HOW ASM ASSEMBLES PICK & PLACE MACHINES · 2018-07-12 · THEM PRICE) & more The Global Assembly...

Mark RagardInterview Inside

PLUS: ENABLING THE USE OF PET FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATES FOR LED LIGHTING APPLICATIONS • FIVE REASONS TO OUTSOURCE (NONE OF THEM PRICE) & more

The Global Assembly Journal for SMT & Advanced Packaging Professionals

www.globalsmt.net

HOW ASM ASSEMBLES PICK & PLACE MACHINES

Volume 14 Number 11, November 2014ISSN 1474 - 0893

© 2014 Panasonic Corporation of North America. All rights reserved.

MAINTENANCEAUGMENTED REALITY™

An innovative solution for any factory regardless of equipment—and a first for the industry.

Imagine the ability to digitally deliver breakdown tickets and links to associated supporting documents, check lists, parts lists, and repair history so your staff can respond effectively and immediately to yourfactory’s needs.

Introducing PanaCIM Maintenance Augmented Reality—a solution that provides constant communication and information to machine technicians when and where you need it regardless of the equipment you use.

WINNER!2014 GLOBAL Technology Award for Best Product Americas

panasonicfa.com/MAR

pfsa_gsmt_nov14.indd 1 10/17/14 4:07 PM

Global SMT & Packaging – November 2014 – 1www.globalsmt.net

© 2014 Panasonic Corporation of North America. All rights reserved.

MAINTENANCEAUGMENTED REALITY™

An innovative solution for any factory regardless of equipment—and a first for the industry.

Imagine the ability to digitally deliver breakdown tickets and links to associated supporting documents, check lists, parts lists, and repair history so your staff can respond effectively and immediately to yourfactory’s needs.

Introducing PanaCIM Maintenance Augmented Reality—a solution that provides constant communication and information to machine technicians when and where you need it regardless of the equipment you use.

WINNER!2014 GLOBAL Technology Award for Best Product Americas

panasonicfa.com/MAR

pfsa_gsmt_nov14.indd 1 10/17/14 4:07 PM

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Contents

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Volume 14, No. 11

November 2014

ContentsEDITORIAL2 Technology vs personal freedom Trevor Galbraith

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS10 How ASM Assembly Systems build pick ‘n’ place machines Trevor Galbraith12 Enabling the use of PET flexible substrates for LED lighting applications Amit Patel & Rahul Raut, Alpha (Alent), and Brent Sweitzer, Multek28 CEM posts record growth using Six Sigma principles Chrys Shea, Shea Engineering Services, and Larry Groves, SAMSUNG C&T Automation, Inc.

SPECIAL FEATURES10 Interview—Mark Ragard, Panasonic34 Industry innovators presented with Global Technology Awards

REGULAR COLUMNS4 SAFE methods for placing circuits on component boards Joe Fjelstad23 Autumn seasonal upturn…then what? Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai39 Five reasons to outsource, and none of them price! Philip Stoten

6 Industry News38 Association News

40 International Diary

OTHER REGULAR FEATURES

34

4

12

Title

2 – Global SMT & Packaging – November 2014 www.globalsmt.net

Editorial OfficesEuropeTrafalgar Publications Ltd.Globals SMT & PackagingCrown House, 72 Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London, W14 8TH, UKTel: +44 (0) 207 559 1467 Fax: +44 (0) 207 559 1468E-mail: [email protected]: www.globalsmt.netUnited StatesTrafalgar Publications Ltd.Global SMT & PackagingPO Box 7579Naples, FL 34102, USATel: +1 (239) 245-9264Fax: +1 (239)-245-9268AsiaTrafalgar Publications Group Pvt LtdM-161/1 G.L. House, Gautam NagarBehind India Oil BhawanNew Delhi – 110049Office: +86 351 652 3813Fax: +86 351 652 0409Editor-in-ChiefTrevor GalbraithTel: +1 (239) 245 9264 ext. 101US Cell: +1 (239) 287 5401Fax: +1 (239)-245-9268Skype: [email protected] EditorTel: +1 (239) 245-9264 [email protected] EditorLu [email protected] Asia Technical EditorDebasish [email protected]: +1 (239) 245-9264 [email protected] DeveloperTorrence GermanyTel: +1 (239) 245-9264 [email protected] AdvertisingEurope—Trevor GalbraithTel: +1 (239) 245 9264 ext. 101UK Mobile: +44 (0)7584 072926German Handy: +49 (0)1573 278 [email protected] AmericaSandy DaneauTel: +1 [email protected] Asia—India, Singapore, Korea & MalaysiaDebasish ChoudhuryTel: +91 120 6453260Mobile: +91 [email protected], Taiwan & Hong KongPaul ChenTel: +86 [email protected]

Trevor GalbraithEditor-in-Chief

Editorial

Technology vs personal freedom

Has anybody ever sat down and thought, “What does the Internet of Things (IoT) really mean?”

Here is some food for thought. First, manufacturing automation will become so sophisticated and so controlled by big data that the factory of the future will not allow humans anywhere near the produc-tion floor. According to various intellec-tual reports, even the most experienced engineer operates around 500 defects per million opportunities (DPMO), which in tomorrow’s factory will be totally unac-ceptable.

Big data is just starting to enter the human environment. Smart watches and other wearable technologies will plot your heart rate, temperature, body fat, and many other key health indicators that will be automatically sent by wi-fi to your doctor’s office, where it will be crunched against your historical data and an alert issued if you need to increase/decrease your medi-cation or head straight to a consultant because your liver is about to pack up. In truth, a visit to the doctor will be like taking your car in for a service. You get plugged into the diagnostic machine and everything comes up on a screen with a map of flash-ing problem areas and a list of likely medi-cations that could be prescribed.

But let’s take this a step further: through a combination of your in-built GPS and your cholesterol level, it is detected that you bought a quarter pounder meal at McDonalds. Instantly, you are charge a 0.03 cent premium on your health insurance or 0.001 cent per cigarette you smoke.

Learning will become more and more visual as interactive video explodes. It is well-known that humans absorb informa-tion better and quicker in a visual form, rather than text.

Even our vehicles will be driverless, powered by free solar recharge stations. Road system management of driverless vehicles will create more capacity on the roads as cars are ordered through the com-munication device on your wrist to come and collect you from the office. Of course, your car may well reply that it is already en route to pick up your children from school and it will be an extra 10 minutes before it can arrive at your office.

Do you see where I am going with this…? The future is going to be even more revolutionary and exciting in the next fifty years than it has in the past fifty, except it is going to happen quicker, much quicker.

Which brings me to my final point. Never give up on technology. So many times I see an older colleague or retiree saying, “I don’t want to have a computer or an iPad or a smart watch,” but that will be a luxury none of us can afford in the future. The pace of change will be so rapid that those who do not keep up will become obsolete and unemployable very quickly.

And guess who will invent, design, manufacture and test all the gadgets that will make this amazing new world pos-sible—you will!

—Trevor GalbraithEditor-in-Chief

[email protected]

The technique of automatic planar CT and analysis evolved out of high-speed laminography. The defining elements of the technique are twofold. Not satisfied with effortlessly creating the perfect image, the artist also strives for precise interpretation. With Y.Cheetah, interpretation of the image is both precise and immediate, thanks to the application of automatic slice analysis. By consciously eliminating all human error, Y.Cheetah achieves remarkable levels of objectivity and consistency. To the rest of the world, this is the highest goal. To us, it is high art – The Art of Detection.

BGA-type PCB with VoidTime to Completion 10 secondsArtist Y. CheetahTechnique Planar CT and analysis Movement X-pressionism

Developing outstanding x-ray inspec-tion processes is high art – and the task of the avant-garde. Now the avant-garde has a name: YXLON.

Discover the avant-garde in x-ray technology at the electronica 2014 Trade Fair in Munich. November 11 - 14, Hall A1, Stand 359.

www.yxlon.com/art

YXLON_Global_SMT+Pack-rz.indd 1 13.10.14 13:04

The technique of automatic planar CT and analysis evolved out of high-speed laminography. The defining elements of the technique are twofold. Not satisfied with effortlessly creating the perfect image, the artist also strives for precise interpretation. With Y.Cheetah, interpretation of the image is both precise and immediate, thanks to the application of automatic slice analysis. By consciously eliminating all human error, Y.Cheetah achieves remarkable levels of objectivity and consistency. To the rest of the world, this is the highest goal. To us, it is high art – The Art of Detection.

BGA-type PCB with VoidTime to Completion 10 secondsArtist Y. CheetahTechnique Planar CT and analysis Movement X-pressionism

Developing outstanding x-ray inspec-tion processes is high art – and the task of the avant-garde. Now the avant-garde has a name: YXLON.

Discover the avant-garde in x-ray technology at the electronica 2014 Trade Fair in Munich. November 11 - 14, Hall A1, Stand 359.

www.yxlon.com/art

YXLON_Global_SMT+Pack-rz.indd 1 13.10.14 13:04


SAFE methods for placing circuits on component boards

The manufacturing of printed circuit boards is well understood by the electronics industry. So also is the

assembly of printed circuits. The processes for both are all well established and for the most part reasonably well managed and controlled. Still, the industry continues to struggle daily with the processing, as yields are never perfect, and with so many pro-cessing steps, there are inevitable “gotchas” which enter the picture. Take for example PCBs: they suffer from being considered a commodity item, and yet each new design is unique and custom. They are a “custom commodity,” and that is an oxymoron. Each new design is similar yet different and it can have an impact on manufactur-ing. PCB manufactures know what a chal-lenge it is to get the substrate materials and processes to work harmoniously enough to assure reasonable yields on a new design, especially as feature sizes (lines, spaces and via diameters) continue to shrink.

On the assembly side it is arguably even more challenging. If one is to flip through the pages of almost any electron-ics industry magazine, journal of electron-ics, or electronics industry conference pro-ceedings, they will find numerous articles, papers, and advertisements on the subject of soldering. The list of topics has, since the advent of RoHS, become fairly pre-dictable. One will find articles on solder-able finishes, solder alloys, solder pastes, solder balls, solder fluxes, solder printing, solder wave profiles, solder reflow profiles, and post solder cleaning regimens, along with the various pieces of capital equip-ment required to carry out the process-ing of solder. One will also find articles and papers on soldering defects, which are of an amazingly broad and seemingly increasing variety, along with articles and ads on test and inspection equipment and methods for screening for these defects, in an effort to identify and hopefully elimi-

nate them. Finally one will find articles and advertisements on rework and repair methods and equipment to correct the defects or damage caused by the soldering process. To say that assembly of printed circuits with solder is a complex process is clearly an understatement.

SAFE technology is targeted at reduc-ing that complexity by removing solder from the electronics assembly manufac-turing process by creating the circuits on the surface of a “component board.” That is, a board where the component leads are flush with the surface of the structure. It is in essence a printed circuit board with the components pre-attached. The construc-tion of component boards was covered in earlier columns, so this column will discuss ways that can be employed to create cir-cuits which interconnect the components on a component board to fabricate an elec-tronic assembly.

Printing circuits using conductive inksPrinting is arguably the most ancient of human technologies not required for sur-vival. The Chauvet Cave in France has on its walls paintings and hand prints that have been carbon dated to between 25 and 35 thousand years ago. The paintings are intricate and beautiful, but hand prints were produced in ways that are still use today for mass production, specifically by transfer printing and by stencil printing. Time and technology have obviously vastly improved on those early efforts, and print-ing of conductive inks is a viable method for SAFE assemblies. The conductivity of printed inks is not yet as good as copper metal, but it is getting better all the time as improvements in materials and processes come on line in the service of the printed electronics branch of the industry. Suitable methods for printing conductive inks include screen printing, stencil printing,

and inkjet printing. My last column also illustrated and described printing using a vector dispensing system to draw and con-nect conductive ink lines/circuits. Where additional layers are required, insulation layers can also be printed using similar methods, with openings provided where needed to make interconnections between metal layers.

Copper plated circuitsThe printed circuit industry has been using copper plating to make circuits on PCBs for many decades. While copper foil clad laminates have been a mainstay, additive processing methods are more than half a century old as well. In recent years, the advent HDI (high density interconnection) technology and additive and semi-additive technologies have evolved and are increas-ingly a mainstay method for today’s higher density electronic assemblies. To make a SAFE circuit, the component board is coated with copper and the circuit layers built up sequentially in a manner virtu-ally identical to the methods used for HDI boards. The difference is that solder lands are not required, making it possible to complete the circuit in a lesser amount of layers. The process can accommodate plated through holes if required and pro-vided for. In addition, the components in a component board can be placed closer together because provision of rework potential is obviated in favor of making an assembly that will be of higher yield and will not require rework.

Hybrid processing of circuitsAdvances in circuit fabrication technology are making possible new techniques which are hybrids of printing and plating. One example is a novel new process from the company eSurface in Carlsbad, CA. (www.esurface.com)

The technology is executed by coating

Joe Fjelstad


Read ListenWatch



the laminate in a proprietary solution and then exposing it to UV to catalyze the cir-cuit pattern, then developing the pattern in water. The circuits can then be plated with copper. The process is very attractive in that the number of processing steps is less than traditional processing, and in a manner consistent with the objectives of Occam/SAFE assembly it reduces the com-plexity of manufacturing, thus anticipating good control of the process, higher yields.

These processes are illustrated in Figure 1.

In summary, the circuitization of com-ponent boards can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Each of the methods has merits and ready infrastructure. One of the nice features of all of the processes is that they do not require the exposure of the component board to the high and dam-aging temperatures normally required for lead free assembly.

Producing circuits on “component boards” to interconnect them can be

accomplished in a number of ways. Figure 1 shows the two most basic methods with process steps missing.

In the printing circuit sequence: 1) an insulating layer is printed on leaving exposed terminations, 2) a first conductor layer is printed, 3) a second insulating layer is printed coating the first circuits where needed followed by a second conductor layer, and 4) the process is repeated until all layers are complete when the final cir-cuit layer is complete a top insulating layer is printed.

In the plating sequence: 1) the compo-nent board 2) is coated with an insulating layer, leaving open termination features of interest, 3) the board is coated with metal (or catalytic ink in the hybrid variant), and 4) the circuits are defined by imag-ing and etching (process abbreviated in figure), then 5) a second layer in insula-tion is provided to protect the first metal layer circuits, and 6) holes are created to access additional component terminations,

at which point 7) additional circuits are again defined by imaging and etching, and when all required layers are complete, 8) a top layer of insulation is provided, leaving open features required for interconnection and operation.

Verdant Electronics founder and president Joseph (Joe) Fjelstad has more than 40 years of international experience in electronic interconnection and packaging technol-ogy in a variety of capacities from chemist to process engineer and from international consultant to CEO. Mr. Fjelstad is also a well known author writing on the subject of elec-tronic interconnection technologies. Prior to founding Verdant, Mr. Fjelstad co-founded SiliconPipe a leader in the development of high speed interconnection technologies. He was also formerly with Tessera Technologies, a global leader in chip-scale packaging, where he was appointed to the first corpo-rate fellowship for his innovations. He has 150 US patents to his credit.

Figure 1. Illustration of SAFE printing and SAFE plating circuit processing. (Some steps left out.)

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Hitachi High-Tech withdraws from chip mounter businessHitachi High-Technologies Corporation resolved at a Board of Directors meeting to withdraw from the chip mounter busi-ness, which is part of the Electronic Device Systems segment. The equipment sector has been experiencing a harsh business environment, affected by a slump in the PC and digital appliance markets and by slowly growth in the high-end mobile devices market. The company judged that it would be too difficult to improve its performance in this sector. The company plans to com-plete its withdrawal by the end of March 2015.

Firstronic’s Juarez, Mexico facility begins production Firstronic LLC’s 70,000 square foot facility in Juarez, Mexico began production qualifi-cation runs this month. Facility preparation was completed earlier in September and the first two SMT lines have been installed. The new facility is only about five minutes away from the Mexican border across from El Paso, TX, providing the cost advantages of Mexico and the logistics simplicity of the El Paso/Juarez border crossing. www.firstronic.com

Henkel to acquire The Bergquist CompanyHenkel strengthens its portfolio with a fur-ther acquisition, recently signing an agree-ment to acquire The Bergquist Company, a privately-held leading supplier of thermal-management solutions for the electron-ics industry worldwide. Bergquist, based in Chanhassen, MN, USA, supplies ther-mal-management solutions for electronic applications, serving a variety of industries ranging from automotive to consumer and industrial electronics as well as LED light-ing, in North America, Asia- Pacific and Europe. www.henkel.com

Panasonic Factory Solutions welcomes Digitaltest to the PanaCIM® Certified Technology ProgramPanasonic Factory Solutions Company of America announced the addition of Digitaltest solutions and equipment to the PanaCIM Certified Technology Program. Digitaltest has been a provider of high-end

electronics test equipment for more than 30 years and is a world-leader in flying probe test systems, ICT test systems, and functional testers. The company is also well known for its software solutions including CAD data viewers and converters as well as quality management and repair station solutions. www.panasonicfa.com

Juki Automation Systems promotes Larry Moon and Frank Ruiz

Juki Automation Systems (JAS), Inc., promoted Frank Ruiz to Applications Engineering Manager—Western US and Larry Moon to Applications Engineering Manager—Eastern US. In their new posi-tions both men will be responsible for man-aging technical engineering and software support of Juki customers in their respec-tive regions. Both will continue to report to Gerry Padnos, Director of Technology for JAS. www.jukiamericas.com

Alpha’s vice president of energy technologies appointed to iNEMI BoardRavi M. Bhatkal, Ph.D., Vice President of Energy Technologies for Alpha has recently been elected to the Global Board of Directors for The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI). The iNEMI organization roadmaps the future technology requirements of the global elec-tronics industry, identifies and prioritizes technology and infrastructure gaps, and helps eliminate those gaps through timely, high-impact deployment projects. www.alpha.alent.com

Libra Industries acquires Focus ManufacturingLibra Industries acquired Focus Manufacturing. Focus Manufacturing produces precision machined parts, sheet metal, assembled components and com-plete enclosures with integrated electronics. Under the agreement, Libra Industries will benefit from Focus Manufacturing’s world-class metal fabrication capabilities, while Focus Manufacturing will continue opera-tions under its own name. Libra Industries and Focus Manufacturing will partner to provide world-class custom EMS and metal fabrication services. www.libraind.com

Carlos Bobadilla joins FCT Assembly as application & design manager—Mexico

FCT Assembly appointed Carlos Bobadilla Application & Design Manager—Mexico. Bobadilla is responsible for setting up sten-cil manufacturing operations and design-ing best practices for Fine Line Stencil in Mexico. In his new role, Bobadilla will build the stencil technology roadmap for Fine Line Stencil in Mexico and the U.S. He will supervise and coordinate the analy-sis, evaluation, development, testing and implementation of the stencil manufactur-ing practices for the company. www.fctassembly.com

Industry news—AmericasIndustry news


Industry news

MarTek, Inc. files suit against Form Factor, Inc.MarTek, Inc., filed litigation against Form Factor, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. MarTek, Inc.’s claims relate to an unresolved dispute arising out of an Intellectual Property License Agreement between the companies. MarTek, Inc.’s claims include Fraud in the Inducement—Concealment, Breach of Written Contract, and Breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith. MarTek, Inc. is seeking damages of 19 million dollars. Trial date has been set for October 19, 2015.

Koh Young America appoints Juan Arango sales managerJuan Arango has been appointed Sales Manager at Koh Young America, effective September 1, 2014. In his new position, Juan will oversee the Koh Young America sales team for the Eastern, Southern and Central US, Canada, and Mexico territories. Koh Young America (KYA) is a leading pro-vider of 3D measurement and inspection equipment (AOI and SPI) for the global circuit board assembly and semiconductor markets. www.kohyoung.com

Averna acquires Cal-BayAverna acquired U.S.-based Cal-Bay Systems. This move especially strengthens Averna’s presence in the medical-device, vibration monitoring, and consumer elec-tronics markets, as well as providing the company with strategic positioning on the U.S. West Coast. Averna has acquired 100-percent share of Cal-Bay Systems for an undisclosed amount and will take on management of its U.S. and European offices. The current owners, Buck Smith and Patrick Kelly, will continue to par-ticipate in the day-to-day operations and expansion plans. www.averna.com

Crane Aerospace chooses ACE selective soldering equipment againACE Production Technologies, Inc., is pleased to announce that Crane Aerospace & Electronics has invested in a second KISS-102 selective soldering system. The new KISS-102 selective soldering system has been installed at the Crane Aerospace & Electronics manufacturing facility located in Lynnwood, Washington and is the second selective soldering machine Crane Aerospace has ordered from ACE Production Technologies.www.ace-protech.com

ECD Taps Todd Clifton to lead company

ECD announced named Todd Clifton as the company’s new President to suc-ceed founder and former President, Rex Breunsbach, who is downsizing his role at ECD. Clifton previously was ECD’s Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. Hired in 1996 as ECD’s IT Manager, Clifton has had various responsibilities within the organi-zation and has been instrumental in devel-oping and progressing some of its most successful products. www.ecd.com

VJ Electronix teams with DNIV International to enhance its Southeast Asia sales channelVJ Electronix, Inc., announces that it has appointed DNIV International for sales and service in Thailand, Vietnam,

Singapore and Malaysia. DNIV will be the exclusive distributor of VJ Electronix’ Summit Series, 400 Series and Micra rework products in Thailand. DNIV also will distribute Vertex, X-Quik and custom X-ray throughout Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.www.vjelectronix.com

Eric Gongora appointed global director, Enthone semiconductor product marketingMr. Eric Gongora has been appointed Global Director, Semiconductor Product Marketing, by Enthone Inc. Mr. Gongora will be working closely with the company’s Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) research and development, technical applica-tions, and commercial teams to introduce advanced WLP technologies that create value to semiconductor manufacturers and electronics OEMs. Mr. Gongora brings to Enthone over nineteen years of experience in the semiconductor industry spanning areas such as operations, business develop-ment and global product line management.enthone.com

Rocket EMS ramps up cleaning capabilities with three new Aqua Klean systemsRocket EMS Inc. announced that it has installed three new cleaning systems from Aqua Klean Systems. Rocket EMS installed a Typhoon T-8 Chemistry Zero-Discharge Cleaner, T15 Water Soluble Cleaner and DI Recirculating System. The Typhoon T-8 offers Rocket EMS a new way to clean RMA, no-clean and water soluble (OA) fluxes. The T-8 incorporates an adjustable chemical injection pump to assist in keeping chemical wash concentration consistent. The T-8 also incorporates a dynamic air blow-off design, allowing a water-free chemical isolation. www.aquaklean.com

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Industry news—EuropeIndustry news

Nordson DAGE appoints Richard Frisk as European sales manager for inspection products

Nordson DAGE appointed Richard Frisk to the position of European Sales Manager for its market-leading Inspection Products. Mr. Frisk, who has worked in PCB inspection sales for over 20 years, will be responsible for managing both Nordson DAGE X-ray and Nordson YESTECH’s AOI sales chan-nels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. www.nordsondage.com

ViTrox Technologies appoints Hilpert distributor for Germany, Switzerland and AustriaViTrox Technologies appointed Hilpert Electronics AG. Effective July 1, 2014, Hilpert represents ViTrox in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Hilpert is autho-rized to distribute ViTrox’s Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) and Advanced 3D X-ray Inspection (AXI) systems. ViTrox is expected to penetrate the inspec-tion market in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the future as a result of Hilpert’s strong presence. ViTrox expects to greatly expand its market presence and grow its AXI and AOI sales in this territory as a result of its partnership with Hilpert. www.hilpert.ch

Etek Europe appointed as distributor of PDR – IR rework systemsEtek Europe have been appointed as dis-tributor for PDR—IR Rework Systems cov-ering Algeria, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates. This appointment reinforces the relationship between two great com-

panies: PDR, manufactures of IR Rework Systems for SMT, BGAs, CSPs, QFNs, LEDs , 0201s and Etek Europe, a global supplier to the electronics industry.www.etek-europe.com

RoHS directive amended—deadlines for exceptions in Annex III + IV With eight new delegated directives, the EU Commission has revised the Annexes to the RoHS directive (2011/65/EG) and de facto limited other exceptions in time. The changes are justified in each case with tech-nical progress and the original intention to only grant exemptions until substitutes or alternatives become available. The RoHS guideline provides for the prohibition of the substances lead and mercury.www.fbdi.de

Altium expands European reseller network for TASKING in FranceAltium Limited appointed two new resell-ers for TASKING products in France. In the past three years Altium has dealt with the French market from its European head-quarters in Germany. With the expanding

opportunity for TASKING products in France, Altium named EDA Expert and Direct Insight as their new channel part-ners to provide proximity to their valued customers and prospects as well as solid knowledge of the French market and its key players. www.altium.com, www.tasking.com

LPKF strengthens management for product line laser plastic welding

Markus König (left) and Frank Brunnecker (right) head the LPKF team in FürthThe management team of the LPKF Laser & Electronics AG Laser Plastic Welding business unit in Fürth welcomes Markus König as the new head of the Operations and Development divisions. After studying mechanical engineering and specializing in production engineering, he worked as a management consultant, global supply chain director for a British filtration systems manufacturer, and CEO of the manufactur-ing subsidiary of a German machinery and equipment manufacturing company.www.lpkf.de

AdoptSMT France established as member of the AdoptSMT GroupAdoptSMT France Sarl was set up in summer 2014 in order to be closer to exist-ing French customers of AdoptSMT group and to win additional customers.Frédéric Doré was hired as field sales engi-neer bringing AdoptSMT’s complete range of consumables, spare parts, service, feed-ers and overhauled machines for the PCB Assembly process to the French custom-ers. Mr. Doré has been working in the PCB Assembly Industry for many years, includ-ing a long period for a leading American manufacturer of PCB Assembly equipment. www.AdoptSMT.com

Nordson acquisitionNordson Corporation acquired Dima Group B.V. The transaction is not mate-rial to Nordson results, and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dima will operate as part of Nordson’s Advanced Technology Systems segment. The company’s products are used in a vari-ety of automated dispensing, bonding, welding, soldering and SMT processes within the global electronics assembly market. In addition to its Netherlands headquarters, Dima is further sup-ported by a global network of sales partners. www.nordson.com


Industry news

Gemini Tec building on success in complex PCB assemblyGemini Tec has added three new machines to its fleet: a new Mycronic MY600 jet printer, one of the latest Mycronic MY200SX 14 machines, as well as MY200LX14. The 45-strong team at Gemini Tec prides itself in producing the highest quality PCB products to meet time-critical deliveries. Moreover, this Hampshire-based company is the only UK organisation that is currently operating with two Mycronic solder jet printers, enabling it to offer exceptionally high throughput for boards that incorporate challenging components.www.geminitec.co.uk

AIM Solder strengthens support in EuropeAIM Solder appointed Michael Koch as Sales Manager, formally beginning employ-ment with AIM September 2014. Located in Northern Germany, Michael will be responsible for new business development as well as providing support to existing AIM customers throughout Germany and other German-speaking countries. Michael Koch has vast sales and consulting experi-ence in the electronics production market-place, having comprehensive knowledge in solder materials as well as selective and wave solder machines, reflow ovens, print-ers and more. www.aimsolder.com

Sincotron Finland Oy is Viscom’s new distribution partner for the Nordic countries and the Baltic statesViscom AG has a new distribution part-ner in the North of Europe. With imme-diate effect, Sincotron Finland Oy will be responsible for the sales of Viscom inspec-tion systems in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Sincotron is based in Lohja, Finland and is well-estab-lished in the manufacture of products and equipment for electronics manufacturing.www.sincotron.eu, www.viscom.com

Etek Europe appointed as distributor of Robotas—Lean Hand Assembly Systems

Etek Europe is proud to announce that it has been appointed as distributor for Robotas—Lean Hand Assembly Systems

covering the UK, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Poland and Hungary. This appointment reinforces the relationship between two great companies: Robotas Technologies and Etek Europe, a global supplier to the electronics industry.www.etek-europe.com

ViTrox Technologies appoints Kingtest Electronic Technology as Sales Channel Partner in ChinaViTrox Technologies, a solutions provider of innovative, advanced and cost-effective

automated vision inspection systems and equipment for the semiconductor and electronics packaging industries, appoints Kingtest Electronic Technology as Sales Channel Partner in China. Kingtest is authorized to distribute ViTrox’s Advanced Optical Inspection (AOI) and Advanced 3D X-ray Inspection (AXI) systems throughout China. With a team of experi-enced sales and technical support experts, Kingtest will help ViTrox penetrate impor-tant industry sectors in China.www.vitrox.com, www.kingtestasset.com


How ASM Assembly Systems build pick ‘n’ place machines

Throughout the factory, the company oper-ates a Lean Planning Management System called LPMS. The production teams meet weekly to discuss failures, trends, and delivery logistics. The meeting notes are recorded, and the results are entered into a kaizen system.

Daily planning meetings for the next production phase take part at the begin-ning of each shift, with discussion of which parts are missing and which instruction sets need to be sent to each cell in time to tell them what they will be building tomor-row.

Currently, a machine build takes about 10 days from start to finish. That is down from a previous high of 50 days in 2008. Not content with that, though, Siplace are striving to reduce this time towards six

days, even though the quality requirements are even higher than they have ever been in the past.

Siplace machines are built on two dif-ferent types of frames: The SX1 and SX2 are built on composite frames, while all others are built on steel fabricated frames. The first part of the production process is to add “I” beam to the frame and then the gantries.

On the factory floor, production islands have all the necessary resources on the perimeter of the cell. Machines move down the assembly line, spending approximately 105 minutes per cell, with the number of people per cell varied in order to keep up with the speed of the production line.

Parts are supplied to the cells on a Kanban system where empty containers have a green card indicating the need to be

Siplace pick and place machines are renowned across the world for their speed and accuracy. The majority of these machines are manufactured in Munich, Germany, where ASM employs around 320 people in production and research and development.

Trevor Galbraith, Global SMT & Packaging


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Production islands have all the necessary resources on the perimeter of the cell.



replenished. Small preparation stations are situated around the perimeter of each cell, so that when a machine arrives the sub-assemblies are ready to be installed.

The complex placement heads are fully tested and cali-brated before going to the pro-duction line.

After basic assembly, each machine is given a number that is associated with a customer and details of the customiza-tion required [number of gan-tries, types of heads, etc.]. At this point the machine is four days away from completion.

After final assembly, com-pleted machines arrive in the test area where the flash test zone operates at 30,000 volts and forms part of a CE and UL test. The certified testers are qualified by the VDE. Every step in the process has a check-list to make sure nothing is missed.

Every machine that goes through the factory is custom-ized in some form or other, but Siplace needs to deliver 100% of the order before it is regarded as an on-time delivery. The

finished machines undergo a thorough pre-inspection, measuring the placement rate, which usually tests at two times greater than the specification. The finished machines that are destined for export then go to a bonded warehouse awaiting shipment.

Manufacturing in GermanyMunich is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, but Siplace have managed to keep production here through better utilization of space and pro-ductivity. Development of all new machines is undertaken in Munich, and the company believes it is essential to keep development and production together on the same site.

Siplace has its own small SMT production line. The electronics department is chal-lenged to make board assem-blies cheaper than any other potential supplier.

The post-Siemens ASM Siplace handles the peaks and valleys of the market much better than before. The fluctua-

tions are now deeper but more frequent, and ASM Siplace comes out on every downturn with increased market share. The decision process is now faster, and considerable sav-ings have been made in materials and logis-tics.

Now with the recent addition of DEK, the ASM assem-bly systems group is now one step closer to providing full line solutions and open-ing up a new chapter in SMT reliability, efficiency, and yield improvement.

Placement heads are fully tested and cali-brated before going to the production line.

After final assembly, completed machines arrive in the test area.


Enabling the use of PET flexible substrates for LED lighting applications

LEDs are now becoming more prevalent and are being widely used in a variety of applications such as Automotive Lighting, Commercial and Indoor Lighting. Further system cost reductions to enable wider adoption can be achieved by: • LED package cost reduction through

innovative package design and high throughput, high volume manufactur-ing.

• Substrate cost reduction through reductions in material stack/footprint, improvement in process flexibility and process cost reductions.Polyimide (PI) is the most commonly

used flexible substrate in conjunction with SAC-based Solder Pastes (a melting point of around 218°C). Advancements in Polyethylene Terephthalate [commonly known as Polyester (PET)] flexible sub-trates, coupled with low temperture assem-bly of LEDs, can enable further system cost reductions while enabling new design form factors.

This study assessed the feasibility of utilizing PET flexible substrates with low temperature solder paste for Solid State Lighting (SSL).

Assembly materials & componentsMaterials and components were chosen based on commercially available LED packages, solder pastes and flexible sub-strates.

Mid power LED package For this study a 3535 package was selected. It consists of a 3535 lead-frame design (3.5mm x 3.5mm). A small notch on the corner of the package marks the cathode side of the emitter package. The anode and cathode both serve as thermal pads for the

This paper presents a structured study covering the assembly of mid power LED packages on thermally conductive polyethylene terephthalate (PET/Polyester) and polyimide flexible substrates. The study evaluates the feasibility of using PET as a low cost, low temperature alternative with SnBi Alloy to traditional polyimide with SAC based alloy assemblies. Initially, an assembly method was developed for both polyimide and PET based substrates. In order to validate the use of PET as an alternative to polyimide substrates, electrical testing, voiding, and thermal cycling tests were conducted. The results of processability and long term reliability of using low temperature solders (SnBi based SBX02 alloy) on PET versus traditional SAC 305 on polyimide are presented in this paper.

Amit Patel & Rahul Raut, Alpha (Alent), and Brent Sweitzer, Multek


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Figure 1. Mid power LED package .1

Figure 2. LED package rendering including solder footprint.1



emitter, with the majority of the heat being conducted through the larger pad, corre-sponding to the cathode as seen in Figure 2.

Polyimide (PI) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substratesFlexible circuits allow for a reduced board material stack over rigid boards and are able to provide designers with a higher design freedom in the SSL industry. The increased demand for flex circuits is most noticeable in applications for indoor linear lighting, cabin lighting for automobiles, backlights for mobile displays, digital cam-eras and flat panel displays.

There are a number of different mate-rials used as base films for flexible circuits including: polyester (PET), polyimide (PI), polyethylene napthalate (PEN), Polyetherimide (PEI), etc. Each substrate has its unique electrical, mechanical, chemical and thermal properties. For this study the LED packages were assembled on two base materials, Polyimide (PI) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Both substrates have a similar thickness and construction comprised of a copper-alu-minum composite.

The test vehicle with both substrates was designed in a 9x7 LED matrix. A total of sixty-three (63) LED packages were assembled in this configuration as shown in Table 1. The image of the test vehicle used is shown in Figure 3. A cross section of the PI substrate is shown in Figure 4.

Solder PasteLead-free Sn-Ag-Cu pastes are typically used in assemblies utilizing polyimide flexible substrates. Solder Pastes using Sn-Ag-Cu alloys have melting ranges between 217°C and 228°C, requiring reflow temperatures in the range of 245°C to 265°C. Although manufacturers who uti-lize flexible circuits have adapted to these higher reflow temperatures, a set of very strong drivers is pushing forward the use of lower reflow temperatures in application of LEDs assembled on flexible substrates. The major benefits of using low tempera-ture alloys are:3,4,5 • Assembly of heat sensitive packages

and components. • Long-term reliability, as low tempera-

ture solders reduce exposure to ther-mal excursion, warpage and other defects caused by excessive heat.

• Reduced material costs by using low temperature alloy and solder paste, low Tg PCBs and low temperature compat-ible components.

• Reduced energy costs through lower-ing temperature processing.

• Higher throughputs by reducing reflow/processing cycle time. In general, assemblies involving LED

components are considered to be tempera-ture-sensitive. Heat induced defects such as browning and softening of the silicone lens, and discoloration of the white solder mask typically utilized in LED assembles, affects the light output. Furthermore, in case of flexible circuits/assemblies, higher temper-atures can cause delamination and warp-age of substrates. Low-temperature solders are preferred for these applications. In this study a novel low-temperature Sn-Bi based alloy (SBX02) solder paste is used allow-ing the assembly of the LED packages to be reflowed under 175°C, Further, a solder paste with a SAC305 alloy was also used as the baseline.

Process and assembly detailsTest matrixBased on the package, substrate and mate-rials selected the process involved three key assembly combinations, Figure 5 shows these combinations. First combina-tion involved using a polyimide substrate with a SAC305 solder paste representing the current industry practice. The second combination involved again, a polyimide substrate in conjunction with a low-tem-perature SBX02 alloy based solder paste. This combination represents the tradi-tional substrate with the low-temperature solder paste. The final combination used a Polyester (PET) substrate with the low-temperature solder paste (SBX02 alloy).

Process detailsTable 2 summarizes the SMT equipment

Test Vehicle DetailsPolyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Dimensions: 18" x 12"

Solder Pad Sites: 63 (9x7)

Polyimide (PI) Dimensions: 18" x 12"Solder Pad Sites: 63 (9x7)

Table 1. Details of the test vehicle substrates.

Figure 3. Substrate design.

Figure 4. Cross sectional view of the flexible substrate (polyimide).



that was used for assembling the LED packages onto the substrate combinations.

Solder Paste Printing Solder paste printing was done using a stencil printer with a 5 mil thick laser cut stainless steel stencil with a 1:1 aper-ture size to pad size ratio. Stencil printing parameters used for all solder pastes and board combinations are shown in Table 3.

Component placementA pick and place machine with flex jet head was used for the picking and placing the LED package. Care was taken to avoid any contact of the nozzle exterior with the LED domed silicone lens.

Reflow solderingA reflow oven, with seven heating and two cooling zones was used for the reflow

assembly. All boards were assembled in an air atmosphere with the following Temperature/Humidity conditions: 20.4-25.2C/16-47% RH. All of the substrates used in the study were pre-baked before going under their respective reflow condi-tions. Table 4 and Figure 6 summarizes the reflow conditions for each combination.

Results and discussionsAfter the final assembly, multiple tests were undertaken:1. Electrical testing of the assembly in

the “light on” mode was conducted by measuring the current across each board and paste combination. This ver-ifies proper assembly and functionality of the circuits in the as assembled state.

2. A voiding study was conducted by X-Ray analysis to study the perfor-mance of SAC305 and SBX02 on both PET and Polyimide.

3. A cross section analysis was conducted to examine the characteristics of the solder joint in the as assembled state.

4. The study evaluated the reliability of each assembly by exposing the all of the paste and substrate combinations to thermal cycling. “Light on” current measurements and cross sectional analysis were recorded for 250 to 1000 cycles. The thermal cycling conditions used were -40°C to +85°C with a 30 minute dwell time.

Light on current measurements and resultsA light on current test was conducted to ensure the LED packages both on PET and Polyimide were operational. Using a com-mercially available power supply with a constant input voltage of 25V, the current across each circuit was recorded as shown in Figure 7. Each substrate was tested visu-ally to ensure the LED lit for a minimum of 3 seconds as seen in Figure 8.

The current measured across each circuit produces a low variation from the mean. A significant decrease in cur-rent would indicate an increase in resis-tance. The light output test confirmed that all combinations of the LED circuits passed the reflow processing conditions. Furthermore, the LED circuit shown in Figure 8 lit up confirming there are no fail-ures within the assembled LED package, solder layer or board circuitry.

Voids measurement and resultsVoids can reduce the overall rate of heat transfer between the LED package and board. This reduction of heat transfer effi-ciency can cause the LED to degrade much

Figure 5. Three-tier combination of LED assemblies on flexible substrates.

SMT Equipment SummaryStencil Printer Standard stencil printer

Pick and Place Standard pick and place machine

Placement Nozzle Flex Jet nozzle

Reflow Oven Seven-zone reflow oven

Table 2. SMT equipment summary

SMT Parameters SMT Process DetailsSI Standard Metric System

Print Speed 1 inch/sec 25 mm/sec

Print Pressure 1.25 lbs/inch 0.22 kg/cm

Stencil Release 0.02 inches/sec 0.508 mm/sec

Snap Off 0 (on contact printing)

Wipe Frequency Dry wipe after each panel

Table 3. Print parameters.

Substrate + Solder Paste Reflow ConditionPolyimide + Lumet™ P39 SAC305 High Soak 150-200˚C/105s 245˚C Peak

68-75s TAL

Polyimide + Lumet™ P53 SBX02 Low Soak 100-120˚C/104s 175˚C Peak 65s TAL

PET + Lumet™ P53 SBX02 Low Soak 100-120˚C/104s 175˚C Peak 65s TAL

Table 4. Reflow parameters.



quicker. This can lead to:• Reduced solder joint integrity which

lowers overall life expectancy/reliabil-ity of the LED.

• Inefficient manufacturing process with reduced first pass yields.

• Higher costs due to scrapped materials

i.e. boards, LED packages, and solder.An X-ray machine was used to mea-

sure the voids percentages (by area) of the reflowed solder joints. A total of 40 ran-domly selected solder sites for each solder paste and board combination were evalu-ated.

A typical example of an individual site on PET with SBX02 under X-Ray inspec-tion can be seen below in Figure 9. Void % by pad and total void % were analyzed.

Figure 10 shows a box plot for percent voids per total pad area for the 3 combina-tions of paste and substrate type. It shows that overall, the percentage of voids are under 10%. PET in conjunction with the use of SBX02 solder paste produces the least amount of voids as seen in Table 5.

The average percentage of voiding in all 3 combinations falls below 10%. The maximum size of a single void including their respective sum of standard deviation for any combination falls below 10.89%.

Solder layer measurements and resultsCross section analysis of the assembled LEDs is presented below; Examples of PET and polyimide using SBX02 are shown in Figures 11A, B and 12A, B. Polyimide using SAC305 are shown in Figures 13A, B. Figures 11A, 12A and 13A correspond to a general cross section profile of the assem-bled LED package, while 11B 12B and 13B shows the edge view (fillet) of the solder joint structure.

The solder joints exhibited excellent fillet. No visual cracking was observed across all 3 combinations.

Thermal cycling measurement and resultsReliability plays an important role in applications of LED devices, modules and systems. To understand the reliability performance of each combination, assem-blies were exposed to thermal cycling. All board and paste combinations were placed in a thermal cycling chamber at -40°C to +85C°C, with 30 minute dwell time. Each assembled combination was evaluated in light on state by recording the current across each circuit (Figure 14).

A total of 5 circuits of each board and paste combination were analyzed by recording the current at a constant input

Figure 6. Reflow profile of SAC305 vs. SBX02.

Figure 7. Current across substrate and paste combination.

Figure 8. LED circuit under operation.



voltage of 25V for 250 to 1000 cycles. The ANOVA results show that the average cur-rent recorded is in statistical range (P value of 0.61) of the current measurement mean calculated in Figure 7(31mA) which is considered to be initial (T0). The results at 1000 cycles conclude there is no significant change in the current across the assembled combinations.

Summary 1. PET with Lumet™ P53 solder paste

with SBX02 alloy can be used as an alternative to Polyimide with SAC305 based solder pastes, for LED assembly in certain solid state lighting applica-tions.

2. All of the assembled packages passed the ”light on” current test indicat-ing that there are no failures within the solder joint, LED package itself or board circuitry as assembled.

3. The X-Ray inspection showed mini-mal voiding percentages that meet or exceed typical SSL industry require-ments.

4. All of the assembled paste and sub-strate combinations using mid-power LED packages were able to withstand 1000 cycles at -40°C to +85°C with a 30 minute dwell time.

In conclusion, PET subtrates coupled with low temperture solder enabled LED assembly provide several advantages, such as:

Figure 10. Box plot of total area void %.Figure 9. Void % by total area.

Combination Mean Void %

Standard Deviation

PUT + Lumet™ P53 SBX02 5.82 1.97

Polyimide + Lumet™ P39 SAC305 7.23 3.64

Polyimide + Lumet™ P53 SBX02 8.46 2.43

Table 5. Void % and standard deviation.

Figure 11A. Overall View of an LED Package on PET with SBX02. Figure 11B. Solder Edge View of LED Package on PET with SBX02.

Combination Mean Current at 1000 CyclesPET + SBX02 31.20 mA

Polyimide + SAC305 31.40 mA

Polyimide + SBX02 Flex Jet nozzle

Table 6. Mean current.

High Performance @ Low Cost

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Yamaha’s original 3S head automatically adjusts the squeegee angle between 45° and 60° to suit the printing conditions, to maximize speed and performance at all times throughout production.

Contact your local Yamaha sales office today:Europe:Phone +49 2131 2013 520www.yamaha-motor-im.eu

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14081601 Yamaha YCP10 en203x275 DU.pdf 1 16.08.14 11:37

High Performance @ Low Cost

YCP10 High Performance Compact PrinterWith built-in features from our high-end printers, like the unique Yamaha 3S-head (SwingSingle Squeegee), the new YCP10 printer delivers high performance at the lowest cost.

Yamaha’s original 3S head automatically adjusts the squeegee angle between 45° and 60° to suit the printing conditions, to maximize speed and performance at all times throughout production.

Contact your local Yamaha sales office today:Europe:Phone +49 2131 2013 520www.yamaha-motor-im.eu

America:Phone +1 (770) 420-5825www.yamaha-motor-im.com

14081601 Yamaha YCP10 en203x275 DU.pdf 1 16.08.14 11:37



1. Enabling system cost reduction by using a lower cost board and assembly material stack.

2. Enabling lower energy costs through low temperature assembly.

3. Enabling the use of SAC solder based LED die attach.

References1. “LUXEON 3535L, Assembly and

Handling Information – AB203”2. “Multek Q-Prime® Product Bulletin

REV B” 3. Morgana Ribas, Sujatha Chegudi,

Anil Kumar, Ranjit Pandher, Rahul Raut, Sutapa Mukherjee, Siuli Sarkar, Bawa Singh “Development of Low-Temperature Drop Shock Resistant Solder Alloys for Handheld Devices”

4. Ribas Morgana, Chegudi Sujatha, Kumar Anil1, Pandher Ranjit, Mukherjee Sutapa, Sarkar Siuli1,Raut Rahul and Singh Bawa “Low Temperature Alloy Development for Electronics Assembly”

5. Morgana Ribas, Ph.D., Sujatha Chegudi, Anil Kumar, Sutapa M u k h e r j e e , Siuli Sarkar, Ph.D. Ranjit Pandher, Ph.D., Rahul Raut, Bawa Singh, PhD, “Low Te m p e r a t u r e A l l o y D e ve l opme nt for Electronics Assembly – Part II SMTAI-2013”

Figure 12A. Overall View of an LED Package on Polyimide with SBX02.

Figure 12B. Solder Edge View of LED Package on Polyimide with SBX02.

Figure 13A. Overall View of an LED Package on Polyimide with SAC305.

Figure 13B. Solder Edge View of LED Package on Polyimide with SAC305.

POSTING MONTHLY* POSTINGS ANNUAL

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POSTING MONTHLY* POSTINGS ANNUAL

New Products $500 $3,500

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Webinars and Audio Broadcasts N/A $3,500

Tutorials and How-to Videos N/A $3,500


Autumn seasonal upturn…then what?

The 2014 consumer electronics driven autumn “busy season” is now peaking, and the year-end outlook is clouded by ISIS, Ebola, and general economic wor-ries. Balancing this uncertainty is new product growth—wearables, the Internet of Things, automotive electronics, continu-ally improved smart phones, new product releases from Apple, Samsung & others, a modest rebound in personal computer demand, steady growth in industrial elec-tronics, and a likely increase in military orders.

Based upon data available through mid-October, there has been a sharp, sea-sonal increase in Taiwan/China electronic equipment production (Chart 1) with the rest of the world holding steady. Taiwan ODM companies (many of which manu-facture in China) reported sales were up 12% in September 2014 vs. September

2013—more than just a “seasonal” increase (Chart 2).

Semiconductor shipments followed pace (actually exceeded) electronic equip-ment growth (Chart 3) with sales to Asia/Pacific and N. America especially strong and only Japan contracting. PCB shipments “joined the club” as Taiwan/China had a very strong September (Chart 4).

Looking forward this year’s autumn growth spurt has probably peaked as shown by our world PCB shipment model (Chart 5). Typically PCBs have their strongest month in October and consumer-driven electronic equipment shipments reach sea-sonal highs in November.

For early 2015 modest year-on-year growth appears likely for the electronic component supply chain (Chart 6). “Wild cards” exist however—especially the impact of Mideast fighting and Ebola outbreaks.

Walt will be giving his “Business Outlook for the Global Electronics Industry” presentation each day, November 11-14, at the electronica trade show in Munich, Germany in the ZVEI forum in Hall A2, 4-4:30pm Tues, Wed & Thurs, and 3-3:30 pm Fri. See you there!

End markets• Worldwide IT spending is expected to

increase 3.9% y/y to US$3.9 trillion in 2015.—Gartner

• Holiday spending on consumer elec-tronics will increase 2.5% y/y to $33.76 billion in 2014.—CEA

Mobile Communications• Communications device output is

expected to grow from an estimated US$463 billion in 2014 to US$500 bil-lion in 2015.—MIC

• China’s smartphone shipments expanded 7.8% y/y to 38 million units in July.—IDC

• Taiwan smartphone shipments hit record high of 2.2 million units in 2Q’14.—IDC

Computers & Peripherals• Personal computing system (desktop,

notebook and tablet computers and internet/cloud terminals) shipments are forecast to rise 12% y/y to 585 mil-lion units in 2014.—IC Insights

• PC system market (notebooks and desktops) is forecast to drop 0.1% y/y to around 299 million units in 2014.—MIC

• PC shipments declined 0.5% to 79.4 million units in 3Q’14.—Gartner

• Tablet PC shipments are forecast to grow 2% y/y to 254 million in 2014.—NPD DisplaySearch

• High performance computing technical server market revenue declined 2.6% y/y to $2.45 billion in 2Q’14.—IDC

• India’s PC market shipments were 2.55 million units in 2Q’14.—IDC

• Taiwan server shipments (includ-ing: motherboards, back-end assem-bly, storage and telecommunication

Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai


World Electronic Equipment Monthly Shipments

Converted @ Constant 2012 Exchange Rates

Source: Custer Consulting Group & Electronic Outlook Corp

0102030405060708090

100

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

USA

W Europe

Japan

Taiwan+China

ROA

ROW

US$ B

Chart 1.

Read ListenWatch



devices) are expected to increase 8.8% y/y to NT$450 billion (US$15 billion) in 2014.—IDC

Displays• LCD monitor unit shipments are

expected to expand from 136 mil-lion in 2014 to 132 million in 2015.—Digitimes

• LCD TV unit shipments will grow from 217 million in 2014 to 229 mil-lion in 2015.—Digitimes

• Automotive monitor TFT LCD ship-ments are forecast to increase 30% y/y to 85 million units in 2014.—NPD DisplaySearch

• Display panel market shipments will grow from 54 million in 2014 to 800 million units in 2023 driven by increased demand for wearable elec-tronics.—HIS

• OLED displays, sensors and conductive ink—make up 99% of the $24 billion market for printed, organic and flexible electronics.—IDTechEx

• PC monitor shipments declined 2.9% y/y to 32.5 million units in 2Q’14.—IDC

Datacom/Telecom• Enterprise client device market

increased 10.8% to 1.4 million units in 2Q’14.—IDC

• Storage area network fiber channel switch and adapter equipment revenue decreased 4% y/y to $593 million in 2Q’14.—Infonetics Research

• Thin client and terminal client device shipments increased 10.8% y/y to 1.4 million units in 2Q’14.—IDC

• Wi-Fi access points, routers, and resi-dential gateways shipments are set to surpass 176 million units in 2014.—ABI Research

• Wireless LAN equipment sales increased 4% y/y to $1.2 billion in 2Q’14.—Infonetics Research

Industrial Control and Factory Automation• Industrial control and factory automa-

tion market is expected to grow at an estimated 8.5% CAGR from 2014 to 2020.—ReportLinker

• Industrial robot installations are on track to expand 15% y/y to 200,000 in 2014.—International Federation of

Robotics• Industrial robotics market is esti-

mated to reach $40 billion by 2020.—MarketsandMarkets

Storage• Information storage is expected to grow

at a 44% CAGR from 4.4 zettabytes in 2013 to 447 ZB in 2020.—HGST

• Purpose-built backup appliance market revenue increased 11.1% y/y to $713 million in 2Q’14.—IDC

Internet of Things & Wearables• Internet of Things’ power source market

will grow from $57 million in 2014 to $590 million in 2018 and more than $2.4 billion by 2021.—NanoMarkets

• Wearable equipment market will grow from 9.7 million units in 2013 to 22 million units in 2014.—CCS Insight

Other• 3D printing materials market will reach

$650 million in 2019.—BCC Research• North American robotics market

orders increased 30% y/y to 14,135 units (valued at $788 million) in 1H14.—RIA

• AC/DC and DC/DC power supply

Taiwan ODM CompaniesComposite Sales of 11 Large Manufacturers

0100200300400500600700800900

1,000

Jan

May

Sep

Jan

May

Sep

Jan

May

Sep

Jan

May

Sep

Jan

May

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May

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May

Sep

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

Sep 2014 was up 12.1% vs. Sep 2013 & up 32.3%sequentially from Aug 2014

NT$ (Billions)

Asustek Computer, Chei Mei, Compal Electronics, Foxconn, Chimei Innolux , Inventec, Inventec Appliance, Lite On Technology, Mitac International, Pegatron, Quanta Computer, Wistron, Chei Mei Display replacing Chei Mei & Innolux Display 3/10 & later

Calendar YearCompany Financial Releases

Chart 2.

Total Semiconductor Shipments to an AreaMonthly Shipments - Reporting Firms

SIA website: www.sia-online.org/

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.018.0

Jan

Jun

Nov Apr

Sep

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Jul

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May Oct

Mar

Aug Ja

nJu

nN

ov Apr

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nJu

nN

ov Apr

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nJu

nN

ov Apr

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Mar

Aug

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

Japan

N America

Europe

Asia-Pac

$B (3-month average) Asia/Pacific

Chart 3.

World PCB Monthly ShipmentsConverted @ Fluctuating Exchange Rates

0.0

0.5

1.0

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2.0

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3.0

3.5

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May Sep

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May Sep

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

N AmericaEuropeJapanTaiwan/ChinaRest of AsiaKorea

$ Billions

Source: Custer Consulting GroupCalendar Year

Chart 4.

World PCB Shipments (with forecast)Converted @ Fluctuating Exchange Rates

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

Jan

May

Sep

Jan

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99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

ActualForecast

+1.4%

-1.2%

$ Billions

Source: Custer Consulting Group - 2010 base year expanded by monthly growth of N. American, European, Japanese & Taiwan/China monthly PCB shipments

Calendar Year

Growth calculations:Europe = Eurostat “Wiring Device”Japan & N. America from JPCA & IPC dataTaiwan/China:46 rigid & flex company compositeRest of Asia growth = Taiwan/China 44 company compositeIncludes S Korea data for 2011-2013

+0.5%

Chart 5.



market is expected to grow at 4.6% y/y to $21.6 billion in 2014.—IHS Technology

• Driverless vehicle shipments will increase from 1.1 million in 2024 to more than 42 million in 2035.—ABI Research

• Embedded hardware market will grow at a 5.4% CAGR to $191 billion in 2019.—BCC Research

• E-waste generated volume is expected to grow at a 17.6% CAGR from 41.5 million tons in 2011 to 93.5 million tons in 2016.—ReportsnReports

• Smart thermostat unit shipments are expected to grow from 926,000 annu-ally in 2014 to 19.2 million by 2023.—Navigant Research

• Medical electronics market will grow at a 5.5% CAGR to $56.5 billion by 2020.—MarketsandMarkets

• India’s TV market grew 7% Y/Y in 2Q’14 to 2.9 million units.—NPD DisplaySearch

EMS, ODM & related assembly activityTaiwan-based ODMs notebook shipments will grow 3% y/y from 136.5 million in 2014 to 138.7 million units in 2015.—Topology Research InstituteChina’s electronics manufacturing indus-try sales value grew 9.7% y/y to 6.42 tril-lion Yuan (1.04 trillion U.S. dollars) in first eight months of 2014.—MIITEuropean Union launched a €5 billion (US$6.8 billion) public-private partnership to boost the electronics design and manu-facturing capabilities of its member states.Indian EMS industry is estimated to reach $68.31 billion by 2015.AlphaEMS Electronic Manufacturing Services received ISO-13485 certification.August Electronics selected Omnify Software for BOM and Change Management.Bela EMS is celebrating 30 years in manu-facturing.CE3 Electronics named Davinder Dhanoa as Business Development Manager.CollabraTech Solutions received ISO 9001:2008 management system certificate.Compal Electronics • acquired a 20.54% stake in Avalue

Technology.• bought LG Display’s stake of Lucom

Display Technology.Congatec • opened office in Bangalore, India. • appointed Sajith Kandiyil as Business

Development Manager in India.• Escatec nearly doubled the size of its

ISO Class 7 cleanroom at its LED and micro manufacturing facilities.

Firstronic began production qualification runs at its new 70,000 SF facility in Juarez, Mexico.Flextronics • added 600 new jobs in Zalaegerszeg,

Hungary.• and Mantis Vision jointly developed

an OEM-ready 3D-enabled tablet for Dynamic 3D Content Creation.

Foxconn/Hon Hai • acquired 31.974 million shares of

Taiwan Mobile for a 0.93% stake.• acquired one billion new shares of

Ambit Microsystems for NT$10 bil-lion.

• and 21Vianet are jointly open-ing 21Vianet-Foxconn Internet Infrastructure and Engineering Technology R&D center.

• began making and selling all-electric injection machines.

• invested NT$392.07 million in its sub-sidiary, Altus Technology.

• is building an operation center to help link 300,000 cars to the Internet by January 2015.

• set up designated carbon trading arm, Shenzhen Fox-Energy Technology.

• subsidiary, PCE Paragon Solutions relocated its production capacity from Székesfehérvár to its Komárom, Hungary.

• plans to recruit 10,000 engineers over next five years.—CEO

Hughes Circuits received ANSI/ESD S20.20 2007 certification.Hunter Technology received IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Qualified Manufacturers certification.

Kimball International spun off its EMS group, Kimball Electronics.Kingfield Electronics moved to 45,000 SF premises in Chesterfield, UK.NATEL EMS added a circuit card assem-bly line in Chatsworth, California.Novontech opened 1,100 m2 manufac-turing facility in Nagykanizsa-Sormas Industrial Park, Hungary.OSI Electronics added a KISS-101 com-pact in-line selective soldering system from ACE Production Technologies.PKC Group is building a 20,000 m2 pro-duction facility in Smederevo, Serbia.Plessey added a LED assembly line in Plymouth, UK.QCG achieved AS9100 Rev C certification.R.H. Technologies installed two more Mek AOI systems.VIP-VIRANT Group added a complete TTC solution from Cogiscan and Juki.

PCB fabricationWorld PCB production declined an esti-mated 2.2% y/y to $59.4 billion in 2013.—IPCEastern Europe’s entire annual PCB pro-duction value is around $200 million/year.—Dr. Hayao NakaharaGlobal market for glass fiber in PCBs will grow at a 4.5% CAGR from 844 million lbs in 2013 to 1.1 billion lbs by 2019.—LucintelJapanese automotive PCB makers made about 35% of the world’s automotive PCBs in 2013.—Dr. Hayao NakaharaNorth American PCB industry is expected to experience moderate growth through

Global PMI, Electronic Equipment, PCB & Semiconductor Shipments

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PCBSemiconductorElec EquipGlobal PMIZero Growth

3/12 Rate of Change

Source: Custer Consulting GroupCalendar Year

Chart 6.



2017.—IPC studyPCB & MCM EDA industry revenue increased 20.3% y/y to $178.4 million in 2Q’14.—EDA Consortium Market StatisticsBittele Electronics introduced new web-site, www.7pcb.de for German customers.Cirtech Electronics (Cape Town, South Africa) liquidated its assets.Colonial Circuits acquired Vermont Circuits’ customer base.DDi former President and CEO, Mikel Williams was elected Chairman of Centrus Energy.Dyconex named Christian Beck, Director Sales.ELVIA PCB Group purchased a Ledia Direct Imager from Ucamco.EuroTech Group appointed Phillip Connor, Sales Manager for Ireland and Phil Price, Sales Manager for Eastern and Central England.Fast Circuits launched a flexible stocking and inventory control program.Gemini Tec added a Mycronic MY600 jet printer, a Mycronic MY200SX 14 and a MY200LX14.Goldenmax International Technology set up a PCB project in China’s Anhui prov-ince.ICAPE opened a 2,800 m2 office in China for quick turn service.Invotec Group appointed Warren Smith as Manufacturing Manager for its Tamworth, UK facility.Pegatron and Zuken established a new PCB design environment centered on CR-8000 Design Force.Tessolve Semiconductor set up a PCB unit in Visakhapatnam, India.TTM Technologies acquired Viasystems.Würth Elektronik’s flex-rigid printed cir-cuit boards began carrying a UL mark.

Materials & process equipmentCopper clad laminate output increased 17.9% y/y to 720 million m2 in 2013.—ReportLinkerAutomated test equipment market total value is expected to grow at a 2.8% CAGR to $4.13 Billion by 2020.—MarketsandMarketsElectronic test equipment market rev-enues will grow from $3.45 billion in 2013 to $4.64 billion in 2018.—Frost & SullivanHuman machine interface market is expected to grow at a 10.4% CAGR to USD $5,579 by 2019.—Transparency Market ResearchAlpha opened new die attach applications center in Langenfeld, Germany.

AMICRA Microtechnologies selected Joe Ettipio as its Sales Manager for the U.S. western region.Averna acquired Cal-Bay Systems.Cencorp sold its electronics automation business to FTTK Company.Dow • Chemical launched a U.S. apprentice-

ship pilot program.• Electronic Materials is building a

large-scale, cadmium-free quantum dot manufacturing operation in South Korea.

Enthone • appointed Eric Gongora, Global

Director, Enthone Semiconductor Product Marketing.

• received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.eSurface Technologies appointed Jim Ryan to its advisory board.Etek Europe named Keith Hansford, Sales and Service Engineer.F&K Delvotec appointed Garrett Jones, Director of Sales & Marketing.GT Advanced filed for bankruptcy.Henkel acquired The Bergquist Company.Heraeus Celcion material system passed UL safety testing.Isola appointed Dominic Yu, Sr. Director of OEM-Marketing in Asia and Helmut Kroener, Sr. Director of OEM-Marketing in Europe.Keysight Technologies added Charles Dockendorff to its Board of Directors.Matrix Electronics appointed Jeff Cassell, Strategic Account Manager for TTM Technologies.Miyachi Europe changed its name to Amada Miyachi Europe.Nano Dimension developed a suite of nano-tech inks and a 3D printer for mul-tilayer PCBs.Nanoco named former Dow executive, Keith Wiggins, COO.Smart Electronics• added 20 jobs in Shannon, Co. Clare,

Ireland. • received ISO 13485:2012 certification.TANAKA and Kuraray Chemical jointly developed ACF401 activated carbon filter designed to recover low-concentration pal-ladium in plating rinse wastewater.Techcon Systems began offering free appli-cation testing service for dispensing equip-ment.

Semiconductors & other componentsSemiconductor industry sales (various forecasts): • to reach $348.4 billion 2014.—IC

Insights• will increase 7.2% y/y to $338 billion in

2014.—Gartner• estimated to expand by 3.1% y/y from

US$326.2 billion in 2014 to US$336.3 billion in 2015.—MIC

Semiconductor materials market will grow from US$44.8 billion to more than $46 bil-lion in 2015.—SEMIU.S. photomask market is forecast to reach US$475 million by 2019.—TechSci ResearchGaN semiconductor devices market will grow at a 24.6% CAGR from 2013 to 2019.—Transparency Market ResearchSiC and GaN power semiconductors will grow at a 63% CAGR to $500 million in 2017.—The Information NetworkTaiwan’s IC packaging and testing sector is expected to grow from NT$407 billion in 2014 to NT$431 billion in 2015.—MICDisplay driver IC market will grow from $6.4 billion in 2012 to $7.3 billion in 2018.—NPD DisplaySearchMicrowave RF power semiconductor mar-kets will expand to over $300M dollars by 2019.—ABI ResearchPolished and epitaxial silicon shipments are forecast to increase to 9,410 million square inches in 2014, 9,840 MSI in 2015; and 10,163 MSI in 2016.—SEMIPulsed RF power semiconductor device markets will exceed US$300 million by 2019.—ABI ResearchSemiconductor front end fab equipment spending will grow from US$34.9 billion in 2014 to $42 billion in 2015.—SEMISmartphone application processor market grew 22% y/y to $5.2 billion in 2Q’14.—Strategy AnalyticsOrganic electronics market to grow at a 29.0% CAGR to $75.82 billion by 2020.—MarketsandMarketsAutomotive infotainment processor chips for telematics portal head units will grow from slightly less than $128 million in 2013 to $508 million in 2018.—IHSCellular baseband processor market grew 17% y/y to $5.2 billion in 2Q’14.—Strategy AnalyticsLEDs for residential applications are fore-cast to grow from 81 million in 2014 to more than 1.1 billion by 2023.—Navigant ResearchMagnetic field sensor market is projected to grow at an 8.04% CAGR from $1.6 billion in 2013 to $2.9 billion by 2020.—MarketsandMarketsMEMS demand to reach US$13.0 billion in 2014 with consumer electronics account-ing for US$5.9 billion and automotive elec-tronics reaching US$2.9 billion.—MEMS Industry Group


CEM posts record growth using Six Sigma principles

What’s the secret to their unprecedented success in such a brutal marketplace? There is no secret. The Torrington, CT company’s straightforward strategy is to incorporate Six Sigma principles throughout their orga-nization. Company President Rich Razza is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and com-pany Vice Presidents David Altschuler and Sabrina Beck are certified Six Sigma Green Belts. Their commitment to Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Visual Communication initiatives is readily apparent across the entire 35,000 square foot facility and on

the new SMT line undergoing produc-tion readiness testing. Quality metrics and production requirements are posted on white boards on the shop floor, daily meet-ings with the entire supervisory staff keep everyone informed, and employees are cross-trained in multiple operations. Since Razza began implementing these programs when he joined Altek in 2000, the internal reject rate has plummeted from 16.7% to less than 0.5%, while the company’s rev-enues and manufacturing staff have more than tripled. Now that’s impressive.

In an era when most small CEMs were gobbled up or run out of business by larger ones, Altek Electronics not only managed to hold its own, it posted an impressive growth rate over the past twelve years, officially breaking into the ranks of the EMS industry’s Tier 3 segment along the way.

Chrys Shea, Shea Engineering Services, and Larry Groves, SAMSUNG C&T Automation, Inc.


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Doubles current SMT capacity with new Samsung SMT assembly line

Altek President Rich Razza at new assembly line with Samsung sales representatives Don Lockard and Paul Rollins, and Altek Vice President Sabrina Beck

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Altek’s leadership team steadfastly maintains that their employees are their biggest asset, but credit their SMT assembly lines as a key factor in reducing defects and improving throughput. Razza explains that quality and efficiency make up the corner-stone of Altek’s success: “We can’t raise our prices because the competition is fierce, so we’ve continually got to lower our costs. We’re reluctant to reduce any of our experi-enced workforce as a cost-cutting measure; therefore we look to the automation to help provide a competitive advantage.”

When Altek began upgrading their SMT lines in 2006, they studied all the major brands, examining not only the purchase price, but the Total Cost of Ownership. They calculated and reviewed numerous metrics, including footprint efficiency—the number of feeder slots and throughput rate for amount of floor space a machine takes up, and hidden costs such as factory service requirements and down-time for regular maintenance and calibra-tion. Economically, the Samsung option presented the best ROI to the Altek team, and they proceeded with its purchase. That original line of SM320s, then spec’d at a now seemingly lethargic 18,000 com-ponents placements per hour, is still run-

ning strong. At 8-years old, it is currently used mostly for prototype and low volume runs. Despite the wear and tear of constant changeovers, it is still working exception-ally well.

In 2010, during the great economic recession, Altek continued to grow, and needed to add more SMT capacity. They again shopped around for a new SMT line, repeating a portion of their original analysis. Again they decided on Samsung, due to both the lowest installed cost and their positive experience over the previ-ous four years. They purchased a new line of SM421s that could place 52,000 compo-nents per hour on their typical assemblies,

triple the first line’s throughput. In July 2014, Altek has just completed

installation of their newest line of SM481s, which are placing 72,000 components per hour on their highest volume runners and doubling their existing SMT capacity. This time, the decision to go with Samsung did not require much deliberation; in fact, the entire line—including the board handlers, the stencil printer and reflow oven—are 100% Samsung.

Why Samsung? It supports the Six Sigma principles of manufacturing excel-lence that drive Altek’s success. Razza cites the installation of that very first line as one of the company’s big steps forward in qual-ity and efficiency improvements. It enabled an upward trend of productivity, which has continued to improve over the years. Altek now runs over 500 different jobs in any given month, in lot sizes from 5 to 1500.

While Razza focuses his Six Sigma skills on operations and productivity, Altschuler and Beck focus theirs on com-pany finances, marketing, sales, materi-als and management. From the economic perspective, V.P. and Treasurer David Altschuler identifies both short- and long-term cost advantages of the placement sys-tems. He cites the new autoloading feeders

The Torrington, CT company’s

straightforward strategy is to incorporate Six

Sigma principles throughout their

organization.

Altek Production Engineering Manager Brandon Martinelli (left) and Samsung Applications Engineering Manager Ken Kovachy review the new line installation and testing results.



as providing the industry’s best equipment utilization and changeover times, cutting setup costs on a daily basis. He stresses that in a CEM environment, they cannot afford downtime, and to that point, he identifies the low maintenance requirements as a strong contributor to the overall return on investment. But for him, the real key that keeps him buying Samsung gear is in the reliability and service. When asked why he is such a big proponent of the equipment, Altschuler sums it up succinctly: “In eight years, Samsung has never let us down.”

From the corporate management per-spective, V.P. and Secretary Sabrina Beck enjoys the flexibility that the Samsung equipment provides, both internally and externally. She points out that the graphi-cal user interface is very intuitive and straightforward, which simplifies the hiring and training of operators and tech-nicians. Additionally, all the machines have the same user interface regardless of age, so cross-training on the different lines is nearly seamless. And as easy as it is to move the operators from one line to another, it is just as easy to move any given job from one line to another. Beck describes the direct benefit to the business: “This broad-based flexibility allows us to respond quickly to

our customers’ changing needs, and often affords us a competitive edge.”

Altek’s growth in revenues, capacity and headcount has been truly enviable for any US-based manufacturing business, let alone a small CEM nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Interestingly, only a tiny portion of their growth is directly tied to the current reshoring wave that the industry is experiencing. Most of their growth came the good, old-fashioned way—by developing a customer-centric attitude and applying sound manufactur-ing and management principles.

Many CEMs try to control costs with purchasing strategies based on the lowest acquisition price of equipment and mate-rials. Unfortunately, this approach is often met with mixed results, and even when they are positive, they may be short-term as the hidden costs of poor quality, reduced throughput or customer returns eventu-ally begin to surface. Altek opts for a Total Cost of Ownership approach to manage their costs and achieves stellar results that are sustainable. Prior to making purchas-ing decisions, they do their homework and look at both the short-term acquisition costs and the long-term operational costs. By employing this method, they realize a

very attractive purchase price when invest-ing in capital equipment and continue to enjoy predictable cost benefits for years of service.

Altek’s success demonstrates the power of Six Sigma principles when prop-erly applied. The company’s analytical approach and long-term outlook helped stabilize their business’ future in many tumultuous climates. While their competi-tors were shuttering their operations, Altek was expanding. When the CEM business flocked offshore, Altek remained in their community. As the American economy was in a tailspin, Altek was investing in their people, equipment and infrastructure. Their success has been remarkable, and they credit it all simply to Six Sigma prin-ciples, sound investments, and solid part-nerships with key customers and suppliers.

Global SMT & Packaging – September 2012 – 45www.globalsmt.net

SMTA International 2012

Vitronics Soltec 6746 is a selective solder-ing automation work cell that has been optimized for maximum throughput and fl exibility, while minimizing its footprint in the factory. It features an inline design that provides parallel processing for fast cycle times, and intuitive program-ming features enhance the automation capacity of the work cell. � e small size of the 6746 allows it to be easily recon-fi gured into a new production cell or line when changing demands require it. www.vitronics-soltec.com

ZESTRON—Booth 311

ZESTRON will feature its latest cleaning agents, HYDRON® WS 325 and VIGON® N 600. Powered by FAST® Technology, HYDRON® WS 325 is specifi cally designed for water-soluble (OA) defl uxing spray-in-air inline and batch cleaning applications. VIGON® N 600 is a revolutionary pH-neutral MPC® Technology based cleaning agent specifi cally developed for various spray-in-air inline and batch defl uxing applications. To have your cleaning ques-tions answered by accredited ZESTRON engineer Umut Tosun at the Doctor’s Hours or to learn more about ZESTRON’s com-plete line of products, stop by the booth. www.zestron.com

Don’t miss Doctors’ HoursSMTA International’s Doctor’s Hours Program provides solutions and guidance from high-level experts at no-charge to SMTA International attendees. Experts will be in exhibitor booths on the show fl oor at designated times for consultations, to answer questions and solve problems that attendees are currently experiencing. View the full schedule of doctors’ hours at www.smta.org/smtai/drs_hours.cfm or check your Show Directory when you arrive at the event.

Global Technology AwardsPresenting the year’s Best of the Best in electronics manufacturing. � e 2011-2012 Global Technology Awards awards ceremony will be held at SMTA International on Tuesday, October 16th in the Show Floor � eater. http://awards.globalsmt.net

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Title


Panasonic, for the last 18 months to 2 years, has been having this campaign out there, Any Mix Any Volume, which largely has been about taking you down into the mid-range level and the smaller users. How does that work for you?

It’s actually worked very well. We’ve seen double-digit growth over the last year, and good growth the year before that. We’ve doubled our new customers, and the bulk of those have all been in that midrange market. So not only the campaigning but certainly the product offerings have really

shown some fruit here in the last year or so.

You’re taking ownership at all different levels. You’re a market leader in the pick and place market. Where do you see it going in the future? What’s coming next?

I think the big change here is that we’re showing mid-range oriented machines with lots of technology around them, and I could go into great depths about that, but the reality is it’s removing the opera-tor intervention. If we look at the markets today, whether it’s Asia, where this concept really started, there was a big push because

of wanting to have low-level operators and hundreds of machines to be run, trying to take out as much operator intervention, potential mistakes, all of those things we know affect yields in a plant. The goal has been to try to remove that.

It’s a little bit of the inverse here in North America. Much smaller organiza-tions, especially in the mid-range market. There aren’t a lot of vertical process guys for printing and placement and reflow. You have generalists. And those general-ists have a lot of different tasks to do, so it’s very hard for them to be vertical in all of

Interview

Trevor Galbraith spoke with Panasonic Factory Solutions Company of America’s general manager, Mark Ragard, at the SMTA International show, where the picked up a Global Technology Award for Best Product Americas for the PanaCIM Maintenance Augmented Reality (AR) system that integrates machine and software to create a maintenance solution that covers all equipment brands, greatly reducing the time needed to get a machine up and running again.

Interview—Mark Ragard, Panasonic

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Title

their knowledge. Our goal has been to try to remove as much operator intervention, potential mistakes, settings, and manual anything, out of the process.

Give me a few examples of some of the things you’re doing to take that operator intervention out of the system.

If we talk about the SPG, which is our low-end printer, and how we feed the paste that comes out of a 500 mg jar, we don’t put it in a syringe or a secondary media to dispense paste. It will run about four hours, typically, on a single jar. We have an option for a dual jar, which will typically get you around eight hours of run time. We measure the amount of paste that’s been deposited with a laser, so any time additional paste is required, the machine will automatically put that down, so the operator doesn’t have to worry about any type of manual inter-vention from that standpoint.

Stencil loading is all automatic. You put the stencil in and press a button. It locks itself and positions itself in place. We do demonstrations of that even with 03015, taking a stencil out of the machine and reprinting on top of what’s already been printed. No operator intervention. You can look at those prints, and they’re identical. You would never know there was a second print on it.

Of course stencil alignment is all by optical, which is pretty normal in the industry. One of the other things we do, though, is we take a shot down with a laser to the stencil itself to make sure that it is flat with the board. If we detect any concave or convex concerns there, it’s automatically adjusted. Again, all of this is just taking away from the operator intervention.

It’s similar on the placement machines. Feeders are all auto-calibrating. We’re always monitoring and updating our pick point and updating the front-to-back Y axis movement of the feeder. The machine auto-calibrates itself, so as it’s running, in between boards it’ll periodically stop, check posts and makes sure that it’s where it’s supposed to be, and if any corrections need to get done, it’ll get done.

Three-dimensional cameras really take away operator intervention at some other place in the line. We can detect bent leads, we can detect missing balls, we can do things that will cause some intervention somewhere else down the line. Auto board support, so people aren’t in the machine trying to figure out exactly where pins lie.

There’s quite a bit of technology coming down the line, such as three-dimensional combination cameras. Typically they’re a separate unit, so you inspect and then you

go to a 3D unit. We’ve already released a combined version of that camera with 3D capability on our MPMD3 pick and place, which is on the market today and selling very large quantities of. It will soon go on the MPMW, the big-board version, which will be the Americas high-end machine. It will also be on the AM100.

Is that a combined 2D/3D?

Yes, basically it’s a vision system that allows you to do basic inspection and also the coplanarity aspects in a camera-based technology. Today I believe Panasonic is the only company that has that in an inde-pendent unit on the machine.

It’s great to see all that automation coming into the line, but one of the roadblocks has been really the backbone to make of that work. We’ve got a situa-tion in Europe, for example, where we’ve got Industry 4.0, largely driven out of Germany by the German government. We’ve got a similar version emerging in the United States. But we need some uni-formity, because without uniformity you can’t build it.

I would agree. If you look at the lower levels at what’s been done, SMEMA inter-faces, tape specifications. It’s still somewhat proprietary at that top level. There are some standard communication protocols, but there isn’t a commonality there. In similar fashion, Panasonic is looking at

“How do we remove additional operator invention?” Out of that, one of the mod-ules we’ve won an award for is augmented reality. It’s another opportunity to remove some type of intervention for people, or a person, to be looking at all the different maintenance routines throughout a factory. We’ve put a central repository together for that. We can put information in on main-tenance routines. We can do drawings. We can basically set the schedule for virtually everything inside a factory.

But I would agree, at the higher level today we still have some level of propri-etary things going on that kind of prevent that top-down view of what happens at the machine level.

It’s coming at an exciting time. The flip side is not just reducing the labor on the line but of course the yield improvement, and that’s where it really gets the reliabil-ity factor...it really is going to go in that direction.

Yes, I would agree. It’s not out of the ordi-nary now to see 99.999xxx, and we see that in the automotive industry. They’re kind of the leaders in that. There are obviously mission critical devices being built in that

particular side of the industry—anti-lock brakes, airbag sensors. You can’t make mistakes on that side of it. Things like soft-ware and traceability feed into that. It’s not uncommon to see those types of yields coming off the machines. A lot of that does have to do with the amount of interaction that’s been removed from printers, place-ment machines, ovens, and other aspects of the surface mount assembly process.

I was at a factory recently where they estimated that every engineer, no matter how experienced he was, had 500 dpm in him.

That’s where it really is heading to. We do see a little movement back to North America, more into Mexico. I think some of those aspects of removing that interaction, being able to have better yields, shorten the inventory pipeline, engineering changes, these can make North America more com-petitive than it has been in the past. It’s certainly a drive, and I think whether it’s specific to North America or it’s specific to Asia, some of the attributes of what they’re trying to do with these machines… In Asia we’ve got 400 of them and way too many operators that are not overly skilled. We don’t want them messing around. And on our side we have smaller shops with lots of changeover and one generalist where we don’t want them to have to be an expert—it’s almost impossible for that to happen.

A lot of interesting changes going on in where the industry’s heading at this point.

We’ll look forward to seeing more devel-opments coming out of the Panasonic stable. I’m sure you’ve got more lined up for APEX next year.

Absolutely. You’ll see some good stuff. It typically gets introduced at our FA show, which is a private show in Japan in December, but right behind that you’ll see some interesting things coming out at APEX.

—Trevor Gabraith

Watch this interview online at http://globalsmt.net.

Interview


Industry innovators presented with Global Technology Awards

Award-Winning ProductsAdhesives/Coatings/Encapsulents• Henkel’s Technomelt PA668Bonding Equipment• Nordson DAGE’s Camera assist for 4000 Plus

bondtesterCleaning Equipment• Technical Devices Company’s Nu/Clean 800 X2LCleaning Materials• Kyzen Corporation’s AQUANOX® A8830Dispensing Equipment• Mycronic AB’s MY600Environmentally Friendly Product• Count On Tools’ ezLOADInspection—X-Ray• Test Research Inc.’s TR7600LL SIInspection—AOI• CyberOptics’ QX600Inspection—SPI• VI Technology’s PI SPI SystemLED Production Equipment• MIRTEC’s MV9-XP LEDPlacement—High Volume• JUKI’s RX-7Placement—Low to Medium Volume• Mycronic AB’s MY200Printing Equipment• ASM Technology Systems’ GeminiProgramming• Data I/O’s PSV3000Rework & Repair• METCAL’s APR-1200A-SRS-MOBSoftware—Process Control• CyberOptics’ OptimizerSoftware—Production

• BTU’s Energy PilotSolder Paste• Indium Coporation’s BiAg-XSoldering Equipment—Reflow• KIC’s K2Solder Equipment—Selective• Pillarhouse International’s Orissa FusionSoldering Equipment—Other• Japan UNIX’s Soldering RobotsStencils, Nano Coatings• ACULON’s Nanoclear stencil wipesStorage Systems• Essemtec’s CubusTest Equipment• Acculogic’s FLS 980Test Services• SMT Wertheim’s SMT Lean Cube SystemBest Product—Asia• Vitrox’s V510 AOIBest Product—Europe• Vitrox’s PI SPI SystemBest Product—Americas• Pansonic Factory Solutions’ PanaCIM®

Maintenance Augmented Reality

Award-Winning ServicesContract Services—Less than $25 million• ACDContract Services—$25 to 50 million• QualitelContract Services—More than $50 million• Saline LectronicsBest Rep/Distributor—Americas• Horizon SalesBest Rep/Distributor—Asia• WKK

Industry innovators presented with Global Technology Awards at SMTA International ceremonyGlobal SMT & Packaging successfully held the 10th Annual Global Technology Awards at the SMTA International Conference and Exhibition at the Rosemont Convention Center, Illinois on Tuesday, September 30th.

The star-studded event featured the very latest innovative products produced by suppliers of EMS manufactur-ing equipment and materials over the last 12 months. The Awards also celebrated the best distributors and contract manufacturers. The full results were as follows:

Full details of the winning products will be published in the December issue of Global SMT & Packaging. The awards presentation video and interviews will be posted on GlobalSMT TV.

About the AwardsThe Global Technology Awards are held annually and rotate every second year between Productronica, Germany and SMTAi, USA. Next year, the awards contest will accept entries from March 1st, 2015. The awards ceremony will be held at Productronica 2015 in Munich, Germany on Tuesday, November 10th, 2015. For further information, please visit http://awards.globalsmt.net


Title

Nordson DAGE launches the Xi3400 automated X-ray inspection system

Nordson DAGE launched its Xi3400 Automated X-ray Inspection System (AXI) during NEPCON South China held in Shenzhen 26-28 August 2014. This new Nordson DAGE AXI system offers com-plete inspection of solder joints and other critical hidden features found in electronic assemblies, PCBs and packaged semicon-ductors. Ideal for in-line or off-line opera-tion, the Xi3400’s innovative algorithms enable fast and reliable automated inspec-tion and real-time monitoring of critical process information. www.nordsondage.com

Ersa introduces first compact 80W soldering station

Kurtz Ersa North America offers the i-CON NANO as part of its i-CON family of prod-ucts. The i-CON NANO is the first, ultra-compact 80W industrial soldering station in the world. It has a footprint of only 145 x 80 mm (5,7 x 3,1”). The professional, ESD-safe station in Slim Line format brings the leading European soldering technology to customers in production, development, rework and maintenance. The soldering station uses the ultra-light (30 g) i-Tool NANO soldering iron. www.ersa.com

Panasonic introduces NPM-D3, the latest in the award-winning NPM-SeriesPanasonic Factory Solutions Company of America introduces the NPM-D3 to the award-winning, multi-functional NPM-series SMT platform. In addition to its interchangeable, plug-and-play placement heads, the NPM-D3 integrates solder paste inspection (SPI), adhesive dispense (ADH), and post-placement inspection (AOI).www.panasonicfa.com

CyberOptics’ 3D SPI solution fully “connected” to Panasonic NPM Mounter APC SystemCyberOptics® Corporation announces that all of its latest 3D SPI systems are now Panasonic Factory Automation APC (Adaptive Process Control) ready. The CyberConnect™ program enables CyberOptics’ 3D SPI systems to successfully feed forward accurate X & Y offset data to Panasonic NPM mounters ensuring cor-rect placement of components based on the solder printing position. CyberConnect™ delivers real-time, continuous process improvements while reducing rework costs and increasing production throughput. www.cyberoptics.com

SolderStar APS solves manufacturing problems in SMART production

With production volumes of mobile phones and tablet PCs growing, and indeed the predicted growth of ‘wearables’, the need to decrease development cycles and improve capacity is ever more important. SolderStar Ltd, a leading specialist manufacturer in the design and development of thermal profil-ing equipment for the lead-free electronics industry, has developed new technology to help in the production of this growing trend. www.solderstar.com

Henkel unveils first hybrid adhesiveHenkel has introduced Loctite 4090, an innovative hybrid adhesive that combines the key features of structural and instant adhesives—bond strength and speed. This powerful combination provides high impact resistance, high strength bonding

New products

Alpha introduces TrueHeight™ spacer blocks for precise height tolerance & reliabilityAlpha to improve assembly yield when using large BGA devices. The product also has usability by enabling reflow soldering of some types of through-hole devices, making it a truly versatile offering. Named for their precise height control and burr free edges, these non-collapse disc spacers mitigate corner solder bridging caused by BGA warp-ing during SMT reflow. The spacer blocks are offered in tape and reel packaging for automatic placement with excellent pick rate yield. www.alpha.alent.com


New products

on a variety of substrates, and high temper-ature resistance, making it versatile enough to solve a wide range of design and assem-bly challenges. www.henkel.com

Everett Charles Technologies releases HyperCore™ material to full ZIP™ probe product lineEverett Charles Technologies (ECT) releases the HyperCore™ material to the full ZIP™ product line. ZIP™ is an ECT single probe family that is dedicated to semicon-ductor test applications. HyperCore™ is an innovative, non-plated and homogenous probe material optimized for longer probe life, longer cleaning cycles and reliable con-tact. HyperCore™ leverages ECT’s exten-sive knowledge of contact materials. This proprietary material possesses properties that prevent oxidation, ensuring premium performance throughout high volume pro-duction cycles. www.ectinfo.com

Quick Tensioning Systems (QTS) introduces Apshen Stencil Foil Adapter System for the DEK® VectorGuard®

Quick Tensioning Systems (QTS announces the introduction of the new Apshen Stencil Foil System for the DEK® VectorGuard® High Tension stencil frame. The Apshen allows users of the VectorGuard system to use their own stencils, or stencils produced by the stencil foil vendor of their choice, in their VectorGuard frames.www.QTSframe.com

Sherlock Automated Design Analysis™ adds IPC footprint patternsDfR Solutions’ Sherlock Automated Design Analysis™ software pack-age library now recognizes the IPC-7351B naming convention for stan-dard SMT land pat-terns and the working draft of IPC-7251 for thru-hole land pat-terns. The IPC require-ments provide generic requirements to be used for the surface attachment of electronic components as well as sur-face mount design recommendations for achieving the best possible solder joints to the devices assembled.www.dfrsolutions.com

A 25X microscope that fits right in your pocket from CircuitMedicThe 25X Measuring Microscope Pen from CircuitMedic is a powerful pocket sized microscope with measuring reticle for pre-cision measurements. This pen is ideal for inspecting defects and measuring conduc-tor and pad widths, plated holes, and other tiny features and components on circuit boards. The Microscope Pen’s field of view is 3.3 mm, with a scale division of .05 mm.www.circuitmedic.com

Fuji further increases the stability of printing quality

A function for detecting the solder roll in Fuji’s NXTP solder printing machine is now supported. This function increases the stability of printing quality and improves operating efficiency by keeping the amount of solder within a certain range. Previously, operators checked this visu-ally, leading to cases in which the print-ing quality was lowered due to insufficient solder. Also, operating efficiency was lower due to having to perform frequent checks. www.fuji.co.jp/e/

Assembling pre-printed labelsIn electronics manufacturing, the labeling and tracing of assem-bly groups is becoming increas-ingly important. With the labelF-

EEDER, Fritsch GmbH provides a professional solution to the auto-

matic application of labels on PCBs, or even on specific components. The feeder

feeds the printed labels from the roll to the extraction position in the pick & place machine. A vacuum nozzle picks up the label and places it in the exact desired position. www.fritsch-smt.de

Indium Corporation announces new EZ-Pour™ Gallium Trichloride

Indium Corporation announces the release of a revolutionary new product called EZ-Pour™ Gallium Trichloride (GaCl3). Gallium trichloride is a unique material that is sometimes difficult to use because it is a solid at room temperature and trans-fer from one container to the next requires heating. Additionally, traditional gallium trichloride powder typically forms clumps and sticks together. Both of these forms currently inhibit efficient and consistent materials transfer between vessels and pro-cessing equipment. www.indium.com

Count On Tools introduces Quad 01005 ceramic nozzlesCount On Tools Inc. (COT), a provider of precision components and SMT spare parts, is pleased to introduce the Quad 01005 Ceramic Nozzle. This nozzle design enables highly accurate, repeatable chip placement for 0201/01005 micro-com


New products

ponents. The latest version of the micro-component nozzle for Quad machines measures 0.32 mm OD with a 1.00 mm ID. Count On Tools ceramic nozzles are based on a proven design that has been in use in SMT equipment for more than a decade.www.cotinc.com

ACE debuts new compact in-line selective soldering systemACE Production Technologies, Inc., a supplier of selective soldering systems, is pleased to announce the introduction of its new KISS-101 compact in-line selective soldering system. The new compact selec-tive soldering system has been installed at the OSI Electronics Pte. Ltd. facility located in Batam, Indonesia and is the first selec-tive soldering machine OSI Electronics has ordered from ACE Production Technologies for its Indonesia facility.www.ace-protech.com

The Balver Zinn Group releases Bi Rework solder paste

The Balver Zinn Group introduces the new Bi Rework Solder Paste (de-soldering paste). The desoldering paste has been designed for desoldering Pb-free compo-nents and is ideal for LED removal. The new RoHS compliant paste reduces the risk of board damage during the desoldering process. With a desoldering temperature of 180°C, Bi Rework Solder Paste reduces desoldering temperatures and times. The

no-clean, halide-free flux features easy dis-pensing and clean-up. Additionally, it pro-vides excellent removal of through-hole and SMT components.www.balverzinn.com, www.cobar.com

PROMATION introduces low cost label placement solution

PROMATION Inc. released a new low cost, table top pick and place work cell specifically designed for pre-printed labels, Kapton dots and other media that are com-monly placed onto PCBs or components. The LABELPRO1 is the first of several work cells to be introduced in the sub $25,000 market that are designed to assist with, and streamline repetitive assembly operations, making operators more efficient when placing small labels or dots for traceability and/or masking operations.www.Pro-mation-Inc.com

Microscan launches verification monitoring interface (VMI) to grade barcodes and monitor trends in quality in real time

Microscan, announces the availability of the Verification Monitoring Interface (VMI), a new software solution specially engineered for monitoring the quality of

barcodes as they are produced on parts, labels, and packaging. Unreadable barcodes can lead to costly scrap, downtime, and errors in the supply chain and at the point of sale. This is why more and more retail-ers are issuing mandates to their suppliers regarding minimum barcode quality, which leaves suppliers facing possible fines for unreadable codes and disqualification for non-compliance. www.microscan.com

Magnetic sensor calibration & test: Highly integrated solutions substantially reduces cost

Multitest’s sensor calibration and test equipment for magnetic sensors using Helmholtz coils provide a highly integrated and compact solution for volume test. The setup ideally combines the advantages of Multitest’s modular concept for sensor test equipment with the benefits of a compact and robust design. This way low investment cost and highest ease-of-use on the test floor are ensured. www.multitest.com

Title


IPC & SMTA to kick off High-Reliability Cleaning & Conformal Coating Conference with a Cleaning TutorialIndustry-leading associations IPC and SMTA jointly announce the High-Reliability Cleaning and Conformal Coating Conference, scheduled to take place November 18-20, 2014 at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, IL. The confer-ence intensely focuses on best practices and new innovative technologies for meet-ing today’s manufacturing challenges and producing reliable hardware.

The first day of the conference will fea-ture a Cleaning and Conformal Coating Tutorial. The Cleaning tutorial will be taught by experts in cleaning materials, control technology and cleaning machine technology. The goal of the cleaning tuto-rial is to provide the attendees innovative new materials designed to meeting today’s cleaning challenges and innovative clean-ing equipment advances for removing resi-dues from highly dense interconnects.

The featured speakers for the Cleaning Tutorial include:• Umut Tosen of Zestron U.S.A. on mate-

rial science for cleaning OA fluxes from highly dense interconnects

• Dr. Mike Bixenman of Kyzen Corporation on engineered material advances

• Dr. Rajat Basu of Honeywell on solvent cleaning fluid advancements

• Wendy Caster of John Hopkins University on cleaning high reliability electronic assemblies using aqueous batch cleaning tools and technology

• Mike Konrad of Aqueous Technology on recovering, leaning and polishing rinse water in an aqueous batch clean-ing process

• Jim Morris of Speedline Technologies on reinventing the wheel in fluid dynamics

• Joe McChesney of CSD Automation on Duo-Solvent cleaning equipment

• Julie Fields of Technical Devices on flooding in combination with spray impingement for cleaning high dense interconnects

SMTA International 2014 numbers are upSMTA International Conference and Exhibition, which took place September 28–October 2, 2014 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, expe-rienced a 20% increase in registration year over year, coming in at over 1,600 and a 30% increase in on-site attendance com-pared to 2013. The move to Rosemont was verbally reinforced as a positive by many attendees on-site. International attendance was comparable to last year with attendees representing 21 different countries.

The technical conference continued the tradition of being the strongest in the elec-tronics assembly industry. The Evolving Technologies Summit at the beginning of the week received much praise as it cov-ered key technologies such as Embedded Technology, 3D Printing, and Nano Fillers. A crowd filled the Opening Keynote Session until it was standing-room-only on Tuesday morning to hear Cisco Vice President, Jeff Gallinat, give an impressive overview of the Internet of Everything. The Lead-Free Soldering Technology Symposium kept the meeting room packed until the very end of the conference.

Over 160 exhibiting companies filled the sold-out exhibit hall. Traffic was consis-tently higher this year. A big attraction for attendees was the new Tech Tours program which featured distinguished tour guides leading groups of 15-30 attendees to exhib-iting companies demonstrating inspection and rework systems or placement equip-ment. Local students from FIRST Robotics and 4-H Extension teams delivered excit-ing demonstrations of their robots for delighted attendees.

Over 400 people attended the SMTA’s 30th Anniversary Party at the Hofbräuhaus on Tuesday evening. The party featured tasty German food, traditional dancing, a stein-holding competition, and many unforgettable moments.

Next year the SMTA International Conference and Exhibition will be held September 27-October 1, 2015 at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The IPC Fall Standards Development Committee Meetings will again be co-located. smta.org/smtai

SMART Group offers webinar on updates to conformal coating section of J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610December 1st, SMART Group presents the Smart e-link webinar “J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 – Updates to Conformal Coating section—an Insider’s Guide.”

The conformal coating provisions in J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 have been need of improvement for a long time. With Revision F of both documents, the IPC conformal coating groups have reworked the requirements. This presentation goes over the new requirements and the under-lying rationale for changes.

The baseline standard used by the elec-tronics industry are under constant review, with the latest update of the standard amongst other changes the requirements for conformal coating are to be updated to reflect the latest technology and methods.

Following the up-issue of HDBK-830 in 2013 members of the same IPC commit-tee have gone on to look at the correspond-ing provisions for conformal coating in the workmanship and inspection standards. Their recommendations are now ready for release.

The SMART group is pleased to be able to offer a ‘direct from the committee’ update on the changes that are being made. Doug Pauls, principal materials and process engi-neer of Rockwell Collins and chairman of the IPC Cleaning and Coating Committees, will provide a first hand technical guide to the change.

SMART Group recommends this webi-nar to anyone working in manufacture or design of high-reliability electronics or interested in understanding the require-ments associated with their protection and coating needs.

The webinar, which is £65 plus VAT for membrs and £85 plus VAT for non-members, takes place online from 2;30 pm to 4:00 pm UK time. Please contact Paula Muller, Business Manager, SMART Group at 02084322741 or 07504 231575 to reserve your space or email [email protected]. Payment can be made via BACS or credit/debit card. www.smartgroup.org

Association & institutes news

Association & institutes news


Five reasons to outsource, and none of them price!

There are so many compelling reasons to consider outsourcing of the prod-uct supply chain, be it from design

to delivery or merely PCB assembly. And whilst this can, and often does, result in cost reduction, it really shouldn’t be the motivation.

I know price often has been the key reason, and certainly in the early days of outsourcing the business development managers of the contract manufacturers talked of little else. They spoke of reduc-ing cost by lowering labor rates, often by moving to lower cost geographies. They spoke of reducing cost by leveraging their scale and global spend. They talked about lowering costs by leaning out the busi-ness. And they talked about lowering cost by reducing indirect labor. So it’s not sur-prising that when Wall Street started talk-ing about outsourcing it also talked about lower cost, driving even more companies to think about it in that simplistic way and to look for lower cost geographies in which to manufacture.

And how does this all end? It ends with an industry that has margins thinner than the silicon wafers at the core of most of the electronics they build, and with OEMs that view their outsourcing partners as a way to lower costs rather than add value.

So, here are five reasons to outsource that add value to an OEM:

1) You’re a start upThis can often be the most compelling reason to outsource. If you’ve just invented the latest and greatest tech product, found your market through social media, and got your seed capital through crowd-funding, why on earth would you want to invest in manufacturing and fulfillment when you can focus all your time on sales and mar-keting and creating the next version, the next operating system, or indeed the next great product? Buddy up with a great out-sourcing vendor that suits your needs, or

get in touch with a supply chain consultant who can support this part of the process. These well known outsourcing partners can also provide extra credibility with your funders, especially as you get to the second or third round of funding.

2) You’re launching into a volatile market I think outsourcing can be at its very best when you’re unsure of the sustainability of your product or the length of the market window. Let me offer an example. Some years ago we all got very excited about solar power and the opportunities in that space. Many entered that market, many grew rap-idly, and many crashed and burned as gov-ernment incentives were withdrawn, and the market tumbled. For me the right sce-nario for markets like this is to partner with a contract manufacturer who can ramp quickly to meet the current demand, then downsize and exit equally nimbly.

3) You’re entering a new geography or going globalRegions vary in many ways, not least in how they regulate themselves through leg-islation, regulation, and taxation. If you’ve got a product that is enjoying success in your home market, growing nicely and in a controlled manner, and you want to take that product global, then get a partner. Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from theirs? It is extremely likely that a good global outsourcing part-ner has fulfilled product in that geogra-phy locally or through channels that work, and they will have learnt how to deal with local import regulations, duties, taxes, and approvals. They’ll also have a developed supply chain in the region that works and is economic. By all means keep manufac-turing in your domestic market if that sup-ports your research and development and your product knowledge, but leave the

Philip Stoten

Five reasons to outsource, and none of

them price!

Read ListenWatch

Follow Philip on Twitter @philipstoten


Five reasons to outsource, and none of them price!

exploration to the contract manufacturers who have the critical mass and horsepower to do it.

With respect to going global, the same argument applies. You don’t need to scale worldwide when someone else who has done it before can do it for you, with your brand, your strong service and delivery promise, and with the knowledge of every local market you might wish to enter.

4) You need help beyond pure manufacturingOften it’s about so much more than manu-facturing. It’s about design, speed to market, the ramp up, the ramp down, direct fulfill-ment to your customers, repairs and spare parts, recalls, end of life logistics, the list goes on. In these cases the right outsourc-ing partner can be a font of knowledge and skill. Many support the design cycle, bring-ing products to market faster than you could imagine, and with a supply chain that is ready for the demand as it hits and where it hits, and often with the regulatory approvals needed. If your product needs a recall, why would you scale quickly and

deal with the logistical nightmares that sur-round an in-market failure when your out-sourcing partner can take care of it all for you? Modern outsourcing partners, EMS, product fulfillment companies, supply chains solution providers, or whatever they choose to call themselves are very sophisti-cated operators, with so much experience up and down the value chain, that there isn’t too much they haven’t seen before and that they can’t provide a solution for.

5) You’re suffering from a quality or performance issue

This may seem a strange one, but the bottom line is that these outsourcing part-ners are really good at making stuff. They’ve been doing it for ages and they have been doing it for the world’s most demanding end user—the consumer. They’ve learnt to make all kinds of things and helped to design and develop processes that ensure great quality, great delivery performance, and a great customer experience. If your own manufacturing isn’t rocking and roll-ing the way you want it to, talk to some-one who’s been doing it for longer, has

developed a lean, quality driven system of manufacturing excellence and has seen problems and solved them.

I am not one of those people who think outsourcing is the only way. In fact I could probably write another article entitled

‘Five Reasons not to Outsource,’ but I can actually think of many more reasons to consider it beyond those mentioned here. I spend a lot of my time at the EMS facto-ries and am continually impressed with the level of expertise, the quality, and the scale of what they do, but most impressive is the real desire to constantly improve the expe-rience of their customers and end users.

If you haven’t already done so, take a look at outsourced manufacturing, supply chain, or product fulfillment. These guys are really good at making and delivering stuff!

Philip Stoten has spent half his career in the electronics manufacturing industry and the other half as a journalist covering it. You can find his work on YouTube and you can follow him on twitter @philipstoten.

International Diary11-14 November 2014electronicaMunich, Germanyelectronica.de

19-20 November 2014Printed Electronics USASanta Clara, Californiaprintedelectronicsusa.com

3-5 December 2014Semicon JapanMakuhari, Japansemiconjapan.org

14-16 January 2015INTERNEPCON JAPANTokyo, Japannepcon.jp

3-5 February 2015Pan Pacific MicroelectronicsKauai, Hawaiismta.org/panpac

4-6 February 2015SEMICON KoreaSeoul, Koreasemiconkorea.org

24-26 February 2015IPC Apex ExpoSan Diego, California, USAipcapexexpo.org

11-12 March 2015Smart Systems IntegrationCopenhagen, Denmarksmartsystemsintegration.com

15-18 March 2015IMAPS Device PackagingMesa, Arizona, USAimaps.org/devicepackaging/

17-19 March 2015SEMICON ChinaShanghai, Chinasemiconchina.org

21-22 April 2015National Electronics Week (NEW)Birmingham, UKnationalelectronicsweek.co.uk

21-23 April 2015NEPCON ChinaShanghai, Chinanepconchina.com

“I NEED IT NOW” DRIVESTHE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY.UPGRADES IN TECHNOLOGY +KNOWLEDGE DRIVE “NOW.”

THE 2015 IPC APEX EXPO CONFERENCE &

EXHIBITION WILL BRING IT ALL TOGETHER TO HELP

YOU DRIVE RESULTS.

What drives what happens now? A critical combination

of the latest technology and knowledge, which is what

you’ll find at IPC APEX EXPO 2015. Attend and be part

of the year’s best opportunity to gain knowledge and

experience applied technology with real-world applications.

It will be where you upgrade your tech-NOW-ledgy.

GET UPGRADED AT IPC APEX EXPO 2015 THROUGH:• The latest technical research

• Industry best practices

• Access to the solutions and subject-matter experts you need to solve challenges in a fraction of the time it takes on the job

• The largest electronics industry collection of top suppliers, live demos and extreme innovation

• Connections in educational sessions, on the show floor and during networking events

®

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITIONFebruary 24–26, 2015MEETINGS & COURSESFebruary 22–26, 2015

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER California, USA

LEARN MORE. Register and make your travel plans.Stay up-to-date. It all begins at www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

“I NEED IT NOW” DRIVESTHE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY.UPGRADES IN TECHNOLOGY +KNOWLEDGE DRIVE “NOW.”

THE 2015 IPC APEX EXPO CONFERENCE &

EXHIBITION WILL BRING IT ALL TOGETHER TO HELP

YOU DRIVE RESULTS.

What drives what happens now? A critical combination

of the latest technology and knowledge, which is what

you’ll find at IPC APEX EXPO 2015. Attend and be part

of the year’s best opportunity to gain knowledge and

experience applied technology with real-world applications.

It will be where you upgrade your tech-NOW-ledgy.

GET UPGRADED AT IPC APEX EXPO 2015 THROUGH:• The latest technical research

• Industry best practices

• Access to the solutions and subject-matter experts you need to solve challenges in a fraction of the time it takes on the job

• The largest electronics industry collection of top suppliers, live demos and extreme innovation

• Connections in educational sessions, on the show floor and during networking events

®

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITIONFebruary 24–26, 2015MEETINGS & COURSESFebruary 22–26, 2015

SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER California, USA

LEARN MORE. Register and make your travel plans.Stay up-to-date. It all begins at www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

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u Digital Multi-Frequency Quad Moiréu 15 Mega Pixel Camera Technologyu 10 um/pixel Telecentric Compound Lensu 10 Mega Pixel SIDE-VIEWER® Camera Systemu Six Phase Color Lighting Systemu Precision Linear Drive Motor System

“MIRTEC separates themselves from other AOI vendors with genuine Technological Superiority. Their six phase color lighting system and sophisticated inspection algorithms are very impressive, but their OMNI-VISION® 3D measurement system and precision telecentric lens really puts them in a class of their own.”

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