DEK announced the addition of a new VectorGuard® stencil technology licensee to its growing list of VectorGuard partners. Suzhou Sunshine Laser and Electronics Technology Company Ltd. (Sunshine Laser), a leading stencil manufacturer in China with 19 locations across the country, recognized the benefits the VectorGuard portfolio can provide its customers and signed an agreement to license the novel technology from DEK. All 19 Sunshine Laser locations will offer VectorGuard laser cut stencil foils.
Jim Williams, Director of DEK Process Support Products, commented, “We are delighted to partner with China’s top stencil supplier. This move will make VectorGuard stencils easily accessible across China, enabling electronics assembly specialists to benefit from high performance, rapid delivery and local support.”
Well over a decade since its introduction, VectorGuard is now the premier interchangeable foil stencil technology for surface-mount, semiconductor and solar metallization processes. The system consists of a frame into which stencil foils with extruded aluminum edges are secured and tensioned via a simple air pressure mechanism. Changing the foils is exceptionally fast and requires little or no training, making VectorGuard a simple – yet cost-effective – technology to deploy. Because a single frame can be used to accommodate multiple foils, storage space is dramatically reduced and the multi-use frame offers manufacturers an environmentally-friendly, cost-competitive alternative to traditional mesh mounted stencils. In 2013, DEK expanded the VectorGuard portfolio with the addition of VectorGuard High Tension, which incorporates a new frame design to deliver greater foil tension to accommodate ultra-fine pitch geometries and provide excellent material transfer efficiency and improved process control. Existing VectorGuard foils can be used with this frame to further maximize stencil investment.
Sunshine Laser’s Director, Mr. Wang Rong, is confident VectorGuard will deliver a competitive advantage to the company and significant manufacturing benefits to its large customer base. “DEK’s award-winning VectorGuard technology is well-proven and the brand is highly respected throughout the global electronics manufacturing community,” said Rong. “Adding this technology to our product offer across our nearly 20 facilities gives our customers access to a versatile and flexible stencil system that delivers the consistent tension required for today’s more complex assembly processes.”
Sunshine Laser will offer VectorGuard products effective immediately. Available metal foils include stainless steel and nickel. For more information on VectorGuard stencil technology, visit http://www.dek.com/
