Siemens reaches agreement with industrial investor: ASM Pacific Technology acquires Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems

Siemens is selling its SIPLACE placement equipment business to ASM Pacific Technology Ltd., Hong Kong (ASMPT). Both companies have signed an agreement to that effect, which is expected to take effect by early 2011 at the latest, provided the cartel authorities and the shareholders of ASM agree. This brings Siemens’s search for a strategic, industrial investor for its Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG subsidiary (SEAS) to a successful conclusion. The Hong Kong–based company with almost 12,000 employees worldwide and more than €425 million in sales is one of the world’s leaders in the production of chip assembly and bonding equipment. By acquiring SEAS, ASMPT adds the globally leading SIPLACE placement technology brand to its portfolio and strengthens its own global presence, particularly in Europe.

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New WPC for SIPLACE SX: Waffle Pack Changer with non-stop module

The new SIPLACE WPC (Waffle Pack Changer) now being offered by technology leader Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems for its flexible SIPLACE SX placement machines provides electronics manufacturers with a non-stop supply of component trays, which represent a significant plus in process reliability. The new WPC features a non-stop module (NSM) that allows operators to add full trays and remove empty ones without having to interrupt the production flow. The system automatically moves the new trays to their specified destination in the vertical carrier with 28 positions. Depending on the carrier position, trays can be exchanged in two to three seconds. The automated supply via NSM also puts an end to the positioning errors which are possible with manual systems. The compact new WPC with NSM is available immediately for SIPLACE SX placement machines and can be combined with the space-saving SIPLACE 30-track feeder change- over table (SIPLACE COT30).

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Greifswald-based electronics manufacturer invests in SIPLACE placement solutions

manufacturing, logistics & services GmbH & Co. KG (ml&s for short) is expanding its SMT production capacity with three placement machines of the new SIPLACE SX series. The company, which is based in Greifswald, Germany, is taking this step to be able to handle the rapidly rising order volume from its customers in the automotive, manufacturing, telecommunication and renewable energy industries. ml&s also wants to improve its manufacturing flexiblity for highly complex products while ensuring its high standard of quality in times of every more frequent product changes. Because of their precision in handling a very broad spectrum of components and the ability to increase their placement performance by adding interchangeable SX gantries, ml&s selected machines from the newest SIPLACE line.

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SIPLACE SX: More flexibility and performance for special PCBs’

Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG (SEAS) now offers additional conveyor capabilities for its flexible SIPLACE SX-Series machines with new options for long boards, heavy boards and thick boards. The increased placement area of the SIPLACE SX with the Long Board Option allows the user to populate boards up to 610 mm long in a single, consistent placement process, which increases the line throughput rate for extra-long boards considerably. With the Heavy Board Option, boards weighing up to 5 kilograms (single conveyor) or 2 x 2 kilograms (dual conveyor) can be processed. And with the Thick Board Option, SIPLACE SX machines can be upgraded for board thicknesses of 4.5 to 6 mm. In combination with its wide range of head, gantry and feeder module options, the new options for exotic boards expand the SIPLACE SX platform’s flexibility even further.

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SIPLACE SX4, the high-speed addition to the SIPLACE SX-Series, sets new records in performance per square meter

Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems (SEAS) has unveiled its latest placement machine, the SIPLACE SX4. As a high-speed addition to the SIPLACE SX platform, the four-gantry machine sets new standards in terms of placement performance per square meter of floor space – an important metric in the investment decision-making process. With its placement speed of up to 120,000 cph on a footprint of only 1.90 x 2.65 meters, the new machine even surpasses the previous record-holder SIPLACE X4i in terms of performance per square meter. As far as placement heads are concerned, electronics manufacturers can pick from the super-fast SIPLACE SpeedStar CP20, the flexible SIPLACE MultiStar CPP, and the proven SIPLACE Twinhead for large and exotic components. With its head modularity, the SIPLACE SX4 can be either a high-speed addition to the SX1 and SX2 or a flexible standalone solution. The SIPLACE SX4 is made even more flexible by its software with many new features.

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After successfully setting up SIPLACE Asia:
Siegfried Neubauer returns to SIPLACE headquarters

After more than seven years, SIPLACE head of Asian operations Siegfried Neubauer (46) returns to the headquarters of Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG (SEAS) in Munich. By setting up SIPLACE’s Asia cluster and establishing close contacts with large international customers and the company’s plant in Singapore, Neubauer contributed significantly to the successful expansion of the company’s business in Asia. He recently turned over his responsibilities in Asia to the SIPLACE CEO in China, Andy Wen, and the recently appointed CEO in Singapore Jack Chua, both of whom he prepared for these new positions in recent years along with their teams.

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Automotive supplier AW Europe invests in new SMT lines: SIPLACE SX wins the deal with scalable on-demand placement performance

Belgian company AW Europe, an AISIN company within the Toyota group, is expanding its manufacturing capacity for control systems and navigation devices for European customers by investing in two new lines with a total of four SIPLACE placement machines. To keep the initial investment low but still be able to quickly ramp up the production on demand, AW Europe selected SIPLACE SX1 models. With the SIPLACE SX1, the user can raise the machine’s performance easily and without having to rearrange the line by adding interchangeable SX gantries. The proven traceability options of SIPLACE placement solutions were another important decision criterion for the Belgian automotive supplier.

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NOTE UK LEADING THE WAY IN PACKAGE ON PACKAGE THROUGH SIPLACE TECHNOLOGY

NOTE UK has recently invested significantly in Package on Package (POP) technology in its facility in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. The result? A SIPLACE dip flux unit. Now, NOTE UK can help customers needing to place BGA on BGA, a growing requirement within the fast emerging technology market.
 

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SIPLACE CA : Die Bonding and SMT placement in one placement process

Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems (SEAS) is proud to present the technology highlight of the year at the SMT/Hybrid/Packaging Show in Nuremberg (8. – 10. June 2010) – the new SIPLACE CA. This machine is the world's first platform that combines die placement of dies from wafers with classic SMT placement technology in a single machine, thereby uniting everything in one production process. As a result, electronic manufacturers are able to avoid special processes for the Die Bonding and can handle products with modern bare dies (flip-chip, die-attach) at high speed on a single line.
"The SIPLACE CA processes flip-chips from wafers at high speeds together with passive components from reels – this is really trailblazing.

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New setup concept: SIPLACE Split Table Mode: Virtual component tables enable product changeovers with no downtime

At the SMT/Hybrid/Packaging trade show in Nuremberg (June 8-10, 2010) equipment maker Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems (SEAS) will present a new, software-based setup concept for SIPLACE placement machines with intelligent X-feeders. The SIPLACE Split Table Mode splits the component tables at the SMT line virtually and assigns their feeder positions to two consecutive setups. That way, one area can be used to manufacture a previously optimized product while the other area is used to prepare for the next product without having to stop the line. This new "floating" setup concept is especially useful for electronics manufacturer with great product diversity and relatively few component overlaps. They can now execute their product changeovers with no downtime, reduce their investment in component tables and insert rush orders into their production schedule more quickly and easily.

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