APEX 2023 San Diego – Advance in a New Era

There are high expectations for APEX 2023 in San Diego with Covid restrictions finally lifted in China and a general sense that the industry is getting very close to back to normal after several years of lock-downs.  EMSNOW’s Eric Miscoll has a very full schedule and will be interviewing newsmakers and sharing insights on the show floor all week. If you are planning to attend and are a North American based EMS company, please find him! We are compiling a database of North American EMS companies to help promote the industry in this geography. You can fill out the survey here.

Here are some highlights of this year’s APEX:

What’s new

Two new special sessions have been added: Advanced Packaging Technical Conference Special Session – Led by IPC’s Chief Technologist, Matt Kelly, the Advanced Packaging special session will provide latest insights on IC-substrate and packaging needs from industry experts; and e-Mobility/EV Automotive Technical Conference Special Session – Co-chairs for this Technical Program Committee special sessions are Brian O’Leary, global head of e-mobility and infrastructure at Indium, and Jason Schwartz, business development manager at KYZEN. “The first part of the agenda will address the problems and challenges, with the second part addressing the solutions,” says O’Leary. “Our speakers will share a macro perspective about supply chain issues; a policy perspective about new government regulations and incentives; and a few technical perspectives from Tier 1, Tier 2, and OEMs.”

The list of professional development courses keeps lengthening, and one of this year’s more innovative course is taught by Madison Maxey, CEO, Loomia Technologies, Inc., on Electronic Textile Evaluation Methods for Product Engineers and Designers. This presentation is part of the conference’s e-Textile’s content category.

Emily’s Wonder Lab

Space. The final frontier. Yep, the keynote is about space exploration, but this year the presenter is Emily Calandrelli who has a Netflix show called Emily’s Wonder Lab that makes STEAM fun for the future engineers that will be hopefully attending APEX 2043. Her keynote is titled, The Sustainability, Economics and Advocacy of Space Exploration.  Other keynotes are…

Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist of IPC presents,  What’s New in Tech: The Micro Trends Defining the Future of Electronics
John Mitchell, President and CEO of IPC presents, Fire Your Hiring Habits: Finding and Keeping the Best Talent is Fundamental to Building Electronics Better

Exhibitor News

Cogiscan’s team invites attendees to Experience the next evolution of Digital Transformation at booth #2533

With Cogiscan and iTAC Software AG together, we’re participating in the next evolution of Digital Transformation. Our solutions enable machine connectivity, process control and traceability, and AI-powered analytics – from the shop floor all the way to the enterprise level.

Highlights at our APEX #2533 booth include:

• Live demos to help customers achieve a connected and smart factory with our Factory Intelligence and Co-NECT products
• New HMI interface including a demo of our new visual repair GUI
• Details on our expanded portfolio with AI-powered SMT use cases
• VR Demo: experience our solutions in a 3D electronics manufacturing facility

We can’t wait to connect with you!

Visit the Cybord team at Booth 1653  to see how you can improve the quality and visibility of your SMT line.

We will present the first inline Visual-AI electronic components analytics platform:

• Reduced DPM (Defects per Million).
• Avoid counterfeit.
• The highest level of traceability at the most economical cost.
• Validate component supply chain. 

At the booth, we will conduct live demos, and you’ll see affordable high-level traceability and how electronic components are inspected and analyzed in a matter of milliseconds.

Check out Cybord traceability solution:

• Cybord Technology

IDENTCO team is in booth #1614.

IDENTCO will be highlighting their complete system for automating the process of labeling SMT circuit boards and components. They will also be featuring their full range of high performance label materials and full color, high graphic content custom labels for finished product, box build, and subassembly labeling. Eric will be interviewing IDENTCO’s CEO Scott Lucas at their booth about the company’s Track and Traceability Solutions for Electronics, Hands free labeling and much more. Watch for that interview later this month.

Indium Corporation, Industry Partners to Showcase Products “Live@APEX”

Indium Corporation^®, through coordination with its industry partners, will feature its proven solder solutions live on the show floor throughout IPC APEX Expo from Jan. 24‒26 in San Diego, Calif., U.S.

Live@APEX is a collaboration between Indium Corporation and its industry partners. The program benefits all participants, including Indium Corporation, partners, and, most importantly, the customers, who get to experience the equipment and materials in a live-action environment.

This year’s program will highlight Indium Corporation materials, including:

• CW-807 – electronics soldering cored wire
• CW-818 – no-clean, high-reliability flux-cored wire
• FP-500 – no-clean flux pen
• 9HF – no-clean solder paste formulated for the higher processing temperatures of the electronics industry
• 88HF – no-clean solder paste for use in package-on-package (PoP) applications
• 8HF – jetting and microdispensing solder paste
• PicoShot^® – jetting paste series with exceptional jetting performance
• Sn995 – low-maintenance, low-cost, Pb-free soldering alloy
• TACFlux^® 007 – leading die-attach flux for the light-emitting diode (LED) industry

 

Koh-Young is a Premier Sponsor of APEX 2023, will deliver live demonstrations at Booth 1116

Solder Paste Inspection (SPI)

In 2002, Koh Young introduced the concept of 3D measurement-based solder paste inspection – and it revolutionized the inspection industry. Today, manufacturers recognize the value of the 3D measurement data and use the data to improve the print process, in turn, improving production yield and quality. Today, 3D SPI has become a standard requirement for SMT lines – it is no longer optional. The KY8030-3 is the SPI workhorse, and arguably the most popular SPI solution in the electronics manufacturing market. With a patented dual-projection technology, they deliver trustworthy and repeatable measurement data, which manufacturers can use to reliably optimize the print process.

• KY8030-3: Industry’s Fastest True3D SPI Solution with Integrated Auto-Repair Dispenser
• aSPIre3: Industry’s Highest Performing True3D SPI Solution

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI)

• Zenith Alpha: Best Value True3D Automated Optical Inspection Solution
• Zenith UHS: Industry’s Fastest True3D AOI Solution
• Zenith 2: Revolutionary True3D AOI Delivering Incomparable Capabilities
• Meister D: Industry’s Leading Inspection Systems for Advanced Packaging & Semiconductors

Automated Pin Inspection (API)

• KY-P3: Industry-awarded breakthrough in 3D Automated Pin Inspection

Dispense Process Inspection (DPI)

• Neptune T: Industry’s First 3D Optical Measurement Instrument for Transparent Materials
• Neptune C+: Award-winning True3D In-Line Dispensing Process Inspection (DPI) Solution 

Process Control Software

• KSMART: Seamless Smart Factory Software Suite Turning Data into Insights

Process Optimization Software

• KPO Printer: Award-winning AI-powered print process control software 

Art of the Possible Podcast

IPC APEX EXPO 2023 Edition with John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO gives you a sneak peek into what you can expect at the premier event for the electronics manufacturing industry. This year marks the 20th time Koh Young has exhibited at IPC APEX EXPO. “APEX is a lynchpin for our business success in the coming year. It is important to our growth potential, so we plan every aspect very carefully. It’s our Superbowl, so we make sure to prepare for it accordingly. The results can mean the difference between a good year and a great year!” explained Joel Scutchfield, General Manager of SMT Business Operations and Director of Sales at Koh Young America. Listen to our podcast at art-of-the-possible.simplecast.com/episodes/koh-youngs-20th-year-exhibiting-at-ipc-apex-expo.

 

Mycronic to showcase new 3D inspection technologies and high-flexibility solutions for zero-defect production at Booth 1339

As a turnkey solution provider for all process steps in PCB assembly, Mycronic will be welcoming visitors to discover a wide range of assembly process solutions at IPC APEX EXPO. Manufacturers will have a chance to discuss directly with Mycronic’s experts in inspection, printing, placement, material handling, dispensing and coating, and factory connectivity.

In today’s intelligent manufacturing environment, significant productivity gains can be made through improvements in data management and human-machine interaction. APEX visitors will have the opportunity to discuss the latest solutions to these information bottlenecks with Mycronic’s experts, whatever their production mix or class may be.

High-reliability manufacturers of aerospace, medical and automotive electronics will have a chance to discover a comprehensive range of process control, traceability and dispensing solutions. For those aiming to increase first pass yield with minimal programming and takt times, a number of next-generation inspection technologies will also be highlighted, including the new Iris™ 3D AOI vision technology and Escape Tracker programming assistant.

“We’ve already experienced huge interest in our latest breakthrough innovations in 3D inspection,” says Clemens Jargon, Sr VP High Flex. “The hardware, programming software and user interfaces have all been developed together with leading tier-one customers to make high-performance 3D inspection more accessible and future-proof for all types of manufacturing environments.”

Welcome to Panasonic Connect at APEX 2023

Designed for ultimate flexibility, Panasonic Connect SMT solutions are designed to solve your toughest business challenges. Visit Panasonic Connect at booth #933 to get a hands-on demonstration of some of their newest and most versatile performers which are being introduced to North America for the very first time.

Explore Panasonic Connect Factory Solutions