Is screen printing important for lead-free, and is there screen printing technology available for lead-free in Asia?

Yes, the screen printing process is key for lead-free manufacturing. From a printing perspective, company research shows that there are several factors that can enhance end-of-the-line yield that translate into cost efficiency, even given the higher price of lead-free materials. Because nearly 60 percent of defects can be traced back to the printing process, this defect rate (and, therefore, costs) can increase without attention to lead-free compatible printing processes.

ICON Technologies’ Icon i8 is a fully automatic screen printer that represents something of an industry first. Setting the benchmark for assemblers seeking the lowest cost of ownership, this technology delivers superior performance with lead-free, coupled with everything else expected from a high-level printing platform. Featuring high throughput and immense flexibility, the printer has been specifically developed to meet the precise demands of the fast-paced Asian electronics market.

In theory, the performance of Icon i8 is driven by a set of highly impressive technical credentials. In practice, this unique machine takes it one step further. Featuring a high degree of automation to maximize throughput and minimize operator intervention, the Icon i8 reduces product changeover time to a minimal two minutes. Additionally, the introduction of new boards to the production line is easy, facilitated by a fast new product set-up time of less than 10 minutes. Along with a host of other impressive technical specifications, Icon i8 delivers a rapid 12 seconds cycle time, 350 x 300 mm maximum board dimensions and compatibility with a range of advanced performance options.

The printer is very flexible and offers the following interfaces: SMEMA, Fuji and Panasonic as standard interface protocols, with other interfaces available upon request. The screen printer links directly to the board loader and conveyor or to the placement machine.

Besides being flexible, the system is easy to use. It provides real-time solutions to issues experienced, offers diagrams and explanations of process parameters, guides operators through setup and fault diagnosis, has a real-time voltage monitor, and is Windows XP powered with keyboard, tracker ball and soft keyboard inputs. All process variables are controlled via software.  Storage is provided for up to 3,000 product files, intelligent stencil loading is available standard with guide edge or center justified images, and an integrated USC, vacuum and vacuum tooling system minimizes system footprint. Additionally, an external 5 litre solvent tank is refillable on the fly.

Accuracy is important in screen printing. The Icon i8 has alignment accuracy of 15 mm and stencil alignment of 3 mm per step. The camera system is split for look up/look down recognition, and has an 11.5 x 8.5 mm field of view and an accuracy of 15 mm per pixel as well as a digital IEEE1394 interface. Fiducial capture is 0.5 to 3.0 mm, anywhere on the substrate. The system offers a sub-pixel alignment capability to sub-4 mm as well as a synthetic library of shapes or pad and aperture alignment capability. The camera system on the Icon i8 has software-controlled red LED illumination, eliminates poor fiducial contrast on challenging substrates, features superior image quality from the digital interface, and offers high accuracy fast fiducial recognition.