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In September 2009, DPA (Design Products & Applications magazine) will celebrate the start of its thirtieth year of publishing with a special Anniversary Issue. Over this period of thirty years they have seen extraordinary leaps in technology that have quite simply changed the way we live – the personal computer, mobile telephony and the Internet, to mention just a few. Manufacturing industry, too, has enjoyed the benefits of remarkable technological advances, and to celebrate this, they have been asking suppliers and manufacturers to nominate products that they believe are representative of these advances for an online ‘virtual’ awards event, which they have dubbed, the DPA 30th Anniversary issue Innovation Awards.

We are really pleased to have our DYMAX See-Cure adhesive technology as an entrant in the Materials & Fasteners section.

Please vote for us!

Solder paste conditioning

If you store your solder paste in the fridge, then you need a process for getting it onto the production line and ready to use - which means it must be at room temperature and correctly mixed. The THINKY SR-500 Solder Paste Mixer and Conditioning Machine makes this process quick and foolproof.

• It is quick, with a controlled temperature ramp-up within 10 minutes - this might takes two hours normally


• It mixes the paste to full homogeneity, without excessive heating and without air inclusion


• It avoids the problem of condensation and water absorption by the paste during warming from cold

Poor paste mixing, air bubbles and moisture can all cause solder joint failures like voids and shorts. Let us know if you would like to talk more about the THINKY SR-500.

	The mixing in of air bubbles can be seen, and the solder powder is not dispersed uniformly.
	No air bubbles are seen, and the solder powder is dispersed uniformly.

In a spin with air free mixing

We are proud to be the centrefold in today's Laboratory News, with an article about our range of THINKY mixers.

Just like a DJ working a club - when it comes to getting the perfect mix, it's all about how you spin...

Traditional methods have served for many years but mixers built on the rotary and revolution 'planetary' principle are proving themselves excellent performers.

Hot-melt dispensing

The Thermadose® range of hot-melt adhesive dispensing systems encompass bench mounted tank-style controllers designed to handle pellet, brick and flake hot-melt adhesives in 12, 14 and 34 lb capacities as well as heavier duty 5 gallon and 55 gallon drums. These include a smooth easy-clean heating platen or an optional spiral-grid that increases the surface area and improves heating efficiency and control for high-flow and hard to melt materials. All models are also available in versions to apply non-adhesive substances requiring sterile conditions.

Crossover configurations for constant product flow are offered either as 55/5 gallon or 55/55 gallon configurations with simple to learn controls. When coupled to a range of heavy-duty heated accessories, the tank controller becomes part of a system that can be manually configured, for example, with a hand-gun or interfaced to a robot for fully automatic operation. Each hot-melt tank controller consists of a heated melt tank with an integral heat grid. Tanks are coated with an approved food contact material.

Ergonomic and lightweight balanced dispensing guns have an integrated hanger for suspension hook up and incorporate hot-melt dispensing nozzles for fitting to applicator valves, manifolds and flow heads for swirl assemblies and pattern nozzles.

Electric and air operated applicator valve heads are designed for mounted installation and feature a fast “snap” function solenoid valve with precise needle-and-seat action which produces a clean cut-off to preventing drips, e.g. when using edge dispensing manifold applicators - commonly used in corrugated or folded carton applications to dispense hot-melt in either horizontal or vertical modes. Accessories are available for angled dispensing.

Thermadose® hot-melt pail pump systems are available in 5 gallon and 55 gallon models. Connection is via hoses which incorporate a PTFE core, a reinforced stainless steel braid and high temperature insulation, with a durable polyester braid cover for abrasion resistance. These heated hoses are both electrically and mechanically attached to hot melt controllers via easy access front connector.

Tack-free in 3 minutes

Conformal coating of electronic assemblies is an often vital protection measure in industries such as automotive, aviation, consumer electronics, domestic appliances and industrial meters and controls – and it is one much under consideration at the present time. There is always great pressure on cycle time for pcb assembly and the cure time of traditional conformal coatings is frequently seen as a bottleneck. Turbo-Coat dries tack-free in 3 minutes and we are delighted therefore that Techspray have again managed to be one step ahead of the pack. Their Turbo-Coat quick dry product is just what is needed to significantly improve efficiency in this area.

Turbo-Coat dries tack-free in 3 minutes, allowing manufacturers to handle boards in 1/3 the time of the most commonly used acrylic coatings. Full cure can be achieved as quickly as 10 minutes with elevated temperatures. Turbo-Coat can be either sprayed or brushed, or boards can be dipped directly into the coating for a thicker layer of protection in a single pass. Because of its low viscosity (averaging 20 cps), Turbo-Coat can generally be used in an automated spray system without the risk of cob-webbing. Turbo-Coat greatly facilitates fast easy production, re-work and repair by its easy workability, and by the inclusion of a UV indicator to speed up black light QC inspection.

Turbo-Coat acrylic conformal coating does not contain chemicals listed under SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern), defined by REACH. Not only is Turbo-Coat fully RoHS compliant it is also free from many of the typically hazardous solvents contained in other conformal coatings – such as MEK, toluene and xylene - making handling and ventilation easier to manage. We are constantly seeking safer, faster product solutions and this one certainly seems to fit the bill.

Turbo-Coat acrylic conformal coating fully complies with IPC-CC-830 and MIL-I-46048C standards. Turbo-Coat has achieved a V-0 rated tested under the UL94 flammability standard.

UV Cure = Speedy Cure, Fast Cure

It takes longer to read this sentence than it does to cure DYMAX adhesives.

That's the message from a new range of DYMAX advertisements - this one is aimed at plastic bonding.

Typical plastic adhesive applications include appliance assembly, automotive sub-assemblies, headlamp assembly, plastic component tacking and sealing, potting, fixturing and ruggedising plastic housings, high-end displays and jewelry manufacturing, cosmetic household items, and aerospace vibration dampening. These plastic adhesives cure rapidly for high-speed production using either broad spectrum bulb technology or visible light LED technology.

New Techspray information for 2009

We have started to integrate into our website some new catalogue sheets from sales partner Techspray. There are seven of them, which you can download here:

• Conformal Coatings & Temporary Solder Masks


• Duster & Freeze Sprays


• ESD & Anti-Static Products


• Cutters & Brushes


• Precision Cleaners & Defluxers


• Rework & Desoldering Braid


• Wipes & Swabs

Latest dummy catalogue available on-line

The new Practical Components catalogue is available on-line. It is full of the latest technology in dummy electronic components and mechanical samples as well as the "old standbys". Look at our Pack on Package offerings starting on page 5 or the FusionQuad® on page 4, or check out our Pac Tech Flip Chips on page 26 or the Cleanliness and Residue Evaluation Test Kit on page 86.

The Practical Components catalogue is designed to help engineers quickly find the key products needed to qualify their technology, train and grow their business. This new catalogue will be of special interest to anyone involved in pcb assembly, training, soldering and surface mount technology.

In an effort to make the catalogue more green and carbon neutral, our sales partners have created a new virtual catalogue with a page flip format. As a user you benefit by being able to view on-line or off, save the complete catalogue to disk, send the complete catalogue or as little as a single page to a colleague, add your own sticky notes and add bookmarks as well as print.

According to Practical President Kevin Laphen:

Our new free virtual catalogue is organised by package type/category with each product accompanied by drawings, description, part number with both lead-free and tin-lead availability and formulations and daisy chain patterns.

Mixing "nano"s: nanotubes, nanofibres, nanoceramics...

In the arena of high technology and high performance materials the uniform dispersal of nano-sized particles in materials such as resin is extremely difficult work. Traditional methods have significant problems – consequently we are pleased to announce a solution in the form of the THINKY ARV-310 Mixer.

The ARV-310 and its larger capacity sibling the ARV-5000 both utilise proven Thinky planetary mixing technology with the added advantage of a vacuum environment. Their powerful acceleration enables uniform mixing as well as simultaneous dispersion and de-aerating for highly active nano-sized particles such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) or particles in epoxy or silicone, nano-ceramic in water, nanofibers in polymer, nanogold balls, yag phosphor in silicone, or for organic materials.

The Thinky ARV units are addressing the really difficult mixing problems in laboratories around the world. Their bi-directional action does not enfold air while the new vacuum environment facility removes existing air or other gases. A good example is CNT dispersion in epoxy, where compared to hand mixing the Thinky process leads to better than halving resistivity in the final material. This is a technology especially suited to small/medium laboratory type quantities.

The Thinky planetary mixing process is considered ideal for nano-polymers, ultra-fine semiconductor elements, molecular devices, biogenic materials, protein solar batteries, organic ELs, intelligent ceramics, functional materials, materials for high-technology electronic devices, carbon nanotubes, nano-carbon black, nano-composite, etc.

CNT dispersion in a viscous epoxy - SEM image (x20,000)

More seminar news

We will be talking about UV Technology for Encapsulation at a seminar on Tuesday next week, March 10, at the Williams F1 Centre, Grove, Oxfordshire.

It is under the aegis of the UK Display and Lighting Knowledge Transfer Network. The network has been set up by the Technology Strategy Board as a means of encouraging networking and knowledge transfer opportunities within the displays, plastic electronics and lighting industry. One of the events arranged for 2009 is a one day seminar on Integrating Plastic Electronics which addresses the issues related to turning plastic electronics technology into products.

Save 30% on your assembly bonding process

That's the promise of a free webinar from our sales partners DYMAX. I am excited by the use of the web for this kind of information sharing. Taking place tomorrow, it is a little late for most UK-based workers, but I will be there.

Wire tacking - no mess - no fuss - all good!

Wire tacking for pcb track replacement or circuit modification is a long standing feature of both original equipment manufacture and refurbishment. However, the production people at Allgood Technology Ltd were not happy about the smell of acetone based accelerator fluid they need with their cyanoacrylate adhesive and urgently sought an alternative, finally settling on Flextac Tape Dots.

The Flextac system encompasses a range of sizes in pre-cut self-adhesive material which are quickly and easily applied with minimal wastage. The Dots themselves are clear and so blend into the appearance of the board unlike “instant” gels which can discolour or “bloom”. Explained Peter Allgood:

We were spurred to find another technique by the unpleasantness and perception of toxicity associated with the fumes and found the Flextac Tape Dot system with a demo video on the internet. The guys at Intertronics sent us a free sample pack which immediately solved all our problems.

The job itself centred around a motherboard for coin counting machines which needed a length of modification wire (30 gauge wire wrap) with five tacks over its length. The job arrived at a particularly busy time so the simplicity and speed of use offered by Flextac Tape Dots was much appreciated. The team at Allgood Technology Ltd were able to rapidly evaluate the Dots from their free samples and concluded that not only were they a quicker solution but the appearance was also enhanced, at the same time any slight misalignment can easily be rectified by unpeeling and replacing.

Delighted with the outcome, Peter commented:

For us the dots were a complete solution in a box. We got rid of some nuisance problems while we improved our process and the quality of our end result.

 

HOT! Hot melt dispensing

Sales partners I&J Fisnar have announced an exciting range of dispensing systems for hot melt adhesives and other thermoplastic systems. The Thermadose range includes bench mounted “tank” style Hot Melt Controllers which are designed to handle pellet, brick and flake adhesives in 12, 14 and 34 lb capacities. Accessories include high grade heated hoses, hand dispensing guns, tip sealing applicator valves, and swirl, shot and bead nozzles.

Bench or floor systems can be simply integrated to any of our dispensing robots.

Download the Thermadose brochure - pdf format (4,634Kb).

Alternative art adhesive

Baroness Carrie von Reichardt and her partner were asked by the Mutoid Waste Co to be involved in a show called Mutate Britain, where a number of well-known artists where each given pieces of a WW2 war plane and asked to let their creative juices flow. Explained the Baroness:

We were actually given two panels and had the only ceramic ones on show. One was called - Love the USA and the other was called Drop knickers, not bombs. One side was straightforward mosaic; the other side had tiles that had been covered in ceramic transfers and re-fired applied. These panels were drilled and hanged on display as part of this five storey show. Not a tile fell off. Rock solid thanks to your wonderful glue.

The adhesive so enthused over by the Baroness was provided us - we were able to fill the technical gap between ceramic tiles and WW2 aircraft panels so that resulting art pieces went together easily and were strong enough to be reliably displayed. Our application engineer suggested IRS 2125 Flexible Epoxy Adhesive with manual dispensing/mixing. IRS 2125 is a high performance black resin system. Its combination of flexibility and high adhesive strength lends itself to many high technology bonding, sealing and insulating applications. A two-part system with a simple 1:1 mix ratio, it is supplied in a convenient side-by-side double syringe cartridge, complete with static mixing nozzles generally used for cable harness assemblies, cable joints and terminations, heat-shrink sealing, electronics and structural bonding - it proved ideal. And not for the first time!

IRS 2125 is an excellent all-purpose adhesive, especially where long-term substrate flexibility is an important factor, giving high shear and peel strength with tough bonds that withstand vibration and flex. It has outstanding chemical and fluid resistance, including moisture, diesel and fuel oils, while being able to bond metal, glass, wood, rubber and many plastics. It will operate at temperatures of up to 150°C and can seal to IP68 for continuous immersion. It is also proven in downhole and oil well operations.

muTATE BRITAIN opened on 20th November 2008 in London’s largest non-corporate art space – a disused warehouse on Curtain Road, Shoreditch, where it provides an environment for emerging contemporary artists to showcase their material.

Dyson Clean and Dry with Araldite 2000+ Adhesives

Dyson relies on Araldite® 2000 PLUS adhesives in its leading-edge vacuum cleaners and hand dryers.

In Dyson vacuums, which use Cyclone Technology™ to separate dirt and dust from the air using high centrifugal forces, Araldite adhesives bond together core parts of the cyclone system that gives Dyson vacuums their superior cleaning power. Having tested Araldite adhesives in some of the most demanding performance trials, Dyson is now using them in its Airblade™ dryer — the fastest, most hygienic and energy-efficient hand dryer on the market.

For the Dyson team, the shape and form of a product should naturally follow on from function. This can mean complex design and manufacturing processes, so adhesives like Araldite, with a bonding solution for almost every sort of engineering plastic in use today, provide the perfect solution for bringing unusual, highly innovative and effective products to life.

Araldite 2021 is a two-component, methacrylate adhesive that ensures bonded parts maintain their strength at operating temperatures and displays excellent adhesion on various thermoset and thermoplastic materials. Araldite 2022 is a two-component, toughened adhesive system based on methacrylate chemistry with a longer open time. Both products are ideal for bonding thermoplastics, like PVC, polycarbonate, and ABS, as well as stainless steel and aluminum materials.

Fast gaskets

We are pleased to introduce a new tack-free, soft gasket material from sales partner DYMAX for sealing fuel cells, appliance housings, and critical electronic assemblies and devices. DYMAX Light Weld® GA-140 is a UV/Visible light-curable form-in-place (FIP) and cure-in-place (CIP) gasket developed for applications requiring low compression set, tack-free surface and durable, reliable sealing. It is a soft gasket material with high adhesion to plastics which provides a barrier to prevent absorption or penetration of air, dust, moisture, liquids and gaseous substances.

DYMAX GA-140 can be dispensed into intricate and complex configurations with the benefit of in-line curing which allows for increased production speed, greater output, lower processing costs, and reduced inventories. It is a silicone-free, one-part resin requiring no mixing, with low out-gassing, cures in seconds and with a viscosity that allows for varying bead heights. It conforms to intricate channels or recesses and has excellent tear resistance for serviceable and limited-service applications.

Experience across many industries confirms that the FIP gaskets cure completely in seconds even in 6mm thick beads. This eliminates the racking, stacking, waiting and un-racking as required with traditional FIP gaskets. Light-curing FIP gaskets offer the ultimate in gasket design flexibility - designed for flat flanges or wide shallow grooves, permanent FIP gaskets can eliminate the delay experienced with slow-curing resins as well as the design, inventory and labour expense associated with pre-cut gaskets.

DYMAX GA-140 FIP Gasket being applied on a domestic iron

Degassing not foaming

In support of our THINKY Mixing and Vacuum Degassing Machines, we have added a new Technical Bulletin detailing the potential advantages with adding vacuum to the rotation and revolution mixing action of our very popular THINKY ARE-250.

One of the issues with manual degassing (placing the material in a chamber and applying vacuum, often multiple times) is that it takes time and attention. Applying too much vacuum can cause the volatiles in the material to "boil" out, and if you are not careful, the material can foam up and even overflow the container.

Any THINKY machine can degas or de-aerate without any danger of this, and automatically too!

This is not a problem if you use a THINKY mixer

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for working with us in 2008.

We wish you a Delightful Christmas, and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

This year we are not sending out printed Christmas cards. Instead we have donated to The Alzheimer's Research Trust, which is funding world-class research to find ways to cure, prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. If you would also like to make a donation, visit their website.

Mixing it

James Kent (Ceramic Materials) Ltd had relied for many years on a manual mixing system for their research and quality control of specialist glass powders, but embarked on a search for a process solution that would be more effective, more consistent, quicker and simpler. The glass powders produced by James Kent Ltd are tailored to customer need – primarily for dental fillers and restorers, they vary from 0.5 to 10 microns average particle size. For testing purposes the glass powder needs to be mixed with a high viscosity acrylic resin monomer to check for high transparency and low discolouration – but the manual process, while well understood, continued to give problems of non-homogeneity and air inclusion, both of which preclude colour checking of the glass.

The search for an improved system led Dr Philip Frampton to the Thinky ARE-250, which incorporates both planetary mixing and centrifugal degassing in one unit.

Tests with the Thinky equipment involved mixing 60% glass with 40% acrylic by weight in viscosities varying from “thick honey to stiff bubble gum,” according to Dr Frampton. Empirical investigation supported by our advice rapidly determined suitable program parameters based on viscosity and these samples were then pressed and cured into standard £2 coin sized discs for comparison with established colour standards.

Dr Frampton explained “James Kent are one of probably only 4 or 5 companies in the world operating at the top level in this technology and we were looking to improve the mixing stage as a first step to overall improvement of our glass grinding process. Intertronic’s expertise and supply of the Thinky mixer has allowed us to achieve that initial goal in a single operation – so now we have a reliable quality control process we can move to purchase of a spectro-photometer. This will enable us to refine our operation further toward development of an even cleaner and finer grinding process.”

The mixing of glass and ceramic powders into resins is a perfect job for a Thinky mixer!

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