APEX Product Preview
01/01/2001
The second annual IPC SMEMA Council Electronics Assembly Process Exhibition and Conference (APEX) will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, January 14-18, 2001. The following is a sampling of products that will be showcased at APEX 2001. Take a few minutes to review the products of interest and circle the corresponding numbers on the reader service card to receive more information. For faster results, fax the card to 413-637-4343. For more information on APEX 2001, visit www.apex2001.org.
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Desoldering Braid
ITW Chemtronics' 5 and 10-ft bobbins of Soder-Wick Desoldering Braid are offered only on static-dissipative bobbins in a variety of widths and flux types. In addition, the Chem-Wik Desoldering Braid 5-ft bobbins are also reportedly ESD-safe. The Soder-Wick static- dissipative bobbins are heat-stamped, which is said to eliminate paper labels that actually increase the risk of ESD damage. The braid is also sealed in either the company's Performance Pak Barrier Packaging or VacuPak Vacuum-sealed Packaging. ITW Chemtronics, Kennesaw, Ga.
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BGA Rework System
Metcal Inc. is launching an enhanced version of its BGA rework system. Available in two models - the CSP-3500, designed for smaller chip-scale rework, and the BGA-3590, with high-powered under-board heating for thermally demanding PCBs - the array package rework system is said to have a range of enhancements designed to improve performance and simplify operator use. Key to the system enhancements is the addition of an imaging camera that reportedly provides sharpness and definition when working on fine-pitch CSP components. Metcal Inc., a division of OK International, Menlo Park, Calif.
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Placement Machines
The 2000 Series placement machines are said to combine flexibility and accuracy with fast placement times. Reportedly combining the speed of a chipshooter with the flexibility of a fine-pitch assembler, the series offers an alternative to the large high-speed chipshooter. This series is designed around four modular machines - the KE-2010, KE-2020, KE-2030 and the KE-2040 - and offers a variation in modular capabilities. These machines reportedly feature Juki's latest technology in automated-assembly equipment, such as the new Multi Nozzle Laser Align for precision in flight, noncontact alignment of four parts simultaneously using a single laser unit. Juki Automation Systems Inc., Morrisville, N.C.
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Disposable Material Path Valve
Techcon Systems' new patented Disposable Material Path (DMP) valve contains a disposable feed screw for maintenance as well as accurate and reliable dispensing. With a feed screw made of delrin, the valve is designed for use with two-compound and abrasive materials. The DMP valve has a hinged doorway in the front that opens so that the auger can be removed, disposed of and replaced within seconds while the line is still in operation. No cleaning or refurbishment of the valve is required. Techcon Systems, Garden Grove, Calif.
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Overhead Ionizer
The ZVI8000 Zero-volt Ionizer is an overhead ionizer designed to offer maximum continuous coverage over work surfaces. It is said to combine the effectiveness of steady-state DC ionization with a microcontroller to produce an ionization system for ion-balance control and high output. The system reportedly blows large quantities of positive and negative ions into the atmosphere to safely neutralize static charges surrounding ESD-sensitive boards, products and materials. And because the unit is placed overhead, it is suitable for areas where bench space is limited. Semtronics, a division. of Metcal Inc., Menlo Park, Calif.
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Telecom Tool Kit
The Microelectronic Packaging Engineer's Telecom Tool Kit is for designing and packaging products that operate at high frequencies. It reportedly assists with the challenges of increasing usable frequency by reducing the IC/package size, increasing the power driven through the circuit, and reducing insertion and return losses. The kit includes tools for packaging high-frequency products for the telecom/datacom market, such as automated eutectic die attach, "relative to" die placement, ribbon wire first-level interconnect, constant wire-length looping, very short wire-length looping and high-frequency ultrasonics. Palomar Technologies, Vista, Calif.
Dispenser
The MicroMax Dispenser is part of GPD's series of liquid-dispensing systems. Said to be suitable for nonheated applications in SMT and semiconductor packaging, it has a composite base that reportedly offers stability as well as a footprint of 36.5 x 47 x 59.5 inches and a work area of 12 x 12 inches. The new system is said to have a dispense rate of up to 36,000 dots/hour at a speed of 30-in/second, and can be operated as a conveyorized system for PCBs or boats/carriers. The dispenser is suitable for micro-volume applications, dispensing dots as small as 0.010 inch. GPD, a division of LIFT Industries Inc., Grand Junction, Colo.
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Tape-forming Machine
The EZV9200 Series Embossed Tape-forming machine is designed for high-efficiency surface mount component packaging aimed for the volume component manufacture industry. Features of the new machine include the ability to work either off-line or on-line and to be incorporated directly into production lines as an integral forming unit. Noncontact heating is said to ensure uniform, high-quality forming of 8- to 56-mm-wide PS, PET, PVC and AN tapes, having 24- to 64-mm pocket pitch and up to 12-mm pocket depth. Panasonic Factory Automation Co., Div. of Matsushita Electric Corp. of America, Franklin Park, Ill.
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Reflow Ovens
The QRS 2000 series of reflow ovens reportedly meets all requirements for a lead-free solder-paste reflow process. The ovens feature 10 vertical heating zones, half-width reflow zones and two built-in, active cooling zones. The heater-module design and larger fan reportedly increase airflow within the zone by 20 percent. Large, removable lower cover panels allow for maintenance of the ovens' lower blower fans and transport-system components. Quad Systems Corp., Willow Grove, Pa.
Analysis Software
The Turbo Package Analyzer (TPA) is the newest member of Ansoft's family of Signal Integrity analysis software tools. It is said to offer a mix of automation, design flexibility and ease of use for complex BGAs. The company acquired TPA in the 1999 purchase of Pacific Numerix Corp. The software includes an interface that allows it to automatically characterize an entire package that has been designed in Cadence's Advanced Package Designer (APD) or Avant! Corp.'s Encore IC Package Designer. Ansoft, Pittsburgh, Pa.
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Selective Soldering Robot
The Robosol Pro 401P is a four-axis desktop selective soldering robot designed for high-volume cellular manufacturing environments. Said to be versatile and accurate, this robot is capable of both linear and point-to-point selective soldering within an 11.8 x 11.8-in soldering area. It has the following accessory options: fume-extraction attachment, nitrogen envelope, safety cover, twin-shuttle system and programming software. Robotic selective soldering reportedly is suitable for high-volume applications involving components with heavy mass joints, nonstandard geometries and sensitive temperature requirements. PACE UNIX, Laurel, Md.
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Sandblaster
The Swam Blast line of micro sandblasting equipment is designed to selectively and safely remove conformal coatings, solder mask and oxidation; component demarking; deflashing; PCB rework and repair; surface preparation and texturing; and more. Manual to automatic systems, nozzles from 0.006 to 0.090 inch, powders from 12 to 250 µm and job shop services are available. Crystal Mark Inc., Glendale, Calif.
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X-ray Inspection System
The FXS-160.40 Microfocus X-ray Inspection System is designed to meet the needs of the PCB manufacturing industry and is suitable for off-axis inspection of planar devices. The detector can be rotated by 360 degrees and angled up to 50 degrees for complete oblique angle viewing without sample repositioning. The latest "high-brilliance" X-ray tube design is said to provide vibrant image resolutions to less than 2 µm with geometrical magnifications up to 200 x at any inspection angle. FeinFocus USA Inc., Stamford, Conn.
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Component Inspection
ViTechnology's Vectoral Imaging is said to advance accuracy, speed and reliability in inspecting components on PCBs. Developed in cooperation with Cognex, the Vectoral Imaging process is said to have the ability to adapt to shape, size and orientation of each component on the board. By analyzing the geometric information from the features (line segments, arcs, circles, angles, etc.), and spatial imaging, it is able to repeatably determine the position of the component on the board, without regard for the rotation, size, or appearance of the component. ViTechnology LLC, Haverhill, Mass.
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X-ray Inspection System
The Jewel Box 90-C is said to feature a high resolution and gray-scale fidelity. The system's proprietary imaging technology reportedly presents a clear image of a 0.001-in gold wire through a solder void in a BGA, revealing the wire, the void and the BGA. The new system incorporates a 90-kV X-ray source with Glenbrook's X-ray camera. The geometry of the high-voltage X-ray source is said to allow objects being inspected to be placed in close proximity, maximizing the inherent capabilities of the high-resolution X-ray camera to produce imaging accuracy. Glenbrook Technologies Inc., Randolph, N.J.
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Step Motor/Driver Package
The AlphaStep is a two-phase, hybrid, geared step motor and driver package that is designed to eliminate missed steps. It uses a built-in feedback device that constantly monitors the motor shaft to detect and correct for loss of synchronism. Having the feedback device built in is said to minimize the size requirements for the motor and help protect the device from shock loads and temperature extremes. The package is suitable for systems that have high compliance, such as belts and pulleys. Oriental Motor USA Corp., Torrance, Calif.
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BGA Inspection System
The VJ-1000 LP BGA inspection system is said to provide high-resolution images of BGAs, micro-BGAs and other chip-scale packages. Features include a 75 kV, .250 mA X-ray source; digital X-ray control; 4-in image intensifier; 25 to 200 x magnification; a manual X-Y table; image analysis software; and more. The system requires a 110 V/15 A power supply. V.J. Technologies, Bohemia, N.Y.
Printing Machines
DEK's printing machines - ELA, 265 Horizon and Infinity - are now complemented by Vortex underscreen cleaning, custom tooling and the new FormFlex compliant tooling solution. The company's software tools are said to offer enhanced machine networking and control, rapid set-up and changeover, and remote monitoring with real-time reporting. DEK Printing Machines Ltd., Dorset, UK.
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Media Transfer System
The ST-595-2 fully automated media transfer system combines fast changeover with high throughput and is said to offer safe, reliable high-speed handling of QFP, TSOP, LCC, BGA and similar devices. Features include software that eliminates the need for application-specific tooling and adjustments during changeover and requires no camera recalibration. Parallel device handling is made possible by two high-speed linear motor drives. Two pick-and-place heads can rotate 90, 180 and 270 degrees, and the system can be configured for tray-to-tape or tray-to-tray operation. RVSI, Canton, Mass.
Linear Motor Platform
Universal Instruments' GSMxs linear motor platform is said to provide accuracy, throughput and flexibility for advanced assemblies, such as RF functional modules and optoelectronic components (flip chip or standard die attach). Other applications, such as flip chip BGAs and flip chip CSPs, are also possible. Features include mixed heads, a polarized illumination module and a MegaView camera (0.8 mil per pixel). Universal Instruments, Binghamton, N.Y.
CSP Adhesive
CornerBond 3515 adhesive is designed to minimize the effect of induced stresses between the PCB an the array package. This adhesive is ideal for CSPs with interposers or cornerless arrays. CornerBond can be applied using standard SMT dispense equipment and cured during the solder reflow cycle. The product is a single-component liquid epoxy adhesive with a relatively high curing temperature. Loctite Corp., Rocky Hill, Conn.
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Linear Pump
The DP-3000 series linear pump is now available in three new configurations. These configuration packages include an improved refill module that increases refill speeds, pump enhance ments for faster priming, and a DP-3000-02 version with a low-speed gear box for more precise dispensing. Ap plica tions in clude flip chip underfill, IC en capsulation, thermal materials and die attach adhesives. The DP-3000-02 is said to dispense small shot sizes of less than 5 mg. Asymtek, a Nordon Co., Carlsbad, Calif.
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Precision Cleaning Agents
Zestron Corp. offers two new products for the removal of flux residues from electronic assemblies in ultrasonic cleaning equipment: VIGON US and Zestron FA. VIGON US is a water-based cleaning agent and is effective in spray-under-immersion cleaning equipment. The product is characterized by its HMIS of 0-0-0, its long bath life (up to six months) and its reported ease of use. Zestron FA is suited for applications that required a solvent for flux removal in ultrasonic applications. The product is said to be ideal for ceramic and hybrid applications, and its low surface tension enables it to creep under tight spaces. Zestron Corp., Ashburn, Va.
Electronic Coating
Providing PCBs protection from moisture, humidity and other liquid and solid contaminants, Novec EGC-1700 is a fluorochemical acrylate polymer solution used as a protective coating, surface modifier, recording head coating and anti-corrosion/anti-migration coating. Under certain conditions, the coating reportedly can cost less per square foot than other methods and its fast drying time is said to allow for faster board processing. The thin coating reportedly adds no mechanical cure stress on circuit components and no subsequent coating pressure on parts during thermal cycling. Additionally, the solvent for the coating is a nonozone-depleting agent with low global warming potential and features low toxicity. 3M Performance Materials Div., St. Paul, Minn.