Virtual Panel Carrier centers substrates and is said to enable multiple component support and alignment during screen printing and all subsequent assembly processes. Enables alignment once; reportedly no further adjustments are required. Design consists of a base carrier with a consumable foil. Said to provide stability, centering and alignment capabilities required to process substrates or components in a single panel. Parts are placed manually or loaded with a placement system. Substrates are held in the carrier via a patented four-sided tensioning mechanism. Parts are referenced using two global fiducials. Is scalable.

SIwave v3.5 is a full-wave electromagnetic field simulator optimized for signal-integrity, power-integrity, and electromagnetic interference analysis of high-speed PCBs and IC packages. Features a finite-element-based DC solver optimized for extraction of power rail geometry in low-voltage/high-current PCBs and packages. Engineers reportedly can view voltage and current distributions in all relevant geometry, including vias and bond wires; have access to voltage drop and current flow information through vias, bond wires, sources, resistors, inductors, etc. in tabular format. Said to simulate electromagnetic behavior of complex PCBs and IC packages, including multiple, arbitrarily shaped power and ground layers, and any number of vias and signal traces. Full-wave S-, Y- or Z-parameters or GHz-bandwidth circuit model is used in concert with time- and frequency-domain analyses within Nexxim and DesignerSI or third-party SPICE-compatible circuit tools. Highlights include 64-bit capability; frequency-dependent source implementation; linear interpolation; frequency-dependent material model (Djordjevic-Sarkar); visualization of near E and H fields, and clip design tool. 

Ansoft Corp., www.ansoft.com/siwave

 

SMP300 screen printer has a three-stage conveyor to eliminate additional buffer units. Features a patented clamping process to ensure the board is in the proper plane. Uses two CCD cameras to view and teach fiducials for aligning the board to the stencil within ±0.025 mm. Has a closed-loop, pneumatically controlled print head, and comes with 2-D post print inspection and automatic wet or dry stencil cleaning. Prints for 01005 pads.

Samsung Techwin, www.samsumg-smt.com
Dynatech Technology, www.dynatechsmt.com
 

The Niton XL3 Series third-generation handheld XRF analyzer is said to provide the fastest solder alloy grade identification and laboratory-quality composition analysis of plastics and polymers. Typical time for routine solder screening measurements is said to be less than 5 sec. Features a 50 kV, 2W x-ray tube. Comes in a range of configurations with an assortment of optional features and accessories; quick screening to simultaneous measurement of up to 25 elements in a sample. Offers component testing; solder analysis; populated PCBs and finished goods; hi-reliability screening.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., www.thermo.com/niton

The Symbion P36 Plus AOI features 3-D and 2-D detection and is said to provide 100% volumetric solder paste inspection accuracy. Enhanced with latest architecture and high-powered processing capabilities. Includes process control software. Has central data hub where all relevant data are stored. Automatically links post-reflow AOI inspection data with solder paste inspection data and SPI results with paste printer machine events. Alerts when processes are out of operator-defined parameters and can stop a related machine.

MPM Accela printer now comes with Benchmark 2.0 machine operating software. Is said to offer significant post-print inspection enhancements; integration of barcode scanning for product traceability and process verification; singulated processing of indexed Auer boat substrates, and support for CAMX machine data streaming per the IPC-2541 specification. Includes SpeedVision inspection architecture. Said to increase the speed of contrast-based pad coverage inspection and texture-based BridgeVision and StencilVision through the use of full field-of-view processing, rapid image acquisition and optimized camera travel. Decrease in inspection time reportedly ranges from 40 to 70%.

Speedline Technologies, www.speedlinetech.com

The CV629 cartridge valve weighs 4.8 oz. and is suitable for lubricants, silicones and adhesives. Said to be ideal for manual operations for which where frequent dispensing deposits must be applied. Is recommended for integration in an automated system, where the quick-change one-piece cartridge seal ensures minimal maintenance and reduced downtime. Stroke is adjustable and valve is recommended for micro shots or fine-beads. Maximum fluid pressure is 300 psi.
 
I&J Fisnar Inc., www.ijfisnar.com

 

The real-time top-side preheating module is for high-mass assemblies. Promotes draw of solder through barrel to the board’s top side. Provides internal continuous preheat during selective soldering. Can be used as the primary preheating function or to maximize productivity when used in combination with discrete pre-heaters to maintain board temp. during soldering operation. An optical pyrometer reads actual PCB temperature with real-time, closed-loop control.