DEK Technology Earns Two Innovation Awards
Material Management System and VectorGuard High Tension Honoured with EM Asia Magazine's 2014 Innovation Awards
During a special ceremony that took place at NEPCON China last week, DEK was awarded two EM Asia Innovation Awards for its latest technology developments. The honours recognised the print leader's Material Management System, which leverages a combination of technologies to automatically monitor and control paste deposition, and its VectorGuard High Tension stencil technology.
Speaking on behalf of the appreciative DEK team, DEK Global Marketing Director Karen Moore-Watts said, "Our innovation development priorities centre on designing products that will make customers' print processes more efficient, intelligent and error-free. We are grateful that the judges of the EM Asia Innovation Awards have recognised these latest DEK products and their alignment with current and future market requirements."
DEK's Material Management System, which was awarded the Screen Printing Systems/ Integrated Subsystems category EM Asia Innovation Award, combines the capability of its Automatic Paste Dispenser II (APD II) and its Universal Paste Roll Height Monitor (uPRHM) to deliver a complete, hands-off paste control process. The uPRHM uses a vertical laser to detect paste presence and roll height sensing, and leverages closed-loop paste level detection to provide alerts for either manual or automatic paste replenishment. Working in concert with the uPRHM, the APD II uses paste absence/presence signals to automatically deposit specified volumes of material when needed. APD II allows complete control of the dispensing profile by optimising speed, pressure, position and frequency to ensure paste deposition precisely when and where required.  While either technology can be used singularly, research data shows that using both the APD II and uPRHM in combination can have a significant positive impact on printing and yield outcomes. Linking the capabilities of uPRHM and APD II – particularly in high volume operations -- can result in downtime savings of nearly one hour (57 minutes) per day.  Optimised, automated material replenishment has also been shown to reduce paste outside the print area by 80%, save as much as 100 g of solder paste per day and reducing defect rates by as much as 78%.Â
Winning the EM Asia Innovation Award in the category of Screen Printing Systems/Stencils was DEK's VectorGuard High Tension stencil system. Maintaining the inherent benefits of the original VectorGuard technology, VectorGuard High Tension expands on these capabilities with a higher-tension version ideal for today's miniaturized assemblies. The stencil technology has been proven to deliver improved process control for greater end-of-line yield, with excellent solder paste deposition and definition. Compared to mesh mounted stencils, VectorGuard High Tension offers considerable benefits including higher foil tension that is transferred evenly on all four sides, remaining consistent for a longer period of the stencil life. Because VectorGuard High Tension foils are secured with a unique locking frame system, there are no glue bonds that can fail and cause stencil "sag", as is often the case with mesh mounted stencils. Convenience and efficiency are at the heart of VectorGuard High Tension, as DEK has made VectorGuard High Tension compatible with existing VectorGuard foils so that customers can realize the benefits of the new technology by simply adding the VectorGuard High Tension frame to their stencil library.
"DEK continues to push the printing technology envelope farther and faster, as evidenced by these significant award wins and the launch of our Gemini platform last week at NEPCON China," summarized Moore-Watts. "Ultimately, our customers are the real winners and we sincerely thank EM Asia magazine for recognising the process-enabling importance of these DEK technologies."
For more information on APD II, uPRHM or VectorGuard High Tension, visit www.dek.com.
About DEK
DEK is a global provider of advanced materials deposition technologies and support solutions including printing equipment platforms, stencils, precision screens and mass imaging processes used across a wide range of applications in electronics pre-placement subassembly, semiconductor wafer manufacture, and alternative energy component production. For more information, visit DEK at www.dek.com.
Company Contact:
Tracey Khoo
email: tkhoo@dek.comÂ
mobile: +65 9837 0338
