts, sheet metal, assembled components and complete enclosures with integrated electronics.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to gain so many new capabilities and expand our offering to Libra Industries’ and Focus Manufacturing’s customers,” stated Rod Howell, CEO and Owner of Libra Industries.

“Focus Manufacturing and Libra Industries together will offer best-in-class complete EMS and metal fabrication services.”

“The agreement with Libra Industries will benefit both Focus Manufacturing and Libra Industries’ customers in a big way,” commented Ron Brehm, President of Focus Manufacturing. “With the combined capabilities of both companies, we now offer a complete manufacturing solution.”

____________________________________

Rocket EMS Ramps Up Cleaning Capabilities with Three New Aqua Klean Systems Rocket EMS Inc., a Silicon Valley-based fullservice EMS supplier, today announced that it has installed three new cleaning systems from Aqua Klean Systems. Rocket EMS installed a Typhoon T-8 Chemistry ZeroDischarge Cleaner, T15 Water Soluble Cleaner and DI Recirculating System.

“At Rocket we promise our customers extraordinary quality, spectacular customer service and a sense of urgency in everything we do,” commented Craig Arcuri, CEO of Rocket EMS. “To help Rocket fulfill those commitments, we need the support of likeminded vendors. I am pleased to say that the Typhoon series has met and exceeded our expectations in all three categories.”

consistent. The T-8 also incorporates a dynamic air blow-off design, allowing a water-free chemical isolation.

____________________________________

ViTrox Technologies’ AOI and AXI Equipment Complements Rocket EMS’ Assembly Line Rocket EMS Inc., a Silicon Valley-based full service EMS supplier, today announced that it has installed two V510 G2 Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) systems and one V810 S2 3D In-line Advanced X-ray Inspection System (AXI) from ViTrox Technologies. The V810 S2 and V510 G2 systems will complement Rocket EMS’ SMT assembly line with high-speed, high coverage AXI and AOI. “At Rocket EMS we promise extraordinary quality, spectacular customer service and a sense of urgency in everything we do,” commented Craig Arcuri CEO of Rocket EMS. Peter Chipman, Vice President of Test, Rocket EMS, added: “Rocket has used ViTrox AOI and AXI machines for many years. We chose the ViTrox machines based on our experience with reliability, ease of programing and the machines ability to successfully capture production problems.”

The V810 S2 accommodates boards up to 18”x24” and offers Rocket EMS the ability to inspect double-sided PCB panels with high defect coverage, high inspection speed and an excellent call rate. The system is designed for in-line and offline use and works on both lead and lead-free solder joints. The V810’s state-of-the-art technology is based on Digital Tomosynthesis methodology and runs on a new platform with Windows 8 Professional 64bit.

____________________________________

The Typhoon T-8 offers Rocket EMS a new way to clean RMA, no-clean and water soluble (OA) fluxes. The T-8 incorporates an adjustable chemical injection pump to assist in keeping chemical wash concentration

Techcon Systems Now Offers Free Application Testing Service for Dispensing Equipment Techcon Systems, a product group of OK International and a leading provider of fluid dispensing systems and products, now

offers a free application testing service to help customers select the right dispensing equipment. The Techcon Application Lab is equipped with a full range of dispensing equipment along with complete laboratory apparatus to specifically develop and reproduce dispensing processes.

Once the testing is completed, Techcon’s application team will provide detailed test reports and samples of dispensing results as well as photos and videos so that customers are confident when selecting Techcon Systems dispensing products. This is a FREE service excluding the shipping cost of the parts and materials required for the testing.

____________________________________

ViTrox Technologies Appoints Hilpert Distributor for Germany, Switzerland and Austria ViTrox Technologies, a solutions provider of innovative, advanced and cost-effective automated vision inspection systems and equipment for the semiconductor and electronics packaging industries, announces the appointment of Hilpert Electronics AG. Effective July 1, 2014, Hilpert represents ViTrox in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Hilpert is one of the leading providers of products and services for microelectronics manufacturing in its territory. Since 1972, Hilpert has offered project engineering, project management and customer service.

Hilpert is authorized to distribute ViTrox’s Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) and Advanced 3D X-ray Inspection (AXI) systems. ViTrox is expected to penetrate the inspection market in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the future as a result of Hilpert’s strong presence. ViTrox expects to greatly expand its market presence and grow its AXI and AOI sales in this territory as a result of its partnership with Hilpert.

Industry News Keep up to date with what’s new With each issue we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest industry news from around the globe.

ACD to Manufacture World’s First 16nm ASIC-based Bitcoin Miner developed by CoinTerra™ RICHARDSON, TX ACD, a leading supplier to the electronics industry, today announced that it will manufacture CoinTerra’s next-generation Bitcoin mining system – the AIRE Miner™. CoinTerra, the market leader in Bitcoin mining solutions, anticipates a performance per watt of 5X the current generation miners with the new AIRE Miner.

The 16nm ASIC-based AIRE Miner is now available for limited time pre-order with expected delivery in Q1 2015.

Timo Hanke, CTO of CoinTerra, Inc., commented, “After months of hard work we are proud to announce the technical details of our upcoming Bitcoin mining system – the AIRE Miner – based on the 16nm ASIC SHIVA™. With exceptional hashing performance and power efficiency, we are ready to put the power of high-performance Bitcoin mining back into the hands of Bitcoin enthusiasts the world over.”

____________________________________

Cogiscan and Juki Provide VIP-VIRANT Group with Complete TTC Solution Cogiscan Inc., the leading Track, Trace and Control (TTC) solutions provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, together with Juki, has provided VIP-

Page 32

VIRANT Group with a complete TTC solution for its new assembly line.

VIP-VIRANT Group’s new fully integrated assembly line consists of JUKI loaders, transport systems and linked repairing stations. The JUKI GL printer together with the JUKI SPI/AOI system RV-1, a nitrogen reflow oven and two JUKI mounters also are included. The new line is complemented by a continuous traceability and quality management system from Cogiscan.

____________________________________

Etek Europe Appointed as Distributor of PDR – IR Rework Systems Etek Europe are proud to announce that they have been appointed as distributor for PDR – IR Rework Systems covering Algeria, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates.

This appointment reinforces the relationship between two great companies: PDR, manufactures of IR Rework Systems for SMT, BGAs, CSPs, QFNs, LEDs , 0201s and Etek Europe, a global supplier to the electronics industry.

Mike Nelson, Managing Director and founder of Etek Europe, added “The PDR range of systems are some of the finest BGA rework systems on the market and we are extremely proud to announce this appointment and look forward to working with the team at PDR. Their products provide us with the opportunity to further extend our portfolio of equipment offerings to our customers.”

____________________________________

New generation of multifunctional Boundary Scan I/O modules of GOEPEL electronic improves test coverage In context of the ITC International Test Conference 2014 in Seattle, GOEPEL electronics will present the CION-LX Module/FXT96, a new Boundary Scan module with high functionality and dynamics for test of analog, digital and mixed signals. The module allows the extension of Boundary Scan test to non scannable circuit components such as connectors, clusters or analog interfaces. The standards IEEE1149.1, IEEE1149.6 and IEEE1149.8.1 are supported. There are 96 single-ended, 12 High Current and 24 differential channels available. Each channel is bi-directional and can be programmed using many different parameters. Unique in the industry, dynamic test resources such as frequency counter, event detector, arbitrary waveform generator or digitizer are available to increase test flexibility. The new model is based on the ASIC CION-LX™, a JTAG controllable Mixed Signal Tester-on-Chip (ToC), developed by GOEPEL electronics.

____________________________________

New Campaign Debunks Science Perception One well-known global cleaning technologies company is about to turn a longstanding perception on its head and they have rebranded and launched a new marketing campaign to help them do it. For years, the perception of scientists as very competent on one hand, but cold and uncaring on the other, has existed. Yet KYZEN, a global leader in pioneering environmentally responsible cleaning technologies, owes its success to more than just getting the science right. The company has built a worldwide reputation on caring by consistently putting the customer’s needs and success above its own.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Libra Industries Acquires Focus Manufacturing Libra Industries, a privately held electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Focus Manufacturing. Focus Manufacturing produces precision machined parts, sheet metal, assembled components and complete enclosures with integrated electronics.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to gain so many new capabilities and expand our offering to Libra Industries’ and Focus Manufacturing’s customers,” stated Rod Howell, CEO and Owner of Libra Industries.

“Focus Manufacturing and Libra Industries together will offer best-in-class complete EMS and metal fabrication services.”

“The agreement with Libra Industries will benefit both Focus Manufacturing and Libra Industries’ customers in a big way,” commented Ron Brehm, President of Focus Manufacturing. “With the combined capabilities of both companies, we now offer a complete manufacturing solution.”

____________________________________

Rocket EMS Ramps Up Cleaning Capabilities with Three New Aqua Klean Systems Rocket EMS Inc., a Silicon Valley-based fullservice EMS supplier, today announced that it has installed three new cleaning systems from Aqua Klean Systems. Rocket EMS installed a Typhoon T-8 Chemistry ZeroDischarge Cleaner, T15 Water Soluble Cleaner and DI Recirculating System.

“At Rocket we promise our customers extraordinary quality, spectacular customer service and a sense of urgency in everything we do,” commented Craig Arcuri, CEO of Rocket EMS. “To help Rocket fulfill those commitments, we need the support of likeminded vendors. I am pleased to say that the Typhoon series has met and exceeded our expectations in all three categories.”

consistent. The T-8 also incorporates a dynamic air blow-off design, allowing a water-free chemical isolation.

____________________________________

ViTrox Technologies’ AOI and AXI Equipment Complements Rocket EMS’ Assembly Line Rocket EMS Inc., a Silicon Valley-based full service EMS supplier, today announced that it has installed two V510 G2 Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) systems and one V810 S2 3D In-line Advanced X-ray Inspection System (AXI) from ViTrox Technologies. The V810 S2 and V510 G2 systems will complement Rocket EMS’ SMT assembly line with high-speed, high coverage AXI and AOI. “At Rocket EMS we promise extraordinary quality, spectacular customer service and a sense of urgency in everything we do,” commented Craig Arcuri CEO of Rocket EMS. Peter Chipman, Vice President of Test, Rocket EMS, added: “Rocket has used ViTrox AOI and AXI machines for many years. We chose the ViTrox machines based on our experience with reliability, ease of programing and the machines ability to successfully capture production problems.”

The V810 S2 accommodates boards up to 18”x24” and offers Rocket EMS the ability to inspect double-sided PCB panels with high defect coverage, high inspection speed and an excellent call rate. The system is designed for in-line and offline use and works on both lead and lead-free solder joints. The V810’s state-of-the-art technology is based on Digital Tomosynthesis methodology and runs on a new platform with Windows 8 Professional 64bit.

____________________________________

The Typhoon T-8 offers Rocket EMS a new way to clean RMA, no-clean and water soluble (OA) fluxes. The T-8 incorporates an adjustable chemical injection pump to assist in keeping chemical wash concentration

Techcon Systems Now Offers Free Application Testing Service for Dispensing Equipment Techcon Systems, a product group of OK International and a leading provider of fluid dispensing systems and products, now

offers a free application testing service to help customers select the right dispensing equipment. The Techcon Application Lab is equipped with a full range of dispensing equipment along with complete laboratory apparatus to specifically develop and reproduce dispensing processes.

Once the testing is completed, Techcon’s application team will provide detailed test reports and samples of dispensing results as well as photos and videos so that customers are confident when selecting Techcon Systems dispensing products. This is a FREE service excluding the shipping cost of the parts and materials required for the testing.

____________________________________

ViTrox Technologies Appoints Hilpert Distributor for Germany, Switzerland and Austria ViTrox Technologies, a solutions provider of innovative, advanced and cost-effective automated vision inspection systems and equipment for the semiconductor and electronics packaging industries, announces the appointment of Hilpert Electronics AG. Effective July 1, 2014, Hilpert represents ViTrox in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Hilpert is one of the leading providers of products and services for microelectronics manufacturing in its territory. Since 1972, Hilpert has offered project engineering, project management and customer service.

Hilpert is authorized to distribute ViTrox’s Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) and Advanced 3D X-ray Inspection (AXI) systems. ViTrox is expected to penetrate the inspection market in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the future as a result of Hilpert’s strong presence. ViTrox expects to greatly expand its market presence and grow its AXI and AOI sales in this territory as a result of its partnership with Hilpert.

Speedprint Furthers Silicon Mountain’s Mission of Domestic Reliability, Value and Experience

by SMT Today Staff Editor

the goals of their competitive markets.

“Silicon Mountain’s current production volume requires five production SMT lines to be run 24 hours a day, five days a week,” said Curtis Thompson, Process Engineering Manager. “We have a number of active customers that we have partnered with for many years.”

Thompson has dealt with machines and processes since 1993.

Founded in 2002 by Kris Townsend, general manager, and Wayne Townsend, co-founder, and based just outside Boise, Idaho, Silicon Mountain Contract Services has grown steadily over the past 12 years. The company began with the premise that contract electronic manufacturers (CEMs) based in America could specialize in and provide custom work-cell manufacturing designed to meet all requirements – internal and external – that are necessary to provide customer satisfaction without going overseas. Using this model, the company has been going strong and growing consistently.

As part of its mission, the company only uses state-of-the-art equipment with good business sense. Its team has decades of experience in manufacturing, quality and supply chain management platforms that its customers use to successfully meet

To keep up with its production pace, the company must use top-rated, current equipment from technologically-advanced manufacturers. One of these is Speedprint Technology, an award-winning company delivering comprehensive SMT screen printing solutions with a focus on value, flexibility and low cost-of-ownership for the SMT and semiconductor industries.

Silicon Mountain started working with Speedprint when Thompson and a fellow engineer looked into replacing an aging screen print machine in February 2013.

They attended the IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego and were introduced to the company and the screen printers. ____________________________________

‘‘

the company only uses state-of-theart equipment with good business sense ____________________________________ “While attending the February 2013 APEX EXPO in San Diego, we were able to compare all of the major screen printer brands side to side, and several things really stood out to us as we were evaluating printers,” added Thompson.

He said that Speedprint’s machines are simple and straightforward, making

them much easier to work on than other printers. He also said that they use many off-the-shelf parts that are not custom, allowing them to be easily serviced for years to come. The SP710 printer that Silicon Mountain purchased offered all the high-end features that the company was looking for: 2-D inspection, board support placement location, program creation from Gerber files and a flexible platform with a glue dispensing option – all at a significant cost savings.

Silicon Mountain currently has two Speedprint systems in use on its floor – the SP710 and the SP700, which it purchased in September 2013 – and is running one on each of its two fastest production lines. Each line puts down 7+ million placements a month. Thompson said that the company strategically placed them on these lines because they have so little downtime and work around the clock. He added, “We have plans to eventually replace other aging printers on other lines as they get harder to find parts

creative digital marketing. stunning results.

branding digital strategies website design & development mobile marketing solutions social media

Silicon Mountain’s production floor. The company’s focus is to keep as much work in the USA as possible.

B B D C R E AT I V E , 4 1 B E R E S F O R D T E R R A C E , AY R | 0 1 2 9 2 2 8 0 0 2 2 | B B D C R E AT I V E .C O M

Page 34

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Speedprint Furthers Silicon Mountain’s Mission of Domestic Reliability, Value and Experience

by SMT Today Staff Editor

the goals of their competitive markets.

“Silicon Mountain’s current production volume requires five production SMT lines to be run 24 hours a day, five days a week,” said Curtis Thompson, Process Engineering Manager. “We have a number of active customers that we have partnered with for many years.”

Thompson has dealt with machines and processes since 1993.

Founded in 2002 by Kris Townsend, general manager, and Wayne Townsend, co-founder, and based just outside Boise, Idaho, Silicon Mountain Contract Services has grown steadily over the past 12 years. The company began with the premise that contract electronic manufacturers (CEMs) based in America could specialize in and provide custom work-cell manufacturing designed to meet all requirements – internal and external – that are necessary to provide customer satisfaction without going overseas. Using this model, the company has been going strong and growing consistently.

As part of its mission, the company only uses state-of-the-art equipment with good business sense. Its team has decades of experience in manufacturing, quality and supply chain management platforms that its customers use to successfully meet

To keep up with its production pace, the company must use top-rated, current equipment from technologically-advanced manufacturers. One of these is Speedprint Technology, an award-winning company delivering comprehensive SMT screen printing solutions with a focus on value, flexibility and low cost-of-ownership for the SMT and semiconductor industries.

Silicon Mountain started working with Speedprint when Thompson and a fellow engineer looked into replacing an aging screen print machine in February 2013.

They attended the IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego and were introduced to the company and the screen printers. ____________________________________

‘‘

the company only uses state-of-theart equipment with good business sense ____________________________________ “While attending the February 2013 APEX EXPO in San Diego, we were able to compare all of the major screen printer brands side to side, and several things really stood out to us as we were evaluating printers,” added Thompson.

He said that Speedprint’s machines are simple and straightforward, making

them much easier to work on than other printers. He also said that they use many off-the-shelf parts that are not custom, allowing them to be easily serviced for years to come. The SP710 printer that Silicon Mountain purchased offered all the high-end features that the company was looking for: 2-D inspection, board support placement location, program creation from Gerber files and a flexible platform with a glue dispensing option – all at a significant cost savings.

Silicon Mountain currently has two Speedprint systems in use on its floor – the SP710 and the SP700, which it purchased in September 2013 – and is running one on each of its two fastest production lines. Each line puts down 7+ million placements a month. Thompson said that the company strategically placed them on these lines because they have so little downtime and work around the clock. He added, “We have plans to eventually replace other aging printers on other lines as they get harder to find parts

creative digital marketing. stunning results.

branding digital strategies website design & development mobile marketing solutions social media

Silicon Mountain’s production floor. The company’s focus is to keep as much work in the USA as possible.

B B D C R E AT I V E , 4 1 B E R E S F O R D T E R R A C E , AY R | 0 1 2 9 2 2 8 0 0 2 2 | B B D C R E AT I V E .C O M

Page 34

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued... for and fix. We have been impressed with Speedprint’s quick response time and its engineers’ ability to help diagnose and solve any possible issues remotely since these printers are networked for remote access.”

Silicon Mountain is a smaller CEM but Thompson said that the company runs high-volume, high-mix manufacturing so it needs printers that are easy, fast to set up and run with very little downtime. “These printers do all of this for us,” Thompson confirmed. Speedprint also strives to provide the best customer service possible for all of its clients, regardless of size. Thompson said that uptime is crucial in Silicon Mountain’s business and that with a single phone call to Speedprint he can have his factory technician remote into the machine and can have answers to any questions within minutes.

Thompson also added that Speedprint is the most responsive machine manufacturer with which the company has dealt. With other vendors, he said, it can be hours or even days before he receives a concrete response; however, with Speedprint it is only minutes.

Because of this and Speedprint’s other qualities, he said, “I give Speedprint five stars for service.” ____________________________________

‘‘

speedprint products combine its commitment to high performance and reliability with all the necessary features for processing the most complicated assemblies

____________________________________ Speedprint products combine its commitment to high performance and reliability with all the necessary features for processing the most complicated assemblies. The systems are designed

This is all-important to a busy, familyowned CEM that has big plans for the future. In an industry full of midsize CEMs, Silicon Mountain stands out from the others because of its “keep it

‘‘

at home” mentality. As a smaller familyowned business, the company strives to make the most of every capital dollar it spends, and the return on investment (ROI) has been good, not only providing a moderately priced machine but also resulting in a significant improvement in uptime that has translated positively to Silicon Mountain’s bottom line. ____________________________________

‘‘

Silicon Mountain originally chose Speedprint over any competing companies based on four reasons: the printer itself, the design, the function and the pricing – with service being the icing on top. ____________________________________

____________________________________ Silicon Mountain originally chose Speedprint over any competing companies based on four reasons: the printer itself, the design, the function and the pricing – with service being the icing on top. Thompson added, “Our technicians had been trying to service and repair older printers that were unnecessarily complex and difficult to repair. When we saw how simple and straightforward the design was on Speedprint’s printers and the features they had, we were sold, and the pricing sealed the deal.” Now, more than a year later, the company continues choosing Speedprint as its screen print platform because “it brings the best of everything to our floor at a reasonable price and they just plain work day in and day out.”

thompson said that uptime is crucial in silicon mountain’s business and that with a single phone call to Speedprint he can have his factory technician remote into a machine and can have answers to any questions within minutes

Page 36

to cope with the rigors of high-volume SMT production while incorporating the flexibility needed in high-mix, quick product setup and changeover environments.

Speedprint takes a unique approach that is defined by its commitment to quality, design simplicity, long-term reliability and low operation costs. The company’s commitment to quality is exemplified by the many important process control features that are standard elements of every Speedprint machine. The design simplicity means low maintenance costs and being free of expensive OEM service contracts. Additionally, the solid state components used in its products results in long-term reliability and greater customer choice. ____________________________________

The design, function, pricing and service of the Speedprint printers help Silicon Mountain reach its potential.

“As a family-owned and operated company, we strongly believe that our national heritage and our future rely upon having a strong economic base generated from a reliable and viable manufacturing foundation,” Thompson concluded. “We are part of that foundation and welcome you to join with us in bringing more jobs home to the United States.”

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

feature continued... for and fix. We have been impressed with Speedprint’s quick response time and its engineers’ ability to help diagnose and solve any possible issues remotely since these printers are networked for remote access.”

Silicon Mountain is a smaller CEM but Thompson said that the company runs high-volume, high-mix manufacturing so it needs printers that are easy, fast to set up and run with very little downtime. “These printers do all of this for us,” Thompson confirmed. Speedprint also strives to provide the best customer service possible for all of its clients, regardless of size. Thompson said that uptime is crucial in Silicon Mountain’s business and that with a single phone call to Speedprint he can have his factory technician remote into the machine and can have answers to any questions within minutes.

Thompson also added that Speedprint is the most responsive machine manufacturer with which the company has dealt. With other vendors, he said, it can be hours or even days before he receives a concrete response; however, with Speedprint it is only minutes.

Because of this and Speedprint’s other qualities, he said, “I give Speedprint five stars for service.” ____________________________________

‘‘

speedprint products combine its commitment to high performance and reliability with all the necessary features for processing the most complicated assemblies

____________________________________ Speedprint products combine its commitment to high performance and reliability with all the necessary features for processing the most complicated assemblies. The systems are designed

This is all-important to a busy, familyowned CEM that has big plans for the future. In an industry full of midsize CEMs, Silicon Mountain stands out from the others because of its “keep it

‘‘

at home” mentality. As a smaller familyowned business, the company strives to make the most of every capital dollar it spends, and the return on investment (ROI) has been good, not only providing a moderately priced machine but also resulting in a significant improvement in uptime that has translated positively to Silicon Mountain’s bottom line. ____________________________________

‘‘

Silicon Mountain originally chose Speedprint over any competing companies based on four reasons: the printer itself, the design, the function and the pricing – with service being the icing on top. ____________________________________

____________________________________ Silicon Mountain originally chose Speedprint over any competing companies based on four reasons: the printer itself, the design, the function and the pricing – with service being the icing on top. Thompson added, “Our technicians had been trying to service and repair older printers that were unnecessarily complex and difficult to repair. When we saw how simple and straightforward the design was on Speedprint’s printers and the features they had, we were sold, and the pricing sealed the deal.” Now, more than a year later, the company continues choosing Speedprint as its screen print platform because “it brings the best of everything to our floor at a reasonable price and they just plain work day in and day out.”

thompson said that uptime is crucial in silicon mountain’s business and that with a single phone call to Speedprint he can have his factory technician remote into a machine and can have answers to any questions within minutes

Page 36

to cope with the rigors of high-volume SMT production while incorporating the flexibility needed in high-mix, quick product setup and changeover environments.

Speedprint takes a unique approach that is defined by its commitment to quality, design simplicity, long-term reliability and low operation costs. The company’s commitment to quality is exemplified by the many important process control features that are standard elements of every Speedprint machine. The design simplicity means low maintenance costs and being free of expensive OEM service contracts. Additionally, the solid state components used in its products results in long-term reliability and greater customer choice. ____________________________________

The design, function, pricing and service of the Speedprint printers help Silicon Mountain reach its potential.

“As a family-owned and operated company, we strongly believe that our national heritage and our future rely upon having a strong economic base generated from a reliable and viable manufacturing foundation,” Thompson concluded. “We are part of that foundation and welcome you to join with us in bringing more jobs home to the United States.”

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

new products exciting new industry innovation

new products continued...

Keeping you informed of the latest developments in technology and innovation within our global electronics industry.

Energy Cost Savings Achieved with ALPHA® SnCX Plus™ 07 Lead-Free/Silver-Free Alloy

and provide environmental protection and heat deration protection for threephase inverters.”

Designed as a cost-effective alternative to lead-free, silver-bearing alloys in terms of overall performance and reliability, ALPHA SnCX Plus 07 can be used as a replacement for SnPb, SAC, low silver SAC and other lead-free, silver-free alloys in wave, selective soldering, lead tinning and rework processes.

“Many assemblers are realizing that they can reduce their pot temperatures by as much as 10-15°C and still get great soldering when switching from other popular SnCU alloys to SnCX Plus™ 07. This is because of special additives that improve the wetting performance of ALPHA SnCX Plus 07 at lower temperatures,” said Mike Murphy, Global Product Manager for Soldering Alloys.

“Lower pot temperatures lead to lower energy costs and the savings can really add up over time”.

ALPHA® SnCX Plus™ 07 delivers bestin-class performance over many of the popular tin copper solder alloys and exhibits superior physical and mechanical properties, including the ability to reduce drossing, increase wetting speed and force and improve joint reliability.

Bentek Announces General Availability of its NEC 2014 Rapid Shutdown PowerRack Family of Products The PowerRack provides PV installers with a cost effective way to install threephase inverters within 10 feet of the PV array complying with NEC 2014 section 690.12 Rapid Shutdown requirements.

The PowerRack provides a common design that fits ABB, Advanced Energy, Chint, Schneider, SMA, Solar Edge, SolarMax and Solectria threephase inverters. The Bentek Inverter PowerRacks can be shipped directly to any commercial job site where threephase inverters can be integrated and installed on commercial rooftops.

Bentek also integrates commercial three-phase inverters and Bentek AC disconnects in its ISO 9001:2008 factory and ships the Bentek Inverter PowerSkid directly to the commercial job site.

Bentek PowerShields are easily mounted on either the PowerRack or PowerSkid,

Page 38

The Balver Zinn Group Releases Bi Rework Solder Paste The new RoHS compliant paste reduces the risk of board damage during the desoldering process. With a desoldering temperature of 180°C, Bi Rework Solder Paste reduces desoldering temperatures and times. The no-clean, halide-free flux features easy dispensing and clean-up.

Additionally, it provides excellent removal of through-hole and SMT components.

In addition to the new Bi Rework Solder Paste, Balver Zinn and Cobar offer a complete range of solder bar, solder wire, solder flux, gel flux, cleaner and solder paste.

CyberOptics Advances 3D Sensor Technology with Leading-Edge Capabilities Leveraging a 30 year history of pioneering optical technology advancements including digital 3D inspection, CyberOptics now makes a significant step-change in 3D sensing.

Delivering advantages that have previously been unachieved in the industry, this technology enables ultrahigh quality 3D images at production speeds, using architecturally superior multi-view sensors and Multi-Reflection Suppression technology (MRS).

The multi-view 3D data is merged together with highly sophisticated algorithms and MRS which suppresses any reflection that can distort the data, enabling a precise 3D representation.

This is particularly critical for inspecting shiny objects.

The architecturally superior sensor design captures and transmits the data simultaneously and in parallel, vs. a typical serial approach used in alternate technologies. These breakthrough technology building blocks result in unmatched speed and accuracy.

A-Laser Releases New LDS Capability for Manufacturing 3D Circuitry

Count On Tools Now Offers Nozzles for i-PULSE Series Surface Mounters According to Curt Couch, President of Count On Tools, Inc., “Count On Tools understands that in order for our customers to remain competitive in today’s market, they must be able to cut costs while simultaneously maximizing the capabilities of their SMT assembly equipment. Our new line of nozzles for i-PULSE equipment allows us to help customers achieve consistent placement performance and reliability in their machines while saving them money.”

All SMT nozzles and consumables are guaranteed to function properly with the original equipment. Every product manufactured by Count On Tools comes standard with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. If any customer is not completely satisfied with the performance or quality of a product, Count On Tools will replace it or offer a full refund.

A-Laser’s vast experience with laser systems and plating processes, combined with their engineering team’s knowledge in injection moulding, enables the company to offer innovative parts developed with quality and efficiency. Quite often, there are three components to the development process for manufacturing LDS 3-D circuits. Prototypes are developed with LPKF’s proprietary proto-paint process in combination with a raw part from virtually any plastic. Next, the manufacturing industry has seen a number of innovations in the realm of 3-D printed parts through

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

____________________________________

advancements in materials and printing technology. Due to the quick turn nature of this process; cycle times can be greatly reduced in the development phase. Lastly, mold injected parts, from LDS grade materials, can be brought to full-scale production.

“We are very excited to be at the forefront of the MID market in the United States”, says Josh Saunders, President of the A-Laser Division. “Our focus on high quality parts and excellent service will serve us well as we step into this cutting-edge market.”

SEHO Systems Introduces the PowerRepair Soldering System

learn and use – no need to hunch over and peer into eyepieces. The PKMag 50 can be carried to wherever it is needed to instantly inspect items from almost any angle without eyestrain.

____________________________________

____________________________________

FSInspection Introduces Affordable High Magnification Visual Inspection Stations The X-Mag Machine Vision Station’s advanced technology and sleek design integrates a high-definition camera and monitor to offer sharp images at all magnification levels. Small details become crystal clear with up to 96X magnification, providing exceptional inspection of all objects. The X-Mag features an auto-focus camera with manual focus override, tilting camera and 330° rotating camera arm.

The HDMag High-Definition Inspection Station offers unparalleled comfort. The ergonomic design promotes good posture, and reduces eye, neck and back strain.

Operators can now sit back while viewing the screen and zoom in up to 127X to see the smallest details. Built-in, adjustable LED lighting, auto-focus with manual override, gliding X-Y table and software that offers image capture, storage and measurement are just some of the value adding features required in today’s inspection processes.

The PKMag 50 Portable Inspection Device offers high-definition magnification in a convenient and efficient 10.5 ounce package.

With a 5” LCD display and prominent pushbutton controls, it is easy for operators to

SEHO Systems GmbH, a leading worldwide soldering provider, introduces the PowerRepair soldering system, designed for professional desoldering and soldering of through-hole components.

The system features the well-known wave soldering technology to enable desoldering and soldering of components with a high number of pins and multiple pin rows, such as connectors.

Even assemblies with high thermal mass, like multilayer boards or thick pins, can easily be processed with the PowerRepair, also when using lead-free solder alloy.

The new PowerRepair particularly is featured with short repair cycles and thus low thermal stress for both, the printed circuit board as well as the components.

Programmable parameters ensure a high repeatability and reproducible repair processes.

____________________________________

Danfoss Silicon Power Inspects with Viscom AOI/AXI

Nordson DAGE Launches the Xi3400 Automated X-ray Inspection System This new Nordson DAGE AXI system offers complete inspection of solder joints and other critical hidden features found in electronic assemblies, PCBs and packaged semiconductors. Ideal for in-line or off-line operation, the Xi3400’s innovative algorithms enable fast and reliable automated inspection and real-time monitoring of critical process information.

Joshua Petras, Business Director – Inspection Products, commented at the launch, “The Xi3400 integrates the automation software techniques developed at Nordson YESTECH with Nordson DAGE hardware technology. This new and improved AXI system expands the market leading capabilities of our test and inspection portfolio.”

“In the manufacture of our products, X-ray and automatic optical inspections are a matter of course,” says Torsten Hansen, Manager Production Equipment at Danfoss Silicon Power. “We continually check all technical processes throughout series production.” The company inspects every single wire bond with AOI, and all active components with X-ray inspection.

For bond processes, there is an additional 100 percent visual inspection.

Before acquiring the systems, Danfoss Silicon Power intensively analyzed the market offering for X-ray and AOI systems and tested different systems. “First we wanted to settle on two separate machines: one AOI and one X-ray inspection system,” reports Torsten Hansen.

“Until we determined that with Viscom, both technologies can be integrated very well.”

new products exciting new industry innovation

new products continued...

Keeping you informed of the latest developments in technology and innovation within our global electronics industry.

Energy Cost Savings Achieved with ALPHA® SnCX Plus™ 07 Lead-Free/Silver-Free Alloy

and provide environmental protection and heat deration protection for threephase inverters.”

Designed as a cost-effective alternative to lead-free, silver-bearing alloys in terms of overall performance and reliability, ALPHA SnCX Plus 07 can be used as a replacement for SnPb, SAC, low silver SAC and other lead-free, silver-free alloys in wave, selective soldering, lead tinning and rework processes.

“Many assemblers are realizing that they can reduce their pot temperatures by as much as 10-15°C and still get great soldering when switching from other popular SnCU alloys to SnCX Plus™ 07. This is because of special additives that improve the wetting performance of ALPHA SnCX Plus 07 at lower temperatures,” said Mike Murphy, Global Product Manager for Soldering Alloys.

“Lower pot temperatures lead to lower energy costs and the savings can really add up over time”.

ALPHA® SnCX Plus™ 07 delivers bestin-class performance over many of the popular tin copper solder alloys and exhibits superior physical and mechanical properties, including the ability to reduce drossing, increase wetting speed and force and improve joint reliability.

Bentek Announces General Availability of its NEC 2014 Rapid Shutdown PowerRack Family of Products The PowerRack provides PV installers with a cost effective way to install threephase inverters within 10 feet of the PV array complying with NEC 2014 section 690.12 Rapid Shutdown requirements.

The PowerRack provides a common design that fits ABB, Advanced Energy, Chint, Schneider, SMA, Solar Edge, SolarMax and Solectria threephase inverters. The Bentek Inverter PowerRacks can be shipped directly to any commercial job site where threephase inverters can be integrated and installed on commercial rooftops.

Bentek also integrates commercial three-phase inverters and Bentek AC disconnects in its ISO 9001:2008 factory and ships the Bentek Inverter PowerSkid directly to the commercial job site.

Bentek PowerShields are easily mounted on either the PowerRack or PowerSkid,

Page 38

The Balver Zinn Group Releases Bi Rework Solder Paste The new RoHS compliant paste reduces the risk of board damage during the desoldering process. With a desoldering temperature of 180°C, Bi Rework Solder Paste reduces desoldering temperatures and times. The no-clean, halide-free flux features easy dispensing and clean-up.

Additionally, it provides excellent removal of through-hole and SMT components.

In addition to the new Bi Rework Solder Paste, Balver Zinn and Cobar offer a complete range of solder bar, solder wire, solder flux, gel flux, cleaner and solder paste.

CyberOptics Advances 3D Sensor Technology with Leading-Edge Capabilities Leveraging a 30 year history of pioneering optical technology advancements including digital 3D inspection, CyberOptics now makes a significant step-change in 3D sensing.

Delivering advantages that have previously been unachieved in the industry, this technology enables ultrahigh quality 3D images at production speeds, using architecturally superior multi-view sensors and Multi-Reflection Suppression technology (MRS).

The multi-view 3D data is merged together with highly sophisticated algorithms and MRS which suppresses any reflection that can distort the data, enabling a precise 3D representation.

This is particularly critical for inspecting shiny objects.

The architecturally superior sensor design captures and transmits the data simultaneously and in parallel, vs. a typical serial approach used in alternate technologies. These breakthrough technology building blocks result in unmatched speed and accuracy.

A-Laser Releases New LDS Capability for Manufacturing 3D Circuitry

Count On Tools Now Offers Nozzles for i-PULSE Series Surface Mounters According to Curt Couch, President of Count On Tools, Inc., “Count On Tools understands that in order for our customers to remain competitive in today’s market, they must be able to cut costs while simultaneously maximizing the capabilities of their SMT assembly equipment. Our new line of nozzles for i-PULSE equipment allows us to help customers achieve consistent placement performance and reliability in their machines while saving them money.”

All SMT nozzles and consumables are guaranteed to function properly with the original equipment. Every product manufactured by Count On Tools comes standard with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. If any customer is not completely satisfied with the performance or quality of a product, Count On Tools will replace it or offer a full refund.

A-Laser’s vast experience with laser systems and plating processes, combined with their engineering team’s knowledge in injection moulding, enables the company to offer innovative parts developed with quality and efficiency. Quite often, there are three components to the development process for manufacturing LDS 3-D circuits. Prototypes are developed with LPKF’s proprietary proto-paint process in combination with a raw part from virtually any plastic. Next, the manufacturing industry has seen a number of innovations in the realm of 3-D printed parts through

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

____________________________________

advancements in materials and printing technology. Due to the quick turn nature of this process; cycle times can be greatly reduced in the development phase. Lastly, mold injected parts, from LDS grade materials, can be brought to full-scale production.

“We are very excited to be at the forefront of the MID market in the United States”, says Josh Saunders, President of the A-Laser Division. “Our focus on high quality parts and excellent service will serve us well as we step into this cutting-edge market.”

SEHO Systems Introduces the PowerRepair Soldering System

learn and use – no need to hunch over and peer into eyepieces. The PKMag 50 can be carried to wherever it is needed to instantly inspect items from almost any angle without eyestrain.

____________________________________

____________________________________

FSInspection Introduces Affordable High Magnification Visual Inspection Stations The X-Mag Machine Vision Station’s advanced technology and sleek design integrates a high-definition camera and monitor to offer sharp images at all magnification levels. Small details become crystal clear with up to 96X magnification, providing exceptional inspection of all objects. The X-Mag features an auto-focus camera with manual focus override, tilting camera and 330° rotating camera arm.

The HDMag High-Definition Inspection Station offers unparalleled comfort. The ergonomic design promotes good posture, and reduces eye, neck and back strain.

Operators can now sit back while viewing the screen and zoom in up to 127X to see the smallest details. Built-in, adjustable LED lighting, auto-focus with manual override, gliding X-Y table and software that offers image capture, storage and measurement are just some of the value adding features required in today’s inspection processes.

The PKMag 50 Portable Inspection Device offers high-definition magnification in a convenient and efficient 10.5 ounce package.

With a 5” LCD display and prominent pushbutton controls, it is easy for operators to

SEHO Systems GmbH, a leading worldwide soldering provider, introduces the PowerRepair soldering system, designed for professional desoldering and soldering of through-hole components.

The system features the well-known wave soldering technology to enable desoldering and soldering of components with a high number of pins and multiple pin rows, such as connectors.

Even assemblies with high thermal mass, like multilayer boards or thick pins, can easily be processed with the PowerRepair, also when using lead-free solder alloy.

The new PowerRepair particularly is featured with short repair cycles and thus low thermal stress for both, the printed circuit board as well as the components.

Programmable parameters ensure a high repeatability and reproducible repair processes.

____________________________________

Danfoss Silicon Power Inspects with Viscom AOI/AXI

Nordson DAGE Launches the Xi3400 Automated X-ray Inspection System This new Nordson DAGE AXI system offers complete inspection of solder joints and other critical hidden features found in electronic assemblies, PCBs and packaged semiconductors. Ideal for in-line or off-line operation, the Xi3400’s innovative algorithms enable fast and reliable automated inspection and real-time monitoring of critical process information.

Joshua Petras, Business Director – Inspection Products, commented at the launch, “The Xi3400 integrates the automation software techniques developed at Nordson YESTECH with Nordson DAGE hardware technology. This new and improved AXI system expands the market leading capabilities of our test and inspection portfolio.”

“In the manufacture of our products, X-ray and automatic optical inspections are a matter of course,” says Torsten Hansen, Manager Production Equipment at Danfoss Silicon Power. “We continually check all technical processes throughout series production.” The company inspects every single wire bond with AOI, and all active components with X-ray inspection.

For bond processes, there is an additional 100 percent visual inspection.

Before acquiring the systems, Danfoss Silicon Power intensively analyzed the market offering for X-ray and AOI systems and tested different systems. “First we wanted to settle on two separate machines: one AOI and one X-ray inspection system,” reports Torsten Hansen.

“Until we determined that with Viscom, both technologies can be integrated very well.”

FANCORT INDUSTRIES: STILL THRIVING & GROWING AFTER 42 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

By Mike Schwartz, Marketing Consultant

“People are amazed that Fancort is not only still around but is thriving and still developing and seeking out new products,” the CEO maintains. “Our customers marvel that a company our size delivers the goods when it comes to satisfying their extremely specialized needs.” ____________________________________

‘‘

Over the past three decades, Fancourt has become the goto company for innovative lead forming as well as cutting tooling and presses ____________________________________

“What’s new at Fancort Industries?” is a question that often gets a new answer every time it is asked of its CEO Ronald Corey. As the driving force of this perennially successful electronic equipment company in West Caldwell, NJ, Corey has directed a series of new product launches throughout the company’s 42-year history – a pattern that has resulted in an international customer base consisting of aerospace, automotive, military, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and numerous other industries, all relying on Fancort equipment for simple tasks such as PCB handling and storage, as well as sophisticated high-tech machines such as robotic soldering robots and finepitch SMD lead forming equipment.

Page 40

At age 26, Corey started Fancort after leaving a short, but promising, career in pharmaceutical marketing with Merck.

Although his timing was not great (a new baby and move to a new home occurred the same day), in 1970 he teamed up with now-retired Jerry Fank, a model builder and product designer who developed a system for forming and cutting leads on flatpacks for surface mounting. This was done at a time when surface mount technology was in its infancy. The lead-forming equipment line was expanded as packages became larger with finer pitch and more companies needed to use these devices that required precise lead forming and cutting. After that came another major success: a full line of injection molded PCB handling and storage racks. Those products led Fancort to develop manual PCB assembly fixtures, which are widely in use today and were mainstay profit centers during the company’s first 20 years.

Over the past three decades, Fancort has become the go-to company for innovative lead forming as well as cutting tooling and presses that meet today’s demands for processing high-pin-count SMDs required by the aerospace, semiconductor

and defense industries. This equipment received great acceptance and is used in building satellites, the international space station and the more recent Jupiter Space probe – all still flying today and highly regarded by NASA, its contractors and major semiconductor suppliers. To satisfy a wider base of customers, Fancort now also offers an in-plant lead forming service capability.

Although his company prospered with each new product introduction, Corey recognized there was an ultimate limit to its in-house developmental capabilities.

Important automated equipment that would fit the Fancort mold was already being produced by overseas manufacturers, and he secured exclusive North American distribution rights with a number of them -- including Japan UNIX, a world leader in robotic soldering. This occurred after other mutually advantageous relationships were built with other OEMs who teamed up with Fancort to sell and support PCB depaneling machines, hot bar bonding equipment and advanced robotic screw fastening systems

by Janome.

Fancort’s latest new product category is an extensive line of pneumatic and servo presses that runs the gamut of production capabilities. Included are a series of adjustable column presses, pneumatic presses and low-force electric servo presses. Also available are C-frame presses ranging from one to five tons as well as the highly regarded Janome line of industrial presses. With its customization capability, Corey claims, “We can deliver the press that’s needed, the way it’s needed. We’ve built presses for the aerospace industry for the past 40 years. Now we have a full line and can customize it to users’ exact needs.”

For more information, call toll-free 888-326-FANCORT (326-2678) or visit www.fancort.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

FANCORT INDUSTRIES: STILL THRIVING & GROWING AFTER 42 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

By Mike Schwartz, Marketing Consultant

“People are amazed that Fancort is not only still around but is thriving and still developing and seeking out new products,” the CEO maintains. “Our customers marvel that a company our size delivers the goods when it comes to satisfying their extremely specialized needs.” ____________________________________

‘‘

Over the past three decades, Fancourt has become the goto company for innovative lead forming as well as cutting tooling and presses ____________________________________

“What’s new at Fancort Industries?” is a question that often gets a new answer every time it is asked of its CEO Ronald Corey. As the driving force of this perennially successful electronic equipment company in West Caldwell, NJ, Corey has directed a series of new product launches throughout the company’s 42-year history – a pattern that has resulted in an international customer base consisting of aerospace, automotive, military, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and numerous other industries, all relying on Fancort equipment for simple tasks such as PCB handling and storage, as well as sophisticated high-tech machines such as robotic soldering robots and finepitch SMD lead forming equipment.

Page 40

At age 26, Corey started Fancort after leaving a short, but promising, career in pharmaceutical marketing with Merck.

Although his timing was not great (a new baby and move to a new home occurred the same day), in 1970 he teamed up with now-retired Jerry Fank, a model builder and product designer who developed a system for forming and cutting leads on flatpacks for surface mounting. This was done at a time when surface mount technology was in its infancy. The lead-forming equipment line was expanded as packages became larger with finer pitch and more companies needed to use these devices that required precise lead forming and cutting. After that came another major success: a full line of injection molded PCB handling and storage racks. Those products led Fancort to develop manual PCB assembly fixtures, which are widely in use today and were mainstay profit centers during the company’s first 20 years.

Over the past three decades, Fancort has become the go-to company for innovative lead forming as well as cutting tooling and presses that meet today’s demands for processing high-pin-count SMDs required by the aerospace, semiconductor

and defense industries. This equipment received great acceptance and is used in building satellites, the international space station and the more recent Jupiter Space probe – all still flying today and highly regarded by NASA, its contractors and major semiconductor suppliers. To satisfy a wider base of customers, Fancort now also offers an in-plant lead forming service capability.

Although his company prospered with each new product introduction, Corey recognized there was an ultimate limit to its in-house developmental capabilities.

Important automated equipment that would fit the Fancort mold was already being produced by overseas manufacturers, and he secured exclusive North American distribution rights with a number of them -- including Japan UNIX, a world leader in robotic soldering. This occurred after other mutually advantageous relationships were built with other OEMs who teamed up with Fancort to sell and support PCB depaneling machines, hot bar bonding equipment and advanced robotic screw fastening systems

by Janome.

Fancort’s latest new product category is an extensive line of pneumatic and servo presses that runs the gamut of production capabilities. Included are a series of adjustable column presses, pneumatic presses and low-force electric servo presses. Also available are C-frame presses ranging from one to five tons as well as the highly regarded Janome line of industrial presses. With its customization capability, Corey claims, “We can deliver the press that’s needed, the way it’s needed. We’ve built presses for the aerospace industry for the past 40 years. Now we have a full line and can customize it to users’ exact needs.”

For more information, call toll-free 888-326-FANCORT (326-2678) or visit www.fancort.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Choosing the Right Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) by active-pcb solutions

Making sure that you choose the right company as your partner is important for any business. Before you decide who you want to work with, you should consider the following: •

Does the selected company meet the minimum requirements such as holding suitable quality approvals?

•

Will the company be able to fulfil the proposed goals throughout the duration of the project?

•

Does your potential new business partner offer you the flexibility that will be necessary should changes in production demand occur?

If your response to any of these questions is ‘No’ then you should look elsewhere.

Working with a suitable and stable partner is essential in order to get the best quality product at the best prices possible. ActivePCB Solutions is intimately familiar with the challenges that OEMs face. Here is our guide to making the right choice when you’re deciding which EMS provider to work with.

As a part of an OEM’s evaluation, following these key points to match the EMS business model to your needs should go a long way to making the right choice: •

•

Page 42

Does the selected company meet the minimum requirements such as holding suitable quality approvals?

At the very least an ISO-certified quality-management system should be in place, as well as ISO 14000 environmental approval Is the EMS provider the right size for your production needs? Unless

you are a household name you can probably rule out the high-volume providers. Your business is likely to be unfeasible for Tier 1 EMS providers.

Find someone that is flexible and capable of supporting a production profile in line with your own.

•

As the project progresses, production demands or volumes may change. Is the chosen EMS able to respond to such changes, and offer the flexibility to adapt to market fluctuations.

•

Is your EMS conveniently located? As well as during the actual project you may want to visit during the selection period too. There is no substitute for observing the order, cleanliness, and process capabilities of a prospective EMS provider’s facilities and operation.

•

Ensure that the EMS is financially sound – you don’t want your provider going out of business halfway through a production cycle.

•

Ask your EMS provider to prove that they have a track record of on-time delivery – if you can’t get product to your clients on time they’ll begin to distrust your reliability.

•

Your EMS provider needs effective procurement and materials management – OEMs should ask EMS providers if they can guarantee where their materials are coming from and if the supplier is reliable.

•

Make sure that quality is built into the product – do they have a clear set of

procedures which they strictly adhere to so that products are of a consistently high quality? ____________________________________

no two oems ‘‘ are the same

and neither are ems providers. you know what works for you and what you are comfortable with

____________________________________ Just ask the right questions – no two OEMs are the same and neither are EMS providers.

You know what works for you and what you are comfortable with. Ultimately, you need to be sure that you can rely on the company that you’ll be entering into a partnership with.

If the place doesn’t feel right from the start, then you shouldn’t really consider going any further.

Active-PCB Solutions is an agile and responsive Contract Electronics Manufacturer specialising in surface mount assembly, automated throughhole assembly, environmental protection and full project support services from parts procurement to electro-mechanical assembly and test.

For more information about Active PCB visit our website or contact us today to discuss your project requirements.

Call us on 0118 9310292 or email us at sales@active-pcb.com

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Choosing the Right Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) by active-pcb solutions

Making sure that you choose the right company as your partner is important for any business. Before you decide who you want to work with, you should consider the following: •

Does the selected company meet the minimum requirements such as holding suitable quality approvals?

•

Will the company be able to fulfil the proposed goals throughout the duration of the project?

•

Does your potential new business partner offer you the flexibility that will be necessary should changes in production demand occur?

If your response to any of these questions is ‘No’ then you should look elsewhere.

Working with a suitable and stable partner is essential in order to get the best quality product at the best prices possible. ActivePCB Solutions is intimately familiar with the challenges that OEMs face. Here is our guide to making the right choice when you’re deciding which EMS provider to work with.

As a part of an OEM’s evaluation, following these key points to match the EMS business model to your needs should go a long way to making the right choice: •

•

Page 42

Does the selected company meet the minimum requirements such as holding suitable quality approvals?

At the very least an ISO-certified quality-management system should be in place, as well as ISO 14000 environmental approval Is the EMS provider the right size for your production needs? Unless

you are a household name you can probably rule out the high-volume providers. Your business is likely to be unfeasible for Tier 1 EMS providers.

Find someone that is flexible and capable of supporting a production profile in line with your own.

•

As the project progresses, production demands or volumes may change. Is the chosen EMS able to respond to such changes, and offer the flexibility to adapt to market fluctuations.

•

Is your EMS conveniently located? As well as during the actual project you may want to visit during the selection period too. There is no substitute for observing the order, cleanliness, and process capabilities of a prospective EMS provider’s facilities and operation.

•

Ensure that the EMS is financially sound – you don’t want your provider going out of business halfway through a production cycle.

•

Ask your EMS provider to prove that they have a track record of on-time delivery – if you can’t get product to your clients on time they’ll begin to distrust your reliability.

•

Your EMS provider needs effective procurement and materials management – OEMs should ask EMS providers if they can guarantee where their materials are coming from and if the supplier is reliable.

•

Make sure that quality is built into the product – do they have a clear set of

procedures which they strictly adhere to so that products are of a consistently high quality? ____________________________________

no two oems ‘‘ are the same

and neither are ems providers. you know what works for you and what you are comfortable with

____________________________________ Just ask the right questions – no two OEMs are the same and neither are EMS providers.

You know what works for you and what you are comfortable with. Ultimately, you need to be sure that you can rely on the company that you’ll be entering into a partnership with.

If the place doesn’t feel right from the start, then you shouldn’t really consider going any further.

Active-PCB Solutions is an agile and responsive Contract Electronics Manufacturer specialising in surface mount assembly, automated throughhole assembly, environmental protection and full project support services from parts procurement to electro-mechanical assembly and test.

For more information about Active PCB visit our website or contact us today to discuss your project requirements.

Call us on 0118 9310292 or email us at sales@active-pcb.com

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Growth in America: US Companies Partner for Success

BY SMT TODAY STAFF EDITOR

Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, SisTech Manufacturing is a female-owned, minority-owned business that provides contract electronic manufacturing and mechanical assembly services to high-technology companies. SisTech has more than 30 years’ combined experience in high-tech assembly, design review, purchasing, project management and order fulfilment for some of the largest companies as well as at rapidly growing startups.

In its quest to better serve its customers throughout North America and to help meet increasing demands as a result of continuous, exponential growth, the company purchased two machines from Plymouth, WI-based Kurtz Ersa North America, a leading supplier of electronics production equipment. This purchase marks SisTech’s sixth installed Ersa machine and includes an ECOSELECT 2 Selective Soldering system and a HOTFLOW 3 Reflow oven.

Brad Kennedy, VP of SisTech Manufacturing, commented, “We have chosen, and continue our relationship with Ersa for one simple reason, their equipment is the best in any soldering process. The consistency, quality and reliability of their equipment ensures that every assembly we provide to our customers meets or exceeds their expectations from a supplier.”

The ECOSELECT 2 uses the same

Page 44

successful and proven Ersa selective soldering technology as the large Ersa VERSAFLOW systems without compromising quality or accuracy.

The high-precision servo gantry system and electro-magnetic pumping system, together with top and bottom-side preheating, provide the highest capability and best repeatability. Additionally, the ECOSELECT 2’s in and off-line cell concept offers the best price/ performance ratio and little space requirement for high-quality selective soldering. It is also a perfect and flexible solution for both first-timeusers and manufacturers with small to medium series production.

SisTech Manufacturing also purchased a HOTFLOW 3/20 reflow oven. The HOTFLOW 3/20 has been designed to deliver best-in-class results for all areas that ultimately affect the bottom line profit per PCB. The 10-zone reflow oven has a process length of more than five meters. The days of investing in just

any reflow oven that has the number of heating zones required are over.

Today, the economical aspects and true performance of the oven must play a major role in the decision making process.

“We are honored that SisTech recently bought its sixth piece of gear from us. This is a lot of equipment for a small-sized company, especially in today’s economy. SisTech keeps coming back to Ersa because our machines are reliable, high quality and we care about the customer.

SisTech is advancing at a fast pace and Ersa is proud to play a small part in this growth through the use of our machines on SisTech’s manufacturing floor. The type of growth that the company is experiencing is unheard of today, but SisTech has figured out the winning formula for an EMS company which is that great equipment and great people equals great process and happy customers! This proves that companies CAN succeed in the United States, without sending work to China, or buying cheap machines run by unskilled employees, if they are willing to work hard and put quality and reliability first,” said Ernie Grice, VP Sales at Kurtz Ersa North America.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Kennedy added, “This year it looks as though we will finish out at an approximate 80-90 percent increase in business. This growth is accomplished through our dedication to our customers. We strive to provide unbeatable customer service in the form of on-time delivery, excellent quality and attractive pricing.”

To accommodate this significant growth that SisTech has experienced since it opened for business in 2009 and, to allow for future growth, the company completed construction on a new 22K sq. ft. facility in 2013.

The building includes state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems, ESD-conductive flooring throughout, 1800 amps of power, as well as several new pieces of equipment that were brought online with the new facility. Numbered amongst the new equipment are Ersa’s soldering systems.

Kennedy said, “We believe that Ersa makes the best soldering equipment in the industry. This allows us to build complex leaded or lead-free products while maintaining consistent quality from line to line, be it SMT or throughhole.” These latest two purchases were made to help SisTech keep up with the growth that the company has experienced over the last year.

Kennedy added that Ersa’s customer service also is to be applauded: “They have always been there to support our needs before, during and after the sale.

“My relationship with Ersa began long before SisTech was founded in 2009. I bought my first piece of Ersa equipment in or around 1997.

This long-standing relationship, the customer service they provide and the unbeatable quality of the equipment is the reason I am still buying Ersa equipment 17 years later. To date, I have bought approximately 13 pieces of soldering equipment from Ersa not to mention the smaller items such as soldering irons, etc.”

SisTech’s consistent growth allows it to provide a range of comprehensive services to its customers – all of which are performed from its facility in the United States. These services include: Turnkey Assembly: SisTech offers full turnkey assembly services from component procurement to testing and drop shipping fully assembled, tested units.

Consigned Kit Assembly: SisTech welcomes consigned kits in addition to its offering of turnkey services. With the company’s robust MRP system, it is able to track customer-supplied materials by part number while maintaining an accurate on-hand quantity count. Kennedy said that this enables SisTech to provide a “Stock Status” report to its customer upon demand, enabling them to oversee the materials issued or stored in SisTech’s facility.

Kitting Service: SisTech values its customers. With that said, the company understands that sometimes they do not always need assembly services, but still need materials procured and kitted. SisTech is happy to offer a detailed, price-conscious kitting service. Components or materials can be procured, lot tracked, labeled (in accordance with customer requirements) and delivered directly to the customer.

Mechanical Design and 3D Modeling: SisTech now offers complete mechanical design services. From individual components to complex multi-component assemblies, it can take customers’ ideas and create a design in either 2D or 3D that meets or exceeds project goals. Whether a customer needs an enclosure designed for its PCB assembly, a front panel to complete a product or the design of an unrelated product or concept, SisTech prides itself on taking customers from concept to market.

Brad Kennedy, VP of SisTech Manufacturing.

PCB Layout: SisTech offers in-house PCB layout services. The company can capture schematic and complete the board layout to enhance performance and manufacturability.

When combined with its turnkey assembly services, SisTech can save time and money with a seamless integration from its engineering staff to its MRP system and production.

Additionally, the team at SisTech has years of experience working with PMC, XMC, cPCI, VME, AMC, uTCA, aTCA and VPX form factors. Besides these form factors, the company is capable of assembling any form factors presented to by customers.

Obsolescence Management: The company views component obsolescence management as more than just a service to its customers — it is an essential part of customers’ continued success.

Obsolete electronic components pose significant risk to any design. SisTech is dedicated to reviewing both new and existing designs for any and all component obsolescence issues and to further identify when existing components are scheduled to be end of life (EOL).

“As a small business, it is imperative that we run as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet our customers’ needs. This is why we continue to choose Ersa for our SMT soldering production needs. The quick setup allows us to produce multiple products of varying quantities on a daily basis. The systems also ensure that we can produce even the most complex products while ensuring the highest of quality,” concluded Kennedy.

Growth in America: US Companies Partner for Success

BY SMT TODAY STAFF EDITOR

Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, SisTech Manufacturing is a female-owned, minority-owned business that provides contract electronic manufacturing and mechanical assembly services to high-technology companies. SisTech has more than 30 years’ combined experience in high-tech assembly, design review, purchasing, project management and order fulfilment for some of the largest companies as well as at rapidly growing startups.

In its quest to better serve its customers throughout North America and to help meet increasing demands as a result of continuous, exponential growth, the company purchased two machines from Plymouth, WI-based Kurtz Ersa North America, a leading supplier of electronics production equipment. This purchase marks SisTech’s sixth installed Ersa machine and includes an ECOSELECT 2 Selective Soldering system and a HOTFLOW 3 Reflow oven.

Brad Kennedy, VP of SisTech Manufacturing, commented, “We have chosen, and continue our relationship with Ersa for one simple reason, their equipment is the best in any soldering process. The consistency, quality and reliability of their equipment ensures that every assembly we provide to our customers meets or exceeds their expectations from a supplier.”

The ECOSELECT 2 uses the same

Page 44

successful and proven Ersa selective soldering technology as the large Ersa VERSAFLOW systems without compromising quality or accuracy.

The high-precision servo gantry system and electro-magnetic pumping system, together with top and bottom-side preheating, provide the highest capability and best repeatability. Additionally, the ECOSELECT 2’s in and off-line cell concept offers the best price/ performance ratio and little space requirement for high-quality selective soldering. It is also a perfect and flexible solution for both first-timeusers and manufacturers with small to medium series production.

SisTech Manufacturing also purchased a HOTFLOW 3/20 reflow oven. The HOTFLOW 3/20 has been designed to deliver best-in-class results for all areas that ultimately affect the bottom line profit per PCB. The 10-zone reflow oven has a process length of more than five meters. The days of investing in just

any reflow oven that has the number of heating zones required are over.

Today, the economical aspects and true performance of the oven must play a major role in the decision making process.

“We are honored that SisTech recently bought its sixth piece of gear from us. This is a lot of equipment for a small-sized company, especially in today’s economy. SisTech keeps coming back to Ersa because our machines are reliable, high quality and we care about the customer.

SisTech is advancing at a fast pace and Ersa is proud to play a small part in this growth through the use of our machines on SisTech’s manufacturing floor. The type of growth that the company is experiencing is unheard of today, but SisTech has figured out the winning formula for an EMS company which is that great equipment and great people equals great process and happy customers! This proves that companies CAN succeed in the United States, without sending work to China, or buying cheap machines run by unskilled employees, if they are willing to work hard and put quality and reliability first,” said Ernie Grice, VP Sales at Kurtz Ersa North America.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Kennedy added, “This year it looks as though we will finish out at an approximate 80-90 percent increase in business. This growth is accomplished through our dedication to our customers. We strive to provide unbeatable customer service in the form of on-time delivery, excellent quality and attractive pricing.”

To accommodate this significant growth that SisTech has experienced since it opened for business in 2009 and, to allow for future growth, the company completed construction on a new 22K sq. ft. facility in 2013.

The building includes state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems, ESD-conductive flooring throughout, 1800 amps of power, as well as several new pieces of equipment that were brought online with the new facility. Numbered amongst the new equipment are Ersa’s soldering systems.

Kennedy said, “We believe that Ersa makes the best soldering equipment in the industry. This allows us to build complex leaded or lead-free products while maintaining consistent quality from line to line, be it SMT or throughhole.” These latest two purchases were made to help SisTech keep up with the growth that the company has experienced over the last year.

Kennedy added that Ersa’s customer service also is to be applauded: “They have always been there to support our needs before, during and after the sale.

“My relationship with Ersa began long before SisTech was founded in 2009. I bought my first piece of Ersa equipment in or around 1997.

This long-standing relationship, the customer service they provide and the unbeatable quality of the equipment is the reason I am still buying Ersa equipment 17 years later. To date, I have bought approximately 13 pieces of soldering equipment from Ersa not to mention the smaller items such as soldering irons, etc.”

SisTech’s consistent growth allows it to provide a range of comprehensive services to its customers – all of which are performed from its facility in the United States. These services include: Turnkey Assembly: SisTech offers full turnkey assembly services from component procurement to testing and drop shipping fully assembled, tested units.

Consigned Kit Assembly: SisTech welcomes consigned kits in addition to its offering of turnkey services. With the company’s robust MRP system, it is able to track customer-supplied materials by part number while maintaining an accurate on-hand quantity count. Kennedy said that this enables SisTech to provide a “Stock Status” report to its customer upon demand, enabling them to oversee the materials issued or stored in SisTech’s facility.

Kitting Service: SisTech values its customers. With that said, the company understands that sometimes they do not always need assembly services, but still need materials procured and kitted. SisTech is happy to offer a detailed, price-conscious kitting service. Components or materials can be procured, lot tracked, labeled (in accordance with customer requirements) and delivered directly to the customer.

Mechanical Design and 3D Modeling: SisTech now offers complete mechanical design services. From individual components to complex multi-component assemblies, it can take customers’ ideas and create a design in either 2D or 3D that meets or exceeds project goals. Whether a customer needs an enclosure designed for its PCB assembly, a front panel to complete a product or the design of an unrelated product or concept, SisTech prides itself on taking customers from concept to market.

Brad Kennedy, VP of SisTech Manufacturing.

PCB Layout: SisTech offers in-house PCB layout services. The company can capture schematic and complete the board layout to enhance performance and manufacturability.

When combined with its turnkey assembly services, SisTech can save time and money with a seamless integration from its engineering staff to its MRP system and production.

Additionally, the team at SisTech has years of experience working with PMC, XMC, cPCI, VME, AMC, uTCA, aTCA and VPX form factors. Besides these form factors, the company is capable of assembling any form factors presented to by customers.

Obsolescence Management: The company views component obsolescence management as more than just a service to its customers — it is an essential part of customers’ continued success.

Obsolete electronic components pose significant risk to any design. SisTech is dedicated to reviewing both new and existing designs for any and all component obsolescence issues and to further identify when existing components are scheduled to be end of life (EOL).

“As a small business, it is imperative that we run as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet our customers’ needs. This is why we continue to choose Ersa for our SMT soldering production needs. The quick setup allows us to produce multiple products of varying quantities on a daily basis. The systems also ensure that we can produce even the most complex products while ensuring the highest of quality,” concluded Kennedy.

Where Is My Component?

Tolerancing in Electronics

By Jason Tynes, STI Electronics Inc.

Tolerance in manufacturing is the amount of variation in a product. It is often the observable difference between idealized computer models and tangible hardware.

In Surface Mount Technology (SMT), such variation impacts all aspects of the fabrication process; from component placement and solder joint characteristics, to heat transfer parameters of the end product. Most impacts are subtle and go unnoticed, due in large part to the highly repeatable manufacturing processes of many component manufacturers and electronics assembly facilities. However, some impacts are not as subtle, and can have a significant impact on yield and/or product performance. Understanding and mitigating the susceptibility of a design to manufacturing variation is often the differentiator between producing reliable products versus production nightmares.

Two major considerations in electronics packaging are component location and height.

Part location becomes critical in applications where precise component placement influences system performance. A common example is in RF circuits, where chassis contain labyrinth features to optimize shielding between certain board areas. Walls separating components from one another take on layout-specific geometry, and can have very small clearances to critical components. These components, when placed on a printed circuit board, have a tendency to shift during the solder reflow process. Particularly in SMT applications, the only locating mechanism on a part is a molten pool of solder. This means that the part can, in theory, slide to any location, during reflow. The reality is that the surface tension of the molten solder has a tendency to center component leads on the corresponding pads. In other words, wherever the pads go, so will the component leads. Figure 1 shows a component placed on a set of pads.

One of the pads has been over-etched on one side. This moves the center of the pad upward in the image, which causes the part to shift upward during solder reflow. The component, consequently, has shifted away from its ideal location, as shown in the outline.

Page 46

When using compressible heat transfer pads, this reduction in pad height reduces that compression, which in turn reduces the thermal conductivity through the pad.

Figure 2 shows a comparison between nominally and minimally compressed thermal interface materials. Depending on the pad selected, the reduction in conductivity may be significant.

For this reason, it is critical to utilize a board house that can produce accurate and precise printed circuit boards, especially as it relates to pad geometry.

Component height becomes a major concern in applications where it influences the heat transfer characteristics of a system. Consider an application where a processor (flip chip die) generates a considerable amount of heat, and requires a thermal path to a heat sink. For thin thermal interfaces, thermal conductivity is driven predominantly by the thickness of the thermal interface material (TIM), rather than its material type. For example, removing a hot pan from the oven with either a sheet of paper or sheet of aluminum foil will transfer similar quantities of heat to your hand, despite the fact that paper is not a good conductor of heat.

For electronics application, TIM thickness clearly varies with component thickness and heat sink dimensions, but it also varies with the thickness of the solder connection. Component thickness and heat sink dimensions are typically known and specified on component datasheets and detailed heat sink drawings, respectively. But what about the solder joint thickness? Electrical components are typically placed on a thin bed of solder paste prior to being subjected to a reflow oven. The initial paste thickness is governed by the thickness of solder paste stencils. The final solder joint thickness, however, is determined by the initial solder paste thickness, paste type, and reflow parameters used by the CCA shop. For example, a 5mil stencil allows for 5 mils of solder paste to be distributed onto the pads of a PCB. Once the flux within the paste vaporizes, the solder can reduce in volume by 50%, leaving a 2.5mil solder joint. This 2.5mil reduction in part height becomes a potential problem when small (10-30mil) TIM thicknesses are desired.

If this reduction has not been accounted for by a thermal analyst, thermal analysis results may be overly optimistic when compared to actual hardware. Consider a PWM Controller that dissipates 3W of thermal energy during its 10 minute of operation. A thermal management system designed to store 1.5 of the 1.8kJ of thermal energy only stores 1.1 to 1.4kJ, leaving the remainder to drive up the component’s temperature. A scenario like this can easily lead to overheated and/or failed components. The simple solution to this source of variation is to maintain known and consistent solder joint thicknesses where they are critical.

Because not all shops use the same types of stencils, paste, or reflow ovens, this component standoff height can vary between assembly shops. If your thermal management system requires wellunderstood and maintained component connections, please do not hesitate to ask a reputable assembly shop for guidance prior to assuming final solder joint thickness.

For more information, contact Jason Tynes, Manufacturing Engineer, at STI Electronics, Inc., 261 Palmer Rd., Madison, AL USA; 256-705-5511; E-mail: jtynes@stielectronicsinc.com; Web site: www.stielectronicsinc.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Where Is My Component?

Tolerancing in Electronics

By Jason Tynes, STI Electronics Inc.

Tolerance in manufacturing is the amount of variation in a product. It is often the observable difference between idealized computer models and tangible hardware.

In Surface Mount Technology (SMT), such variation impacts all aspects of the fabrication process; from component placement and solder joint characteristics, to heat transfer parameters of the end product. Most impacts are subtle and go unnoticed, due in large part to the highly repeatable manufacturing processes of many component manufacturers and electronics assembly facilities. However, some impacts are not as subtle, and can have a significant impact on yield and/or product performance. Understanding and mitigating the susceptibility of a design to manufacturing variation is often the differentiator between producing reliable products versus production nightmares.

Two major considerations in electronics packaging are component location and height.

Part location becomes critical in applications where precise component placement influences system performance. A common example is in RF circuits, where chassis contain labyrinth features to optimize shielding between certain board areas. Walls separating components from one another take on layout-specific geometry, and can have very small clearances to critical components. These components, when placed on a printed circuit board, have a tendency to shift during the solder reflow process. Particularly in SMT applications, the only locating mechanism on a part is a molten pool of solder. This means that the part can, in theory, slide to any location, during reflow. The reality is that the surface tension of the molten solder has a tendency to center component leads on the corresponding pads. In other words, wherever the pads go, so will the component leads. Figure 1 shows a component placed on a set of pads.

One of the pads has been over-etched on one side. This moves the center of the pad upward in the image, which causes the part to shift upward during solder reflow. The component, consequently, has shifted away from its ideal location, as shown in the outline.

Page 46

When using compressible heat transfer pads, this reduction in pad height reduces that compression, which in turn reduces the thermal conductivity through the pad.

Figure 2 shows a comparison between nominally and minimally compressed thermal interface materials. Depending on the pad selected, the reduction in conductivity may be significant.

For this reason, it is critical to utilize a board house that can produce accurate and precise printed circuit boards, especially as it relates to pad geometry.

Component height becomes a major concern in applications where it influences the heat transfer characteristics of a system. Consider an application where a processor (flip chip die) generates a considerable amount of heat, and requires a thermal path to a heat sink. For thin thermal interfaces, thermal conductivity is driven predominantly by the thickness of the thermal interface material (TIM), rather than its material type. For example, removing a hot pan from the oven with either a sheet of paper or sheet of aluminum foil will transfer similar quantities of heat to your hand, despite the fact that paper is not a good conductor of heat.

For electronics application, TIM thickness clearly varies with component thickness and heat sink dimensions, but it also varies with the thickness of the solder connection. Component thickness and heat sink dimensions are typically known and specified on component datasheets and detailed heat sink drawings, respectively. But what about the solder joint thickness? Electrical components are typically placed on a thin bed of solder paste prior to being subjected to a reflow oven. The initial paste thickness is governed by the thickness of solder paste stencils. The final solder joint thickness, however, is determined by the initial solder paste thickness, paste type, and reflow parameters used by the CCA shop. For example, a 5mil stencil allows for 5 mils of solder paste to be distributed onto the pads of a PCB. Once the flux within the paste vaporizes, the solder can reduce in volume by 50%, leaving a 2.5mil solder joint. This 2.5mil reduction in part height becomes a potential problem when small (10-30mil) TIM thicknesses are desired.

If this reduction has not been accounted for by a thermal analyst, thermal analysis results may be overly optimistic when compared to actual hardware. Consider a PWM Controller that dissipates 3W of thermal energy during its 10 minute of operation. A thermal management system designed to store 1.5 of the 1.8kJ of thermal energy only stores 1.1 to 1.4kJ, leaving the remainder to drive up the component’s temperature. A scenario like this can easily lead to overheated and/or failed components. The simple solution to this source of variation is to maintain known and consistent solder joint thicknesses where they are critical.

Because not all shops use the same types of stencils, paste, or reflow ovens, this component standoff height can vary between assembly shops. If your thermal management system requires wellunderstood and maintained component connections, please do not hesitate to ask a reputable assembly shop for guidance prior to assuming final solder joint thickness.

For more information, contact Jason Tynes, Manufacturing Engineer, at STI Electronics, Inc., 261 Palmer Rd., Madison, AL USA; 256-705-5511; E-mail: jtynes@stielectronicsinc.com; Web site: www.stielectronicsinc.com.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

red carpet out & about in the industry

what’s happening in your business?

In this feature we follow our industry movers and shakers throughout the world.

Time to take a bow...

send your event pictures to red@smttoday.com

Etek Europe expands their Sales and Services Team.

Photos: Etek Europe welcomes Keith Hansford (left) as a Sales and Service Engineer and Johan Wallentin (right) as their European Sales Manager.

Richard Lim, The Balver Zinn Group’s new Operations Manager for Balver Zinn Singapore.

Juki Automation Systems Promotes Larry Moon and Frank Ruiz.

Photos: Frank Ruiz (left) has been promoted to Applications Engineering Manager – Western US, and Larry Moon (right) has been promoted to Applications Engineering Manager – Eastern US.

Mirtec announces 10 years of continuous expansion throughout North America.

Photo: Brian D’Amico, President of MIRTEC Corp.

Nordson DAGE Appoints Richard Frisk as European Sales Manager for its market-leading Inspection Products.

To support poorer communities in Western China as winter approaches, members of the Reed Exhibitions Global family contributed towards the costs of buying new jackets to give to underprivileged children as part of Sending Love to Children.

Speedline Technologies, Inc., announces the appointment of Ken Parker to Speedline’s Customer Support Group as a Technical Support Specialist.

STI Electronics, Inc. announces that after their 57-year careers in the electronics industry, two of its founders, Jim and Ellen Raby, have retired.

ViTrox Technologies Announces Kingtest Electronic Technology as Sales Channel Partner in China.

Carlos Bobadilla Joins FCT Assembly as Application & Design Manager – Mexico.

Libra Industries Recognizes Long-Time Hand Soldering Technician.

Photo: Margie McDonald celebrated her 15-year anniversary. Libra Industries’ CEO Rod Howell presented McDonald with a reserved parking spot of her choice in recognition of her milestone.

Page 48

Ephesus Partners with Libra Industries to Provide LED Lighting for the 2015 Super Bowl.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

red carpet out & about in the industry

what’s happening in your business?

In this feature we follow our industry movers and shakers throughout the world.

Time to take a bow...

send your event pictures to red@smttoday.com

Etek Europe expands their Sales and Services Team.

Photos: Etek Europe welcomes Keith Hansford (left) as a Sales and Service Engineer and Johan Wallentin (right) as their European Sales Manager.

Richard Lim, The Balver Zinn Group’s new Operations Manager for Balver Zinn Singapore.

Juki Automation Systems Promotes Larry Moon and Frank Ruiz.

Photos: Frank Ruiz (left) has been promoted to Applications Engineering Manager – Western US, and Larry Moon (right) has been promoted to Applications Engineering Manager – Eastern US.

Mirtec announces 10 years of continuous expansion throughout North America.

Photo: Brian D’Amico, President of MIRTEC Corp.

Nordson DAGE Appoints Richard Frisk as European Sales Manager for its market-leading Inspection Products.

To support poorer communities in Western China as winter approaches, members of the Reed Exhibitions Global family contributed towards the costs of buying new jackets to give to underprivileged children as part of Sending Love to Children.

Speedline Technologies, Inc., announces the appointment of Ken Parker to Speedline’s Customer Support Group as a Technical Support Specialist.

STI Electronics, Inc. announces that after their 57-year careers in the electronics industry, two of its founders, Jim and Ellen Raby, have retired.

ViTrox Technologies Announces Kingtest Electronic Technology as Sales Channel Partner in China.

Carlos Bobadilla Joins FCT Assembly as Application & Design Manager – Mexico.

Libra Industries Recognizes Long-Time Hand Soldering Technician.

Photo: Margie McDonald celebrated her 15-year anniversary. Libra Industries’ CEO Rod Howell presented McDonald with a reserved parking spot of her choice in recognition of her milestone.

Page 48

Ephesus Partners with Libra Industries to Provide LED Lighting for the 2015 Super Bowl.

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

We hope you have enjoyed our seventh edition and found it an interesting and enjoyable read.

This magazine is just one part of our exciting communication portfolio showcasing the latest news, product developments, industry profiles and upcoming events. To make sure you don’t miss our next edition, you can subscribe online at smttoday.com/subscribe and we will send you a complimentary copy of our printed version. Alternatively, you can read it online at smttoday.com or download it to your mobile, tablet or iPad.

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corporate email list

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January/February’s edition will focus on IPC APEX 2015 in San Diego and Storage and Handling.

It will be delivered to your desk and inbox in February 2015!

Page 50

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

We hope you have enjoyed our seventh edition and found it an interesting and enjoyable read.

This magazine is just one part of our exciting communication portfolio showcasing the latest news, product developments, industry profiles and upcoming events. To make sure you don’t miss our next edition, you can subscribe online at smttoday.com/subscribe and we will send you a complimentary copy of our printed version. Alternatively, you can read it online at smttoday.com or download it to your mobile, tablet or iPad.

maximum media exposure

quality printed magazine

multi platform compatibility

digital magazine and video

corporate email list

DIRECT Marketing

largest corporate readership 25,000+ email subscribers digital edition mobile friendly

January/February’s edition will focus on IPC APEX 2015 in San Diego and Storage and Handling.

It will be delivered to your desk and inbox in February 2015!

Page 50

| NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE