Mar 13, 2015 
Apex Factory Automation, (ApexFA) distributor of high-quality SMT production equipment in North America, announces that it received the 2015 Circuits Assembly New Product Introduction award for its SJ Innotech 520 SPI printer/SPI unit in the category of Screen Printing Equipment.
Circuits Assembly Editor-in-Chief, Mike Buetow, presented the award to Bob Drake, Product Manager of ApexFA, and James Kim, Managing Director of SJ Innotech, during a ceremony that took place on February 24, 2015, at the San Diego Convention Center during this years’ IPC APEX EXPO.
ApexFA Product Manager, Bob Drake, said “We are thrilled to receive this award for the 3D SPI printer, it has been a bit of a secret that we had the only printer in the market with this capability. We’ve all heard the statistics that approximately 70% of defects in SMT manufacturing can be traced back to the printing process. With the built-in, full-PCB 3D SPI feedback system, customers have an easy way to dramatically improve their delivered quality with a single machine. This shortens their line length and simplifies the logistics, installation and software integration required by separate printer, conveyor and SPI units.”
The SJ Innotech 520 SPI printer is the only SMT printer in the market with true parallel processing 3D SPI onboard. A fully featured SPI unit, with separate gantry and camera system, is integrated into the printer, giving lower cost, requiring less floor space, and allowing easier integration into an SMT flowline. The SPI results for X, Y and theta offsets are automatically fed back to the printer, as well as other customizable “rules,” such as squeegee pressure adjustments, additional wipes, etc. No special integration or third party software is required for the SPI autofeedback, as the closed-loop feedback software is built in. While printing a PCB, the previously printed PCB is undergoing SPI, so no tact time is lost during SPI operation. A typical PCB is 100% 3D inspected in 7 to 8 seconds. SPC data is viewable on the machine and easily exported for offline documentation and analysis.
Premiering in 2008, the NPI Awards program is an annual celebration of product excellence in electronics surface mount assembly. Premier products based on the finest examples of creative advancement in technology are chosen by a distinguished panel of industry experts.
Apex Factory Automation and their team of advanced surface mount technology experts deliver thoughtfully tailored and reliably supported manufacturing solutions to meet client requirements. Their highly scalable solutions include the comprehensive range of Mirae and DIMA pick and place machines, SJ Inno Tech Printers , XAVIS X-Ray and TSM reflow ovens. The ApexFA team partners with its clients to establish best-value and optimized SMT production solutions for every manufacturing requirement – from low- to high-volume lines. For more information about Apex Factory Automation, visit www.apexfa.com.
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