GenRad Delivers Best Rework Station Performance For Global Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers

Business Wire, Oct 11, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

WESTFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2000

GenRad, Inc. (NYSE:GEN) today announced the electronic manufacturing industry's most efficient solution for reworking printed circuit boards such as those used worldwide in personal computers, network routers and high-capacity servers.

Six new features on the Summit LX Series optimize manufacturing performance of production lines for high-end manufacturers. Summit LX allows OEM and Contract Manufacturers to improve their production line efficiency, speed products to market and ensure product performance quality.

GenRad is the world's leading producer of advanced performance-assurance products for electronics manufacturers. The company will market the Summit LX Series through its Process Solutions unit, which incorporates Nicolet Imaging Systems (NIS) that was acquired by GenRad earlier this year.

The Summit LX Series delivers a unique level of competitive advantage to high-volume manufacturers of physically large printed circuit boards (PCB). Such PCBs deliver increasingly sophisticated and complex electronics applications to business and consumer markets. Differentiating features of the new Summit LX include:

-- User-friendly controls,

-- High energy heating capacity,

-- Enhanced rework area coverage,

-- Enlarged frame and board support table,

-- Motorized top heater Z axis, and

-- Enhanced optics.

The Summit LX Series is capable of removing and replacing complex components such as ball-grid arrays (BGAs), ceramic column grid arrays (CCGAs), small chip scale packages (CSPs), flip chip and fine pitch components. The Summit 1100LX and Summit 2100LX are also ideally suited for high volume production rework.

"Other manufacturers claim to have an option for expanding board size on their standard product. However, larger rework conditions require better solutions," said Don Naugler, SRT Product Manager. "For optimum performance and ease of use, the Summit 1100LX and Summit 2100LX are in a class by themselves," he added.

Performance enhancements make large board rework easy, reliable.

The Summit LX Series was designed to accommodate the delicate underboard heating requirements of larger PCBs and surface mount technology (SMT) components. Incorporating a high efficiency, gas bottom heater plenum providing 8.0 kw of energy, heat is uniformly distributed across a 24" x 36" area to prevent warping of large PCB surface areas. An enlarged frame and board support table are designed to handle boards weighing up to 80 lbs.

Precision ergonomic controls on the Summit 1100LX table, and the fully motorized Summit 2100LX table, simplify alignment and eliminate the need to rotate the board to rework different areas. The easily configured board holder provides a generous 2.75" topside and 2.0" bottom clearance, and can be readily removed and replaced with custom pallets or fixtures.

Motorized Z axis adjustment on the Summit 1100LX and Summit 2100LX assures precise site location and easy component access without concern for surrounding obstructions.

An enhanced vision system, specially designed for the Summit LX Series, simplifies placement of components and connectors up to 80mm. An automatic prism shuttle mirrors the component and the substrate together in the microscope, providing a composite alignment view. Split mirror provides 50% more viewing area, enabling the operator to see bumps, leads or pads on large devices at high magnification.

Field-proven software technology: another SRT exclusive

The Summit LX Series maintains the state of the art technology of the highly respected Summit 1100HR and Summit 2100RS, including SRT's intuitive SierraMate(TM) graphical interface for Windows(R). The repair operator simply selects the board type, the component to be reworked and operation to be performed, then hits "Go."

The system completes the reworking of each board/component combination according to preset parameters. In addition, the Summit 2100LX combines rework with fully automated, non-contact site scavenging.

Both the Summit 1100LX and the Summit 2100LX are equipped with programmable high/low air flow and incorporate SRT's "Auto Profile" capability, which automatically develops the correct time/temperature profile for any assembly, mirroring the original manufacturing process. Profile settings can be stored for fast, repeatable operation.

GenRad Background

GenRad Inc. (NYSE:GEN) develops, manufactures and markets advanced performance-assurance technologies. GenRad's primary global markets for OEM and contract manufacturers include computers, advanced telecommunications for e-commerce and Internet services, and diagnostic systems for the transportation/automotive industry.

GenRad is comprised of four business units bringing to market integrated hardware, software and service solutions that empower always-on services and un-interruptable business applications:

-- Process Solutions focuses on in-circuit and x-ray test

solutions as well as plant and line management solutions for