MRSI has completed an integrated assembly line for the production of Lockheed Martin's Microwave T/R modules. This new line represents the latest turnkey solution from MRSI using its own state-of-the-art technology combined with complementary equipment from a variety of MRSI partners. This latest line adds to MRSI's dominant position in microwave automated assembly.

The SMEMA integrated line incorporates an MRSI-170 precision epoxy dispenser, an industry leading MRSI-505 assembly cell, a visual inspection station, a curing oven, and an MRSI-100/O magazine offloader. Part tracking automation is provided through a new built-in bar code reader and process carrier bar code scheme jointly developed between MRSI and Auer Precision.

The MRSI-170 incorporates a dual head for high throughput, precise dispensing of dots, lines, and areas. The MRSI-505, with its placement force feedback, provides the necessary gentle handling for Lockheed's delicate components including Gallium Arsenide. Parts are feed via gel-pack, waffle pack, and from wafer. The inspection station allows visual review of assembled parts prior to cure in the belt oven, which has six zones and provides one hour of heat.

Pump Technology Display Generates Great Interest at NEPCON West

On the Road to SEMICON West

Once again SEMICON West will bring together manufacturers and equipment suppliers from all aspects of semiconductor production. MRSI will exhibit in the Test, Assembly and Packaging show, in San Jose (July 14 - 16) with a display in McEnery Hall, booth 11238.

On display will be:

• MRSI-175 Encore Dual Lane High Throughput Encapsulation System—a dual lane parallel processing conveyor combined with a Dual-LPD linear positive displacement pump for unmatched speed and accuracy.

• MRSI-375 Combined Assembly and Dispense System—For a wide variety of dispense and assembly applications such as semiconductor packaging, BGA, chip on board, sensor modules, and few chip modules.

MRSI will also team up with Dexter Electronic Materials with a display in Dexter's booth showcasing the breakthrough Flux Fill material. The MRSI-375 combined dispense and assembly workcell will dispense the Flux Fill material and perform flip chip attach.

New European Office Opens

MRSI Europe is proud to announce the opening of its new Customer Support Center in The Netherlands. The new facility will be headquarters for European Sales, Service, and Applications Engineering. The center will include a demonstration lab, training, and local spare parts inventory.

According to European Manager, Hans Siedsma, "The new location is minutes from Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport, providing direct connections to and from all major European cities."

Dispense Dots are Getting Smaller and Smaller!

Dispensing accurate, small epoxy dots has been an ongoing challenge for process engineers. With the right systems, improved pump technology, precise needle height control, and careful selection of dispense parameters excellent results down to and below 10 mils (0.010 inches) may be achieved.

MRSI has taken dispensing of small dots one step further. New tapered needles ground with a high finish in the conical direction give engineers an additional advantage for small dot consistency. The tapered end minimizes contact area, and the conical grind reduces surface tension. The result is smoother, more consistent material release as the needle moves away from the substrate.

Many of our customers have already realized measurable benefits for small dot dispensing. Contact us for more information on this exciting new technology.

New Faces at MRSI Group

MRSI welcomes Jim Antonellis as Technical Support Specialist in our Applications Engineering Department. Jim joins MRSI with experience as Technical Support Team Leader and Dispense Systems Applications Engineer at Speedline Camalot.

Jake Zwart also joins MRSI as Technical Support Specialist. Prior to joining MRSI, Jake worked on the automation of microwave and hybrid assembly at M/A-COM and Lockheed Sanders.

Shrikrishna Nabar joins MRSI as Applications Engineer, with prior experience working at Automation Technologies.

Susan Vlasak joins MRSI's Sales team as Sales Secretary in the Chelmsford headquarters.

Barbecue Celebrates MRSI's 15th Anniversary

The cool New England spring afternoon couldn’t chill people's spirits at the 15th Anniversary Barbecue. The event was filled with music, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, and a meal that was second to none.

The celebration marks 15 years of continued growth and profitability. MRSI started as Micro Robotics Systems, Inc. in 1984, with the goal of becoming a premier supplier of automated solutions to the microelectronics assembly industry. In 1986 the company shipped the world's first fully automatic die attach system.

Since then, MRSI Group was formed with the acquisition of Teledyne TAC, and Automation Unlimited. As we pass this important milestone we want to thank all of our customers, each of whom have helped us succeed and prosper in such a demanding environment.

New SolderMate-LA Offers Big 18" x 18" Work Envelope; New SolderMate-MF Brings Micro-Flame Soldering To The Benchtop

Automation Unlimited's new SolderMate-LA is the new "big brother" to the popular SolderMate^¨ benchtop 5-axis automated soldering system, offering a generous 18" x 18" x 3" X, Y, Z work envelope. Its greater capacity can handle not only larger PCBs, but panelized boards as well. In addition to X, Y, and Z motion, SolderMate-LA also features 360^o head motion and is controlled by AU's MC^{3 TM} motion control computer and Windows NT^¨ interface.

For soldering applications requiring the thermal power of a precision-controlled hydrogen micro-flame, AU has incorporated micro-flame technology into SolderMate-LA, to create the SolderMate-MF. The new SolderMate-MF has the same generous work area, capacity, and advantages of the LA, but with micro-flame soldering. The result is a powerful, high-capacity precision automated soldering system that is nonetheless compact enough to operate on the benchtop. The SolderMate-MF is equipped with automatic flame-out detection and its own SPIRIG multi-cell hydrogen generator.