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Winslow Automation, Inc. has been advancing lead finish and soldering
technology for the military & aerospace, medical, telecommunications, and
consumer electronics industry since its inception in 1986. Winslow
Automation, Inc. provides consumables, equipment, and services to the
semiconductor industry through two distinct operating divisions. The
products division, Winslow Automation, Inc., designs and manufactures
soldering consumables and equipment. The services division,
SIX SIGMA, provides
microelectronic component packaging services and testing including component
lead finish and restoration (robotic
hot solder dip,
reballing,
ball
attach), and component lead ruggedization (column
attach and
high
lead ball attach), component lead-finish and package integrity testing (Hermeticity
Testing,
Ionic Cleanliness Testing,
Solderability
Testing) and component failure analysis and analytical testing (Acoustic
Micro-Imaging, SEM-EDS,
X-Ray
Fluorescence) to the semiconductor industry.
Russell Winslow founded Winslow Automation, Inc., in December 1986. The original
products were patented solder pallets. These pallets were designed to adapt
lead tinning of surface mount technology (SMT) IC’s to the high volume wave
soldering process. In addition to pallets, Winslow Automation also designed custom automation
equipment for local semiconductor companies. The proliferation of SMT technology
in circuit assemblies created a need to provide lead tinning of SMT components
that could not be adapted to pallets or other methods of automated soldering.
Recognizing this need led to the development of the FlexLine® Solder
Module.
In 1990, a plan was initiated to expand the business to include a service
organization to process parts for customers that could not justify their own
purchase of the FlexLine® thereby leading to the establishment of
SIX SIGMA. This part of Winslow
Automation provides
hot solder lead finish services and related testing services, and failure analysis
services for the semiconductor and printed circuit board industries. Services
like BGA ball attach, reballing, and column attach fill a need in a niche market
and continue to competitively position Winslow Automation for growth and success.
Components processed by SIX SIGMA
are found in applications that vary from the most sophisticated guidance
systems, to the engine controllers in commercial airlines, to automobile
passive restraint systems. The first customer parts were processed in
December of 1990. Today
SIX SIGMA is a recognized leader
in semiconductor lead finish, processing millions of high reliability semiconductor
components each year. In 1998, the Ball Grid Array Preform was recognized by
Surface Mount Technology Magazine as the
1998 Vision Rework and Repair Product
of the Year. SMT Vision Awards recognize the people and products within
the surface mount industry that serve as benchmarks for excellence. In 2001,
the column attach service was recognized by Advanced Packaging Magazine for
excellence in the interconnection category.
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