At the SIPLACE Application Centers, customers can personally check out the process capabilities of SIPLACE machines and test their planned machine and line configurations down to the smallest detail. As a global technology leader, SIPLACE also works continuously with partner companies and process-related suppliers in the SMT industry to improve all kinds of manufacturing processes. As the company and its partners come up with new ideas for improvements, they test them in the Application Centers under realistic conditions. This active exchange of knowledge and ideas ultimately benefits the entire electronics manufacturing industry. In May of this year, Abatek International asked SIPLACE to test the placement of new silicone keys. Initially, there were problems with the packaging. Some keys got stuck in the tape, and with some the silicone extended over the connectors, which resulted in open solder joints. Abatek International responded quickly: the company enlarged the tape pockets, improved the casting molds, and ultimately delivered better keys.
 
Once these fixes had been made, everything worked trouble-free. A SIPLACE X machine placed the keys without a hitch – without any feeder modifications or special process parameters. The final verdict is crystal-clear: any SIPLACE machine with Collect & Place heads is now able to process the SMT silicone keys without problems.
 
In the test, the 12-nozzle Collect & Place head on the SIPLACE X achieved a speed of 12,000 keys per hour. SIPLACE recommends using special Teflon-coated vacuum nozzles. The Teflon reduces the adhesive force and makes sure that the keys are released from the nozzle more quickly and reliably than with standard ceramic nozzles. Users will also appreciate that a single nozzle type works with all Abatek SMT keys.
 
This kind of flexibility is one of the reasons Abatek developed this product to begin with. With SMT keys, changes can be implemented much more quickly than with keypads. Other benefits of SMT keys: They are easily processed with machines, as the tests confirmed. They also open the door to new applications, for example by combining a silicone key with a rotary switch, combining a push-button with a proximity switch function, and a lot more.