Of the many tradeshows we at Palomar Technologies attend throughout the world, productronica is definitely one of the more immense shows. Productronica is a show held in Munich, Germany that has been held every other year since 1975. This year, there were over 1,200 exhibitors from 39 countries and over 38,000 visitors from more than 80 countries. The show covered 7 pavilions at Messe München (77,000 m2).
Palomar Technologies GmbH had an 8000i Gold Ball Wire Bonder and a 9000 Fine Wire Wedge Bonder on display, as well as an SST International Model 5100 Vacuum Pressure Furnace.
The make-up of this show is a bit different than most shows in the United States because it combines microelectronic assembly (die bonders and wire bonders) with standard electronic assembly equipment (SMT chip shooters, solder reflow, and even hand rework stations). To make it easier to stay oriented and communicate with your target group, the show was broken down into five clusters: “PCB & EMS”, “SMT”, “Cables, Coils & Hybrids”, “Semiconductors”, and “Future Markets”.
SMT and Semiconductors
You may be wondering, what is the relationship between some of these show topics? Here are some definitions to help explain SMT and Semiconductor further:
- SMT (Surface Mount Technology)– examples include a motherboard in a PC, or an FR4 board with ICs, resistors, and capacitors reflow soldered making a completed electronic product. The number of products built with this technology is staggeringly large.
- Semiconductor– consider lead frame packages with a single IC that is die-attached, wire-bonded, and over-molded. These packages are made by the millions, can be surface mounted, and soldered into through hole substrates/FR4 boards. The number of products built with the technology is staggeringly large.
For a more in-depth look at these relationships, check out our blog on “Understanding the Relationship Between Semiconductors, SMT, and Microelectronics”.
| 8000i Wire Bonder Data Sheet  |
9000 Wedge Bonder Data Sheet  |
| SST International Model 5100 Data Sheet  |
"Contract SMT and Microelectronics Assembly in One" technical paper |
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David Rasmussen
Assembly Services General Manager
Palomar Technologies, Inc.