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May 2014 • SMT Magazine 97 Sjef van gastel is manager for advanced development at As- sembléon netherlands B.v., where he combines his experi- ence as systems architect and machine designer to explore technical and business op- portunities from emerging technologies. To read past columns, or to contact van gastel, click here. placement program to continue the current pro- duction batch. In this new placement program, the LED parts to be mounted will be selected according to part availability at the pick-and- place machine and build plan restrictions. Finally, special precautions should be taken to prevent LED lens domes from sticking to placement nozzles. Most high brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs) consist of a LED die (emitting blue light) covered by a phosphor layer (producing the desired light color) and a lens on top (Fig- ure 4). This lens focuses the emitted light into a light beam. Most lenses are made of (soft) silicone material which is pretty sticky. Special LED handling nozzles at the pick-and-place ma- chine prevent lens sticking and lens scratching. Usually, special plastic nozzle inlays are used for this. The End of Incandescent Lights With the final phase of the incandescent lamps ban now in effect, consumers are looking at alternatives to these energy-gobbling lights. LED lamps, an expensive novelty not too long ago, have come onto the scene in a big way over the last year. While the energy savings of these lamps are a real plus, the real future of light- ing lies in smart WiFi-connected lights that al- low you to control your home lighting from a smartphone or tablet. The technology is still in its infancy, but app makers are already developing cool new uses for these lamps. For instance, you can set your lights to come on as you approach your home, and turn off when you leave. Or maybe you want to ditch your alarm clock and pro- gram your light to turn on slowly, simulating a sunrise in the morning. In other words, LED the sunshine in. SmT SMT TrenDS & TeChnologieS LED THE SUNSHINE IN continues figure 4: Anatomy of Philips Rebel HB-leD.