Six IPC APEX EXPO Exhibiting Companies Earn 2020 Innovation Awards

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IPC announces the winners of the IPC APEX EXPO 2020 Innovation Awards, a celebration of the innovators who are changing the technological landscape of the electronics industry.

A panel of industry experts reviewed each product’s submission and chose winners in each category based on the following criteria: How is this product innovative?  How is this product changing the manufacturing industry?  What value will customers experience with this new product?

The Innovation Awards will be presented to the following companies on site at IPC APEX EXPO:

• ASM, for ASM DEK TQ (category: assembly equipment) -- a new printing platform for the electronics industry that increases speed and accuracy while decreasing factory footprint. DEK TQ platform offers future-proof integration into the ASM Integrated Smart Factory concept via open interfaces (IPC-HERMES-9852, close-loop-to-SPI, ASM OIB, IPC CFX).

• GreenSource Fabrication, LLC, for InduBond X-Press (category: PCB fabrication) -– a  concept in multilayer press technology utilizing electromagnetic energy to heat stainless steel separator plates using induction heating that yields minimal delay in heat transfer, high heat up rates, extremely high temperatures with high temperature balance on any direction of the press stack X,Y and Z axis.

• Nihon Superior Co., Ltd., for TipSave N Flux-Cored Solder Wire (category: assembly materials) -- wire which slows the reaction and erosion of the iron from a soldering tip, especially when using lead-free solders rich in tin, increasing tip life by three times.

• Rogers Corporation, for TC350(TM) Plus Laminate (category: PCB materials) -- a thermally enhanced laminate, suited for higher power microwave and industrial heating applications requiring higher maximum operating temperatures, low circuit losses, and excellent thermal dissipation within the circuit board.

• Test Research Inc., for TR7700Q SII (category: test and inspection) -- an Industry 4.0-ready solution that performs high-speed inspection of large PCB boards up to 510 mm x 460 mm, fit for multiple applications, ranging from the telecommunications industry to the automotive industry and supporting the upcoming and innovative protocols such as IPC CFX and IPC- HERMES-9852.

• ViTrox Technologies Sdn.Bhd., for V9i Advanced Robotic Vision System (ARV), or Collaborative Robotic Arm (Cobot) (category: test and inspection) -- specializing in conformal coating inspection and thickness measurement, designed for safety and quality ensured inspection that involves co-work between a human and a robot.

“The IPC Innovation Awards recognize outstanding products and services in the electronics industry,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO, “and we had a tough time choosing among the many excellent submissions we received this year. It’s exciting to see the creativity and innovation in our industry, along with the enthusiastic response to our yearly challenge.”

For more information on all IPC APEX EXPO activities, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

About IPC

IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,800 member-company sites which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Brussels, Belgium; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.