David Raby explains why the advanced manufacturing techniques and clean room facilities make STI Electronics unique. David also discusses the training facilities at STI, which are renowned as one of the leading NASA and IPC training and certification centers in the world.

Stephen Eggart explains how Surf Tech is now branching out into box-build as customers demand a more integrated service. The company has seen an uptick in business recently from a variety of industry verticals.

Kurtz Ersa's HR600XL Rework System can handle large 5G boards up to 24" x 50". The system comes fitted with an auto-scavenger. The HR600 uses IR convection on the top and bottom, reducing the need for component-specific nozzles. It has up to 8 thermocouples to monitor the profile across each component and across the board.

Rob Boguski describes both sides of the DATEST business. One side is contract testing and inspection with high-end equipment for small- to medium-sized manufacturers who do not possess that capability in-house. The other side of the business is advanced root cause analysis of products that have failed in the field.

NSW manufacture micro-dispensing systems for advanced packaging applications. NSW have a unique "squeezing" method of dispensing type 6 solder paste. This method does not deform the solder balls, which is particularly important in heterogeneous integration packages.

Todd Rountree talks about the integration between Austin American and Aqua Klean Systems. The culture in both companies is similar, but some of the manufacturing techniques are different. Over time they will integrate best practices and techniques from both companies. Rountree certainly found the Californian legislation quite challenging - it has been quite a steep learning curve. On the upside, there has been an upside among the customer base, where inline customers are adding batch cleaners for some areas.

Teknek launched their new in-line board cleaner, the TEK BC40. The bare PCB cleaner is normally positioned before the stencil printer to ensure that PC boards enter the assembly process in a clean state.

Absolute EMS is a state-of-the-art manufacturer based in Santa Clara, CA. They have a reputation for producing hi-rel assemblies for space, aerospace, military and medical. At SMTAi they confirmed their most recent accreditation, they are now ITAR registered. Jayne Carthy also announced two awards, for customer service and the most improved smart factory.