Mar 12, 2013 
New SIPLACE machines and premium solutions for electronics production
With new SIPLACE placement machines and many software innovations, ASM Assembly Systems underscores how important the SMT Hybrid Packaging trade show in Nuremberg has become. At Booth 7-204, the SIPLACE team will present innovations from both ends of its platform spectrum: With the SIPLACE X3 S, it unveils the latest generation of the successful SIPLACE X high-end platform, while the SIPLACE D1i is a new solution for the more price-sensitive SMT production segment. Also new is the SIPLACE Very High Force Head for placement forces of up to 70 newtons. The SIPLACE team will also demonstrate its lead in the areas of software and workflow support for materials management with an extensive package of powerful solutions around SIPLACE Facts, including inventory management and MSD handling. Another machine will attract lots of attention as well: With its MCM12, ASM will use the 2013 SMT Hybrid Packaging show to position itself as the world’s only supplier for frontend, backend and final assembly processes in the electronics industry. As a highly flexible backend machine for the small-lot production of multichip modules, the MCM12 combines die attach, flip-chip, SMT and bonding; it can feed a wide range of components from tapes, trays and wafers with diameters of up to 12 inches.
“The SMT show in Nuremberg has established itself as an important show that attracts visitors from virtually all European markets. This year we have three focus areas: With the new generation of the SIPLACE X-Series and the SIPLACE D1, we are extending our placement platform offerings at both ends of the market. Now that our software has been setting new standards in the areas of NPI and setup procedures for many years, we are rolling out new software solutions for material management this year - an area in which many plants still have lot of room for efficiency improvements,” says Gabriela Reckewerth, Global Marketing Director on the SIPLACE team. “Using the example of LED and multichip production we will show that the ASM Group is the world’s only supplier that offers its customers solutions from wafer to backend to LED brightness class management in the SMT process. We will also demonstrate how we translate our extensive process expertise into solutions and how companies in the electronics industry benefit from this with additional profitability.”
New placement platforms: SIPLACE X3 S and SIPLACE D1i
With the SIPLACE X3 S, ASM Assembly Systems is rolling out the latest generation of its successful high-end platform. The new machine doesn’t just set new speed records, but is significantly more flexible than previous models, thanks in part to its interchangeable gantries that allow users to scale the machine’s performance in accordance with changing requirements. The very compact machine (1.9 x 2.6 meters) can handle PCBs with dimensions of up to 560 x 650 millimeters (W x L).
The SIPLACE D1, on the other hand, is particularly interesting for the price-sensitive segment of the market and for electronics producers who are looking for an affordable yet technologically advanced placement solution as an addition to an existing SIPLACE line or an entry point into the SIPLACE world. The platform is also interesting because its software is compatible with the SIPLACE Pro station software, the SiCluster setup optimization software and many other market-leading SIPALCE software solutions.
Placement head for automotive applications
A demo line featuring the most successful SIPLACE platform, the SIPLACE SX-Series, will also demonstrate the new SIPLACE Very High Force Head. It is able to handle connectors and other components with high placement forces of up to 70 newtons. With this head, users can place snap-in or lock-in components as part of the SMT process – particularly since the SIPLACE Smart Pin Support provides a fully automated solution for placing support pins that prevent PCBs from warping. The same SX line will also feature the SIPLACE Glue Feeder and the new SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer (WPC).
Material management: Reduce downtime, increase efficiency
With its intelligent software solutions for NPI and setup processes that have already delivered significant productivity improvements for many customers, the SIPLACE team has made lots of headlines in the electronics manufacturing industry in recent years. Now the company’s engineers are tackling the subject of material management. The reason: On many factory floors, missing parts, lack of transparency, non-reel-based component availability checks or delayed material provisions lead to unscheduled downtimes. With SIPLACE Facts, ASM Assembly Systems is now able to offer customers a complete and paperless material management solution that was designed especially for the electronics production environment. Its five modules (Facts Incoming, Facts Warehouse, Facts Material Control, Facts Order Management and Facts MSD) cover all processes from goods receiving to MSD handling. The solution can be further enhanced with software solutions such as SIPLACE LED Pairing and SIPLACE Traceability as well as SIPLACE Alternative Components and SIPLACE Alternative Tracks.
LEDs from wafer to brightness class management
Electronics manufacturers who handle upstream processes like the production of multichip or LED modules in addition to component placement applications would also be well advised to visit ASM at Booth 7-204. With its MCM12, the company will show a solution for multichip modules that integrates die attach, flip chip, chip stacking and bonding processes in a single unit. The necessary components can be fed from wafers with a diameter of up to 12 inches as well as from tape feeders and trays.
At the beginning of 2011, the SIPLACE team (formerly Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems) became a business unit of ASM Pacific Technology and operates now as ASM Assembly Systems. With its SIPLACE machines and innovative manufacturing concepts, ASM Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG is the world’s leading manufacturer of surface mount technology (SMT) placement machines and solutions. From the company’s start in 1985 through 2012, almost 35,000 placement machines have been installed at more than 350 customers worldwide. Electronics manufacturers in all industries such as telecommunications, automotive, IT, consumer electronics and automation use and depend on SIPLACE’s broad portfolio of solutions and services. For more information about ASM Assembly Systems (SIPLACE), visit www.siplace.com.
As a subsidiary of ASM International, which has its headquarters in Almere, Netherlands, ASM Pacific Technology (ASMPT), Singapore, has developed in only a few years into the world’s leading supplier of chip assembly, bonding and packaging systems and solutions. The ASMPT Group produces and markets machines for front-end and back-end chip assembly and semiconductor packaging. The company has plants in Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia, and since January 1, 2011 in Germany. ASMPT has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1989. For more information about ASMPT, visit www.asmpacific.com
