2015/03/26

Award for Loctite GC 10

Henkel’s New Game Changing Solder Paste Wins NPI Award

The launch of Henkel’s much-anticipated game changing solder paste, Loctite GC 10, at the recent APEX even did not disappoint. Customers and booth visitors were intrigued and the industry took note. Loctite GC 10 is the market’s first-ever temperature stable solder paste, an innovation that earned the material an NPI Award in the highly competitive solder materials category. 
Sponsored by Circuits Assembly magazine, the NPI Awards recognize the top industry products introduced within the past 12 months.  Judged by a panel of independent engineers, NPI Award entries undergo a demanding analysis that evaluates the following:  creativity and innovation, compatibility with existing technology, cost-effectiveness, design, expected reliability, flexibility, expected maintainability/ease of repair, performance, user-friendliness and speed/throughput.   Loctite GC 10 was the clear winner in the solder category.
A breakthrough in solder paste science, Loctite GC 10 offers stability at 26.5°C for one year and at temperatures of up to 40°C for one month, delivering exceptional performance throughout the logistics and operations chain – from shipping and receiving to printing and reflow.  Among the many benefits of the material are the elimination of refrigeration requirements, improved process stability, enhanced printing capability, improved paste management, more robust reflow, better logistics management and cost savings. 
Commenting on Loctite GC 10 following its NPI Award win, Mike Buetow, Circuits Assembly Editor-in-Chief and UP Media Group Editorial Director, said, “The 72-hour stencil life and 24-hour abandon time of Loctite GC 10 are real eye-openers. This product is truly intriguing and one to watch, and we congratulate the Henkel team on its achievement.”
Customers who were selected as part of the initial beta site trials also had overwhelmingly positive comments about Loctite GC 10’s performance.  Brian Steelglove, President of Illinois-based Accelerated Assemblies, Inc., said, “Our initial evaluation of the new Henkel Loctite temperature stable solder paste yielded great results. We were able to hold jobs on the line for as long as two days and had absolutely excellent reflow performance even though the paste had been exposed for an extended period of time. This capability completely eliminates any guesswork as to whether or not the material is still usable – it is! The paste also prints well and, given its projected online utilization, we anticipate that we will significantly reduce paste waste while realizing excellent process performance.”
Xiao Tong, General Manager of Hangzhou Digit Technology in Hangzhou, China, had this to say about the novel temperature stable solder paste:  “Loctite GC 10 is a product with good printability, bright solder joints, and good control of solder balling and wetting properties. What makes us most excited is its super long print life; this feature will help us reduce scrap-related costs.”
In development for over four years and tested at nearly 20 manufacturing sites worldwide before its official market launch, the Henkel team has exceptional confidence in Loctite GC 10’s performance and is grateful to Circuits Assembly and the NPI Award judging panel for also recognizing the material’s game changing significance. 

For more information, visit our website www.soldergamechanger.com.

Loctite is a registered trademark of Henkel and/or its affiliates in Germany and elsewhere.

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel employs almost 50,000 people and reported sales of 16.4 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of 2.6 billion euros in fiscal 2014. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.

Photo material is available at http://www.henkel.com/press

Contact	Doug Dixon	Lisa Kretzberg
Phone	+1 714-368-8000	+49 211 797-56 72
E-mail	doug.dixon@us.henkel.com	lisa.kretzberg@henkel.com

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

The following material is available: 

Henkel’s Dr. Mark Currie (center) and Ian Wilding (right) accept Loctite GC 10’s NPI Award from Circuits Assembly Editor-in-Chief, Mike Buetow (left). 
Market’s first-ever temperature stable solder paste Loctite GC 10 from Henkel.