Seika Machinery, Inc., a leading provider of advanced machinery, materials and engineering services, announces that electronics manufacturers, process engineers and stencil suppliers can now schedule live demonstrations of the Sawa T100 Automatic Stencil Inspection System at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where the system is installed and operational as part of the Ultra-High-Density Interconnect (UHDI) Consortium research program.
The demonstration opportunity provides industry professionals with firsthand access to advanced stencil inspection technology in a university research environment. The T100 serves as the consortium’s core stencil metrology platform, supporting independent evaluation of stencil technologies for increasingly demanding electronics assembly applications.
As the electronics manufacturing industry moves toward smaller components, finer-pitch interconnections and more complex PCB designs, solder paste printing accuracy remains a critical factor in achieving consistent assembly quality. Stencil aperture dimensions, positional accuracy and mesh tension can influence solder paste deposition, making reliable inspection essential to process control.
The Sawa T100 addresses these requirements through automated, full-field stencil inspection and precision measurement capabilities designed to reduce reliance on manual inspection methods.
During a scheduled demonstration, visitors can explore the system’s key technologies and their applications in production environments, including:
• Automated aperture metrology: Measurement of aperture size and position against Gerber design data, providing detailed information about stencil dimensional accuracy.
• Integrated stencil tension measurement: Evaluation of mesh tension at multiple locations across the stencil field to support consistent stencil acceptance criteria.
• High-resolution optical inspection: A 12-megapixel camera system with configurable optical resolution and the capability to detect apertures down to 40 µm.
• Precision motion and stability: A zero-level marble base and linear-motor positioning system with grating-based closed-loop feedback for repeatable measurements.
• Gerber-based programming: Automatic inspection program generation directly from Gerber data, helping streamline inspection preparation.
• SPC and MES integration: Statistical reporting and manufacturing data connectivity to support traceability and stencil management.
The T100 is engineered to provide consistent measurement across the stencil field, helping manufacturers establish objective inspection criteria and identify potential stencil-related process issues before they affect production.
Its role in the UHDI Consortium further demonstrates the importance of accurate stencil metrology. Organized by 360 Circuits, the research program uses a double-blind testing methodology at the RIT SMTA Laboratory to benchmark different stencil technologies under standardized conditions.
A key objective of the study is to validate the T100’s measurement performance through comparison with independent reference inspection methods, including gauge repeatability and reproducibility analysis. This research is intended to contribute to more consistent stencil evaluation practices as UHDI manufacturing requirements continue to evolve.
“The opportunity to see the Sawa T100 operating at RIT gives manufacturers a valuable way to evaluate how automated stencil inspection can fit into their own quality and process control strategies,” said Michelle Ogihara, EVP, Seika Machinery, Inc. “With tighter tolerances and increasingly complex assemblies, accurate stencil measurement is becoming more important than ever. These demonstrations allow engineers to explore the technology, ask application-specific questions and better understand its capabilities.”
The demonstrations are especially relevant to electronics manufacturers pursuing fine-pitch SMT assembly, stencil manufacturers evaluating inspection and quality assurance methods, and process engineers seeking greater visibility into stencil condition and dimensional consistency.
The Sawa T100 is available for demonstration at RIT by appointment. Interested manufacturers and industry professionals are encouraged to contact Michelle Ogihara, EVP at Seika Machinery to discuss their applications and coordinate a visit.
About Seika Machinery, Inc.
Seika Machinery, Inc. (SMI) is a subsidiary of Seika Corporation, Japan and member of the Mitsubishi Global Group. SMI provides electronics manufacturers with advanced machinery, superior materials and engineering services.
