PHOENIX, AZ – Grand Canyon University has partnered with manufacturing companies Benchmark Electronics, Modern Industries and Lux Precision Manufacturing to create the CNC Machinist Pathway that will prepare students to learn computer numerical control (CNC), a high demand trade that uses computers to precision manufacture parts. Manufacturing jobs are growing, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating a 7% national growth rate for machinists through 2030.

“GCU’s Center for Workforce Development is part of our broader job-focused curriculum to create a skilled and caring labor workforce,” said Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller. “The trade industry is crucial to the local economy and by offering students creative pathways like this, GCU is meeting the critical need of industry demands. The financial support from company partners like Benchmark Electronics who are helping fund this new trade program model are making a difference starting in our own backyard.”

The CNC Machinist Pathway is a 15-week program that exists alongside the university’s growing baccalaureate engineering and business programs. CNC students will take four evening courses in areas like math, communications and CNC manufacturing. In addition to coursework, participants will work as paid interns at Lux Precision Manufacturing, based at GCU’s 27th Avenue and Camelback campus in Canyon Ventures. Students will receive real work experience manufacturing parts for medical, aerospace and semiconductor industries. Lux Precision Manufacturing is also hiring GCU’s engineering students to learn the manufacturing process as well with hands-on experience.

“We have the opportunity to make an impact on the current state of manufacturing in Arizona and help grow the overall dependency for manufacturing in the U.S.,” said Lux Precision Manufacturing founder and GCU graduate Weston Smith. “Students will have on-the-job training with a solid basis for understanding manufacturing principles and be able to apply this skill immediately into the workforce.”

Funding from Benchmark will go toward curriculum development and scholarships for students. Benchmark, a leader in the manufacturing industry that serves medical, electronics, defense and numerous other industries, has also committed to hiring students each semester who have completed the program.

“Arizona’s innovation economy is on the rise and GCU is significantly contributing to the need for outstanding, homegrown talent in the region,” said Nell Hall, Benchmark’s Global VP of Talent Attraction and Inclusion. “We’re honored to partner with GCU to help students achieve their educational goals and develop the next generation of machinists by providing scholarship funding and access to Benchmark’s expertise. We look forward to what the future will hold through this partnership.”

Recognized as a world class manufacturer in precision machining, Modern Industries Inc., is also partnering with the university to hire GCU students who have completed the pathway, allowing them to gain access to cutting-edge manufacturing facilities and invaluable hands-on experience.

“Our collaboration with GCU will help forge a path to excellence in manufacturing education and innovation, bridging the gap between academia and industry,” said David Seehausen of Modern Industries. “This partnership signifies a commitment to shaping the future of CNC machining, one where knowledge meets practicality, and where innovation flourishes.”

This is the university’s second pathway involving trade occupations, following its Pre-Apprenticeship for Electricians pathway that started in fall 2022 and has produced 74 participants who have become apprentices in the electrician trade. Another 220 students are expected in the program for the upcoming academic year.

The CNC Machinist Pathway is ideal for anyone who is looking to re-career or needs an entry into a four-year college engineering program. Read about current applicants and their experience here. Participants are part of the GCU community and are able to join campus events, dining and the university’s vibrant college atmosphere. For more information, email cnc@gcu.edu 

WATERBURY, CT – MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions, a manufacturer of chemical compounds used in surface coating applications, announced it will open a second facility in Japan in order to better serve the needs of the local automotive industry. The laboratory will be located in Nagoya and provide technical services to the region's Tier 1s, Tier 2s and other companies vital to the automotive ecosystem.

MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions, which operates in Japan as the MacDermid Performance Solutions Japan K.K. legal entity, currently provides technical services to Nagoya-based customers from the Hiratsuka location in Kanagawa Prefecture. The laboratory in Nagoya will reduce the time required for existing customers to make important decisions about their plating bath parameters, many of which operate 24 hours a day. The additional location in Japan will also satisfy the business continuity planning requirements of every automotive OEM.

"We are very excited to have a presence in Nagoya, where we have already been supplying customers with specialty chemicals for more than 40 years. This strategic investment underscores our long-term commitment to Japan, a country which recognizes the value of our environmentally-friendly products. We also expect the gained trust to result in new business opportunities," said Richard Lynch, Senior Global Vice President of MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions.

Julian Bashore, Representative Director of MacDermid Performance Solutions Japan K.K., added, "After the soft opening on October 1st, we will be fully equipped by April 2024. The growth in our automotive business has allowed us to make such an expansion in Japan. With Japan's focus on sustainability, we are excited to expand our offerings in the electric vehicle market. This investment in Aichi Prefecture positions us for further market penetration with Japan-based manufacturers of brake calipers, door handles, emblems, fasteners and other components."

NEWMAN LAKE, WA – Hentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Sinclair Manufacturing has purchased Pulsar solderability testing and Photon steam aging systems for installation in their Chartley, Massachusetts facility.

The Pulsar utilizes the highly proven dip-and-look test method that is a qualitative type test performed by comparative analysis. The Pulsar solderability test system complies with all applicable solderability test standards including MIL- STD-883 Method 2003, IPC J-STD-002 and MIL-STD- 202 Method 208. The Photon steam aging system is used for accelerated life testing to simulate elongated storage conditions for high-reliability applications. These steam aging systems complement component lead tinning machines designed to perform component re-tinning, tin whisker mitigation, gold removal and BGA de-balling for high reliability military and aerospace applications.

NEUSS, GERMANY – Among the most important markets for today’s electronics manufacturers, IoT (Internet of Things) applications and automotive electrification are characterised by increasing demand for large numbers of a wide range of electronic device types. According to ResearchGate, already more than 50 billion IoT devices such as smart home monitors, wearables, and industrial sensors are connected to the internet, with over 10 billion more added every year.

In automotive, the pace of electrification continues to accelerate, to improve economy, lower emissions, increase safety, and enhance driver and passenger experiences. Increasingly sophisticated infotainment and driver-monitoring systems, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), electronically controlled lighting, and electric propulsion mean emerging new models contain literally hundreds of circuit boards populated with processors, communication ICs, power semiconductors, high- power LED arrays, and more.

The number and diversity of these technologically advanced devices, embedded in our digital lifestyles, is disrupting the traditional division in electronic manufacturing between high-mix/low-volume and low-mix/high-volume. OEM and EMS businesses need to produce a high mix of different product types in high volumes, and must maintain high productivity at all times.

Dual-Lane SMT

Dual-lane surface-mount assembly equipment appears to offer a solution by allowing simultaneous assembly of PCBs in each lane. This helps manufacturers respond to fast-growing markets in several ways.

Firstly, dual lane allows rapid scaling of production capacity and increased efficiency. Two lanes operating simultaneously can process more PCBs within the same timeframe, enabling higher volumes to be produced.

Secondly, dual lane enables manufacturers to assemble a high mix of different product types efficiently. Each lane can be configured to handle a specific product or product variant, allowing them to produce different types simultaneously. This flexibility is crucial in markets where a wide range of product types with varying specifications and features are required.

Thirdly, dual-lane assembly helps optimise floorspace utilisation by raising the production throughput without significantly increasing the equipment footprint. As manufacturers need to produce a high mix of products, in considerable volumes, and ensure a competitive unit cost and timely delivery, dual-lane assembly offers a cost-effective and space-efficient solution to the challenge. With the evolutionary changes in the latest dual-lane equipment, it is ready to deliver the performance advantages it has always promised.

Throughput with Flexibility

With the arrival of the latest generation of equipment such as the Yamaha YR series advanced dual-lane machines, both lanes have equal priority by allowing an equal range of adjustment and supporting the same automated features.

The YRP10DL dual-lane screen printer and YRM20DL dual-lane mounter allow maximum PCB size up to 330mm in dual-lane mode and so can be connected together directly. Historically, a dual-lane printer may have fed two separate mounters via a custom conveyor that adds complexity and cost. Alternatively, a single printer may have directed boards into a dual-lane mounter via a split conveyor.

The maximum rail width of 330mm is greater than typical preceding equipment models and so allows larger panel sizes that contain extra PCBs. Similarly, portable carriers for flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrates can contain 50% more units by taking advantage of the expanded rail width.

Mounting Modes

The YRM20DL mounter allows multiple placement operating modes to enhance productivity. These include parallel and alternate modes with two separate mounting stages and over-drive flexibility. These extend the head non-interference area to reduce waiting time for alternate mode assembly and thereby improve productivity. In parallel mode, the 4-split conveyor reduces transport distance. The parallel and alternate modes allow an extension conveyor option that increases the length up to 380mm.

When setup in parallel mode, the two lanes can operate completely independently, each having its own setup. Non-stop changeover of feeder carts is possible. This allows manufacturers to assign a product to lane 1 with the flexibility to assign the same or a different product to lane 2, and changeover either lane independently. Parallel mode is most useful when producing PCBs with a small number of component types.

In alternate mode, either head can place components in either lane and feeders are shared between both lanes. Each lane can run the same product or different products. This approach can be used to populate boards that contain a large variety of component types, although the cycle time may be short. Parts sharing and productivity levelling are possible.

In addition, the YRM20DL can operate in hybrid mode to handle the case where each lane builds a different product and one of the two assemblies is more heavily populated than the other. In hybrid mode, the less busy head can place components in the other lane to help accelerate the cycle time. This allows extra flexibility when production capacity is a priority and the feeder set positions are not suitable for parallel mode. Parts sharing and productivity levelling are possible in hybrid mode.

The production mode of each mounter within a line can be changed independently to maximise productivity and ensure efficient use of feeder slots. This allows mixed- mode production using parallel mode for chip mounting and alternate mode for mounting odd-shaped components that require many feeders.

The YRM20DL also contains advanced features from the existing single-lane model, with enhanced PCB transfer capacity and stopper-less board positioning. The requirement for stopper-less positioning originated in the automotive industry, to preserve the integrity of assemblies. The mounter also links push-up pin activation and PCB clamping, tightly coordinating the two actions to minimise PCB transfer time. In addition, non-stop program change and non-stop carriage exchange enable fast changeovers between products.

Non-stop program change maximises efficiency in either case where the PCB width and backup position are the same or different. When the incoming job width and backup-pin position are the same, the machine can simply finish the current PCB and change the program for the next job. On the other hand, when the width or back position are different, the machine allows the incoming PCB to wait before entering. The new width setting is applied after the last PCB of the current job leaves the machine.

The non-stop carriage exchange feature provides safe removal and replacement of carriages without stopping the machine. One lane can continue production while automatic carriage setup runs on the other lane. This effectively allows the two lanes to run independently, with each building a different mix of products.

Seamless End-to-End Dual Lane

The YRP10 DL dual-lane printer, similarly, provides flexible rail-width settings and automated features active on each lane. When used together, these machines enable the entire surface-mount line to operate independent dual lanes from end to end for maximum flexibility and throughput, whether manufacturing a low or high mix of product types.

The printer performs as two screen printers inline, each operating with full independence and both supporting full automated program changeover to minimise downtime and maximise productivity.

The YRi-V DL inspection machine provides dual-lane capability with a newly developed conveyor that has movable lanes, which eases connection to other inline equipment either upstream or downstream. It can handle a large range of PCB sizes, up to 320mm x 2 in dual-lane mode. It can also handle custom PCB sizes up to 1200mm x 610mm. When both lanes are assigned to handle a small PCB, the rails can be placed close together to minimise the excursion time for the inspection head.

The YRi-V also adds new algorithms that improve inspection of solder fillets in accordance with IPC standards. There are also updated camera settings to handle inspection challenges posed by the latest semiconductor package styles, such as wafer-level chip-scale package (WL-CSP). The package surface tends to produce reflections that challenge the capabilities of conventional inspection equipment.

Further enhancements include an 8-angle 3D camera array that accelerates image capture and a 4-angle 20Mp camera to capture high-resolution images of features such as solder joints. These are known to be challenging for conventional machines to capture and assess accurately.

When used together in the same line, the dual-lane printer, mounter, inspection means seamless end-to-end dual-lane manufacturing. In the past, to achieve this has required various combinations of single-lane machines connected with special conveyoring, resulting in a complex line layout that can be expensive and time consuming to design and install.

Conclusion

The increasing demand for a high mix of different product types in high volumes, coming from today’s fastest-growing markets, is creating a strong case for dual-lane surface-mount assembly. The latest generation of equipment maximises the performance potential of dual-lane to enhance production throughput, flexibility, and productivity.