EW - Production Edition - ASM Placement Machines, SCREEN Thermal Plate Recorders & More

Industry 4.0 and the Evolution of Semiconductor Manufacturing

(Image courtesy of Applied Materials.)

Applied Materials (AM) is aiming to help usher in the adoption of Industry 4.0 for semiconductor manufactures with a new engineering data interface.

In order to support high-speed diagnostic data collection, AM’s engineering data interface, now called Interface-A, has been separated from the control interfaces and is used only for gathering equipment data. The idea is to meet the industry need to have all of this data on a common platform for consistency and easy integration/analysis. According to AM, the result is increased effectiveness of various analytic solutions like run-to-run (R2R) control and fault detection and classification (FDC) analysis, which are available as part of AM’s SmartFactory manufacturing solutions.

For more information, visit AM’s website.

ASM Placement Machine

(Image courtesy of ASM Assembly Systems.)

ASM Assembly Systems will be attending this year’s SMTA International and will be displaying its SIPLACE SX placement machine. The SIPLACE SX has no hardware constraints and is combined with line software designed to allow for flexibility in SMT placement. It features the MultiStar placement head that can run in 3 different modes, giving the SIPLACE SX a large component range and the ability to keep the line balanced no matter the mix of components.

Also on display will be the DEK NeoHorizon 01iX screen printer including Hawkeye paste inspection, high throughput conveyor and a single sweep Cyclone stencil cleaner. In addition, the ASM booth will include the E-by-SIPLACE Pick and Place Platform.

SMTA International 2017 will be held from September 19^th to 20^th in Rosemont, Illinois.

For more information, visit the SMTA website.

EVG Mask Alignment Lithography

(Image courtesy of EV Group.)

EV Group has unveiled the IQ Aligner NT, an automated mask alignment system for high-volume advanced packaging applications. Featuring high-intensity and high-uniformity exposure optics, wafer handling hardware and 200-mm and 300-mm wafer coverage that enables global multi-point alignment and optimized tool software, the IQ Aligner NT is designed to provide a 2x increase in throughput and 2x improvement in alignment accuracy over EVG's previous-generation IQ Aligner.

The system meets requirements for wafer bump and other back-end lithography applications while providing up to 30 percent lower cost of ownership compared to similar systems. The IQ Aligner NT is suitable for a variety of advanced packaging types, including Wafer-level Chip Scale Packaging, Fan-out Wafer Level Packaging, 3D-IC/Through-silicon Via, 2.5D Interposers and Flip Chip.

Information concerning pricing and availability can be found on EVG’s website.

Nordson Bulk Unloader

(Image courtesy of Nordson.)

Nordson has introduced the Rhino Bulk Unloader, a system utilized for the efficient dispensing of high-viscosity, ambient temperature sealants and adhesives.

With a 5-gallon capacity, a variety of ratio sizes and a quick-change packing cartridge, the Rhino is designed to provide smooth flow properties, ease-of-operation and simplified maintainability for a variety of applications, materials and production requirements.

Key Features:

Dispensing Consistency: Air motor changeover with rapid-cycling, dual air-piloted cylinder, which provides uniform material output and consistent material pressure.
Ease of Operation: Front facing pneumatic controls that feature auto shutdown to prevent damage to the unit when the pump reaches the bottom of the container.

· Production Efficiencies: Interchangeable follower plate and seal design can reduce wasted material and lengthy changeover procedures.

Additional technical specifications are located on Nordson’s website.

SCREEN Thermal Plate Recorder System

(Image courtesy of SCREEN.)

SCREEN has finalized development of the PlateRite Ultima 16000N series of thermal plate recorders for plate sizes including up to 16 A4 pages. All systems are equipped with GLVTM imaging heads, improving the optical system. The heads produce more uniform light distribution while a precision auto-focus mechanism allows the output of SCREEN’s Spekta 2 hybrid screening and Randot X 20 (20 μm) FM screening.

Energy use during operation is now reduced by up to 55 percent due to features such as a power-saving mode that cuts consumption during idling. Energy use during standby is reduced by up to 83 percent. SCREEN is also in the process of finalizing arrangements that will make it possible for users to monitor all three models remotely via the company’s TRUST Network Service.

For more information, visit SCREEN’s website.

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