Bowman Appoints UK Distributor

May, 2018 – Bowman has appointed SciMed, a distributor of scientific instruments, as exclusive distributor for Bowman XRF plating thickness measurement systems in the UK.

SciMed will represent Bowman XRF systems throughout the UK, and provide service and technical support. Bowman XRF equipment is tailored to the user’s specific needs, and includes a broad range, from entry-level instruments to elite, “best in class” systems for the most demanding microelectronics applications.

SciMed was established in 1979 in Stockport, Cheshire, and has become one of the UK’s most prominent distributors of laboratory and process equipment. It works with every sector of UK industry, but primarily advises scientists and technicians involved in microelectronics, metal plating, electrochemistry and elemental analysis.

SciMed owner Paul Vanden Branden introduced Bowman XRF technology at Surfex, the premier conference and trade event for the UK finishing industry, in Conventry, May 22-23.

Bowman Featured at CPCA

April, 2018 – Congratulations on a great and productive show to Bowman’s China Master Distributor, Arthur He, (Applied Scientific Instruments) for exceptional work (and a terrific exhibit!) at the China International PCB and Assembly Show.

The annual event was held March 20-22 at the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai, and showcased PCB equipment, raw materials and chemicals, electronic assembly equipment, and much more.

Bowman at CONTROL

April, 2018 – Congratulations also to Andreas Prager and Dietmar Denker, directors of DEPraTechnik GmbH & Co., who brought Bowman XRF technology front and center at Germany’s CONTROL trade show April 24-27, in Stuttgart.

DEPraTechnik GmbH & Co. manages Bowman equipment sales and service throughout Germany. CONTROL is the International Trade Fair for Quality Assurance, and is the leading event in the quality sector, with 30,000 visitors annually.

New XRF Coating Measurement System Measures the Widest Range
of Product Sizes, Meets IPC 4552, Rev. A

Who Benefits?

• Manufacturers who test a wide variety of sample sizes OR multiple locations per new lot of material
• Finishers who want an XRF measurement system that does “triple duty” – performing coating analysis, solution analysis and element analysis with one instrument
• Finishers who need to comply with the new IPC specification, 4552-A, for printed circuit board plating

February 22, 2018 Schaumburg, IL – Bowman, a US manufacturer and global service provider for XRF coating measurement instruments, has introduced its P Series, a versatile benchtop XRF instrument.

Bowman’s P Series simultaneously identifies elements (Al13 through U92 on the periodic table) in each of up to 5 coating layers, with exceptional precision and speed. It is ideal for test environments with high throughput schedules.

Standard system configurations include a 4-position collimator assembly, variable focus camera for applications with recessed areas, extended-life micro-focus X-ray tube and solid state PIN detector. The detector has well-defined element peaks, eliminating the need for secondary filters. Minimal peak position drift assures highest stability over time and extends the interval between recalibrations. An SDD detector is also available.

Unique to Bowman XRF instruments is the intimate proximity of the X-ray tube and detector, a feature of system architecture that produces more than three times the photon counts of conventional XRF equipment – and in a shorter measurement time.

The Bowman P Series has an extended programmable XY axis that makes it suitable for measuring small features, or parts such as fasteners, connectors, and PCBs. Table size is 25″ X 25″; travel is 10″ X 10″. It is ideally suited to shops that want to prevent their two costliest issues: rejections from under-plating, and material waste from over-plating.

The P Series is the 6th model in Bowman’s comprehensive suite of XRF instruments. Like other instruments in the portfolio, it runs advanced Xralizer software to quantify coating thickness from the detected photons. Xralizer software combines intuitive visual controls with time-saving shortcuts, extensive search capability, and “one-click” reporting. The software also simplifies user creation of new applications.

More on P Series XRF coating measurement

Bowman Appoints Lead XRF Scientist

February 19, 2018 Schaumburg, IL – Bowman, a US manufacturer of XRF coating measurement instruments, announces the appointment of Dr. Timothy He as Principal XRF Scientist.

In making the appointment, Bowman Chief Technology Officer Jun Choi, says, “Tim He will report directly to me, and will have two primary responsibilities. He will be responsible for the expansion of applications for Bowman XRF coating measurement technology, with a focus on EPIG, ENEPIG, and other PCB applications; he will also lead Bowman’s development team for materials integrity testing.”

Dr. He was previously Principal Scientist with Tribogenics, Inc., a manufacturer of triboluminescence-based X-ray products based in Los Angeles. Previous to that, he was Senior Detectors Scientist at Bruker Corporation.

“With his broad, but highly relevant background,” adds Choi, “Tim He is an extraordinary addition to our technical team.”

Applied Scientific Earns Praise at HKPCA

January, 2018. Congratulations to Arthur He, Bowman’s China Master Distributor, on a highly successful HKPCA* show and conference. All 5 Bowman Asia distributors work under Arthur’s excellent leadership, and attended Bowman’s regional distributors meeting during the event, which was held recently in Shenzhen.

He’s company is Applied Scientific Instruments Co., headquartered in Shanghai.

* Hong Kong Printed Circuits Association

Shown (from left): Arthur He, President of Applied Scientific Instruments; Jun Choi, Chief Technology Officer, Bowman; Tom Tang, owner of Digitop Electronics Ltd., Bowman’s distributor for southern China, with sales personnel.

Who Benefits?

• Finishers who need to precisely measure coating thickness on automotive parts, plumbing components, cutting tools and other large samples
• Finishers who want an XRF measurement system that does “triple duty” – performing coating analysis, solution analysis and element analysis with one instrument
• Finishers who need to comply with the new IPC specification, 4552-A, for printed circuit board plating

December, 2017: Bowman has introduced its large component “L Series” XRF for parts measuring up to 22″ X 24″ X 13″.

The Bowman L Series desktop instrument was engineered for OEMs and contract shops who need precise control over the thickness of plated deposits, preventing the quality issues that result from under-plating, and the cost consequences of over-plating.

The Bowman L Series XRF quickly and precisely determines the thickness of coatings within a broad range: from aluminum through uranium (13 through 92 on the periodic table.) The instrument measures up to five coating layers simultaneously, any or all of which can be alloys.

Key Features of L Series units include Bowman’s proprietary micro spot focus x-ray tube, and temperature-stabilized silicon PIN diode detector. The detector has well-defined element peaks, eliminating the need for secondary filters. Minimal peak position drift assures highest stability over time and extends the interval between recalibrations.

Unique to Bowman XRF instruments is the intimate proximity of the X-ray tube and detector, a feature of system architecture that produces more than three times the photon counts of conventional XRF equipment – and in a shorter measurement time.

More on L Series XRF coating measurement

Bowman held its 2017 International Sales Meeting in Chicago October 30 and 31, 2017

30 XRF coating measurement distributors from 15 countries attended the meeting, which provided an opportunity for our industry partners in both the printed circuit and general metal finishing industries to share ideas, discuss new technology developments, review best practices and celebrate the year’s many high-profile successes.

The culmination of the fast-paced 2-day meeting was an awards dinner where 2017 sales achievements were recognized. Recipients of Outstanding Achievement “Million Dollar” Sales Awards were Zach Dismukes, Bowman NA Sales Manager; Applied Scientific Instruments Co., Shanghai, China; and Quantum Equipment Co. Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India.

Zach Dismukes, Bowman NA Sales Manager; Arthur He, Applied Scientific Instruments Co., Shanghai, China; and DM Musale, Quantum Equipment Co. Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India received “Million Dollar” Sales Awards at Bowman’s 2017 International Sales Meeting.

Receiving $250,000 Sales Awards were CMI Korea, Seoul Korea; and Bowman Italia S.r.l., Novi Ligure, Italy.

According to Bowman President Tom Leone, the meeting was “a great success, with valuable participation by distributor partners, and excellent technical sessions.”

Bowman also recognized two of its presenters with awards for their contributions. Richard DePoto, Manager of Business Development at Uyemura USA, (Southington, CT) presented two talks. The first was an exploration of the IPC 4552 Rev. A ENIG Specification. The second was titled “White Bronze” Tri Metal: Expanding Applications and New Developments in a Changing Landscape. Frank Ferrandino, President of Calmetrics, Inc., (Ronkonkoma, NY) delivered a talk on standards and certification.

Among the topics most discussed at the meeting was the recent release of IPC-4552A: Performance Specification for Electroless Nickel / Immersion Gold (ENIG) Plating for Printed Boards. Bowman is distinct in that its systems guarantee compliance with this critical industry standard.

August 7, 2017: Bowman has received the prestigious Export Challenge Award. This honor is given by Metro Chicago Exports, a strategic economic development program that’s part of the Global Cities Initiative (a joint project of the Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase.) The award is made annually to companies who exhibit strong growth potential and have demonstrated an ability to succeed in international markets. The award ceremony was held July 25.

The Bowman system is a high performance, X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer, (“xrf”) widely used by OEMs and job shops in the printed circuit board industry, where plating thickness is a critical metric. XRF is also widely used in the automotive parts, plumbing and cutting tools industries.

Bowman XRF has grown 25% per year, on average for the past 5 years – a key reason for its selection by the Export Challenge judges. 70% of its product is exported, primarily to Asia. The company recently established a broad sales and service network in Germany.

In addition to manufacturing, Bowman provides calibration services, preventive maintenance and training worldwide. In March, 2017, Bowman XRF was honored by the international trade association IPC, (Association Connecting Electronics Industries, Bannockburn, IL) for its innovative technology in electronics assembly.

A new Bowman instrument that uses µ-spot capillary optics for advanced thin film measurement recently received the New Product Introduction Award from Printed Circuit Design and Fab and Circuits Assembly.

Innovative technology combines a small spot, high flux x-ray beam with a large window Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) to achieve unmatched speed, precision and performance.

March 6, 2017: Schaumburg, IL – Bowman’s M Series µ-spot optics instrument was honored with a New Product Introduction award during the IPC APEX Expo at the San Diego Convention Center. The award, presented by Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design and Fab, was in recognition of the advanced thin film measurement the M Series achieves using µ-spot poly-capillary optics.

An independent panel of practicing industry engineers selected the recipients for this 10th annual award for electronics assembly equipment, materials, software, and PCB fabrication.“We are very excited that the M Series has received this recognition,” said Jun Choi, Bowman Chief Technology Officer. “The innovative technology combines a small spot, high flux x-ray beam with a large window Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) to significantly improve the instrument’s speed, precision and performance.”