Next Issue Focus:
Components and
Production See our
2027 Editorial and Show Calendar on page 80
VOLUME 41 - NUMBER 9 Product Preview:
SMTA Guadalajara, The Battery Show, SEMICON West
THE GLOBAL ELECTRONICS PUBLICATION Nihon Superior: Innovation that Endures Aven showcases all-in-one
digital microscope. Product previews begin on ...
Page 54
This Month’s Focus: SMT & Automation
OSAKA, JAPAN — In an indus- try where today’s breakthrough can quickly become legacy tech- nology, longevity is rarely associ- ated with innovation. Prod- uct cycles are shrinking, manufacturing processes are advancing rapidly, and applications ranging from electric vehicles (EVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) to advanced semiconductor packaging continue to raise performance expectations. Yet some technologies
SPEA discusses SMT line automation for end-of-life functional testing. Special features begin on ...
Page 44 EM Services
endure not because they re- main unchanged, but be- cause they were built on sound materials science and refined through contin- uous improvement. That philosophy has shaped Ni- hon Superior Co., Ltd. for more than half a century.
Engineering Before Marketing
Nihon Superior has built its reputation by developing joining
materials that address practical manufacturing challenges, then improving them as production requirements evolve. The ap- proach has carried the company through major industry transitions, in- cluding the rise of surface mount technology and the global move to lead-free manufacturing.
SN100C is perhaps the
From left: Takatoshi Nishimura, founder Toshiro Nishimura, and president Tetsuro Nishimura, Nihon Superior.
SASinno to Showcase Soldering, Coating and
Cetec implements ERP system at Solutions Manufacturing.
EM services begin on ... Page 18
EM Products
Marking Systems WASHINGTON, MO — SASinno Americas, a provider of advanced soldering solutions for the elec- tronics manufacturing industry, will exhibit at SMTA Interna- tional 2026. Visitors are invited to booth 3023 to see the compa- ny’s latest manufacturing solu- tions.
Designed to improve pro-
duction efficiency, flexibility and process reliability, SASinno’s equip ment supports manufac- turers looking to enhance quali- ty while meeting the demands of increasingly complex PCB as- semblies. The Ultra-i2 offline selective
APE adds cameras to its
precision rework systems. EM products begin on...
Page 28
soldering machine represents SASinno’s latest generation of selective soldering technology. Designed for small to medium production volumes, high-mix manufacturing and fast product changeovers, the system com- bines advanced standard fea- tures with a wide range of op- tional capabilities to deliver con-
LM510-C laser marking system.
maintenance-free electromagnet- ic pumps, top and bottom pre- heat, and N2 inline programma- ble heating, providing greater process stability, thermal consis- tency and solder quality. Also featured at the booth
Continued on page 6
sistent soldering performance across a broad range of board sizes. Standard features include
clearest example. Intro- duced before many manu- facturers had fully em- braced lead-free produc- tion, the alloy was designed to provide reliability and process stability while ad- dressing challenges associ- ated with early lead-free
soldering. It later gained broad acceptance across au-
Continued on page 8
Automating Just to Reduce Jobs?
PHILADELPHIA, PA — For decades, automation has been ac- companied by the same warning: machines are coming for manufac- turing jobs. As robotics, artificial intelligence, and increasingly au- tonomous production systems en- ter electronics factories, that con- cern has only grown louder. Yet the reality on the factory
floor is more complicated. Au- tomation certainly changes jobs, and in some cases eliminates particular tasks or positions. But in an industry already struggling to find skilled workers, the larg- er effect may be something dif- ferent. Automation is exposing which manufacturers know how to use their people effectively — and which do not.
Automating the Wrong Things
Installing automated equip-
ment does not automatically cre- ate an efficient factory. A compa-
Continued on page 6 September 2026
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