Stencil Printer offers cycle time of 6 seconds.

Press Release Summary:




Based on parallel processing technology, MPM Accela(TM) handles boards from 50 x 50 mm to 500 x 500 mm and from 0.15-12.7 mm thick. It offers 3 and 5 mm edge clearance changeover, adjustable stencil shelf, and consistent line pulse rate. Axes can move at same time without electrical or mechanical limitations. Benchmark(TM) software provides networking and common interface across multiple platforms. Printer meets ±12.5 microns at 6 Sigma for alignment and for printing.



Original Press Release:



Speedline Technologies Introduces Next Generation Technology in its New MPM Accela Stencil Printer



-- Debut Causes Paradigm Shift in Industry --

FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, February 22, 2005 - Speedline Technologies today officially introduced the new MPM Accela(TM) stencil printer from Speedline Technologies - creating a new standard in the way electronics manufacturers measure printer performance. The new printer - loaded with innovations backed by two new U.S. patent awards and nine additional patents-pending - is literally unlike anything else in the industry.

"The new MPM Accela stencil printer is the industry's truly next generation printer - introducing dramatic innovations in parallel processing technology and producing the most boards per hour of any industry printer - delivering raw throughput gains of more than 20% over the closest competitor," said Pierre de Villemejane, president, Speedline Technologies.

"The Accela's debut renders traditional cycle time claims obsolete and shifts the focus, once and for all, to the measurements that high-end electronics manufacturers are really interested in - throughput and yield," said de Villemejane. "With superior accuracy and repeatability and increased throughput, the Accela will enable manufacturers to concentrate on the quality, number, and cost of good boards produced per hour."

"Cycle time metrics as a method to compare printers simply doesn't tell the whole story," he explained. "Cycle time doesn't predict how fast the manufacturing line will really run or the final quality of the printing process. By comparing throughput rates - which includes all the steps required to turn a bare PCB into a high quality finished board - manufacturers will have a more accurate idea of how their manufacturing line will actually perform."

Certified Specs
The new Accela printer has the best accuracy and repeatability specifications of any printer on the market - and has been verified by CeTaQ, the world's foremost capability measurement specialists for SMT equipment. CeTaQ's independent certification verifies that the Accela printer will meet ±12.5 microns at 6 Sigma for alignment and ±25 microns at 6 Sigma for printing performance.

Ready for Lead-free
With the transition to lead-free materials, printing accuracy and repeatability becomes even more important. "Lead-free materials don't spread during the reflow process as much as tin/lead materials. This factor makes it even more imperative that the printing process is as accurate as possible," said de Villmejane. "We have identified all of the variables that impact the lead-free printing process through extensive laboratory testing. Because of its improved accuracy and repeatability, the Accela printer is the perfect solution for any manufacturer preparing for the lead-free transition."

Ground-up Innovation
"The Accela printer is a clear, quantum leap forward for the industry, designed and developed from extensive and resounding manufacturer input - gleaned through our unsurpassed experience with an installed base of 13,000 printers worldwide - that cost per board, not cycle time, was their most important production measurement," said de Villemejane.

The Accela printer optimizes production by delivering greater yield potential - due to tighter repeatability and accuracy specifications and a highly flexible platform for fast changeovers, along with superior inspection capabilities in terms of speed and accuracy. In its debut, the Accela printer:

o Introduces a host of innovative technological advances in parallel processing technology to increase throughput by more than 20%
- Axes can move at the same time without electrical or mechanical limitations
- Alignment, wiping, dispensing, transport and inspection can occur simultaneously to minimize wait time and to increase throughput
- Stationary stencil cleaner designed for easy access and simple changeover
o Optimizes board handling for the industry's fastest cycle time: less than 6 seconds
o Provides a consistent line pulse rate for improved line optimization
o Offers 3mm and 5mm edge clearance changeover without additional parts and an adjustable stencil shelf for maximum flexibility
o Is designed from the ground up - mechanically, electrically and software - to maximize the parallel processing capabilities provided by the CANopen control architecture for truly impressive throughput rates
o Uses Benchmark(TM) software for improved operator interface and easy networking and provides a common interface across multiple Speedline platforms
o Dramatically reduces setup, changeover and consumable downtime (20 minutes to 5 minutes), and features tool-free hardware interfaces
o Expands inspection capabilities, including contrast-based 2D, texture-based BridgeVision(TM) and StencilVision(TM) for the fastest quantitative printer-based inspection in the industry
o Increases the application range including higher density, more complex boards including lead-free manufacturing requirements

Specifications for the Accela printer are:
o Board size: 50mm X 50mm - 500mm X 500mm
o Board thickness: 0.15mm - 12.7mm
o Underside component clearance: 25mm
o Board weight: 7kg
o Board edge clearance: 3mm or 5mm
o Various board support options including Gel-Flex(TM) conformal support system, magnetic pins and dedicated workholders
o Alignment: ±12.5 microns at 6 Sigma
o Print performance: ±25 microns at 6 Sigma

Speedline Technologies officially introduced the new Accela printer at the APEX 2005 Expo, held February 22-24, 2005, in Anaheim, Calif.

About Speedline Technologies
Speedline Technologies is the global leader in process knowledge and expertise for the PCB assembly and semiconductor industries. Based in Franklin, Massachusetts, U.S.A., the company markets five best-in-class brands - Accel microelectronics cleaning equipment; Camalot dispensing systems; Electrovert wave soldering, reflow soldering, and cleaning equipment; MPM stencil and screen printing systems; and Protect global services, support, and training solutions. Speedline was named as the "2005 Surface Mount Technology Company of the Year" by Frost & Sullivan.

For more information, visit us at www.speedlinetech.com, or contact us at:

o USA: Speedline Technologies, 16 Forge Park, Franklin, MA 02038 USA, Tel: 1-508-520-0083, Fax: 1-508-520-2288, E-mail: info@speedlinetech.com;

o Europe: Speedline Technologies GmbH, Im Gefierth 14, 63303 Dreieich, Germany, Tel: +49 (0)6103/832-0, Fax: +49(0)6103/832-299, E-mail: info.europe@speedlinetech.com;

o Asia: Speedline Technologies Asia Pte Ltd, 150 Kampong Ampat, #05-08 KA Centre, Singapore 368324, Tel: 65-6286-6635, Fax: 65-6289-9411, E-mail: asiamarketing@speedlinetech.com.

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