SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER...
If you would like to receive regular updates via our newsletter, please fill in the form below.
Recent Newsletters:
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year from all at Loadpoint
Thank you for your support throughout 2011. We look forward to working with you all in 2012.
We will be closed from 1pm on Friday 23rd December and re-open on Tuesday 3rd January.
If you have any contract machining requirements, need any dicing consumables or would like maintenance work done on your machine, please arrange this with us around these dates.
"New kid on the block" - The Loadpoint Diecutter
Responding to a specific requirement from a customer for a new die cutter and also recognising a much wider gap in the packaging market. Loadpoint have designed a machine to satisfy the substantial equipment gap that exists between hand fed platens and fully automated flat bed machines. Drawing on their 30 years experience of building precision machinery for the semiconductor industry and for the last 20 years building special purpose assembly machines for the packaging industry, the Loadpoint engineers have incorporated cutting edge motion control and levels of precision rarely seen in the packaging industry. The clever trick is that all this technology sits behind an easy to operate user interface and a machine that is super quick to set and easy to operate.
Designed specifically for the sheet plant sector, the criteria was for: - a safe to operate fully automatic machine which complies with all current UK and European health and safety regulations, single operator, quick set, large capacity bed, fully stripping with no additional tooling required and a delivery system capable of producing finished product ready for delivery. Finally this all had to be delivered at an affordable price.
The Loadpoint die cutter comfortably satisfies all these points. With the first machine in build and already sold to a major UK sheet plant, interest is guaranteed to be very strong.
Large capacity dicing from Loadpoint
A large capacity dicing machine from Loadpoint, the MacroAce is suitable for heavy duty single and multiple blade applications.
The MacroAce is a major step in the machining of ferroelectric applications as it provides all the features required for research, development and production in this rapidly expanding market.
The MacroAce is available with the industry leading NanoControl system giving a highly flexible programming capability with Z control, using the Loadpoint contact height sensing system, and a full screen camera image alignment system. The Y and Z axes are controlled by linear encoders in 1 micron increments.
• X movement 400 mm
• Y movement 250 mm
• Z movement 100 mm
• DC brushless air bearing
• Constant torque
• NanoControl system
• Theta table, goniometer
• Alignment system
• Full coolant system
Blade capacity: 76.2 mm to 180 mm
Work holding: Mechanical, vacuum, magnetic, etc
Alignment: Manual, 2 point, pattern recognition
Micro-machining services
Flexibility
Precision dicing, drilling or grinding; we have a solution that can be tailored to fit your needs. Our range of equipment enables us to offer total flexibility and cater for a very broad spectrum of work, from quick set flexible machines for prototyping or short production runs, to CNC controlled machines for high volume manufacturing.
Experience
Utilising our latest equipment in our subcontract facility, we are expert in machining most materials including: silicon, PZT, glass, Quartz, gallium arsenide, lithium niobate and tungsten carbide etc.
Accuracy
Our modern cutting room is temperature controlled and where necessary standard coolants can be exchanged for deionised 16 meg-ohm water. Full inspection is carried out onsite and final packing can be provided to exact customer specification.
Quick Quote
You can be assured of a quick response to your enquiry and wherever possible we will provide a full quotation prior to undertaking any work on your behalf.
Quick Turnaround
We often turnaround jobs within 48 hours of receipt and can arrange collection and redelivery of customers products. We encourage our customers to visit us with prototype projects and work together on process development.
Cost Effective
We offer cost effective solutions by matching material, size and quantity to the most appropriate machine and process. If we think there is a better way to machine your products, we’ll tell you!
PressPoint
A low cost solution for tape ring wafer mounting from Loadpoint.
Designed to offer a cost effective and highly efficient alternative to automated ring closing systems. The Loadpoint Presspoint is the most versatile and efficient manual closing system available, requires no power and is useable straight from the box.
- Handles 94mm, 115mm, 140mm, 170mm,195mm and 225mm tape rings with interchangeable standard tools (special available to order)
- Compatible with all types of foil or tape used for wafer mounting
- One operation to apply tape to rings
- All aluminium construction with a durable powder-coated paint finish and bearing bushes on all moving parts - built for reliability in a busy manufacturing environment
- Tape rolls easily and safely loaded, dispensed and unloaded
- Extremely cost effective with no service costs
- Simple to use, minimum effort required with a modern, ergonomic design
- Post dicing stretch of cut substrate is easily achieved to protect finished components in transit
The Route to 66
The MicroAce 66 dicing saw is the latest machine from the Loadpoint stable. The 66 is the result of years of development, building on the hugely successful platform of the MicroAce series 3. The team at Loadpoint have retained all the best characteristics of the existing range, particularly the legendary reliability and ease of use.
The range of materials, applications and markets catered to by the 66 is extensive. The early successes have predominantly been in cutting PZT for sonar and ultrasonic applications, glass and quartz into the optical and photovoltaic Industries, as well as the traditional markets for silicon and micro electronic mechanical systems (MEMS).
The feedback from customers has been unanimous in that this is the best Loadpoint machine by far.
FEATURES INCLUDE:
- Quick set up, accurate alignment - Utilises state of the art pattern recognition software.
- Low cost production - Best cutting speed. Very reliable equipment, online diagnostics, UK based support.
- Low blade cost - No need to use conductive blades as the 66 has a unique blade height sensing system.
- Wafer reduction - The Microace 66 can easily reduce wafers using standard saw blades.
- Easy to use - The Nano Control system is the most intuitive system on the market.
- Peace of mind - The Microace 66 is designed and built in the UK, fully supported by the Loadpoint team.
A Sawing Success
After a period of intense reorganisation to meet the challenges of the current market, Loadpoint Directors Clive Bond and Andrew Saunders, are delighted to announce the completion of their successful management buyout in partnership with local businessman and entrepreneur David Pedley.
Loadpoint has been providing the Semiconductor and Electronics industry with solutions for over 40 years and Clive and Andrew are keen to continue the exceptional technical expertise their clients have come to expect and rely upon.
As the leading UK machine manufacturer of micro machining solutions, they have developed, and are continuing to develop, machines that can dice, saw, grind and drill a huge range of materials to micron, sub-micron and in some cases, nanometer precision. They have found machining applications in such fields as semiconductor, medical diagnostics, sonar, optical, photo-voltaic and many other industrial applications.
Driven to deliver and exceed customer expectation, Loadpoint are leading the way in micro machining technology.
Loadpoint presents developments in Piezoelectric-on-Silicon structures
Continuing our work in driving multi layer, multi material technology, Loadpoint, in conjunction with the University of Dundee Institute for Medical Science and Technology, presented the papers:
"Issues in Manufacturing of Wafer-scale 3D Piezoelectric-on-Silicon Structures" at the Bio-Sensors and MEMS packaging conference "Everything in Electronics from the Chip to the Sytem" in Edinburgh 2nd March organised by iMAPS UK (view paper)
&
"3D Silicon on Piezo" at the Piezo 2009 conference "Electroceramics for End users IV" in Zakopane 3rd March, organised by the Piezo Institute (view presentation)
These papers focused on the development of piezo devices directly driven by silicon, for use in ultra sound applications. Using the current developments in 3D silicon-on-silicon devices as a starting point, the papers describe the state of art of the manufacturing processes that will be required, and possible sources of future process developments.
Loadpoint assists with detector designs
Loadpoint has been working for the Science and Technology Facilities Council on advanced specification glass wafers for use in the Diamond light source at the UK's synchrotron facility on the Harwell Science and Innovation campus. For more details please see the press release below
Loadpoint presents paper on 3D packaging at IMAPS
Loadpoint presented a paper at the IMAPS October 2008 conference in Munich outlining its view on dicing the upcoming multi material 3D packages for PZT applications. This included a list of other processes required with possible sources of those technologies.
Loadpoint launch MacroAce Machine
MacroAce is a very large capacity dicing machine for heavy duty single and multiple blade applications. A work capacity of 250 x 250 x 30 mm combined with 120 mm of spindle vertical movement enables diced or slotted features to be machined on the top of thick assemblies...
Loadpoint and Ferro-Electric Materials Processing
Loadpoint now has an expanded capability for processing ferroelectric materials. The new MacroAce provides the ability to dice or slice large blocks of PZT materials for ultrasonic applications. These can be up to 250 x 250 x 30 mm or fine features on the top of 100 mm high components.
The PicoAce grinder is now grinding elements down to 40 micron thick. This machine has the proven capability to grind diced and filled arrays to 50 micron thickness using film frame work holding techniques.
Manufacturing techniques are now being explored for new NDT imaging sensors and systems. These will be based on the NanoAce and MicroAce machines as well as the MacroAce. When developing a manufacturing process Loadpoint focuses on using production technique so that the transfer from R&D to production is as smooth as possible. This covers the machine, dicing blades, work holding with control and metrology as needed to provide a complete turn key system.
Loadpoint Ltd. Subcontract chosen to dice Infra-Red Filters for NASA
Swindon, UK – Loadpoint Ltd. have been asked to dice Infrared filters to be incorporated into the Mars Climate Sounder. The MCS is one of the ultramodern instruments aboard the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter, timetabled for launch from Cape Canaveral in August 2004. On arriving at the Red Planet the craft will orbit at an altitude of 350 kilometres where it will spend two earth-years undertaking scientific research. The MCS will take vertical profiles of atmospheric radiance; the data generated being used to plot the exchange of water between the surface and the atmosphere.
The filters are being produced by the University of Reading Infrared Multilayer Laboratory who asked Loadpoint to undertake the precision dicing of Germanium substrates at their subcontract facility in Swindon, UK. With over 40 years of experience in dicing Loadpoint is one of the most established dicing machine manufacturers in the market. Loadpoint Director John Sweet said of their wafer dicing subcontract service ‘this type of technically sophisticated job is where Loadpoint’s depth of experience in dicing benefits our clients in both production time and materials cost. As we’ve been involved in the development of electronic components for so long we find we are the place that people come when they have new, difficult materials to dice. These aren’t the first Loadpoint diced parts to be sent into space and they won’t be the last.’
Loadpoint Ltd. undertake subcontract dicing on their own range of dicing machines, which dice wafers up to 300mm diameter. If you would like further information on Loadpoint’s range of dicing and post-dicing equipment, dicing subcontract facilities and consumables supply service please try their website at www.loadpoint.co.uk, email Loadpoint at all@loadpoint.co.uk or telephone 01793 751160 to discuss your dicing requirements with one of Loadpoint’s sales team.
Loadpoint Ltd. Subcontract offer first 300mm dicing service in UK
Loadpoint Ltd. have announced the addition of their NanoAce 300mm diameter high-precision dicing saws to their subcontract facility in Swindon, UK. The versatile NanoAce dices materials including Alumina, BGA mouldings, Ceramic, Glass, Lead Zirconate Titanate, FibreBoard and Silicon and can be controlled in 4 axes (x, y, z, and theta). Loadpoint’s customers use the wafer dicing subcontract facility to develop dicing processes for singulation of IC’s, LED’s, MEMS and other devices. The facility benefits from both the extensive dicing experience of our staff and the versatility of our machines, which are designed and built in-house. With the development of Wafer Level Packaging dicing saws as adaptable as the NanoAce are set to become more and more valuable to product development.
Loadpoint’s experience in dicing has earned them a place among some of Europe’s leading semiconductor manufacturers who are currently researching the process technology that will enable production of the next generation of ultra-thin IC’s. Company Director John Sweet says “For semiconductor dicing high precision diamond saws like the NanoAce are the most effective option for cost and productivity. Now we are pushing back the boundaries of this field of production engineering to ever finer levels of finish and quality”
Further details on Loadpoint’s dicing subcontract facilities and their range of dicing and post-dicing equipment can be found at www.loadpoint.co.uk alternatively telephone 01793 751160 to discuss your dicing requirements with one of Loadpoint’s sales team.
Groundbreaking ultrahigh-precision grinding machine PicoAce
Groundbreaking, ultrahigh-precision grinding machine PicoAce added to Loadpoint Ltd.'s Ace Machine-Tool family...
Purpose Designed 300mm Wafer Washing Station
Loadpoint's 300mm Dicer/Grinder is now available with a purpose designed 300mm wafer washing station...