To enable electronics and medical device manufacturers to dispense small volumes of liquid with high precision and accuracy, a new volumetric dispensing technology currently available is now offered by adhesives and dispensing equipment specialist Intertronics.
The new product, the preeflow eco-PEN XS 180, unveiled at productronica in November 2023, has hit a new industry milestone by enabling the volumetric dispensing of 0.25 µl quantities.
Designed specifically for the lowest volume dispensing applications, the eco-PEN XS 180 doses highly precise quantities of various materials in the nanolitre and microlitre ranges. The eco-PEN XS 180 is suitable for both line and dot dispensing, with bead widths starting from >0.1 mm, and an adjustable dispensing rate to suit the run speed. With accuracy of ±1%, >99% of the time, the device gives electronics and medical device assembly application specialists a tool for dispensing small liquid volumes.
Eco-PEN technology is based on the proven preeflow progressive cavity pump principle, which enables volumetric dispensing that is viscosity independent. The technology can dispense of a range of viscosities, from water-like substances up to thick pastes, including filled materials, with low shear and no dripping.
Ben Swanson, chief commercial officer at Intertronics, said: “Devices and equipment are becoming more complex, and so there are more applications where manufacturers must dispense extremely low liquid volumes. The eco-PEN XS 180 can readily be integrated into automation or supplied as part of our archytasseries of robot integrations, to achieve high levels of positioning accuracy. Its lightweight design, weighing approximately 175g, enables its use in high-speed robotics, and the cartridge design means that several eco-PENs can be tightly spaced together in a narrow grid. This product means manufacturers can dispense at the smallest scale and high throughput with absolute confidence and control.”
The eco-PEN XS 180 is suitable for dispensing solder pastes, die-attach adhesives, edge-bond adhesives, electrically conductive adhesives, underfills, and potting compounds. Applications include electronics packaging, SMD/SMT, semiconductor, LCD/LED, medical device assembly, biological chemistry, laboratory, photovoltaic, and optics & photonics.
The eco-PEN XS 180 is combined with the eco-CONTROL EC200 2.0 control unit, which provides control of preeflow volumetric valves during the dispensing process. There is the option of a model designed for a benchtop or rack-mounted location, dependent on the application.