Develops and manufactures highly flexible SMT equipment in Switzerland: placement, dispensing/jetting, reflow soldering, material storage and production software.
Essemtec AG
Aesch LU (CH) · Munich/Ismaning (DE) · Colmar (FR) · Billerica/Waltham, MA (US) · Nowa Wola (PL)New on Amplifa
About Essemtec
Essemtec AG is a Swiss machine manufacturer with development and production site in Aesch LU and is part of Nano Dimension Ltd. The product portfolio comprises production equipment for electronics manufacturing: adaptive SMT pick-and-place machines (Puma, Fox) with up to 31'000 components/h and placement accuracies of ±30–40 µm (3σ), dispensing and jetting machines (Tarantula, Spider) for solder paste, adhesives, underfill and silver epoxy, full-convection reflow ovens (Lizard), intelligent SMD material management (Hive/eStorage) as well as the Falcon/ePlace software with MES/ERP interfaces. Processes include solder paste jetting (dot diameters from 200 µm, up to 1.46 million dots/h), adhesive jetting, dam-and-fill, 3D gasketing, LED encapsulation, BGA reballing and PCB repair, complemented by integrated optical inspection (I2S) and component verification (CVU). The modular systems with mineral-cast chassis, linear motors and retrofittable options serve EMS providers, LED and microelectronics manufacturers as well as industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical technology and telecommunications. With around 65 sales partners and more than 7'000 installed systems, Essemtec is represented on all five continents.
- Site
- Aesch LU
- Processes
- SMD/solder paste jetting (jet printing), Solder paste jetting - Shockwave Jet Valve, Adhesive jetting / dispensing, Dam and Fill, Underfill (chip underfill), 3D dispensing / 3D gasketing, LED encapsulation, Silver epoxy jetting
- Materials
- Solder paste type 4-7, SMD adhesive, Silver conductive adhesive / silver epoxy resin, UV adhesive, Underfill (epoxy composite with fillers), Phosphor-silicone, Flux, Dielectric ink
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 27032:2012, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 27032
- Founded
- 1991
- Industries
- Electronics manufacturing (EMS), LED technology, Microelectronics/sensors, Aerospace, Automotive, Telecommunications
- 01
Engineering and development in Aesch LU
- 02
Mechanical engineering / production of placement, dispensing and reflow systems
- 03
Software development (Falcon/ePlace, eStorage, eMis)
- 04
Integration of inspection and metrology (I2S, CVU)
- 05
Sales via subsidiaries and 65 partners
- 06
Installation, training, remote diagnostics, maintenance, retrofits and spare
Processes & Materials
Solder Paste Jetting (Shockwave Jet Valve)
Contactless jetting of type 4–7 solder pastes from 200 µm dot diameter without printer and stencil.
Piezo Jet Valve
High-speed dispensing up to 2'000'000 dots/h for adhesives and low-viscosity media.
Time/Pressure and Screw Valve
Gentle dispensing of highly viscous and filled media such as underfill and silver epoxy.
Solder Paste Type 4–7 (e.g. Indium, KOKI, Senju)
Leaded and lead-free solder pastes for jetting and full-convection reflow soldering.
Epoxy Resin / Underfill
Filled epoxy composite for underfill and dam-and-fill.
Silver Conductive Adhesive (Silver Epoxy Resin)
Jetting of silver epoxy in various line widths for microelectronics.
UV Adhesive and Dielectric Ink
Encapsulation, globe-top and insulation applications on PCBs and films.
Phosphor-Silicone
Jet encapsulation of LEDs (encapsulation) with metered phosphor-silicone quantities.
Nano-Silver Conductive Ink / Dielectric Polymer Ink
Multi-material 3D printing of electronic circuits in the Nano Dimension DragonFly system.
Locations
Aesch LU
CHHeadquarters, development and production site
- Puma pick-and-place (up to 30'000 units/h, PCB 560×610 mm to 1800×610 mm)
- Fox pick-and-place (up to 31'000 units/h, PCB 406×305 mm)
- Spider high-speed dispenser (up to 2 million dots/h)
- Tarantula all-round dispenser incl. dual lane and underfill
- Lizard RO400FC full-convection reflow oven (400 mm, 3–5 zones)
- Hive SMD material storage (up to 960 7" reels)
- I2S integrated optical inspection (2D SPI/AOI)
- Component verification unit CVU
Munich / Ismaning
DESales and service (Essemtec Deutschland GmbH)
Colmar
FRSales and service (Essemtec France SAS)
Billerica/Waltham, MA
USSales and service (Essemtec USA LLC)
Nowa Wola
PLSales and service location Poland
Systems & Machines
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMD/solder paste jetting (jet printing)Joining | – | 1800 mm × 610 mm | – | – | Solder paste type 4-7, SMD adhesive, Silver epoxy resin, Flux, UV adhesive, Phosphor-silicone, Underfill (epoxy), Dielectric ink, Liquid metal |
| Solder paste jetting - Shockwave Jet ValveJoining | Dot diameter > 200 µm / volume > 1.9 nl | – | – | – | , Liquid metal |
| Adhesive jetting / dispensingJoining | – | – | – | – | SMD adhesive, Underfill, Silver conductive adhesive, UV adhesive, Globe top, Encapsulation, Dielectric ink |
| Dam and FillJoining | – | – | – | – | Epoxy resin |
| Underfill (chip underfill)Joining | – | 560 mm × 610 mm | – | – | Filled epoxy composite material |
| 3D dispensing / 3D gasketingJoining | ±40 µm (3σ) XY / ±20 µm (3σ) Z | – | – | – | Gasket material, Epoxy |
| LED encapsulationJoining | – | – | – | – | Phosphor-silicone |
| Silver epoxy jettingJoining | – | – | – | – | Silver epoxy |
| SMD placement (pick and place)Assembly | Chip ±40 µm (3σ) / QFP ±30 µm (3σ) | 1830 mm × 610 mm × Component height up to 25 mm | – | – | SMD components 008004 to 109 x 87 mm |
| BGA reballing (flux dispensing and reballing)Joining | Flux jetting down to 250 µm | – | – | – | Flux, Solder balls |
| PCB repair / reworkAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Integrated optical inspection (I2S, 2D SPI/AOI)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Component verification (CVU: resistance, capacitance, inductance, diode polarity)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Reflow soldering (full convection)Joining | Temperature 20° to 290°C per zone | 400 mm | – | – | leaded and lead-free solder pastes |
| SMD material management / storageEngineering | – | – | – | – | SMD reels, Pallets, Boxes, Bulk material, Sticks |
| Printed electronics (dispensing/placing on flexible film substrates)Assembly | – | – | – | – | flexible film substrates |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMT placement machine | Essemtec Puma (Puma4/Puma2/Puma Ultra) | – | PCB 560 x 610 mm, optional 1800 x 610 mm; 1/2/4 placement axes; 280 feeders (160 inline); 30'000 | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| SMT placement machine | Essemtec Fox (Fox4/Fox2/Fox Ultra) | – | PCB 406 x 305 mm; 1/2/4 placement axes; 200 feeders (140 inline); 31'000 units/h | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| High-speed dispensing machine | Essemtec Spider | – | PCB 50 x 50 to 406 x 305 mm; up to 2 valves; up to 2'000'000 dots/h; footprint 880 x 1090 mm | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| All-round dispensing machine | Essemtec Tarantula (incl. dual lane, underfill) | – | PCB 560 x 610 mm, optional 1800 x 610 mm; up to 3 valves; 80 mm Z-travel; footprint 1557 x 1357 mm | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| All-in-one SMT placement and dispensing system | Essemtec Solder paste jetting All-in-One (Puma/Fox platform) | – | Up to 4 placement axes and 3 dispensing processes; dot size 200-800 µm | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| Full-convection reflow oven | Essemtec Lizard RO400FC | – | 3-5 zones, 400 mm process width, heated length 1620 mm, footprint 2800 x 914 mm | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| SMD material storage / logistics system | Essemtec Hive (Galileo, Archimede, eStorage) | – | Up to 720/960 7" reels (Archimede); SMD reels 7"-15" | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
| 3D printer for electronics (additive manufacturing) | Nano Dimension DragonFly IV / DragonFly LDM | – | – | – | – |
| Component feeders | Essemtec EVO/hyQ, CLM cassettes, tray changer | – | Track widths 4-120 mm, deep pocket up to 25 mm height, tray changer up to 18 JEDEC trays | – | Aesch LU, Switzerland |
Additional services
Quality
Essemtec operates an integrated management system according to ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), complemented by ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 27032 (information security). Quality assurance includes proactive quality planning, extensive internal auditing and continuous process improvement.
| Evidence | Aesch LU |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 45001 | |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | |
| ISO 27032 |
History
- 1991
Company founded as "SM-TEC" in Zurich; later Essemtec AG with site in Aesch LU
- 2003
Essemtec USA founded on November 3
- 2004
First machine sales as Essemtec USA: 68 machines, USD 2 million revenue, coverage of all US states through sales partners
- 2016
Global Technology Award for the FOX pick-and-place system
- 2018
Award New Product Introduction for the TARANTULA dispenser
- 2022
Global Technology Award for the SPIDER dispensing equipment
- 2023
Mexico Technology Award for FOX All-in-One; 35th company anniversary in Aesch/Lucerne
- 2025
Global Technology Award for Tarantula Dual Lane at productronica Munich; Essemtec is part of Nano Dimension