DEK to show breakthrough technology

At the upcoming APEX show, visitors to the DEK booth will see first-hand how the mass imaging leader delivers the best of both worlds: 100% board verification and a record-breaking cycle time of 4 seconds. Manufacturers no longer need to sacrifice speed for 100% post-print inspection or vice versa. DEK's innovative HawkEye™ and RTC™ (Rapid Transit Conveyor) technologies now provide this long sought-after manufacturing nirvana and combine to deliver dramatic increases in throughput and end of the line yield. HawkEye introduces a new inspection philosophy which isolates faults through rapid good/bad verification instead of performing data-rich inspection during high-speed manufacturing. Unlike other systems, HawkEye can verify 100% of printed boards within the line beat rate by analyzing streamed images as opposed to successive still images. To quickly isolate bad boards, the system records pass/fail per board against preset thresholds instead of capturing quantitative data. Combining HawkEye inspection technology with DEK's new RTC system enables unprecedented levels of throughput and end of the line yield. The speed at which boards can be delivered and removed from the printing phase is dramatically increased through RTC's innovative board handling technology, which is significantly different from conventional conveyor methods. Instead of the traditional, slow, belt type transport that relies on friction to move the board, RTC grips the board, adapts to its dimensions and rapidly transports the board into printing position, resulting in an industry-leading core cycle time of four seconds. APEX visitors will be able to view the HawkEye RTC combination on board DEK's Micron-class Europa mass imaging system. Not only will attendees witness never before seen 100% post-print verification at groundbreaking speed, but can also view DEK's full suite of lead-free solutions. Extensive research and analysis has proven that stencil material, paste application method (squeegee vs. enclosed head technology) and equipment accuracy all play vital roles for successful printing of today's Pb-free materials. DEK's lead-free solutions, which include the award-winning VectorGuard Laser Cut Nickel frame-mounted stencil system, ProFlow® enclosed head technology and premiere Micron-class mass imaging systems, as well as the company's full range of printing systems, consumables, tooling and stencil solutions, will be on display in booth #2143.