Printed circuit board (PCB) components require various types of equipment for different procedures, such as dispensing, coating and curing. During batch operations for mass production, all the three activities go hand in hand. Hence, staying updated with the latest machinery is a must, in order to ensure quality production.
Modern day applications have given rise to the requirement for advanced dispensing, coating and curing machines. High precision and repeatability are the two most vital factors that a manufacturer seeks when making an investment in such crucial machinery. In this article, we introduce some of the recently launched dispensing, coating and curing equipment, which are designed to take your production quality to the next level.
A few of the latest products available
Dispensing systems
Model: Camalot Prodigy; Manufacturer: ITWEAE
ITWEAE has launched the Camalot Prodigy, which is an accurate dispensing system designed and built to deliver high speeds, greater accuracy, tighter tolerances, and higher yields. To enable 1.5g of acceleration, Camalot engineers fell back on more than two decades of experience with linear motors and motion control systems.
A state-of-art XY gantry system is the heart of this next-generation dispenser. Linear drive technology, a refined motion control architecture, and a rigid, innovative frame design provide good performance and reliability.
Key features:
- The company has more than 50 registered patents in dispensing technology
- A high accuracy of 35 microns @ 3σ
- XY repeatability of 10 microns
- Z accuracy of 25 microns @ 3σ
- Maximum dispensing area of 440mm x 558mm
- Availability of dual lane option
Contact details: www.itweae.com
India distributor: NMTronics India Pvt Ltd, www.nmtronics.com, [email protected], +911204603500
Model: Vantage series; Manufacturer: Nordson Asymtek
The Vantage series is designed for an advanced semiconductor package, as well as for electromechanical and PCB assembly. This new platform is suitable for advanced assembly technologies that involve high-speed and precise volume dispensing, tight keep out zones, or dispensing of thin and accurate lines. Combined with the IntelliJet jetting system and the ReadiSet jet cartridge, the Vantage series delivers micro-dot jetting up to a 1,000Hz frequency.
Key features:
- Ultra-precise placement of fluid stream widths of <200μm into narrow gaps
- Accurate dispense line paths for volumes of <1.5nL as required for advanced wafer-level technology
- High productivity dot jetting—up to 2x faster than current platforms
Contact details: www.nordson.com
India distributor: TransTechnology India Pvt Ltd, www.trans-tec.com
Model: TS550R; Manufacturer: Techcon
The TS550R is a smart controller capable of controlling all valves from the Techcon pneumatic series including the TS1212 pinch tube valve, TS941/TS5322 spool valve, TS5420/TS5440 needle valve and the TS5620/TS5622 diaphragm valve. With a universal power supply, it is a fully plug-and-play system and can be used anywhere in the world, claim company sources.
The TS550R features an intuitive touchscreen interface for easy setup and operation. Dispensing parameters can be configured directly on the touchscreen or remotely through the Ethernet and Wi-Fi interfaces. These allow users to configure the exact parameters to monitor and control the dispensing process from anywhere in the world. This complies with the smart factory requirements of Industry 4.0.
Additional advanced features include a digital timer to provide accurate and repeatable dispense times, and a digital pressure regulator with a dual-unit display to allow precise pressure control. The user friendly interface provides an option to program up to 50 varied, sequenced or individual shots.
Key features:
- Display: Touchscreen
- Input voltage: 100V-240V AC
- Cycle modes: Timed, interrupt, teach and purge
- Size: 290mm x 211mm x 99mm
- Cycle rate: 900/min
Contact details: www.techconsystems.com
India distributor: OK International, www.okinternational.com
Model: MY700; Manufacturer: Mycronic
The MY700 high-speed jet dispensing platform for solder paste and a wide range of assembly fluids incorporates three highly productive machine models, each one with its own set of unique capabilities. A highly advanced motion system makes it possible to dispense fluids on-the-fly at 300 dots per second and with 3g acceleration as well as superior accuracy. Dot volume, size and shape are easy to adjust and optimise for each individual component and pad on the board.
The MY700 is equipped with a state-of-art vision system providing fiducial recognition on-the-fly and accurate laser height measurement to automatically compensate for board stretch and warpage, ensuring the quality of the final result. All this is in a compact package, accessible both at the front and rear with a footprint of no more than 1½ m².
Company sources claim that its non-contact nozzle that jets with high precision makes every solder paste deposit perfect, reducing the need for reworking and hence increasing overall throughput. Dispensing glue or other assembly fluids with the same machine, and in the same process step, saves space in the factory. The processes of encapsulation, and the selective coating of dots and lines with epoxy, glue or other assembly fluids are impressively fast.
Key features:
- Dual heads for productivity
- Dual lanes for smart board handling and buffering
- High-speed high-accuracy dispensing
- Solder paste and a wide range of assembly fluids can be used
- Board revisions and changeovers can be done in no time
Contact details: www.mycronic.com
India distributor: Accurex Solutions Pvt Ltd, www.accurexsolutions.com
Conformal coating systems
Model: jCOAT series; Manufacturer: JTU
JTU, one of the leading brands for conformal coating equipment, has launched its jCOAT series of selective coating machines that are specially designed for fully automatic inline selective coating requirements.
Key features:
- A wide range of models, including jCoat-X5 and jCoat-X6
- Different nozzles in the cone-shape, the firing pin needle and film coating valves available
- Supports most popular coating materials—HumiSeal, Dow Corning, Dymax, etc.
- Standard machine comes with two valves and the four-valve configuration
- Maximum product coating area of 460mm x 460mm
- Two valves perform simultaneous coating at a +35° left tilt with a 70mm ~ 205mm adjustable pitch capability
- Four-way (left, right, front, rear) 35° tilt on right side valve
Contact details: www.jtugroup.com
India distributor: NMTronics India Pvt Ltd, www.nmtronics.com, [email protected], +911204603500
Model: Conexis CX-3040; Manufacturer: Nordson Asymtek
The Conexis CX-3040 conformal coating system provides both speed and flexibility. It is ideal for mid-volume, high accuracy applications. Linear encoders enable the system to reach a maximum speed of 700mm per second and an overall accuracy of 50 microns. Additional features and options can be added to the coater as production needs change.
The Conexis system’s software provides an easy-to-use interface with its offline programming capability. The software’s dispense library can store and monitor information about different materials, dispense valves, and other necessary criteria for ready access. Also, the software can monitor all air pressure readings (main air pressure, tank pressure, and atomising air pressure) to provide wider process control.
The Conexis system can be configured with many different dispense and spray valves, including the high-speed airless curtain valves. Up to three valves can be mounted on the independent Z-axis, with two capable of tilting (4-axis) and rotating (360 degrees).
Key features:
- Motion system type: Closed-loop servo drive with linear encoder
- Power requirement (peak): 200V AC or 220V/240V AC, 50Hz-60Hz, 2500W
- Controller: Integrated microprocessor controllers
- User interface: PC controlled, runs on Windows with user interface software
Contact details: www.nordson.com
India distributor: TransTechnology India Pvt Ltd, www.trans-tec.com
Curing systems
Model: jCURE series IR; Manufacturer: JTU
JTU, a leading distributor of PCB assemblies and SMT equipment for the world’s renowned brands, has come out with the jCURE series of infrared (IR) curing ovens that are specially designed to cure conformal coating materials using heat. The jCURE series comprises four models—jCURE-2, jCURE-3, jCURE-4 and jCURE-5— for varied production cycle times.
Key features:
- Advanced control system with PLC + touchscreen
- Chain conveyor system with conveyor clearance of 100mm at top and 100mm at the bottom
- Optimum conveyor speed of 0.1m~2.4m/min
- Each model consists of multiple numbers of heating zones
- Temperature setting range~150°C
- Profile repeatability of ±5°C
- Bottom IR heating zones
- Under-the-pallet return conveyor (OMO concept)
- Top IR heating zones for under-the- pallet
- return conveyor
Contact details: www.jtugroup.com
India distributor: NMTronics India Pvt Ltd, www.nmtronics.com,[email protected], +911204603500
Model: Thermal Cure Module (TCM) oven; Manufacturer: Nordson Asymtek
The in-line Thermal Cure Module (TCM) oven is available in three different lengths. It provides the flexibility to match production requirements, and has robust construction and a streamlined appearance.
The oven chamber achieves a thermally uniform atmosphere with IR heat panels and convection by the induced exhaust draft. In a CE-compliant package, process uniformity is assured with precise, independent temperature controlled heat zones. Rapid response times, a closed-loop conveyor and Windows based software are an integral part of the thermal cure control process.
The TCM oven is equipped with a downdraft exhaust design. Plenums below the conveyor rails and close to the coated substrate, remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) efficiently. This provides a safe operating environment when coupled to an external, customer-supplied exhaust system.
The TCM oven includes operation-friendly features like the motorised width adjustment of the chain conveyor, SMEMA compatibility, and ample clearance above and below for tall and complex PCB architectures. In addition, the oven comes with two popular temperature profiling software tools—KIC and ECD.
Key features:
- Heater control stability: ±1°C (±1.8°F)
- Cross conveyor temperature tolerance: ±5°C (±9°C)
- Profile change time: 5-15 minutes
- Typical cold start heat-up time: 30 minutes
- Board width: 51mm-508 mm (2-20 inches)
- Standard speed: 100mm/min.-600mm/min. (3.9-23.6 inches/min.)
- Conveyor height: 940 mm ± 51 mm (37 inches ± 2 inches)
Contact details: www.nordson.com
India distributor: TransTechnology India Pvt Ltd, www.trans-tec.com
