APEX Product Preview Four

Here are some of the products being showcased at APEX next week, listed is alphabetical order by company name.

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all4PCB - Booth 1883

Distributor all4-PCB (North America) will introduce two revolutionary products that will be making their North American trade show debut at APEX.

"With the printed circuit board industry rebounding around the world, it's the perfect time to introduce the best-of-the-best when it comes to internationally manufactured process equipment,"  says Torsten Reckert, President, all4-PCB, North America.  "IPC attendees love getting the hands-on demonstration we provide right on the floor."
 
The Penta 580 Pb Free HASL (Hot Air Solder Leveling) machine is manufactured by Pentagal in Germany, the most experienced manufacturer of HASL equipment in Europe.  This groundbreaking technology is uniquely designed to conform to the ban on lead soldering equipment scheduled to go into effect throughout Europe in 2006.   In addition, IPC marks the introduction of the PRS 77 optical lay-up, registration & bonding system for preparation of lamination stacks, from DIS in New York. This novel process greatly increases layer-to-layer registration over current solutions.

In addition to the above introductions, all4PCB will also be demonstrating the novel PM 650 orbital sanding machine for via fill technology from Pola & Massa. The ability to conform to uneven surfaces now allows for much higher tolerance manufacture.  The PM 650 system is complemented by the VCP via filling equipment from MASS Germany, also on display, which provides for filling of pastes into vias through via-in-pad technology.  This conductive interconnect to the surface feature of the pad in different board layers takes place in the pad rather than on the surface of the board, thus removing any connective paths on the surface of the circuit board itself.

Bliss Industries - Booth 857

Bliss Industries Inc. will premier its Box Build Line in booth 857 at APEX 2006.

In 2005, Bliss Industries entered the box build arena with the Chassis Cart. Since then, the company has completed the Box Build Line and will display it in its entirety at APEX 2006.

With the completed line, Bliss Industries takes the lead in the box build arena as the only supplier in the industry to provide a complete line of products from the assembled PC board to the assembly process of 19" rackmount chassis, test and chassis installation into 19" racks. Bliss now offers a solution for every step of the process, including handling and storage. The company offers the Adjustable Tray Cart, Vertical PC Board Cart, FlexBench, BlissLift and Chassis Cart. These products combine to make a seamless process from the assembled PC board to the assembled 19" rack.

"These are exciting times at Bliss Industries. We are growing rapidly again and delivering new product lines to the industry to solve problems. The Box Build product line takes Bliss, for the first time, to a new sector of the industry that is not only poorly served in the past, but is not served at all," said President and CEO Ken Bliss. "We are pleased to have been welcomed with open arms into the sector by virtually all of the top system box builders."
 

HEPCO - Booth 1396

HEPCO, Inc's new LeadHound RoHS/Lead-Free Verification System will verify lead-free or leaded components, sub-assemblies, PCBs and other items in as little as 15 seconds. LeadHound will be introduced at APEX 2006.

Using the latest micro-focus x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology, the self-contained LeadHound can detect the presence of lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and bromine, as well as other elements, in a safe working environment and provide the percentage of each element found in a tested item. This enables shops to determine if an item complies with RoHS/WEEE directives or if soldering materials or components comply with military and avionics specifications.

"XRF is a proven non-invasive, non-destructive technique that is being adapted to the electronics industry and the manufacturing/repair environment," said Tim Hoffman, president, HEPCO. "LeadHound can test several items in one session and typically generate a report for most requirements in 30 seconds. It can take as little as 15 seconds. This is still a far cry from the several days required to send samples to laboratories for analysis. LeadHound generates a report after each test that can be printed or stored as a file to meet all applicable documentation needs. We will be able to add upgrades through software."

"Every facility should be performing some kind of incoming inspection," Hoffman continued. "Lead-free and leaded components need to be kept separate for compliance, and even in basic production needs, they have different temperature requirements for soldering. If a facility doesn't take those into account, its customers and their end-users will have problems down the line."

Nelco - Booth 1409

Nelco is introducing its new N4000-29 180°C Tg substrate. This new advanced material system is now available in North America and is planned to be available in Asia and Europe in the first calendar quarter of 2006.

The N4000-29 series of laminate and prepreg materials is designed to provide Nelco's customers with a high Tg, CAF resistant FR4 product for lead-free applications or any application where a high level of thermal robustness is required. N4000-29 also offers CAF resistance, a UL 94V-0 designation, RoHS compliance and superior IST performance. N4000-29 is UL approved. These qualities, along with adherence to IPC's proposed IPC-4101/99 lead-free "slash sheet", make N4000-29 a very suitable choice for lead free or high reliability applications

Nelco is a subsidiary of Park Electrochemical Corp., a global advanced materials company which develops and manufactures high-technology digital and RF/microwave printed circuit materials and advanced composite materials for the electronics, military, aerospace, wireless communication, specialty and industrial markets.

P. Kay Metal - Booth 2635

P. Kay Metal, Inc. will introduce its new MS2(TM) molten solder surfactant in Booth 2635 at the upcoming APEX 2006 trade show and exhibition.

MS2(TM) molten solder surfactant is described as the first product to actually eliminate dross in wave soldering. The material, which is available for both lead-free and leaded processes, does not mix with the metal but forms a thin floating layer that covers the entire solder surface except the wave, which it does not disturb. MS2(TM) molten solder surfactant prevents dross from forming on the surface and immediately converts dross generated by the wave back into usable metal, reducing solder usage up to 70%.

In conjunction with the product introduction, Dan Feinberg of Fein-Line Associates, who is working with Larry Kay, president of P. Kay Metal, to develop the business, will deliver a technical conference paper, "A Unique Process that Eliminates Solder Dross," in Session S11, Equipment I - Lead Free, on Thursday, February 9, 9:30 AM-10:00 AM.  

Tyco Electronics - Booth 1029

Tyco Electronics' Global Application Tooling Division (GATD) will exhibit the P350 Pin Inserter at the upcoming APEX trade show and exhibition.

The P350 is a high-speed, automatic insertion machine. The system can apply nearly all manufacturers' reeled pin, tab and receptacle products into PCBs and is capable of applying both through-hole solder and press-fit components. Insertion rates of up to five cycles per second are possible based on the pitch of the product applied to the PCB.

The P350 insertion machine offers many features, including: high-speed AC servo motors for the X-Y table and insertion head for reduced cycle times; automatic tool change feature for up to three insertion heads; SMEMA compatibility; optional optical sensors for automatic position correction; optional PCB thickness measurement; rotary insertion finger to apply products at various angles without reducing cycle time; monitoring of the insertion forces of press-fit components to provide 100 percent real-time quality inspection; and a maximum insertion area of 450 x 450 mm. The system features 0.02 mm repeatability.

Tyco Electronics' will also showcase its CSM 200 Connector Seating Machine. CSM 200 is a semiautomatic machine for the application of compliant pin connectors. The environmentally conscious system provides end users with a faster, more reliable and less operator-intensive method for processing this lead-free product.

In addition, the company will exhibit the MEP 6T servo electric press. The MEP 6T is a servo electric press specializing in the application of compliant pin connectors to PCBs. The environmentally conscious system provides end users with a faster, more reliable and less operator-intensive method for processing this lead-free product.

The MEP 6T provides up to 6 tons of pressing capacity and can accommodate PCBs up to 24 x 36". The 10" wide press ram also allows for the mass-termination of more than one connector (of the same type) in a single press stroke to improve cycle time.

Ultrasonic Systems - Booth 735

Ultrasonic Systems, Inc. will demonstrate a conformal coating production line at Apex.

This automated line will begin coating the bottom-side (wire side) with a Prism 100, designed for high-speed coating.  The board will then pass through a board inverter to a Prism 350 and be selectively coated on the component side.

The Prism Coating Systems are designed for the precise application of conformal coatings and other low-viscosity materials.  The Prism features patented Ultra-Spray technology, which enables a more accurate, precise coating application than conventional spray and dispensing technology. 

The Prism utilizes a titanium coating head and digitally controlled liquid delivery system.  The coating head applies a thin, defect free coating 1 to 5 mils in thickness and provides excellent uniformity and repeatability.