ASM Assembly Systems at New England Technology Forum: Technology experts shine light on miniaturization and its effects on the SMT process

Ulf Becker of ASM Assembly Systems presented 01005 placement on the SIPLACE SX.

The DEK and the SIPLACE Team of ASM Assembly Solutions recently were part of a technology event in New England hosted by Assembly Products, the company’s technology partner in New England. Special focus at the forum was on the miniaturization of SMT devices and how it affects the entire assembly process. Expert speakers from ASM Assembly Systems’ DEK and SIPLACE teams, Koh Young and Alpha Metals presented the challenges posed by miniature components on the example of the 01005 size factor, followed by hands-on machine demonstrations at the Assembly Products lab near Chelmsford, MA.

How does the ongoing miniaturization of electronic devices affect the SMT process and what challenges does it pose? Assembly Products hosted a technology forum where electronics manufacturing suppliers presented the answers to this question for their respective process steps, from solder printing to inspection and placement as well as a seasoned industry insider speaking on the challenges for electronics manufacturers in daily production life.

Expertise on every production step

The agenda started with Jeff Schake, a Senior Advanced Technology Specialist at the DEK Printing Solutions Division (DEK) of ASM Assembly Systems. Jeff is serving his 16th year with the company. His presentation elaborated on the heterogeneous assembly printing challenge theme, addressing stencil design guidelines and printing equipment capability.

Next was JD Shin from Koh Young. JD Shin has been at Koh Young since 2004 and currently holds the position of General Manager, Global Technical Support Division. JD’s presentation focused on the challenges of inspecting tiny solder paste deposits for 01005 devices (SPI), as well as 3D inspection of mounted 01005 components (AOI).

ASM Assembly Systems’ second speaker was Tom Foley of the SIPLACE team. Tom is the Quality Manager for ASM Assembly Systems. He has over 20 years of surface mount industry experience, introducing himself as “a certified Six Sigma Black Belt”. His presentation focused on the challenges of nozzle design, placement profile definition and closed loop placement control for small devices such as 01005.

The morning was rounded off by Jason Fullerton of Alpha Metals. Currently a Customer Technical Support Engineer, he has worked in manufacturing operations in the automotive, high-reliability, and commercial electronics industries, specializing in soldering processes. Jason’s presentation focused on the solder paste considerations for enabling 01005 assembly, including the properties required to ensure a stable printing and reflow process as well as the electrical reliability of the end product.

Technical demonstrations and live 01005 placement

The afternoon session was held at the Assembly Products lab near Chelmsford, MA. Equipment demonstrations were run on the SIPLACE SX platform, where the 01005 placement process was shown live, as well as odd shaped component placement, changeover strategies and NPI tools. In parallel Koh Young demonstrated their SPI and AOI systems. Speakers from the morning were at hand for one on one white board discussions on their areas of expertise.

The forum was repeated on a second day, and the positive feedback proved the format to be very successful. ASM Assembly Systems is looking forward to presenting another interesting topic next year in New England.