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Sunstone Circuits brought a number of partners to the show, demonstrating industry collaboration.
(April 2, 2008) LAS VEGAS — The standard mantra of the electronics manufacturing industry is that any volume of manufacturing will head overseas, and prototyping and new product introductions will stay domestic. While that argument holds true in many cases, certain exhibitors at the IPC Printed Circuits Expo/APEX/Designers Summit, taking place this week in Las Vegas, are introducing methods to keep larger-volume manufacturing in the U.S. and Europe.
Sunstone Circuits brought several of their partners in the ECOsystem design environment, including Stilwell Baker Inc., to the show, demonstrating the efficiency and yield increases enabled by comprehensive electronic design automation (EDA) software. "We want to give the average design engineer more control," explained Terry Heilman, president and CEO, Sunstone. Allowing design engineers to spend less time as project managers will lead to smoother prototype-to-volume manufacturing transitions, believes Nolan Johnson, CAD/EDA project manager with the company. Sunstone sees higher yields as key to low-cost manufacturing, cutting out the quality and logistics concerns of outsourcing overseas. Talk to the team at Booth 2017.
VJ Electronix launched the Summit Versa rework platform, being demonstrated at their booth. The gantry-style rework system actually performs high-volume functions, such as site dressing, for a typically slow and labor-intensive part of SMT operations. An in-line version will be released in coming months. See the volume rework station at Booth 648.
At Speedline Technologies' booth, the Accel, Camalot, Electrovert, MPM, and other product group managers are out in force, demonstrating the range of machines offered by the company. Of particular interest in the MPM Elite, a high-speed/high-volume model that's been introduced incrementally over several months. We began with the basic model, then introduced enhanced modules for tailored machines, and at APEX we're showing the high-speed Elite model, said Scott Koizumi, VP and GM, Speedline. The MPM Momentum printer platforms enable low cost of ownership, he notes, allowing reduced scrap, reduced waste, and higher technology manufacturing. See the new machines at Booth 2445.
Juki is working to keep production in home markets with the company's placement systems. A four-machine line with 200,000 CPH capabilities is on the show floor, and Juki notes that the investment for assemblers is less than $1 million. To see the modular machines in action, with technical support for implementation strategies on-hand, visit Booth 2025.
Samsung/Dynatech have a similar objective — provide customers with high yields and easy changeover, with add-on modules for complex and advanced technology, and manufacturers in higher-labor-cost regions will benefit. The company is demonstrating a full SMT assembly line with the SM series machines at Booth 859.
APEX isn't only about technology and manufacturing advances — it also is a lot of fun. For Kyzen's 18th birthday, cake and balloons decorated Booth 2219. Kyzen is proud to showcase its A4625 in-line and batch lead-free and no-clean cleaning chemistries, and credits the solder manufacturers with keeping cleaning chemistry producers consistently innovative and on the leading edge.
On the cleaning equipment side, Aqueous Technologies is focused on smart approaches to volume production as well. The company's Trident platform cleans and tests for cleanliness in batch format for high-mix operations, but with the same speeds as in-line systems. This throughput advantage hits the niche of high-mix/high-volume manufacturing many military, medical, aerospace, and related manufactures face. The Duo, Trio, and Quad size platforms for Trident have been Aqueous' most successful launch to date. See the systems at Booth 2431.
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Mike Konrad, Aqueous Technologies, demonstrates the Trident cleaning platform.
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