NEPCON 2005

Citation

Ling, J. (2005), "NEPCON 2005", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 17 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ssmt.2005.21917cac.001

NEPCON 2005

NEPCON 2005

The faithful flocked back to Brighton for NEPCON 2005 in May this year. Next year they'll be queuing on the M42 to get into the NEC at Birmingham, but one hopes that the event will have been transposed from the vagaries of the Metropole to the vastness of Hall 12 without loss of character, impetus and, dare one add, brand loyalty. Claire Jeffreys and her team did a great job of presenting the reasons behind the decision for the move, all of which seemed entirely logical. The only word that we think will not move as part of the linguistic baggage is “atmospheric” You don't use that word at the NEC, it's a non sequiter.

But the atmosphere in Brighton this year was good, and so were the attendance figures. The great and the good of the industry were back again, many of them to the same pitch that they enjoyed last year, so much so that one felt that here was a replay of 2004. Happily for those whose job it is to report on such events, 2005 was definitely a new one, and there was much to peruse. Too much to report back on for any one issue, but herewith a glimpse at random.

Briton EMS was exhibiting for the first time. They offer a broad range of manufacturing services from printed circuit assembly through to complete product build, providing surface mount as well as conventional through-hole assembly. They continue to expand their manufacturing capability, and Commercial Director Tony Abri mentioned some of their recent acquisitions. “Over the past year we have purchased a new Europlacer pick and place machine, a new automatic optical inspection machine with full character and solder inspection, a new state-of-the-art Speedprint SP200avi SMT automatic stencil printer and a lead free line including convection reflow and lead free compatible flow soldering.”

Tony is also keen to promote an enhanced lead free services package. “We are offering existing and new customers the benefit of our significant experience by checking their critical components for lead free compatibility.” This will help provide customers with prior knowledge of any potential problems in obtaining their key components when the change to lead free occurs from July next year.

Forthcoming environmental legislation, including the reduction of harmful substances (RoHS) and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directives, defined by the European Union, will have a major impact on electronics manufacturing processes. Concoat Systems were offering advice to assist companies in selecting the right solutions to meet their needs and demonstrating their electronics reliability equipment on the stand. Their bench top MUST system II plus solderability tester, enables fast and accurate solderability testing of surface mount, through-hole devices, PCB pads and plated through-holes, plus laboratory testing of surface finishes, fluxes and other soldering materials. Also available were lead-free test kits to help electronics manufacturing companies qualify and quantify their new lead-free manufacturing processes. Their Auto- SIRe is a unique automatic tester that measures surface insulation resistance (SIR) of PCBs. Developed by Concoat in association with the National Physical Laboratory, it provides a much faster, more sensitive and reliable test of impending problems than has previously been available, allowing accurate prediction of the reliability of finished PCBs. All essential kit in this day and age (Plate 1).

Plate 1

Another helpful company is OK International, who were running some significant benchtop dispensing and fume product launches, in the areas of extraction and further product developments in hand soldering. The new MFX-2200 fume extraction system is a multi-user system designed to support up to eight manual electronics assembly workstations, or to remove particulates and gases from exhaust cabinets and small bench-top wave and reflow soldering equipment.

The Metcal brand BTX-208 fume extraction system incorporates high performance extraction of solder fumes direct from the tip of a hand soldering iron. In the realms of fluid dispensing, the DX-300 digital dispenser/controller, is an affordable and feature rich mid range series. Their Metcal PS-800 soldering system now comes with 37 tip geometries, cost of ownership of the PS-800 soldering system is minimal, as it uses replaceable heater tips rather than cartridges. Finally their APR- 5000-XLS array package rework system, for larger printed circuit boards, was being demonstrated on the stand, whilst the APR-5000 array package rework system, for smaller printed circuit boards, was demonstrated in the SMART Group's lead-free zone.

On Stand G116 Siemens (Plate 2) were showing off their three-gantry Siplace HF/3. The placement rate of up to 41,000 components per hour is only one of the outstanding features of this machine, which is capable of placing components ranging from 0201 to 85×85/125×10 mm.

Plate 2 Siemens exhibited their three-gantry Siplace HF/3

On each of the three gantries, different placement heads can process components independently of each other, depending on the manufacturing requirements at the time. The TwinHead features top precision and flexibility, while the 6- nozzle collect & place head provides more speed for larger components and the 12-nozzle collect & place head features top speed for small components. A newly developed stationary camera system ensures maximum reliability and precision, since it can illuminate the components from various angles for optimum recognition capabilities.

Production automation system specialist Contax Limited was exhibiting no less than 12 new and existing products on a busy stand. New items included the contact systems C5/ C5d intelligent pick and place and Omron VT-RNS (Renaissance) automatic optical inspection (AOI).

The C5 placement systems are ideally suited to medium volume manufacturers with frequent job changeovers. Operating at speeds of up to 22,000cph, the C5 range is very easy to program and can place a full range of SMDs from 0201 chips up to large area components of 100×50 mm. It has up to 192×8 mm smart feeders, which enable a new job to be loaded onto the machine whilst the current batch is still running. This ensures that batch changeover is fast and simple.

The Omron VT-RNS offers top quality AOI at a mid-market price. A flexible system, the VT-RNS can be placed at varying points on the line – post-printing, post-placement and post- reflow, to prevent defects at any specific stage of production. Its network capability allows the remote inspection of multiple lines, whilst changes in monitoring criteria and the removal of defective boards can be undertaken without stopping the line.

Plate 3 The Testworks conformal coating removing system

Plate 4 The gun is hand operated within a small spray booth

Some clever stuff on the Testworks stand. Like so many products, the mother of invention is necessity, and for those to whom the removal of conformal coating to access an area of a PCB for repair/rework has been a problem in the past, the solution is at hand. Brian Newstead and Gerry Howcroft have worked with Testworks to produce a conformal coating removal system that allows specific areas of the coating to be removed where required, rather than have to chemically strip the whole board, with consequent risk. The low-powered abrasive system can remove coating from an assembled board where required, allowing repair/rework and subsequent recoat. Illuminated by LED technology, the gun is hand operated within a small spray booth, and the tiny silica particles are re- circulated, with the removed coating being filtered out (Plates 3 and 4). They have also produced a rather clever torch, containing four high frequency LEDs which operate at the current frequency needed to excite u/v fluorescence in the coating, thus enabling the user to determine precisely where the conformal coating has been applied, and where it has not, normally an exercise impossible to the naked eye. More good ideas to come from these two under the Da Vinci label, one is told (Plate 5).

Plate 5 The CCV395 conformal coating torch

Paul Phillips at Accelonix found Nepcon 2004 so good that he immediately booked the same stand for 2005, and had been busy when we called. His company has a rich portfolio of products, and includes Technomatics software for route enforcement, or tracking of orders in progress, and bar code readers. They also sell the Göpal boundary scan equipment, and now Scanflex^®, a new modular JTAG system. They recently added Data IO to the programme, which handles all makes of IC's for flash programming. Datacon flip chip and die bonding machines have been selling well since last month, so when Paul says that he will be doubling his staff this year one can understand why.

Two people who are never in the office are Bob Fox and Simon Clements of Heraeus, who rush all over the UK and Eire for their SMT products, including a new product, entitled Surf 50, which is a low VOC based on a mixing solvent + water by 50 per cent. It is a low residue, no clean flux for wave soldering for high reliability electronic circuitry, and is compatible for lead and lead free solders and finishing. It has been designed to have maximum soldering activity and as wide an operating tolerance as possible, so as to enable it to be used with fine line SMT applications and PTH. It is also designed to be a drop in replacement for conventional and low residue fluxes with a minimum need for adjustment of wave soldering machine parameters. Surf 50 will solder tin/lead surfaces (such as HASL) as well as protected copper surfaces and Au/Ni finishing.

Jane Marriott is the cheerful face of Cemgraft Electronic Manufacturing who were having their first NEPCON and having a good time of it. Jane told us that Cemgraft offers a complete solution for their customers. They are experts in PCB assembly and complete system building, proven over many years, and focusing on surface mount technology and complete systems manufacturing. They have fully automated surface mount lines capable of 0201, fine pitch devices to 10 thou, BGA and micro BGA, double sided SMT and conventional assembly, and manufacture products across a very diverse spectrum. By continually reinvesting in its people and equipment, Cemgraft remain at the leading edge of technological developments in manufacturing processes, said Jane.

On Stand U140 Test Solutions were standing alongside DCB Automation with whom they had just signed an agreement to sell DCB “Supervision” bench-top off-line AOI equipment amongst other products. “Perfect for low volume/high-mix customers of assembled PCBs”, said Peter Collins of DCB. Known for the Teradyne products, TSL is one of the core UK supply houses to the SMT industry.

Adaptsys Limited were introducing a number of advanced component programming, marking and handling solutions on Stand U401. These included the advanced 4710 automated device programming system, and the Adaptsys LCMP laser component marking system neither of which had been seen in the UK before.

The 4710 automated programming system from BP micro systems is designed specifically for the latest high density devices and their longer programming times, and they claim that it is the world's fastest system for programming Flash, while still offering the versatility to program FPGAs, antifuse FPGA, PLDs, and microcontrollers, including MCUs with embedded flash memory. It will handle all package types from DIP to BGA.

The LCMP laser component marking system is an economic, standalone laser marking system for electronic and small mechanical components. It features a powerful 10 W diode pumped laser to mark components to great accuracy, under the control of an advanced Windows OS and graphical user interface application.

On Stand No. G626 Almit Technology was showing its extensive range of advanced lead-free solder materials and chemicals. LFM-48 TM HP Pb-free solder paste is a latest generation tin-copper-silver alloy formulation exhibiting good wetting, easy low-residue printing with long screen and tack life. It is already approved by, and in use with, major manufacturers around the world, and is suitable for both open blade printing and enclosed print head systems.

Almit had a rather special solder wire, which is now available in industry standard 96.5 per centSn-3 per centAg-0.5 per centCu Pb-free alloy. The KR-I9SH RMA wire retains all the benefits and advantages of the original product to deliver excellent wetting, high reliability and low residue.

They used the occasion to exhibit their newest range of super dry humidity control cabinets. Manufactured by Totech in Japan, the drying cabinets directly address increasing concerns over process errors resulting from high inherent moisture levels in stored components and subassemblies causing failures at higher temperatures (Plate 6).

Plate 6

Helen Tilder was keen to tell us all about the CENS – The Centre for Electronic Nano Systems, – based in the School of Engineering at the University of Durham. They offer a huge range of services from a well-equipped centre and with highly qualified engineering and academic teams. What they can do is as follows: electronic systems integration; nano and micro systems integration; application specific integrated circuits; digital and mixed circuitry system design; FPGA based hardware design methodologies; systems programming; component design; wireless communications – Bluetooth, Zigbee, ISM band, GSM/ GPRS; telemetry and ultrasound; microelectronics; marine electronics; audio compression for Hi-fidelity audio transmission; digital signal processing; RFID systems. C/C++, java, BASH and Perl scripting. Want to know about Smart Dust? Want to enquire further about a global tracking device that now reaches previously impossible locations? Talk to CENS, they'll be around for a long time to come making life easier for everyone in a quiet and dignified fashion.

Every airport has a crash crew or a fire tender on stand-by 24/7, and in the SMT industry there appears to be a company called Retronix who do much the same. They specialise in sorting out other peoples problems. They recover high value silicon; they repair and rework PCBAs; they debug components; they can recover components. And they can send the man with his flashing blue light directly to your OEM or CEM company to lend a hand when the forehead is becoming a little damp. Nicola White can tell you all about it, as she did to us.

It was good to see that many of the leading UK PCB companies were making an appearance at this show for the first time, Prestwick Circuits were there, as were Circatex, Graphic, Lyncolec, Eurocircuits, GSPK, Artetch, Invotec Group, Eurocircuits and the newer Exception PCB which occupies a well-known, but older PCB factory outside Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. Given that without companies such as these there would be nothing to mount anything on to, their presence was also a reminder of how precarious is the security of supply in the electronics industry when it is fashionable to look east.

Andy Kellard at Blakell Europlacer was in cheerful mood, and why not when one has concluded five deals a week before Nepcon. A week before, that is. He now has his Speedprint range of automatic in-line printers placed in 17 countries around the world, and he's competing with the larger companies very nicely indeed, thank you. They take a long-term view of customer relationships, and Derek Aston, the Group MD spoke with feeling about how it had been over the last 4 years, when you are a privately-owned company. Brutal was the word. Happily they have pulled through it all intact, and are raring to go. They are opening up an office in Shanghai as we write, and this will support the technical acceptance of their products in China. Equipment is becoming more sophisticated, faster, and more efficient, and integrated intelligence is now standard. They claim to have the best software in their field, and who's to doubt it.

On Stand H536 Special Applications Products were exhibiting a wide range of lighting and machine vision products, including the popular DS-3USV high resolution video microscope with SVGA (800×600) resolution that connects directly to a PC via a USB2.0 cable and the MS 1 000L W, a handheld, fast and easy to use inspection microscope. Ideal for inspection of BGAs and other components, a major advantage of the MS 1 000L W is that it has special lens technology with a magnification of ×70 that remains constant throughout the focus range. This combination of fixed magnification and increased focal length allows the microscope to provide a longer viewing distance than similar products of its type. Also on show was a range of bench-top reflow ovens for the manual production of SMT printed circuit boards for lead free soldering. These ovens can also be used for polymerisation.

If you know Peter Clegg, and who does not, then you know Aegis Industrial Software. They have very recently announced Version 6 for next generation manufacturing information management. This includes new, process-wide solutions for complete shop-floor materials management, support for test programming and fixture design, plus several hundred enhancements across the individual modules. V6 provides comprehensive NPI, materials and process tracking, quality, and MES functionality for total manufacturing control, traceability and visibility. V6 also automates test engineering with TestXcell. TestXcell is Aegis' new comprehensive circuit assembly test solution that provides automated test equipment (ATE) programming, DFT analysis, DFM, fixture design output, and schematic viewing. TestXcell takes its place as the test data preparation engine of Aegis V6. Only the week before Aegis had received an order from Kimball for worldwide application, so they seem to go from strength to strength.

The SMART Group were as usual doing valiant work on the lead-free salient, and their lectures and workshops were as usual well-attended (Plate 7). IPC were running a Designers Forum that covered a wide range of topics, and what with those two events plus exhibitors wall-to-wall visitors had a luxury of choice. Reed Exhibitions had done a good job, as always, and it will be interesting to see if it all translates to a new home.

Plate 7

Having successfully brought Nepcon back to “Doctor Brighton” to convalesce after the debilitating downturn in the industry, it would seem that the patient has now recovered sufficiently to be considered fit for a return to Birmingham, and the NEC. Reed Exhibitions will be holding NEPCON 2006 from 10-11 May next year, and from 1-2 May 2007. As the 1st May is traditionally a bank holiday that one may get off to a slow start, but we will see. What we will see is Hall 12 at the NEC being booked by Reeds for the next 2 years, and it is indicative of the return to health of the industry that 50 per cent of the exhibition space for 2006 has already been reserved. There is pressure from some to make it a 3-day event now, and few would argue with the need to widen the peak/trough window to make it worthwhile. A trip to Brighton definitely was, but we shall miss the walk along the promenade in the Spring sunshine. Once the Metropole becomes a “super casino” they will be exhibiting different chips altogether, and to an entirely different clientele.

John LingAssociate Editor, Soldering & Surface Mount Technology