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Productronica 2007 Special Show Report

Attending Productronica 2007 was a first for the staff of SMTnet. It was a surprising and impressive event. BIG!.. EXTRAVAGENT!.. LAVISH!.. are words that first come to mind. Nearly 1500 exhibitors with over 40,000 visitors paying as much as $30.00US to attend a single day and of whom over "94% of the visitors and 79% of the exhibitors rated the trade fair as excellent to good... " From the point of view of food I would rate it wonderful... with many booths served sandwiches, hors d'oeuvre, drinks and of course being Germany, beer, which was terrific!!

And the after the show? Parties there on the show floor with bands and more of everything... such hospitality made it easy to continue the day even when bed sounded good. It was a melting pot of new ideas and industry directions, all being discussed in fun, after-hours

party hopping, often until the wee hours of the morning. A couple beers, a good brat, the conversations never stopped.

The social settings shifted locations throughout Munich often as mobile feasts such as that put on by Dage on a charted bus. Sometimes finding them was as much of an adventure as attending as Munich is filled with lots of one-way roads from which you cannot turn left. (The country did recently take a turn to the right in electing Chancellor Merkel.)

On one evening, traveling with Geron Ryden (the marketing manager for Juki) with his son driving, who is stationed in Munich and serving his country, we attempted to find the Etek party. It seemed as though we toured the entire city looking for the address. The party and the companionship were worth the hilarious, citywide tour.

OK so it was fun, but what about the business of business? Thank you for asking!

There were several hot topics but one of particular interest was the connection of SMT and Solar and the incredible growth of the solar industry. We heard of growth rates of between 20-50% per year! How is that for an industry looking for a market?

In one meeting with Indium, we heard that growth has been so fast, customers are worried about future shortages of the metal itself. Anita Brown of the marketing group, stated that the reports of shortages were overly dramatic and supply was not a real issue.

It will be worth keeping a close eye on the growth of solar and its' connections with Electronics Manufacturing.

Please post your thoughts on this and other subjects on our forum under "SMT Future Issues." As always, everyone welcomes new topics and this hot growth area is worth discussing,

One result of our attendance and participation in Productronica 2007, was the gratifying and motivating direct feedback of the professionals from around the world that utilize the services of SMTnet.

We found that almost every manufacturer visits our site on a regular basis to look for references to their products and services in our forum and in other site sections.

As an instructional tool, those around the world can discover solutions to a problem. Moreover a problem solved for one is solved for the many, providing all with real time, real world solutions.

While we have heard this for some time, we learned there is a need for more information about where the industry is going and how to keep abreast of new developments in the marketplace. This is new territory for SMTnet as we have seen our role was providing the meeting place for the working industry in a global community with the means to handle current issues as they arise through our forums, mart, and career center, etc.

Now we need to consider how we can best serve the community in what we view as an expanded role for SMTnet.

This will require going into the marketplace to bring this new information to you as we continue to bring you your contributions to your SMTnet community. Look for us to continue to meet the rising demands of this demanding industry.

Productronica 2007 - Final Report

Leading World Trade Fair Productronica 2007 Records Positive Result.

The world of electronics products was a guest in Munich from 13 to 16 November. A total of 1,484 exhibitors from 35 countries, including global market leaders such as ERSA, Fuji, Komax, Panasonic, Rohde & Schwarz, Rohwedder, Samsung, Siemens A&D and Tyco Electronics, displayed state-of-the-art technology and numerous world firsts at Productronica 2007. »»

See Video News from Productronica 2007:
Day 1, Day 3, Summary

Global SMT & Packaging Magazine

Photo Gallery

Subscribe FREE to Global SMT & Packaging magazine

Global SMT and Packaging Awards

As said earlier, many innovations and products were displayed for the first time and some were honored at the Global SMT and Packaging Awards on Tuesday night. The ceremony was brief, as declared by Trevor Galbraith Publisher of Global SMT, so everyone could hit the many parties.

Following are some of the shows most innovative products to receive awards:

Trevor Galbraith, publisher of Global SMT & Packaging Magazine, and Pedro Pierans, European Customer Support Manager, Cascade Microtech Europe

Assembly Tools (tie):

MYDATA Aglis Stick Magazine

MYDATA

The new MYDATA Agilis Stick Magazine, is the latest evolution of Agilis design. The new magazine is said to solve vibratory stick feeder problems and by increasing both the variety and quantity of components placed throughout the day, reduces set-up and changeover times there-by boosting production run throughput.

Learn more about Aglis Stick Magazine

Ovation Magna-Print SMT Squeegee Holder

Ovation Products

Ovation's Magna-Print system is a universal fit squeegee holder, with infinitely adjustable paste deflectors and corresponding blades to accommodate any PCB size.

Learn more about Magna-Print SMT Squeegee Holder

Interview: Ovation Products' Charles Moncavage

[Ovation Products also received an award Best Product - North America for their Active Stencil system]

Cleaning Equipment:

DEK Cycle Understencil Cleaning (USC)

DEK

The DEK Cyclone system aids manufacturers to maximize product throughput. In terms of under stencil cleaning, this equates to shorter and more efficient cleaning cycles, longer intervals between paper roll changeover and reduced changeover times.

Learn more about DEK Cyclone

Interview: DEK's Michael Brianda

DEK also received an award for their Reel-to-Reel (R2R) continuous substrate printing technology.

Cleaning Materials:

Kyzen AQUANOX A4625B Aqueous Chemistry

Kyzen

Biodegradable AQUANOX A4625B is an innovative MEA-free aqueous blend specifically designed for batch washers to remove pastes, tacky fluxes, rosin flux, no-clean flux, lead-free flux and assembly residues.

Learn more about AQUANOX A4625B

Interview: Kyzen's Tom Forsythe

Components (tie):

Practical Components Traceability & Control Validation Kit

Practical Components

Practical Components Inc. and Aegis Industrial Software Corp. have partnered to offer an innovative kit designed to validate a manufacturer's entire process and provide rich product and process traceability detail.

Learn more about Traceability & Control Validation Kit

Cascade Microtech Grypper� BGA Test Socket

Cascade Microtech

Grypper� BGA test socket is a high-performance, low-cost, fine-pitch BGA test socket ideal for testing 0.4mm and 0.5mm pitch high-frequency devices in applications where PCB holes for external fasteners and additional hardware cannot be accommodated.

Cascade Microtech Grypper� BGA Test Socket

Dispensing Equipment:

Asymtek SC-400 PreciseCoat� Conformal Coating Jet Applicator

Asymtek

SC-400 PreciseCoat jet applies coating materials to highly selective areas and areas not accessible by other applicators. It's ideal for small substrates, or substrates with high-component density and tight tolerances between coated and uncoated areas.

Learn more about SC-400 PreciseCoat� Conformal Coating Jet Applicator

Environmentally Friendly Products/Services:

Aqueous Technologies SMT-1000ZD Batch Defluxing System

Aqueous Technologies

SMT1000-ZD zero-discharge, high performance automatic defluxing system is the most effective, innovative, fully automatic defluxing system capable of removing all flux types. Features fully automatic operation.

Learn more about SMT-1000ZD Batch Defluxing System

Interview: Michael Konrad, president & CEO of Aqueous Technologies

Inspection - AOI Systems:

CyberOptics Flex Ultra AOI Test/Inspection System

CyberOptics

Flex Ultra delivers advanced detection with faster speeds and higher resolution, increasing overall product quality and providing consistency of performance. Flex Ultra is configurable for post-placement and post-reflow inspection applications.

Learn more about Flex Ultra AOI Test/Inspection System

Placement Equipment:

Juki Automation FX3 High Speed Mounter

Juki Automation

FX3 is the first machine in the marketplace that will do high speed, high quality assembly at a reasonable cost, with a price point at about 30% of a comparable machine. The machine is extremely versatile and can place parts from 00105 to 0402s to 35mm accuracy.

Learn more about FX3 High Speed Mounter

Interview: Jurg Schupbach, president of Juki in Europe

Soldering Equipment Innovation:

BTU International Pyramax 100 Reflow Oven

BTU International

With 8-zone air or nitrogen models, 350�C maximum temperature, flexible platform configuration, low nitrogen and power consumption, and a comprehensive menu of options, the Pyramax 100 is both the industry's most versatile performer and its best value for lead-free processing.

Learn more about Pyramax 100 Reflow Oven

On the show floor: BTU's Rob DiMatteo

For Soldering Materials:

Nihon Superior/Balver Zinn SN100C Solder Products

Nihon Superior / Balver Zinn

The Lead Free Electronics Project JCAA/JG-PP that concluded it's research in 2006 found that in addition to matching the performance of tin-copper alloys in thermal cycling, the SN100C outperformed the competitive alloys by a significant margin in vibration testing

Learn more about SN100C Solder Products

Interview: Balver Zinn's Josef Jost

Wafer Level Products:

Milara AWPb 300 Wafer Bumper System

Milara, Inc.

AWPb 300 is a creative and cost efficient application of Milara's existing technology and is capable of handling 200/300mm cassettes with either a single or dual FOUP option, meeting a significant industry challenge.

Learn more about AWPb 300 Wafer Bumper System

Best Product - Europe:

EVS International EVS 1000 Solder Recovery System

EVS International

The innovative EVS 1000 solder recovery system is a smaller, lighter version of the popular EVS 3000/6000, with all of the recovery performance of the standard and lead-free solder units, while still offering capacity for 10lb/5kg of dross.

Learn more about EVS 1000 Solder Recovery System

On the show floor: EVS International's Graham Norman

Best Product - Asia:

ICON i8 Printing Platform

ICON Technologies

The Icon i8 was specifically developed to meet the significant industry challenges of the fast-paced Asian electronics market, and it sets the benchmark for assemblers seeking the lowest cost of ownership while delivering superior performance and value

Learn more about Icon i8 Printing Platform

Test Equipment:

RMD Instruments LeadTracer RoHS CRF System

RMD Instruments

LeadTracer-RoHS x-ray fluorescence system is a major innovation and advancement of XRF analysis technology and is the only XRF system that is designed specifically for the electronics industry to provide fast, accurate, and portable screening capability to meet RoHS directives

Learn more about LeadTracer RoHS CRF System

Interview: RMD Instruments' Jack Paster

Complete list of Global SMT and Packaging 2007 Award Winners

Other Products Featured at Productronica 2007

FINEPLACER� FEMTO High Precision Opto-Bonder�

Finetech

The brand new FINEPLACER� FEMTO provides auto-touchdown and die placement as well as controlled bonding operation after automatic alignment of die and substrate. FINEPLACER� FEMTO is an innovative opto-bonder that offers users extreme modularity and flexibility.

Learn more about FEMTO High Precision Opto-Bonder�

The Mark III Reflow System

Heller Industries

True breakthrough in Reflow soldering technology. The Mark III system includes features that provide: "Spike Zone" design to minimize liquidous time, ultra fast cooling rates of 3-5 Deg/Sec to form perfect grain structure, More heated zones than any other competitor to allow "Profile Sculpting".

Learn more about The Mark III Reflow System

Indium5.1AT Pb-Free Solder Paste

Indium Corporation

Award-winning, no clean, Pb-free solder paste that delivers enhanced finished goods reliability by featuring:

Low Voiding at Via-In-Pad, Excellent Printability, Excellent Wetting, Robust Reflow Profile Window.

Learn more about Indium5.1AT Pb-Free Solder Paste

Optimum� Syringe Barrels and Cartridges

EFD Inc.

New world standard for quality, consistency and reliability. They improve yields and reduce costs by producing the most accurate, repeatable fluid deposits possible.

Learn more about Optimum� Syringe Barrels and Cartridges

MV-7L Inline AOI System

Mirtec

Fully configured, the MV-7L provides one top down camera and four side view cameras. Each camera provides a native resolution of Two Mega Pixels. The patented "Quad Angle Lighting System" of the MV-7L provides four independently programmable zones for optimal illumination of inspection areas.

Learn more about MV-7L Inline AOI System

MV-3L Desktop AOI Machine

Mirtec

The MV-3L is the "World's First" Five Camera Desktop AOI system. The MV-3L uses the same exact optics and lighting system as the MV-7L to ensure 100% programming compatibility across the product line. The system software is simple yet powerful. A comprehensive Package Type Library provides simple "Drag and Drop" component programming.

Learn more about MV-3L Desktop AOI Machine

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