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Silicon Labs has announced the acquisition of Telegesis, a supplier of wireless mesh networking modules based on Silicon Labs’ ZigBee technology. A privately held company founded in 1998 and based near London, Telegesis has established itself as a ZigBee expert with strong momentum in the smart energy market, providing ZigBee module solutions to many of the world’s top smart metering manufacturers.

In its official release, Silicon Labs said this strategic acquisition accelerates Silicon Labs’ roadmap for ZigBee and Thread-ready modules and enhances the company’s ability to support customer needs with comprehensive mesh networking solutions ranging from wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices to plug-and-play modules backed by best-in-class 802.15.4 software stacks and development tools. Telegesis modules integrate the antenna and provide a pre-certified RF design that reduces certification costs, compliance efforts and time to market. Customers can migrate later from modules to cost-efficient SoC-based designs with minimal system redesign and full software reuse.

The market for ZigBee modules is large and growing. According to IHS Technology, 20 percent of all ZigBee PRO integrated circuits shipping today are used in modules, and ZigBee module shipments are expected to grow at a compounded rate of 24.6 percent between now and 2019.

Telegesis exclusively uses Silicon Labs’ ZigBee technology in its module products, which are deployed in smart meters, USB adapters and gateways for smart energy applications. Additional target applications include home automation, connected lighting, security and industrial automation. The modules come with Silicon Labs’ rigorously tested, field-proven EmberZNet PRO ZigBee protocol stack, which sets the bar for ZigBee stack reliability and has been deployed in more connected products than any other ZigBee PRO stack. Telegesis also offers comprehensive development and evaluation kits to help developers streamline their ZigBee-based applications.

“The addition of Telegesis’s successful module business strengthens Silicon Labs’ position as the market leader in mesh networking solutions for the Internet of Things,” said James Stansberry, senior vice president and general manager of Silicon Labs’ IoT products. “The combination of Telegesis modules, Silicon Labs mesh networking SoCs, best-in-class 802.15.4 software stacks and easy-to-use wireless development tools provides customers with a seamless migration path from modules to SoCs and from ZigBee to Thread-based networks.”

“The Telegesis team is truly excited to become an integral part of Silicon Labs,” said Ollie Smith, director of business development at Telegesis. “Together, our hardware and software engineering teams will drive innovation in wireless mesh networking while giving customers a flexible choice of module and SoC-based designs leveraging both ZigBee and Thread technology.”

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.33 billion in orders worldwide in October 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to the October EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that $98 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2015 was $1.33 billion. The bookings figure is 14.7 percent lower than the final September 2015 level of $1.55 billion, and is 20.3 percent higher than the October 2014 order level of $1.10 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2015 was $1.36 billion. The billings figure is 9.1 percent lower than the final September 2015 level of $1.50 billion, and is 14.7 percent higher than the October 2014 billings level of $1.18 billion.

“Both bookings and billings weakened for the second consecutive month; however, year-to-date bookings and billings levels remain above last year’s levels,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “SEMI will update its 2016 equipment outlook during SEMICON Japan next month.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

  Billings
(3-mo. avg)		 Bookings
(3-mo. avg)		 Book-to-Bill
May 2015 $1,557.3 $1,546.2 0.99
June 2015 $1,554.9 $1,517.4 0.98
July 2015 $1,556.2 $1,587.3 1.02
August 2015 $1,575.9 $1,670.1 1.06
September 2015 (final) $1,495.0 $1,554.9 1.04
October 2015 (prelim) $1,358.4 $1,325.8 0.98

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), November 2015

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that Cristiano Amon has been promoted to executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and president of QCT, effective immediately.

During Amon’s 18-year tenure, his leadership has been instrumental in driving revenue growth in the core business and now the expansion into adjacent areas. In its official release, Qualcomm said this promotion is a recognition of Amon’s unique mix of business, engineering and operational skills.

“Cristiano has been managing QCT’s product roadmap since 2008 – a period of unprecedented growth and innovation for Qualcomm and the industry. He is the right person to lead QCT for a new era of expansion in our semiconductor business,” said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Amon joined Qualcomm in 1995 as an engineer and has subsequently held numerous business and technical leadership roles. For the past three years, Amon has been responsible for Qualcomm’s semiconductor business as co-president of QCT and a member of Qualcomm’s executive committee. He also previously served as the chief technical officer of Vésper, a wireless operator in Brazil and held positions in NEC, Ericsson and Velocom Inc. Amon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from UNICAMP – Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

Murthy Renduchintala, who has served as QCT co-president for the past three years, will be leaving Qualcomm.

TowerJazz, a global specialty foundry, announced today it has signed an agreement with Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. to purchase Maxim’s 8-inch fabrication facility in San Antonio, Texas, United States.

The proposed purchase will expand TowerJazz’s current worldwide manufacturing capacity, cost-effectively increasing production by approximately 28,000 wafers per month. The availability of additional capacity is expected to be needed to serve TowerJazz’s current and forecasted robust customer demand. TowerJazz and Maxim expect to close the transaction in January 2016, subject to customary closing conditions.

As part of the transaction, the companies have also signed a long-term supply agreement for TowerJazz to manufacture products for Maxim in the San Antonio facility. The transaction is to be paid with TSEM ordinary shares with a total value of approximately 40 million US dollars.

All of the site’s nearly 500 employees will be retained. The headcount consists of production operators, highly experienced production support personnel and process and integration engineers, the majority of which possess graduate degrees.

The facility can support the advanced analog platforms using geometries down to 130nm and can be used also to manufacture third party products using TowerJazz specialty process technologies. TowerJazz plans to quickly qualify its core specialty technologies, including its advanced Radio-Frequency Silicon-on-Insulator (RF-SOI) offering, to serve the substantial growth in demand from its customers.

“We are very excited about this fab purchase. It will provide a quick solution for our significantly growing customer demand, while gaining additional high quality manufacturing capabilities and global flexibility with the incremental capacity,” said Dr. Itzhak Edrei, TowerJazz’s President. “The multi-year supply agreement with Maxim and the new available capacity will enable continuous growth with increased manufacturing scale to support our position as the worldwide leading specialty analog foundry.”

“We know Maxim very well, having been their supplier for a family of high-end SiGe based products for many years. During this period we have developed an appreciation for Maxim’s technical capabilities, business vision and corporate culture. Above all, we built a strong relationship of mutual trust and respect,” said Russell Ellwanger, TowerJazz’s Chief Executive Officer. “The San Antonio factory enables us to further strengthen our relationship with Maxim, in a true win-win business model enabling TowerJazz incremental capacity supported by a proven high performing technical and operational team.”

“We needed a trusted partner to manage our proprietary process technology who also shared our commitment to the employees in San Antonio. Tower Jazz has a proven track record with Maxim and similar beliefs about employees, so this is a natural fit. I look forward to our continued partnership over the coming years,” said Vivek Jain, Senior Vice President of Maxim Integrated’s Technology and Manufacturing Group. “With this arrangement, we will continue to support our customers for years to come, improve utilization in our Oregon fab, and advance our manufacturing flexibility.”

TowerJazz manufactures integrated circuits, offering a broad range of customizable process technologies including: SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal/CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensor, integrated power management (BCD and 700V), and MEMS. TowerJazz also provides a world-class design enablement platform for a quick and accurate design cycle as well as Transfer Optimization and development Process Services (TOPS) to IDMs and fabless companies that need to expand capacity.

To provide multi-fab sourcing and extended capacity for its customers, TowerJazz operates two manufacturing facilities in Israel (150mm and 200mm), one in the U.S. (200mm) and three additional facilities in Japan (two 200mm and one 300mm) through TowerJazz Panasonic Semiconductor Co. (TPSCo), established with Panasonic Corporation of which TowerJazz has the majority holding. Through TPSCo, TowerJazz provides leading edge 45nm CMOS, 65nm RF CMOS and 65nm 1.12um pixel technologies, including the most advanced image sensor technologies.

BY PETER CONNOCK, Chairman of memsstar

The dramatic shift from the trend for increasingly advanced technology to a vast array and volume of application-based devices presents Europe with a huge opportunity. Europe is a world leader in several major market segments – think automotive and healthcare as two examples – and many more are developing and growing at a rapid rate. Europe has the technology and manufacturing skills to satisfy these new markets but they must be addressed cost effectively – and that’s where the use of secondary equipment and related services comes in.

While Moore’s Law continues to drive the production of advanced devices, the broadening of the “More than Moore” market is poised to explode. All indicators are pointing to a major expansion in applications to support a massive increase in data interchange through sensors and related devices. The devices used to support these applications will range from simple sensors to complex packages but most can, and will, be built by “lower” technology level manufacturing equipment.

This equipment will, in many cases, be required to be “remanufactured” and “repurposed” but will allow semiconductor suppliers to extend the use of their depreciated equipment and/or bring in additional equipment, matched to their process needs, at reduced cost. In many cases this older equipment will need to be supported by advanced manufacturing control techniques and new test and packaging capabilities.

SEMI market research shows that investment in “legacy” fabs is important in manufacturing semiconductor products, including the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) class of devices and sensors, and remains a sizeable portion of the industries manufacturing base:

  • 150mm and 200mm fab capacity represent approximately 40 percent of the total installed fab capacity
  • 200mm fab capacity is on the rise, led by foundries that are increasing 200mm capacity by about 7 percent through to 2016 compared to 2012 levels
  • New applications related to mobility, sensing, and IoT are expected to provide opportunities for manufacturers with 200mm fabs

Out of the total US$ 27 billion spent in 2013 on fab equipment and US$ 31 billion spent on fab equipment in 2014, secondary fab equipment represents approximately 5 percent of the total, or US$ 1.5 billion, annually, according to SEMI’s 2015 secondary fab equipment market report. For 2014, 200mm fab investments by leading foundries and IDMs resulted in a 45 percent increase in spending for secondary 200mm equipment.

Secondary equipment will form at least part of the strategy of almost anyone manufacturing or developing semiconductors in Europe. In many cases, it is an essential capability for competitive production. As the secondary equipment industry increases its strategic importance to semiconductor manufac- turers and researchers it is critical that the corresponding supply chain ensures a supply of quality equipment, support and services to meet rapidly developing consumer needs.

Common challenges across the supply chain include:

  • How to generate cooperation across Europe between secondary equipment users and suppliers and what sort of cooperation is needed?
  • How to ensure the availability of sufficient engineering resource to support the European secondary installed base?
  • Are there shortages of donor systems or critical compo- nents that are restricting the use of secondary equipment and, if so, how might this be resolved

Europe’s secondary industry will be in the spotlight during two sessions at SEMICON Europa 2015:

  • Secondary Equipment Session – Enabling the Internet of “Everything”?
  • SEA Europe ‘Round Table’ Meeting

The sessions are organised by the SEMI SEA Europe Group and are open to everyone associated with the secondary industry, be they device manufacturer or supplier, interested in the development of a vibrant industry providing critical support to cost effective manufacturing in Europe.

Systematic – and predictive – cost reduction in semiconductor equipment manufacturing

BY TOM MARIANO, Foliage, Burlington, MA

After a period of double-digit growth, the semiconductor equipment industry has now stabilized to the point where recent market forecasts are predicting anemic single-digit growth rates. This is driven by total market demand from chipmakers. For example, despite strong growth of 12.9 percent in 2014, Gartner, Inc. projects worldwide semiconductor capital spending to only grow 0.8 percent in 2015, to $65.7 billion. [1] Additionally, this industry has always been subject to volatile demand cycles that are notoriously difficult to predict.

Translation: It’s extremely challenging for today’s semiconductor equipment manufacturers to improve their financial performance. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to grow topline revenue through innovation and new product development. And, after several years of cutting costs on existing products and not realizing enough cost reduction to improve margins, it’s difficult to know how to do it differently.

Yet a viable alternative to improve financial performance does exist: A disciplined, rigorous, and systematic approach to reducing costs that delivers more predictive results.

A systematic approach to cost reduction

Where cutting costs was once perceived as the end result of “desperate times, desperate measures,” many innovators are now using this approach much more proactively. By
meeting the idea of cost reduction head on – as an opportunity, not a last resort – many semiconductor equipment makers are uncovering wasteful, inefficient, and costly processes, often in areas they once overlooked. At this point, you may be thinking, “All of this sounds great, but what is a systematic approach to cost reduction, and how is it different from what I’m doing?”

Remember that many manufacturers (in all industries) tend to have a hard time driving costs down. They may set cost reduction goals and then attempt to achieve them using various ad hoc approaches. But they really need to understand exactly what their true costs are, where they exist, and which areas will improve their margins.

A systematic approach to cost reduction gives them this insight. With improved visibility into the entire organization, various processes, and how they execute, semiconductor equipment manufacturers can’t identify the right places to cut costs and hit their cost savings goals. This is a very detailed and planned approach in which organizations closely examine areas such as cost of goods sold, R&D, and service to make more informed decisions that will position their business for long-term success. This is the value of a systematic approach to cost reduction.

This approach also introduces the element of speed, helping equipment makers realize cost savings much faster than ad hoc cost-cutting initiatives and puts them on a path to achieve more predictive results. Beyond the positive (and more obvious) impact successful cost reduction has on a semiconductor equipment manufacturer’s bottom line, it also provides a number of significant benefits such as improving productivity, freeing up key personnel, and providing needed capital to fuel new growth.

The path to predictive results

Even if the concept of a more strategic approach to cutting costs sounds reasonable, many semiconductor equipment manufacturers struggle with how to begin and where to focus. All to often they resort to making reactive decisions regarding existing products without the necessary data, leading them to ask questions such as, “Should we have an obsolescence plan for this product?” “How much could we save?” and “Will this lead to bigger problems down the road?”

Without understanding where your best opportunities for cost cutting are, it’s a lot larder to predict when, and if, cost reduction goals will be met. A systematic approach to cost reduction includes establishing clear cost targets, communicating them to leadership, and measuring and reporting results along the way.

The first step is to engage with an outside firm that has a singular focus on cost reduction, and one that is clearly separated from day-to-day operations and current organizational dynamics. Such an engagement will yield an actionable list of improvements with specific cost targets, realistic timelines for achieving these goals, and future plans for reinvesting the cost savings.

More specifically, a systematic cost reduction approach will focus on three key areas: material costs, R&D costs, and service costs:

1. Material costs: The bill of materials is one of the most common ways to see all the components needed to produce the end product. But this goes well beyond the pure cost of materials. Research has shown that improving the way these components are managed can affect 80-90% of the product’s total costs.[2]

For semiconductor equipment manufacturers, the cost reduction process should start with the selection of the products or sub-assemblies that have the highest potential for savings. Focus on those products that are still generating significant revenue, but may not be receiving much attention in terms or engineering upgrades and enhancements. Thoroughly examine the bill of materials for these products by addressing materials, design, complexity reduction, the potential to create common assemblies, and more.

Value engineering efforts can simultaneously improve product functionality and performance while reducing bill of material costs. This effort should factor in ways to meet RoHS requirements and when to make end-of-life decisions for various electrical components to improve design efficiency and the effectiveness of the product.

A realistic cost reduction goal can then be created and a resulting value-engineering project can commence, often using low-cost offshore resources to best achieve those savings.

2. R&D costs: Making better decisions related to R&D processes and product development can shave considerable costs. Some areas to focus on include:

• When to officially end of life non-performing products
• When to consolidate products, or possibly even entire R&D departments
• When and how to move sustaining engineering efforts offshore, or to other lower-cost alternatives

The critical next step is to look at all products and all product variations to determine if an official end-of-life program should be employed. These decisions are notoriously hard to make and often require difficult conversations with key customers, but they are necessary nonetheless.

Many semiconductor equipment manufacturers have grown through acquisitions, creating redundant engineering groups that can be eliminated or downsized. Performing an organizational analysis of all R&D activities may uncover opportunities to consolidate and combine functions or create centers of excellence that focus on specific technical areas eliminating redundancies of technical specialty.

3. Service costs: Examine engineering and design processes to find ways to improve performance, reliability, and costs. For example, adding data collection technology or product diagnostics to enhance remote support efforts and predictive maintenance.

Improvement of product reliability is usually a large multiplier when it comes to service and spare parts costs. Collect and analyze field data to find the most significant issues driving service costs and then look to cut where possible.

For example, equipment in the field often does not have the capability to report enough information to effectively identify a problem. Adding increased data logging and communication can be used to clarify machine status and point services in the right direction. Connectivity can also help with remote diagnostics, all of which helps reduce costs, uptime, and customer satisfaction.

Cost Reduction as a Competitive Advantage

Short-term market forecasts will continue to make it challenging for semiconductor equipment manufacturers to deliver improved financial results. Yet the concept of a systematic approach to cost reduction is a proven way for them to proactively cut costs – in the right places – and also make better decisions related to existing products and other business systems and processes.

By taking a disciplined, rigorous, and objective look at any and all parts of their organization, semiconductor equipment makers can capitalize on new opportunities to free valuable resources, improve processes and future technology, and reinvest savings for future growth. For many equipment manufacturers the greatest obstacle to successfully exploiting these opportunities is insufficient experience and expertise with a disciplined and unconventional way of approaching cost reduction projects. A systematic approach to cost reduction will be the key to success for companies looking to improve their competitive advantage.

References

1. Gartner, Inc., “Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending to Increase 0.8 Percent in 2015: Conser- vative Investment Strategies Paving the Way to Slower Growth in 2015,” January 13, 2015. http://www.gartner. com/newsroom/id/2961017.

2. Forbes, “Product Lifecycle Management: A New Path to Shareholder Value?” August 5, 2011, http://www. forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/08/05/product-lifecycle- management-a-new-path-to-shareholder-value/.

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased during the third quarter 2015 when compared to second quarter area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,591 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 4.1 percent decrease from the record amount of 2,702 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. New quarterly total area shipments were flat when compared to third quarter 2014 shipments.

“After two consecutive record breaking quarters, quarterly silicon shipment growth slightly declined,” said Ginji Yada, chairman of SEMI SMG and general manager, International Sales & Marketing Department of SUMCO Corporation. “Quarterly shipments for the most recent quarter are on par with the same quarter as last year, with total silicon shipment volumes for 2015 through the end of the third quarter higher relative to the same period last year.”

Quarterly Silicon* Area Shipment Trends

Million Square Inches

Q3-2014

Q2-2015

Q3-2015

9M-2014

9M-2015
Total

2,597

2,702

2,591

7,548

7,930

* Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or “chips” are fabricated.

All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.

Plasma-Therm announced that it has acquired an innovative High Density Radical Flux plasma technology, which enables low-temperature Bosch polymer removal.

High Density Radical Flux — HDRF® —was developed by Nanoplas France as a superior plasma process for low-temperature removal of photoresists and organic polymer residues. These capabilities are especially important for device fabrication steps in the MEMS, LED, and advanced packaging markets.

Plasma-Therm is integrating HDRF technology into its existing suite of plasma etching, deposition, and wafer-dicing products. The Nanoplas-developed HDRF low-temperature photoresist stripping capability is also applicable to Bosch polymer removal after DRIE processing.

“We are eager to make the HDRF technology available to our existing customers and potential customers,” said Ed Ostan, vice president of marketing for Plasma-Therm. “HDRF fits very well into our etch and deposition product line, because this will allow Plasma-Therm to provide multi-step solutions to specialized device manufacturers for both R&D and production use.”

Plasma-Therm will also offer ongoing support to Nanoplas customers. The Nanoplas installed baseis primarily made up of DSB 6000 and DSB 9000 HDRF systems.

HDRF enables removal of photoresist, as well as organic polymers left on trench sidewalls following DRIE processes. These applications are sought for advanced packaging, MEMS, and power devices.

HDRF systems incorporate a multi-zone, remote, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source, which produces up to 1,000 times greater chemical concentration than a conventional ICP source.

HDRF provides better performance than wet processing and regular plasma processing in terms of selectivity, low damage, flexibility, and high-aspect-ratio efficiency. HDRF provides superior polymer removal efficiency for high-aspect-ratio (greater than 50:1) structures.

With operating temperatures lower than 80° C., and with high selectivity to TiN, Al, Au, SiO2, and Si3N4, HDRF provides damage-free residue removal for ultra-sensitive devices.

Nanoplas introduced the semi-automatic DSB 6000 system in 2008. It was followed in 2011by the fully automatic 200mm DSB 9000 system, which accommodates one or two process modules. Both systems are capable of chemical downstream etching, stripping and cleaning applications. The company also designed the HDRF300 system for advanced cleans for 3D-IC fabrication. Nanoplas customers include global companies utilizing the systems in volume production, and also R&D and pilot line facilities, company officials said.

San Jose, Calif., October 29, 2015 — Ziptronix, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies, Inc. and a leader in low temperature wafer bonding technology, today announced it has entered into a development agreement with Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID. The companies will work together to integrate Ziptronix Direct Bond Interconnect (DBI®) technology into Fraunhofer’s state of the art 300mm wafer production line and demonstrate DBI as the industry’s finest pitch, thinnest and lowest total cost-of-ownership 3D integration solution.

Increasingly, the industry is looking toward 2.5D and 3D-IC solutions as the most cost effective and efficient means of delivering the next generation of high performance computing and consumer electronic products. However, conventional approaches rely heavily on thru silicon vias (TSVs), micro-bumping and underfill, which can limit interconnect density, performance, form factor and cost-effectiveness. Ziptronix DBI technology can address these limitations and accelerate the adoption of game-changing 2.5D and 3D-IC architectures.

“Although great progress has been made, the industry continues to face challenges associated with the manufacturability, scalability and cost of current 2.5D and 3D-IC solutions. Ziptronix’s DBI technology is an enabling platform that can readily address many of these challenges,” said Juergen Wolf, Head of Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID. “We at Fraunhofer are very excited to work with Ziptronix to demonstrate the benefits of DBI technology to our customers on our 300mm wafer production line.”

“DBI is the industry’s highest density, highest performance, lowest profile and lowest cost-of-ownership 3D integration platform,” said Paul Enquist, Vice President of 3D R&D at Ziptronix. “It will revolutionize the world’s most challenging 3D-IC structures and devices, and we look forward to working closely with Fraunhofer to demonstrate this enabling capability to customers around the world.”

“The acquisition of Ziptronix, and the subsequent integration of its team and technology into Tessera, has allowed us to significantly expand the 2.5D and 3D value that we bring to our customers, and the response has been incredibly positive,” said Craig Mitchell, President of Invensas. “This development agreement with Fraunhofer is an important step in the continuing development of the DBI technology as we grow our 2.5D and 3D product offerings.”

East Providence, RI USA – October 28, 2015 – Nordson EFD, a Nordson company, a global precision fluid dispensing systems manufacturer, introduces a new series of pneumatic non-contact dispensing systems. The P-Jet and P-Dot valves and V100 controllers jet low- to high-viscosity fluids with great precision and repeatability. They are designed for use in many types of applications and multiple industries including automotive, electronics, aerospace, and medical.

NordsonThe launch of the P-Jet and P-Dot comes with EFD’s recent acquisition of Liquidyn, a Germany-based company that designs and manufactures non-contact micro dispensing valves. The company was founded in 2006 by two German engineers looking to provide manufacturers more efficient fluid dispensing options.

Benefits of the P-Jet include dispensing frequencies of up to 280Hz with dispensable volume starting at 3 nL. Both the P-Jet and P-Dot feature exchangeable nozzles and dispensing tappets to adapt to different kinds of applications. Both are easy to use and maintain featuring wetted parts that are separate from the actuator. They require low voltage of 24 V and maximum fluid pressure of 87 psi (6 bar) to operate, which are important when evaluating safety considerations. In addition, the valves can be easily integrated into production lines.

Pneumatic non-contact dispensing technology benefits include:

  • Time savings due to easier positioning of the part and high dispensing frequency and accuracy
  • Reduced part damage and contamination due to there being no contact with the part
  • Uniform fluid deposits independent of part topography and surface structure
  • Easy, safe adjustment of dispensing volumes
  • Process control

The P-Jet dispenses low- to medium-viscosity fluids such as solvents, oils, greases, silicones, paints, and fluxes in beads and lines. Common applications include filling, potting, sealing, and coating. The P-Dot dispenses higher viscosity fluids such as adhesives, lacquers, oils, greases, silicones, and fluxes in dots, beads, and lines. Attaching very small electronic components (SMD parts) onto printed circuit boards and substrates is a good application example.

“The P-Jet and P-Dot non-contact jet valves offer manufacturers a fast, simple way to generate precise, repeatable micro-deposits for even the most demanding dispensing processes,” said Peter Langer, Nordson EFD Business Unit Director – Valves. “These valves are designed to last a long time with extremely low maintenance.”

The new P-Jet and P-Dot are being featured along with other innovative EFD products recently released, including the PICO® Pµlse™ non-contact jet valve and PICO Toµch™ controller, xQR41 MicoDot™ needle valve, and Pro and EV series automated dispensing systems, at The Assembly Show (booth 823), Oct. 27-29, in Rosemont, Illinois USA.