On Wednesday 25th September, Speedprint held a technology day dedicated to the stencil printing process. Approximately 50 attendees in total from across the UK electronics' assembly market attended and Speedprint was assisted by experts from stencil manufacturer Tannlin Ltd., PCB supplier Graphic PLC and solder paste manufacturer Indium.
The day was split into a morning session comprising presentations from representatives of the above companies and an afternoon session, which included a Q&A session with the panel of experts and a hands-on practical demonstration of the printing process, showing the effects of varying process parameters.
Andy Jones, Blakell Europlacer Distribution General Sales Manager, was pleased with the day and commented, “This was a departure from the more general user group meetings that we run annually at our Poole manufacturing facility. This time — with the assistance of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Ansty, Coventry — we had a superbly equipped venue where we house our Speedprint stencil printer and two of our state-of-the-art Europlacer iineo systems. As a manufacturer of screen printers, we are very aware of how critical this is as a process so decided that we should dedicate a whole day to the subject. With our own in-house expertise and the industry experts that we are connected to, it was undoubtedly the best way to impart a wealth of knowledge.”
Feedback following the event was positive with attendees stating that the event was worthwhile and that a great many interesting topics were covered during the day.
“Working for a CEM, I found the technical presentations and open panel discussion a good format for industry professionals to debate the relative manufacturing challenges that current screen print solder paste application technologies face, and how they increasingly influence the end assembly result,” said Martin Baker, Technical Manager at Norcott Technologies Ltd. “The live demonstration of electronics manufacturing equipment was an excellent opportunity to enforce the points raised during the session, while showcasing the MTC facility.”
Chris Edwards, Production Manager at Rota Engineering, added, “What a great idea to bring industry experts together for the day and to share best practice with your customer base at the ideal location. There was a skilful combination of interactive tutorials detailing product and process interaction, culminating in a practical demonstration of a ‘flawed to perfected’ pasting process. I left feeling disappointed that I hadn’t brought the rest of my team along for the day.”
Jones concluded, “We thank the MTC for providing the great stage for what was a well-received day. We were encouraged by the kind comments that were made by the many attendees and will run this event next year.”
Speedprint became a division of Parable Trust Ltd., which acquired all assets of the Blakell Europlacer Group in 2013. In keeping with the ethos of the Blakell Group’s desire to offer flexible and innovative solutions to the market, Speedprint is committed to delivering outstanding value and service with affordable leading-edge stencil printing technology. The realization of this ambition is clearly illustrated by the company’s award-winning flagship avi range of fully automatic inline printers. With more than 30 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of screen printers, Speedprint operates from a hi-tech facility based in Poole, in southern United Kingdom.