Augering in on Dispensing

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Dispensing technology has come a long way since the 1970s, especially with the advent of jet dispensing in the mid-1990s. Traditional methods involved contact dispensing, where a needle touched the substrate to deposit material. Jet dispensing, however, allows dispensing from a distance, improving precision and speed.

In this interview with Sunny Agarwal, a senior applications and process engineer at Camalot Dispensers R&D, we talk about the choice between traditional methods and jet dispensing. Sunny says it depends on material properties, especially viscosity. Dispensing is very specific to application requirements, and excels in scenarios involving tall components, where precise droplet placement is crucial.

Nolan Johnson: Sunny, let's start with a description of Camalot and your role there.

Sunny Agarwal: The company was founded in 1987 and made its initial foray into electronics assembly through the design of an automated liquid dispensing system for an aerospace application. We created a legacy of innovation and a solid reputation of producing high-quality, durable products, and have progressed with a series of high-speed dispensing systems. Innovation has continued around the dispensing technology.

We work on the CBI model—customer-based innovation—so we understand the customer's pain points and build a product to address those pain points. I joined Camalot in 2013 as a research assistant, and now I'm a senior applications engineer. I'm highly involved in the product development of a high-speed fluid dispensing system for PCB assembly applications. I also guide regional process engineering teams located in Asia, Europe, and Mexico on full scale project implementation from in-house process development and testing for new hardware capability assessment to onsite new product evaluation, followed by post-sale operations support.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the September 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.