TPT HB16 wire bonder

Where the HB16 fits

The TPT HB16 is a semi-automatic wire bonder made in Germany by TPT. It handles ball-wedge, wedge-wedge and ball bumping on one machine, which is why it appears in many university packaging labs, photonics groups and prototyping rooms. The operator positions the part under the microscope, the motorised Z axis finds the bond height, and the machine makes the bond and loop from a stored program.

A used TPT HB16 is a good fit when one bonder must serve many projects: gold ball bonding for chips on boards, aluminium wedges for power devices and sensors, and gold bumps for flip-chip trials. Compared with a manual wedge bonder such as the K&S 4523, it is quicker to learn and gives more repeatable loops when users bond only occasionally.

What we inspect on a used HB16

• Transducer. Resonance, PLL lock and ultrasonic output across the power range.
• Z and Y axes. Motor travel, bond height detection, search speed and any noise or stalling.
• Wire clamp and feed. Clamp action, tail length control, and the wire path for both ball and wedge set-ups.
• Electronic flame-off. Spark consistency and ball size on gold wire, for ball bonding and bumping.
• Heated workholder. Temperature accuracy and stability, and vacuum hold-down.
• Controller and display. Display, controls, stored programs and parameter limits.
• Test bonds. We make ball and wedge bonds on test substrates and pull-test them, and add ball shear where relevant. The results go in the inspection report.

Refurbishment scope

Typical work includes cleaning and adjusting the bond head, checking and if needed replacing the transducer, servicing the wire clamp, renewing the EFO electrode, calibrating bond force and heater temperature, and resetting the bond programs. We replace worn tools and cables and run test bonds for each bonding method you plan to use. Grading follows our Certified, Refurbished, Inspected or As-is scale.

Upgrades and spare parts

The useful options on this platform are mechanical. A higher bond head and a pass-through base let you bond in deep housings or on large boards. The pick and place extension turns the bonder into a simple die bonder for prototype assemblies. For more precise die and flip-chip placement, see the FINEPLACER lambda. Capillaries, wedges, EFO electrodes, clamps and heater parts are the regular spares; we supply them through spare parts.

Facilities

• Single-phase mains power
• Vacuum for the workholder
• A stable bench in an ESD-protected area
• Space around the bonder for large boards if you use the pass-through base

Buying advice

List the bonding methods and wire types you need, then check that the used unit has the tools, heater and options for them. Gold ball bonding needs a working flame-off unit and the right capillaries; heavy aluminium wire or ribbon needs a different bond head set-up. Ask for the software version and the stored programs. Because the HB16 is often shared by many users, a preventive maintenance plan for tool changes and transducer checks keeps results consistent. Dicing saws and die bonders that feed the HB16 are listed in the back-end and packaging section.