Design For Manufacture (DfM) Add-On for Altium Designer is free and factory-certified. Implements Sunstone’s manufacturing capabilities interactively inside Altium Designer. Is said to reduce costs by reducing design errors; reduced time by using existing rule decks instead of user-created versions; and simplify design processes by following a factory-certified rule deck.

Sunstone Circuits, www.sunstone.com/pcb-resources/downloads.aspx.

VarioTap in-system emulation technology integrates JTAG emulation and boundary scan test for real interlaced test operations and multivalent flash in-system programming. Supports in principle all JTAG/IEEE1149.1 compliant µProcessor or µController, independent of scan chain configuration, up to multi-processor or multi-core applications. Adaptive streaming technology reportedly executes emulation tests in a test program parallel or interactively to boundary scan tests.

Goepel Electronic, www.goepel.com

Flexible silicone conformal coating is said to meet IEC 61086-2. Said be fast drying and has passed all coatings tests for assembled PCBs including thermal aging, flexibility, damp heat and salt mist. Visual inspection using ultraviolet light revealed no voids, holes or delamination on samples, and no loss of adhesion or discoloration of copper conductors. A tackiness test reportedly revealed that when a 500g load is applied for 1 min., it remains non-tacky. Has operating temperature ranging from -50Ëš to 125ËšC; is touch dry at 20ËšC in 10 to 15 min. Available in 400 ml aerosol and 5 liter bulk container. Contains no isocyan­ates. Meets V-1 level of the UL approval.
 
Electrolube, www.electrolube.com 
 

EVS 7000 and 9000 solder recovery systems replace EVS 3000 and 6000. Are designed like EVS 1000, integrating new-generation features. Are said to have smaller size, footprint and easier access for maintenance. Offer capacities of 10 kg/20 lb. (7000) up to 20 kg/44 lb. (9000). 9000 is for single operation dedrossing of large wave soldering machines. Has integrated Hopper Extraction System said to speed dedrossing times up to 75%. Both feature an enclosed automated system. Hot dross is loaded into the large hopper and sealed. The process recovers solder into a tray in the form of ingots placed back into the solder pot; spent dross is deposited automatically to a covered dross bin. Air is extracted via a standalone, multi-part filtration system. Cycle takes six minutes plus cooling.
 
EVS International, www.solderrecovery.com

PMT400S is designed for site dressing and repeatable solder removal. Uses Sierra Mate software. Is height sensing and production ready. Is Pb-free capable. Features semi-automatic gantry motion, automated nitrogen gas switching and optional IR bottom heater. Has a 28" sq. footprint. Includes a self-contained solder removal tool. Can prepare up to 51 mm BGA site on assemblies with 2" tall top and 1.5" bottom-side components. Handles boards up to 14" by 20".
 
VJ Electronix Inc., www.vjelectronix.com
 

EZ-Flux ultrasonic reciprocating spray fluxer uses a high-impact flux transfer system to maximize topside fill. Is said to be easily integrated into all major wave solder machines and compatible with all PCB fluxes.

Sono-Tek Corp., www.sono-tek.com

The 256Jet-D inkjet printhead features stainless steel construction for printing traces, contacts, embedded passives and components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) on PCBs, and for printing flexible photovoltaics, fuel cells and batteries. Resolution is reportedly up to five times higher than screen printing. Can be removed, cleaned and reassembled. Can use interchangeable nozzle plates to print distinct drop volume sizes with the same printhead. Two models are available: 5 – 40 picoliters and 50 – 80 picoliters. Is said to be resistant to alkaline and acidic materials. Can be heated to 70°C and jet fluids up to 30 cps. Reportedly has a lifespan of 90 billion firings. Offers a precision drive controller; drop volume precision of plus or minus 2%. Has individually controllable jets.

Trident, www.trident-itw.com

Easylabel 5 Multi-User software is for designing and printing product identification, barcode and RFID labels. Can license multiple copies over a network; eliminates the need for individually licensed PCs. Is available in packages of 5, 10 or 25 user licenses. Free trial edition available for download.

Tharo Systems Inc., www.tharo.com

The In-Sight Micro vision system is 30 mm x 30 mm x 60 mm. Has EasyBuilder configuration software and VisionView 700 operator interface display, which displays information from up to nine vision systems in a tiled view. Is said to be a full vision system the size of a remote-head camera, ideal for mounting in tight spaces on robots, production lines and machinery. Provides flexible mounting capability with a non-linear calibration tool that enables mounting at angles of up to 45º. Five models are available, including a 2-MP model. Includes Cognex vision tool library.

Cognex Corp., www.cognex.com

ESD Pro Event Detector is a lightweight handheld device capable of distinguishing various levels of ESD events. Detects and counts discharges and shows relative electrical strength of each event on a bar graph display. Provides a quick measure ESD protection effectiveness. Offers variable settings of discharge alarm thresholds to detect and count only ESD events that exceed the user-set threshold. Provides an audio alarm and a 10-LED bar graph. If the discharge exceeds the set alarm level, the LEDs turn red. The unit’s four-digit counter provides a count of discharges occurring above the set threshold, while disregarding those programmed as insignificant. Can measure multiple consecutive discharges. Waveform analysis algorithm in charge device model mode rejects most non-ESD EMI events.
 
3M Electronics Solutions Division, www.3m.com  

The SCBL-77G Passageway Gate system is designed for high-volume production. Combines a small footprint passageway station with a vertical buffering station. Is 1500 mm in length and is said to offer a continuous pathway for PCBs to flow. When the gate is requested to be open, the 15-slot vertical buffer is enabled to accept PCBs from the line. The vertical buffer has 15 stacked edge belts, each at 30 mm standard spacing. Spacing is selectable in every slot, every other, every third and every forth slot. Can operate in either LIFO or FIFO modes, in addition to the lift gate function.

Promation Inc., www.pro-mation-inc.com