Henkel, Vitronics-Soltec, DEK and Partnertec showcases lead-free expertise

Attended mainly by customers from the Benelux region, the event played host to an array of Henkel's leading customers including Phillips, Alcatel and Neways. The day enabled Henkel to showcase its relationship with high profile, industry-leading partners whilst presenting a comprehensive working solution. The combination of various presentations and workshops at the event highlighted Henkel's overall position as a fundamental part of a much wider process. Reinforcing this, the involvement of Henkel's partners provided customers with a significant insight into the complexity of going lead-free that Henkel endeavours to simplify. DEK, represented by the company Partnertec was on hand throughout the duration of the event to demonstrate how Multicore lead-free solder paste performs on their equipment. Similarly, Vitronic-Soltec worked with Henkel to demonstrate and showcase a comprehensive lead-free proposition. "We work closely with our partners to ensure maximum compatibility," explains Group Director of Application Engineering for the electronics group of Henkel, Frank Ongkiehong. "We want our customers to see this and understand that with the support of our partners, Henkel is best placed to deliver a complete and optimised lead-free solution," he adds. Customer feedback indicated that one of the highlights of the event for those involved was a series of workshop-style demonstrations in which participants assembled a small smt circuit board to put Henkel products and expertise into practice. Together with the company Romex, lead-free rework and hand soldering was demonstrated. These exercises provided customers with first hand experience of how Henkel products can combine with electronics equipment to drive an effective lead-free process. Henkel's Technology Day also featured a well received seminar on the subject of Macromelt low pressure moulding, outlining the new possibilities associated with the technology for manufacturers of circuits that must be protected against environmental influences such as sensors and automotive control units. Moulding has previously required high pressure levels which involve complex and expensive tooling. However, Henkel's innovative use of low pressure moulding offers greater protection at less cost, representing a new range of options for manufacturers. By converging with its partner and customer base on a single platform, Henkel was able to demonstrate its technical expertise as part of a practical, comprehensive and integrated solution, from product to process.