New platform: DEK TQ L

With an alignment accuracy of ±12.5 microns @ 2 Cmk and a certified wet accuracy of ±17.0 microns @ 2 Cpk, the DEK TQ platform is one of the most precise paste printers on the market, enabling it to print pads for 0201 (metric) components and other modern ultra-fine-pitch applications. While featuring the same level of positioning accuracy and process stability as the DEK TQ, the new DEK TQ L delivers significantly more performance in a footprint that is only slightly larger (1.3 by 1.5 meters vs. 1.0 by 1.3 meters). All DEK TQ printers can also be combined to operate in tandem by positioning two machines back-to-back. This doubles the line’s printing capacity without increasing its length.

Versatile format

What makes the DEK TQ L different is its significantly expanded printing format for boards measuring up to 600 by 510 millimeters (approx. 23.6 by 20 inches). This corresponds to an increase of 90 percent compared to the DEK TQ. With 560 by 510 millimeters (approx. 22 by 20 inches), the DEK TQ L’s printable area has grown by more than 78 percent. This generous production format offers electronics manufacturers new degrees of freedom. They can not only print larger PCBs but also process three substrates with a length of up to 345 millimeters in one pass with the speedy three-stage conveyor.

Off-belt speed with linear drives

ASMPT also employs linear motors throughout the DEK TQ L. This off-belt concept benefits not only the machine’s precision and repeat accuracy, it also delivers high processing speeds with a core cycle time of 6.5 seconds or less with the three-stage conveyor. The innovative clamping system, a more advanced printhead and the ASMPT-developed NuMotion controller with fiberoptic cabling further contribute to the production speed improvements.

The high-speed understencil cleaning system also operates with its own linear drives, which makes it twice as fast as conventional systems. And depending on the board size, the cleaning system can be equipped with three different sizes of fabric rolls that can be changed quickly and easily.

Zero-line-stop philosophy

The printers of the DEK TQ platform are designed to run for more than eight hours without a user assist. With normal cleaning cycles, a 22-meter fabric roll is long enough for a whole shift, and the seven-liter cleaning fluid tank requires a refill only after eight hours or more. The cleaning agent is applied from above via a dispenser on the board area being processed, which significantly reduces the consumption. And the pivot design ensures coplanary contact with the stencil underside for maximum cleaning quality.

To minimize manual assists, an optional paste management system with automatic paste dispenser and integrated paste height control with individually configurable warning and stop thresholds is available. Also available for non-stop printing is the optional Dual Access Cover, whose laterally movable portion provides full access to the paste cartridge so that it can be replaced while the main cover stays closed and the printer keeps operating.

Automation according to the customer’s needs

The DEK TQ L printer has been designed to fit in with ASMPT’s Open Automation approach. This cost-optimized alternative to inflexible, fully automated shop floors has proven itself in electronics production. For example, ASMPT offers various solutions for step-by-step automation under ROI-based aspects for the DEK TQ L by allowing users to automate existing lines and processes in stages according to their needs. As Jens Katschke, Senior Process Solutions Manager at ASMPT, explains: “The various automation options of the latest generation of DEK TQ printers enable SMT manufacturers to design the Integrated Smart Factory in accordance with their own ideas without having to depend on a specific equipment manufacturer.”

Customers who opt for the additional Smart Pin Placement feature can also operate with fewer manual assists. The system operates with two pin sizes in diameters of 4 millimeters and 12 millimeters. In the DEK TQ L, the magazine holds up to 60 pins. As a novel and essential feature in the industry, the system automatically verifies the position and the height of each pin after setting it. This prevents a single pin from damaging the entire assembly because it is minimally elevated by dirt on the table.

When it comes to automation options for the Integrated Smart Factory, ASMPT goes even further. Together with the WORKS Process Expert software, the Process Lens SPI system partners with the DEK TQ L to form a system that is as productive as it is functional. It provides the printer with continuous feedback regarding the print quality and can even modify settings on the DEK TQ L, allowing the printing process control and optimization functions to run fully autonomously. It can even take process data from third-party systems into account, for example from AOI systems at the end of the line. The understencil cleaning process can also be controlled automatically. It is no longer carried out based on a rigid schedule, but only when the intelligent quality management system recognizes based on measurements data that a cleaning cycle is actually needed.

Easy integration via open interfaces

Since open, non-proprietary and easily retrofittable systems are major advantages of the Open Automation concept, the DEK TQ L features multiple interfaces and protocols. Examples include the IPC-HERMES 9852 and IPC-CFX standards for process data and ASMPT workflow solutions such as the WORKS module Command Center, plant-wide asset and maintenance management with Factory Equipment Center, or the WORKS smart shop floor management suite. Also supported are third-party systems and IT systems such as MES or WMS solutions, extensive remote support solutions, and many more. And with WORKS, print jobs can be programmed entirely offline.

Reference class

With the DEK TQ L’s precise printing, high process stability, small footprint and flexible automation options, ASMPT has once again raised the bar. Thanks to standardized, open interfaces, it is just as easy to integrate the new high-speed printer into an existing line as it is to combine it with machines from other manufacturers or to automate the production in stages. If you need to print large boards with precision or want to make your production more flexible, you should take a closer look at the DEK TQ L.