John has been with ASSEMBLY magazine since February 1997. John was formerly with a national medical news magazine, and has written for Pathology Today and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. John holds a B.A. in journalism from Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism.
No-clean solder paste was supposed to obviate the need to clean circuit boards. So why are many electronics assemblers still grappling with the process?
For compressed air to be safely and adequately delivered to pneumatic equipment, it must pass through a filter, a pressure regulator, and in some cases, a lubricator.
The motions for most assembly operations are measured in centimeters or millimeters. It's not hard to find an actuator to match the application. But, when the application calls for moves measured in microns or nanometers, engineers have fewer options.