WATERBURY, CT — MacDermid Alpha, a leading global supplier of integrated circuit, assembly and semiconductor solutions for the electronics design and manufacturing industries, will be highlighting their latest research on final finishes, lightweight bio-based polymers, solder alloy reliability for automotive applications, and brand new findings from test data on conformal coatings. The four separate technical presentations will take place at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO, January 24 – 26, at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

Authored by MacDermid Alpha’s leading industry experts, these papers will address various material challenges, testing methods, and new solutions that will help manufacturers of Automotive, 5G, Mobile, and other critical markets, to meet the increasing demands of reliability, performance, cost efficiency, and sustainability.

Two papers are scheduled under the High Reliability for Extreme Environments Track. Bethany Turner, Senior Technical Manager and Resins Specialist, will present the paper entitled “Expandable Bio-Based Polymers: A Lightweight Future for Electronics Ruggedization - Immersion Study”. Bethany’s presentation will take place on January 24, 10.30am-12pm, and will explore an important new manufacturing trend, known as “Lightweighting”.  Lightweight materials are not only ideal for portable devices, but are also valuable for other applications, such as mass transit and automotive systems.  Kennedy Fox, Reliability Failure Analysis Scientist, will present “Highly Accelerated Vibration Testing for the Evaluation of Solder Alloys in Automotive Applications” on January 24, 1:30- 3pm. The paper analyses the performance of solder pastes and more specifically, how a paste’s resilience to vibration fatigue can influence the failure of an entire electronic unit in a vehicle.

As part of the PCB Plating and Finishes Track, Frank Xu, Technology Manager Final Finishes, will present “Reassessing Surface Finish Performance for Next Generation Technology” on January 22, 8-11am. Finishes such as aImAg, ImSn, OSP, ENIG and ENEPIG are well established in the decision making process for PCB fabricators when considering cost and performance. 5G is growing in importance and requires increased data flow. One challenge is signal loss, especially at higher frequency bandwidth.. Fabricators are once again looking to the next generation surface finishes to resolve the issue of signal loss; this paper compares and contrasts performance attributes of a range of finishes.

Phil Kinner, Global Business and Technical Director for Coatings, will present “A New Approach To Conformal Coating Demonstrates Significantly Improved Ruggedization Performance” in the Cleaning and Coatings Track. Phil will explore test data using the IPC- TR-587 technical report, ‘”Conformal Coating Material and Application ‘State of the Industry’’’ as the basis to compare the performance of assemblies coated with state-of-the- art materials as opposed to standard coatings used by manufacturers. In his presentation, which takes place on January 25, 3:30-5pm, Phil will examine the new findings from tests that show how a natural, slight shift in position of components during soldering could yield very different coating patterns and coating coverage, resulting in inconsistent protection from one board to the next.

The MacDermid Alpha team will also be welcoming visitors to Booth 1933 to discuss more about these subjects and our latest solutions that can deliver greater reliability and performance for today’s increasingly complex electronics assemblies.

For further information, please visit www.macdermidalpha.com

MANASSAS, VA — ZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, is pleased to announce that they will exhibit at the 2023 IPC APEX Expo and offering live demos of the all-new ZESTRON EYE CM II.

Incorporating the ZESTRON® EYE CM II into your process provides an efficient and fully automated solution that monitors, and controls wash bath concentration in real time. This stand-alone concentration management system easily integrates with all cleaning systems providing reliability and control you can trust.

ZESTRON will be offering live demos of the all-new ZESTRON EYE CM II at Booth #1941. The ZESTRON EYE CM II, made in the USA, has multiple advantages such as wash bath concentration monitoring and control, a graphic interface that tracks and records cleaning agent and Di-water usage, the ability to track cleaner pump runtime with bath change alerts, easy downloading capabilities via Ethernet or USB.

To schedule a demo or to speak with one of ZESTRON’s engineers about your cleaning needs, please visit: ZESTRON APEX 2023

CLINTON, NY — Indium Corporation® will feature its compressible metal thermal interface materials (TIMs) and award-winning flux-cored wire at IPC APEX Expo, Jan. 24-26, San Diego, Calif., U.S.

Indium Corporation’s wide portfolio of proven products provides solutions to the emerging industry challenges of today and tomorrow.

Indium Corporation’s Heat-Spring®, a soft metal alloy (SMA) thermal interface material (TIM), reduces thermal resistance and enhances cooling by utilizing two key properties of indium metal—superior thermal conductivity and malleability. As added benefits, indium metal will not dissolve in immersion fluids and is considered an environmentally-friendly TIM because it can be re-used, reclaimed, and re-formed.

Indium Corporation’s patented SMA-TIMs made of indium and other alloys offer uniform thermal resistance at lower applied stresses in compressed interfaces. The malleability of indium minimizes surface resistance and increases heat flow (conductance). SMA-TIMs can easily be placed by hand or with tape & reel and automation.

Unlike standard thermal interface materials, Heat-Spring® offers an extremely long service life as it does not pump-out under power cycling, nor does it bake-out over time. This combination of high conductance, a multi-patterned surface area to optimize contact with non-planar surfaces, and low degradation over time produces a superior thermal interface and assures optimized long-term device performance in compressed interfaces. Pattern options depend on applications such as immersion cooling, TIM1 to bare die, TIM2 for lidded CPU, or GPU applications. Indium Corporation also offers special cladded diffusion barrier TIMs just for burn-in and class testing.

Indium Corporation’s CW-818 flux-cored wire is designed to meet the demanding requirements of today’s manual and robotic soldering processes. CW-818 provides fast wetting speeds, allowing users to minimize cycle times. The spatter control technology minimizes flux spattering while the heat-resistant nature of the formula reduces flux build-up on the soldering iron tip as well as leaves a clear, non-tacky residue post-soldering (even when using a high iron tip temperature). The combination of superior soldering performance, improved overall cleanliness, and excellent visual appearance post-soldering delivers a truly no-clean flux-cored wire.

Indium Corporation’s extensive manufacturing process control ensures that CW-818 cored wire provides precisely the right amount of solder while minimizing process setup challenges and maximizing yields. CW-818 is void-free, and with consistent diameter and layer winding, prevents stoppages due to lack of flux or kinks when drawn into a robotic soldering machine. The result is an extremely reliable and strong solder joint.

To learn more about Indium Corporation’s metal thermal interface materials, visit http://www.indium.com/TIMs. Information on its award-winning flux-cored wires can be found at https://www.indium.com/products/solders/solder-wire/flux-cored-wire/.

POOLE, UK — Europlacer will use the APEX Expo event to show a Stock Management solution designed to improve production efficiency by monitoring and controlling the supply of components to the assembly line in real time.

Minimizing the time it takes to locate and replenish components as a placement system depletes the supply is a major factor in production-wide efficiency. Europlacer’s Stock Management solution gives full control of materials with instant visibility of component stock levels, locations, conditions and demand. It helps manufacturing teams to organize component procurement, reduce SMT assembly setup time and predict shortages ahead of demand. In addition, this critical production information is sent directly to Europlacer’s wireless ii-Tab device in real-time to optimize operator convenience.

The Europlacer Stock Management solution is a central system that records all operations relating to component reels and sticks, including information on consumption, location, lot code, and expiry dates. When integrated with Europlacer’s intelligent storage solutions, material management efficiency is boosted with expedited component location as well as seamless updates to the manufacturer’s ERP system with remaining component quantities at the end of a production run.

“In the context of surface mount assembly productivity, our experience shows that the control of component flows in production is essential and must be simple,” says Nicolas Pogu, Europlacer’s R&D Director. “With our Stock Management solution, we provide a robust foundation upon which everything is optimally structured, giving manufacturers full visibility of current stock status as well as advanced planning with smart features that anticipate component shortages. SMT lines can be run at maximum efficiency with the help of these optimization tools,” he explains.

Visitors to Booth #1733 at APEX Expo 2023 can discuss Europlacer’s Stock Management, learn how the company’s legendary flexibility optimizes productivity in SMT assembly and see the wide range of multi-award-winning Europlacer placement platforms, printers and accessory technologies. The APEX Expo event runs from 24th to 26th January 2023 at the San Diego Convention Center, California.