Indian SMT Industry – Advances & Perspective to Future

SMT, Surface Mount Technology, has almost eliminated PTH (Plated Through Hole Technology) from Industrial applications. The change in SMT process has been driven by factor such as, miniaturizing sizes, complex circuits, multilayer & Specific (RF, Microwave, flexible) PCBs, increasing heat considerations and other application specific factor. In this article we present you outlook from Indian SMT Industry in terms of new innovations & Industry Experts views.

SMT equipment market continues to drive demand from major industry segments like telecommunications, computing and consumer appliances. Apart from that the industries such as automotive electronics, medical device electronics, defense and aerospace electronic equipment, and industrial equipment are also defining the trends of SMT assembly process. The increasing demand of highly sensitive circuit boards, have modified the flow of a typical SMT line, resulting in development of new innovating SMT modules, For example, shifting focus from defect detection to defect prevention in very high performance PCBs for aerospace & defense applications results in addition of Solder paste height measurement module in a typical SMT line before Reflow process, to reduce chances of short circuit on later stages. Similarly, with changing trends in every electronics segment (Consumer, Automobile, and Industrial) the circuit inside is getting more & more complex, sensitive in terms of components used (miniature in size & low tolerance towards temperature & pressure) and non-repairable with an additional concern of being cost effective. All of these factors demands for Advanced SMT machine that can perform better yield, on higher accuracy ratings, flexible performance (can perform on different electrical parameters as per specific application) but still maintain low manufacturing cost.

 Driving Factors of SMT Industry India

After the recession of 2009, Indian Electronics industry has experienced a surge growth in demand of electronics in both domestic & industrial market, resulting is growing demand on both components & consumable as well as assembly services. And the good news is Indian industry is increasingly supporting in-house manufacturing & assembly of electronics goods. The mentioned fact clearly demonstrate the growth in SMT industry is in direct proportionate to the growing Electronics industry of India.

As per a report by “Corporate Catalyst India” on Electronics Industry of India, The electronics industry in the Indian market is expected to touch $400 billion by 2020. The largest segment on the entire electronics is consumer & telecom, as the breathtaking demand of telecom is adding 2 million mobile phone users to Indian market every month. The Indian economy growth rate of 7% per annum and projected electronics market of $150 billion has offered an excellent opportunity to global players in India like, Solectron, Flextronics, Jabil, Elcoteq, Varroc, Deltron, Flextronics, Sahasra and many more to extend their SMT assembly facilities in India. Apart our in-house SMT assemblies by many small-medium scale companies have reported growth in SMT industry in India, as the demand of SMT machines have almost double in past few years. The fueling factors of contract manufacturing in India and indirectly SMT assembly services are low labour cost and increasing domestic demand that makes investments in setting – up a SMT facility in India secure. Further The Govt. of India has recently approved setting up of two Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication (FAB) Manufacturing Facilities in India. That makes Indian EMS industry safe from global in-fluctuations and promotes in-house SMT assembly services.

Trends driving Advancement in SMT Equipments

SMT placement equipment represents the largest product segment within the SMT equipment market. Growth in the segment is attributed to the burgeoning momentum and thriving product innovation in the electronics market. Though product miniaturization is the most significant factor contributing to the resurgence and subsequent buoyancy in the SMT placement equipment segment, the need for higher accuracy placement equipment, improved speed and flexibility also play vital roles in driving growth. In the SMT Inspection Systems market, Automatic X-Ray Inspection (AXI) Equipment and Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) Equipment are expected to gain traction over next few years. AXI equipment is expected to gain from the integration of computer tomography and intuitive programming. AOI equipment is projected to benefit from machine vision-based algorithms that feature easy programming capability, flexibility, and enhanced ability to detect faults and with few false call rates.

SMT equipment manufacturers are turning towards diversification of product offerings. Growing demand for high-quality SMT equipment from contract and OEM manufacturers is poised to benefit the market. In addition, rising demand for light emitting diodes (LED) technology is fuelling demand for SMT equipment. Driven by growing popularity of LEDs, SMT equipment manufacturers are offering High-capacity & higher speed equipments to the Indian industry.

Miniaturization of components is spurring the need for sophisticated SMT placement and inspection equipment. The more a component is small in size or sophisticated in temperature rating, more controlled rework is required to be done on later stages, and adds to the requirement of highly innovative – Automatic systems, ultimately increasing the repair cost. This factor drives the requirement of improving manufacturing processes, by precisely positioning of components, controlled soldering & accurate inspection along with increasing yield. Result is advanced SMT equipments with high speed, more accuracy, and cost efficiency.

Another major industry segment of Indian Electronics industry is Automobile Industry. Automobiles now a day’s offers a lot of entertainment systems, connectivity systems, and driver safety features Now a day, Solar based, Green fueling modules are incorporated in the automobiles. All these add-ons increase the complexity of the circuits in the engine as more features require integration of more power electronics components.  This factor generates significant demand for SMT equipment specially designed to cater demands of automobile industry.. The major concern in automobiles is high operating temperature as direct combustion process is involved. For example the GPS system in a car could be same as of a mobile but it will be operating at a much higher temperature that could even blow off the circuits. For Automobile applications, basic circuits are redesigned using power semiconductors, robust PCBs and specially designed connectors & wires. For SMT assembly of automotive application PCBs, SMT process has to be performed on very high temperatures and very precise parameters. The requirement is either to upgrade the existing SMT line to operate on these specially designed components or using new advanced SMT equipments have extended range to both the horizons.

 Comments from Industry Players

Mr. Jack Chua, CEO, ASM Assembly Systems

“In order to meet the market requirements, the next generation of SMT equipment will constantly advance with high accuracy placement quality together with flexibility and high speed.”

 

 

 

 

Mr. Anoop Mehrotra, Country Head & Director, JABIL Circuit India Pvt Ltd

Mr. Anoop Mehrotra, Country Head & Director, JABIL Circuit India Pvt Ltd

“Next generation SMT equipments will provide, Highly intelligent high-speed high accuracy, support for Low mix as well as high mix environment of production, High level of flexibility & Combination of AOI, SPI and Paste printing.”

 

 

 

Mr. Praveen Madaan, Country Head SMT division, Juki India Pvt Ltd

“If India could show few success stories of wafer fab in India, the electronics manufacturing will grow more than 20% CAGR for the next 6 to 8 years.”

 

 

 

Mr. Vinit Verma, Director, Prosem Technology India Pvt. Ltd.

“With the government of India giving major thrust to electronics Industry, the Electronics Industry is poised to grow at a rapid pace.”

 

 

 

 

Mr. S.K. Jain, Director, Sumitron Exports Pvt. Ltd.

“Next generation SMT equipments should be able to address the needs of shrinking PCB size with multiple components alonwith handling large volumes anticipated.”

 

 

 

 

Mr. Rakesh Shetty, Business Development Manager – India, VI Technology Pvt Ltd

“Next generation SMT equipments are required to be fully automated & operator free setup.”

 

 

 

 

Mr. Dinesh Chandra, Sahasra Electronics Pvt. Ltd.

“In order to compete with the Chinese electronics we have to generate sources of raw materials in India PCB & Components manufacturing in India & So as the SMT assembly in house. “

Mr. Navin Honnavar, Element14 India Pvt Ltd

“Electronics assembly for consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, and medical devices will drive demand and growth for SMT equipment industry.”