4,000 Fluxers in 40 Years!

Sono-Tek Corporation, Milton, NY, is proud to announce the sale of its 4,000th fluxer to Jabil Circuit Inc. Established in 1975, this milestone has been achieved in Sono-Tek’s 40th year in business.

Sono-Tek’s founder, Harvey Berger, invented and patented the first ultrasonic atomizing nozzle. Sono-Tek subsequently pioneered the ultrasonic spray fluxing industry for PCB manufacturing with the development of their first SonoFlux system in 1989 for AT&T. Early spray fluxing systems quickly garnered industry awards and recognition for reducing flux consumption by up to 80%. Over the years, Sono-Tek has built a reputation for performance, reliability and strong support for their ultrasonic fluxing systems worldwide, solidifying their position as the industry’s leader in ultrasonic spray fluxing.

Some of the members of Sono-Tek’s production and service team that were involved in Sono-Tek’s 4000th ultrasonic spray fluxer milestone.

Sono-Tek became a publicly traded company in 1987 and has grown from about $2 million in sales in 1989 when Sono-Tek entered the spray fluxing market, to a team of 65 employees and about $12 million in sales in 2015 by focusing strongly on our core values of support and innovation. The SonoFlux line of spray fluxers has expanded to include systems for large contract manufacturers, OEMs, and small PCB manufacturers worldwide. Sono-Tek continues to innovate and add to the SonoFlux line’s unique and innovative features, the newest being the QR jet air shaping system which further improves performance and maintenance of the air shaping head.

Jabil, a global leader in manufacturing, innovation, and quality since 1966, has been purchasing SonoFlux spray fluxing systems since 1994. In August of 2015, they had the distinction of receiving Sono-Tek’s 4000th spray fluxing system, a SonoFlux Servo.

Members of the Jabil team pose with Brian Booth, Sono-Tek regional sales manager, in front of the wave solder machine at the installation facility in Manaus, Brazil. From left to right, Brian Booth (Sono-Tek Regional Sales Manager), Adwilson Sevalho (Jabil – wave solder engineering expert), Roberto da Cruz (Plottec/Sono-Tek Representative for Brazil)

Adwilson Sevalho, Jabil wave solder engineer commented, “We have been a user of Sono-Tek’s equipment for many years. Over time, we have built a strong relationship based on their high level of support, quality, and performance. We are proud to be part of this exciting achievement for Sono-Tek and looking forward to continued growth together.”

“It is exciting to reach this landmark in 2015, our 40th year in business. With sustained drive toward innovation and field support, we are committed to continuing our position as the industry’s leader in ultrasonic spray fluxing for many years to come”, commented Bennett Bruntil, Sono-Tek’s Marketing Brand Manager.

In the beginning:
Sono-Tek’s first major commercial offering into the fluxing market was in 1991 with the SonoFlux 591 and was designed primarily for low solids and no clean fluxes. Popularity of spray fluxing quickly expanded due to 2 factors:

Today:
Several SonoFlux models offer drastic reductions in flux consumption compared to other spray fluxers, with better through hole penetration and top side fill. Addressing the challenges faced by today’s PCB manufacturers, Sono-Tek ultrasonic spray fluxers are designed to run not only no clean fluxes, but also corrosive water soluble fluxes and high solids rosin fluxes.

Two tiers of fluxers make it easy for all manufacturers to take advantage of the benefits of ultrasonic spray fluxing: