President Obama declares 2014 a year of action

A consortium of 18 companies and 6 universities are partnering with the US government to strengthen US manufacturing. Hesse Mechatronics will provide valuable wedge bonding process knowledge and equipment to the consortium.

Proposed in the President’s latest State of the Union address, The Next Generation Power Electronics Institute is now a reality led by North Carolina State University. The consortium is one of three initiatives by President Obama to bring together research and product development in a collaborative effort among companies, universities, training and academic institutions, and federal agencies. The consortium will serve as a “teaching factory,”supporting students and workers, in addition to enabling small manufacturers to access cutting edge capabilities, manufacturing processes and equipment to design, test and produce next generation power electronics products in the USA.

Wide bandgap semiconductor materials, the focus of The Next Generation Power Electronics Institute, enable smaller, faster and more reliable power electronic devices than those that are silicon-based. Harnessing the benefits of wide bandgap semiconductor technology, including reduced weight, volume and costs, can lead to significant energy savings in products such as industrial processing equipment and consumer appliances, in addition to accelerating the adoption of new technologies including electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Hesse Mechatronics has become known for supporting educational institutions in the development of emerging technologies in the field of backend semiconductor assembly, specifically wedge wire bonding. The company will provide the consortium with its industry-leading wire bonding equipment and ongoing process knowledge with respect to thin and heavy wire wedge bonding, ribbon bonding and a variety of metallization processes and materials.