Pro-mation Inc. (Kenosha, WI), a manufacturer of printed circuit board (PCB) handling solutions, has completed a 24-month performance study on 20 select PCB handling products.
Gary Goldberg, president and chief executive officer of Pro-mation, will share this informative information with industry professionals who are interested in PCB handling equipment.
For more information about the study, contact Goldberg: gary_goldberg@pro-mation-inc.com.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Hardmeier Electronics, a major contract manufacturer in Switzerland, has replaced its complete surface-mount assembly line with the new Ultraflex line from ESSEMTEC. The line is capable of running larger batches in inline mode, but runs different boards simultaneously.
Hardmeier specializes in the assembly of small- to mid-size batches, so the new machines provide them with the possibility to run large series with high speed on some days, while on other days several small batches can be produced simultaneously.
The feeder concept with bar code scanning ensures placement quality and enables product changeovers while the machine is placing boards. The FLX1020-V holds up to 200 feeders and minimizes the need for feeder changes. Laser and vision centering gives customers the possibility to place nearly all available components from 0201s up to quad flat packs (QFPs), ball grid arrays (BGAs), microBGAs and connectors. The integrated software optimizes the feeder set up to eliminate unnecessary changeovers in production. The integrated dispensing system dispenses directly on the same line adhesives or solder paste for prototypes or smaller batches.
In combination with specialized loader/unloader systems, a FIFO Buffer, inspection conveyor and full convection oven for lead-free production, the installation is a fully automatic solution for low-to mid-size volumes.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
IPC (Northbrook, IL) has selected Speedline's (Franklin, MA) patent-pending MPM Gel-Flex conformal board support system for this year's Innovative Technology Showcase (ITS). The 2004 ITS highlighted new and emerging technologies from all segments of the electronics interconnection supply chain, including assembly, printed circuit board fabrication and design. After a rigorous evaluation, the ITS Review Board selected Speedline's board support system as one of the industry's cutting-edge technologies. The showcase was held on Feb.24-26, during APEX, in Anaheim, CA.
The board support system is a cost-effective answer to the challenge of supporting the circuit board during the stencil printing process. Consisting of electrostatic discharge (ESD)-safe polyurethane elastomer gel enclosed within a durable membrane shell and mounted to a magnetic base, Gel-Flex tooling is a true conformal board-support system. The compressible gel material provides gentle compliance to delicate bottom-side components and leads while providing firm support for the entire board surface.
Since product setup takes literally seconds to complete, and product changeovers are as simple as relocating the support bars, downtime associated with board support changes is dramatically reduced with the system. Compared to other more expensive options, such as dedicated workholder and fixed-grid pin support tooling, the system is considerably less expensive to purchase and operate.
Speedline Technologies provides single-source process knowledge, solutions and service to the PCB assembly and semiconductor packaging industries. The company sells five brands - ACCEL microelectronics cleaning, CAMALOT dispensing systems, ELECTROVERT wave soldering, reflow soldering and cleaning equipment, MPM stencil and screen printing systems, and PROTECT global services, support and training solutions.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.