Solder paste machine - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 01:55:34 pm
content: Hi DaveWhat caused the miss registration? did the board move? (it looked like it was flexing a lot) or did the machine miss a few steps? For a machine of this cost going out of sync so quickly would be strange (and frustrating)

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 02:56:25 pm
content: I was surprised it was so slow. I imagined a paste printer would be more like an inkjet printing a raster at higher speed. How would the results compare with screening using a plastic stencil which you could cut at least as fast and with I guess a substantially cheaper machine? I imagined paste printers would be viable for runs of one off to a few tens off, hard to see this machine beating a stencil for more than a few off.I was surprised it dispensed with air pressure (and the hassle of needing that huge regulator/filter box). Too many variables to be accurate compared to say a lead screw and plunger. But then I saw the nozzle was poking the board so I assume the nozzles have sort of cupped ends which seal against the board leaving a defined volume to be filled by the pressurized paste. The nozzle contacting the board would account for the minimum 'dot' pitch restriction which was mentioned.

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 06:50:02 pm
content: I think that it is also aimed at rework of small batches. You could not screen print a board that was partially populated and needed (say) an fpga chip to be fitted or refitted.

author: vaneenbergen
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 06:52:55 pm
content: there are highspeed dropjet past dispencers for production rns. but these set you back 320k.we use stecil machine also for proto.http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=NL#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=7ECNNWKykPE

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 09:51:31 pm
content: I think it's aimed at low-volume and protos, although if you think about it, for feeding one line it only needs to be slightly faster than the pick & place. Mydata do a solderpaste-jet printer for higher end users, although it looks similar in,this infosuggests it can do up to 500 droplets per second.I know the higher end dispenser systems use screw-augers instead of pneumatics for precision dispensing.What surprised me was for an expensive bit of kit, why wasn't the software optimising the move path - it was flying back at the end of each BGA row instead of zig-zagging.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 17, 2011, 10:42:09 pm
content: Quote from: FreeThinker on April 17, 2011, 01:55:34 pmWe just didn't take enough care in the registration, it was only for a quick demo.Dave.

author: Leo Bodnar
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2011, 08:51:52 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on April 17, 2011, 09:51:31 pmBacklash avoidance?

author: Andi
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 11:55:32 am
content: Those machines really are for prototyping and small batches only. They work in a sequential manner, so every pad you add increases your production time. You don't want to wait for a board with a few thousand pads! But a good stencil costs way more than the time you put into this.Misalignment is also a very common problem in solder paste printing, you have production offsets in every component (okay, here you only have a PCB...), further it's very important to choose reliable fiducials. After all, some fine tuning to eliminate the last offset usually doesn't hurt! But for a quick demo the result isn't bad at all.Here at work (German University, research in electronics production) i'm sitting next to the exact same machine - the Martin Dot-Liner-06 - every day! Just haven't used it yet, i think after your video i might fire it up some day