| DEK
and Gore Introduce snapSHOT™ Board-Level EMI Shielding
Solution.
SnapSHOT™
shields are snapped on to the PCB after reflow, allowing
for easy component inspection or repair, and are easily
removable by hand. Manual, semi, or fully-automated
installation solutions are available.
DEK,
a leading manufacturer of high accuracy mass imaging
equipment and process support products for the electronics
assembly industry, and W. L. Gore & Associates,
Inc., a leading supplier of innovative electromagnetic
interference (EMI) shielding solutions, combine their
technologies to deliver a lightweight, easily removable
EMI board-level shield for wireless communications devices.
Gore's new snapSHOT™ shield, along with DEK's
DirEKt Imaging Ball Placement™ technology, provides
devices with excellent protection against EMI and overcomes
limitations of metal cans. |
 |
Gore's
snapSHOT™ shield, composed of a metallized, high temperature,
high performance plastic material, can be thermoformed to
accommodate intricately shaped designs or multi-cavity configurations.
The innovative material weighs 80 to 90 percent less than
a metal can of similar size. The electrical insulating properties
of the base material allow a lower profile shield design that
virtually eliminates the gap between components and shield
and reduces the required minimum component-to-component spacing
by 25 to 50 percent.
 |
Gore's
patented snap-attach mechanism secures the snapSHOT™
shield to the surface of the circuit board. A series
of holes around the shield's perimeter snap over solder
spheres placed and reflowed on the PCB, providing both
mechanical retention and electrical connection. In cavity-to-cavity
testing, the shielding effectiveness of snapSHOT™
shield has been shown to out perform typical metal cans
and removable lid cans.
DEK's
advanced expertise in materials transfer technology
enables the snapSHOT™ shield to be integrated
easily into high-speed, high-volume SMT production lines.
The robust process begins with a screen printer depositing
solder onto solder mask defined (SMD) pads that have
been designed onto the PCB. |
A
second in-line printer, equipped with a DEK DirEKt Imaging
Ball Placement head, places solder spheres into the solder
on the PCB using a stencil that has been configured to the
correct pattern. The fully enclosed head and DirEKt Imaging
technology ensure gentle, but rapid and repeatable, deposition
of the spheres.
| Once
the circuit board has been fully populated with components,
it proceeds to reflow, where both components and spheres
are soldered in place. Following reflow and inspection,
the snapSHOT™ shield can be installed manually,
semi-automatically or fully automatically using a standard
SMT odd form cell. If needed, the shield can be removed
and a new shield installed easily, without de-soldering
or re-soldering of the shield. |
 |
"We
are pleased to join forces with DEK to introduce a revolutionary,
board level, multi-cavity shielding product that provides
excellent protection against electromagnetic interference,"
states Bill Candy, Technical Manager for Gore. "By combining
DEK's wealth of experience in the electronics assembly industry
with our years of experience in EMI shielding, we can better
meet the needs of our customers."
According
to Rich Heimsch, President of DEK International, the process
illustrates "the value of flat, focused specialists in
the new value chain, who can partner more quickly and effectively
to advance core technologies."
W.
L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is a worldwide leader in providing
high technology solutions for electronic, industrial, medical,
and fabric applications. DEK is a technology leader in materials
deposition, supplying both equipment and advanced process
expertise to the global electronics marketplace. For more
information, contact Gore at www.gore.com/electronics or DEK
at www.dek.com.
DirEKt
Ball Placement™ is a NOVATEC technology.
This technology is exclusively licensed to DEK.
DirEKt
Ball Placement™ is a Trade Mark of DEK.
|
