Circuits Assembly articles from December 2005

Circuits Assembly archives from December 2005

A game of microns.(Caveat Lector)
December 1, 2005... What is accuracy, and how can it be measured precisely? These tough questions, posed by Hugh Read of Speedline Technologies this month, are not rhetorical. And while Read writes in the context of dispensing, the implications are wide-ranging,...

Mouser Electronics.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Mouser Electronics (mouser.com) will distribute Sharp Microelectronics' (sharp sma.com) microcontroller/system-on-chip, voltage regulator, Flash memory and solid-state relay components.

Alphasem.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Alphasem (alphaseam.com) received an order for 18 Swissline die attach systems from Siliconware Precision Industries Co., a Taiwanese IC manufactuer.

Elcoteq SE.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... EMS provider Elcoteq SE (elcoteq.com) selected Visiprise Manufacturing to be implemented in all manufacturing plants. Visiprise (visiprise.com) recently merged with HMS Software Inc. The merged company will retain the Visiprise name and will be...

Thales UK.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Thales UK (thalesgroup.co.uk) selected XJTAG's (xjtag.com) boundary scan development system to debug and test PCBs in its software-defined radios.

Pemstar.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... EMS provider Pemstar (pemstar.com) will deploy RapidResponse software from Kinaxis (kinaxis.com) at three of its North American manufacturing sites.

Dow Corning.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Dow Corning (dowcorning.com) expanded its Application Center in Shanghai, adding 2,500 sq. m. for laboratories and equipment. The company will hire several dozen chemists, engineers and scientists over the next few years.

Kester.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Kester (kester.com) increased the price of many of its alcohol- or oil-based fluxes, thinners and other chemical products, due to rising raw materials costs. The company also recently opened a facility in Suzhou, China.

Hover-Davis.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Hover-Davis (hoverdavis.com) will be the exclusive end-user distributor of Laurier (laurierinc.com) tray feeding products, including Jedec trays and the 2" and 4" Waffle Pack Feeders.

Agilent.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Agilent (agilent.com) sold 93000 Pin Scale test systems to backend service provider King Yuan Electronics Corp. (kyec.com.tw), semiconductor-test engineering provider Tessolve Inc., and Xi'an IC & Systems Design Center of China.

The Babcock & Wilcox Co.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... The Babcock & Wilcox Co. (babcock.com) has integrated PLM solutions from MatrixOne (matrixone.com) and RPM products from RuleStream Corp. (rulestream.com).

Keithley Instruments.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Keithley Instruments (keithley.com) will expand in Singapore and open of two offices in Malaysia for direct sales and support of its electrical test and measurement solutions.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Endicott Interconnect Technologies (endicottinterconnect.com) is using Universal's (ulc.com) Advantis placement system and Polaris assembly machines to fully automate production of a high-performance chip carrier for a leading military...

Speedline Technologies.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Speedline Technologies was granted a patent for an analysis technique used to quantify the amount and geometry of solder paste between printed deposits. The MPM BridgeVision inspection technology is used in screen and stencil printers.

Zestron America.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Zestron America (zestronusa.com) has signed Production Automation (proautcorp.com) to provide Zestron's products and services in Kansas and Missouri.

TTems.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... TTems (ttems.com) has purchased two Siemens SMT lines; an MPM Accela screen printer; a Vitronics-Soltec forced air convection oven, and x-ray test machinery for its Rogerstone site.

Austin American Technology.(In Brief)
December 1, 2005... Austin American Technology (aat-corp.com) appointed Technical Resources Corp. to represent its cleaning equipment and technologies in Florida, the Caribbean and Costa Rica. TRC has offices in Tampa and Boca Raton, FL, and San Juan, Puerto Rico....

Guadalajara winning back business from Asia.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Guadalajara, Mexico -- With an economy so reliant upon U.S. fortunes, it is not surprising that Mexico felt firsthand the effects of the slowing electronics demand in the U.S. over the past few years. Compounding the country's problems was the...

NAM lauds U.S. push for China IP protection.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Washington, DC -- The National Association of Manufacturers (nam.org) praised the U.S. Trade Representative for its formal request to China for more data on IP enforcement. "More and better data will support efforts to combat the rampant...

Progress apparent on Flextronics Malay site.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Johor Baharu, Malaysia -- Flextronics' new 1.3 million sq. ft. manufacturing campus in the Port of Tanjung Pelepas free trade zone is expected to be operational by next April, according to an October news report. The EMS company...

Sanmina-SCI CEO steps down.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... San Jose -- Randy Furr, president and chief operating officer of Sanmina-SCI (sanmina.com) for the past nine years, is leaving the company for personal and family reasons. "The decision to leave the company at this time was a difficult one to...

MassTech EMS offers Pb-Free Conversion Program.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Woburn, MA -- Masstech EMS is offering a family of services designed to help customers comply with changing environmental regulations. The firm's Lead-Free Conversion Program helps OEMs prepare for and comply with the EU RoHS directive. ...

Misplaced priorities?(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Washington, DC -- With WEEE upon us, ever wonder just how much waste material is at stake? According to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistical Abstracts, the nation's municipal solid waste was 231 million tons, or about 4.4 lbs. per person per day,...

PKC expanding, moving.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Kauppalehti, Finland -- PKC Group, a Finnish ODM and EMS firm, will transfer production from its factory in Raahe, Finland, to a lower-cost site in Kostomuksha, Russia, and has laid off 180 workers from the Raahe factory. The company...

CTS to add plant in Czech Republic.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Elkhardt, IN -- CTS Corp. (ctscorp.com), a manufacturer of electronic components and sensors and a provider of EMS services, will build a manufacturing operation in Ostrava, on the eastern border of the Czech Republic. Production is expected to...

SEMI debuts specs covering MEMs, masks.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... San Jose -- In October, SEMI announced the release of eight standards, including specifications for epitaxial silicon wafers, test methods for measuring mechanical vibrations in FPD handling equipment, MEMS terminologies and data matrix...

Raw material prices on rise.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Tokyo -- A pair of leading Japanese laminate suppliers are raising prices, according to a news report. In mid-September, Matsushita Electric Works (mew.co.jp) raised prices of copper laminates and prepreg about 15%. And Sumitomo Bakelite...

RoHS testing, reporting standards progressing.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, DC -- Looking for testing and reporting methods for RoHS? International task groups are busily working on them. The International ElectroTechnical Commission (iec.ch) is developing a standard that will define test procedures for...

Agere Systems.(People)
December 1, 2005... Agere Systems named Richard L. Clemmer president and chief executive officer; he will remain a director of the company. Clemmer succeeds John Dickson, who retired.

Synchronized Manufacturing Technologies.(People)
December 1, 2005... Gerry Savard (right) joined Synchronized Manufacturing Technologies as quality manager. He previously held quality and process engineering positions at Sanmina-SCI, Whistler Corp. and Raytheon. David Woodworth (left) was named purchasing...

PKC Group.(People)
December 1, 2005... PKC Group promoted Mika Kari to president and chief executive, from vice president. Jarmo Rajala was promoted to director of the electronics business unit and managing director of PKC Electronics Oy. Rajala was director of sales and marketing...

Finetech Inc.(People)
December 1, 2005... Finetech Inc. hired Brad Lange (left) as product engineer in Phoenix. He has held positions at Motorola and ASM's Die Bonding Group. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

AIM Solder.(People)
December 1, 2005... AIM Solder named Carlos Tafoya technical applications manager, Mexico. He has 15 years experience at KeyTronic, 3DFX and Rockwell.

Staktek Holdings.(People)
December 1, 2005... Staktek Holdings promoted president Wayne R. Lieberman to CEO, superseding James W. Cady, who remains CTO and a director. The company also promoted W. Kirk Patterson (CFO) and Stephanie Lucie (general counsel, corporate secretary and head of...

Defensive swing.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change July Aug. (r) Sept.* YTD Computers and electronics products ...

Manufacturing stayed strong in October.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Tempe, AZ -- Manufacturing output slipped slightly but remained strong in October. New orders and production remained near their 12-month highs. Overall, it was the 29th straight month of growth, according to the latest Institute for Supply...

X-ray market seeing growth.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... New York -- Frost & Sullivan (frost.com) in October said revenues for x-ray inspection equipment totaled $706.4 million in 2004 and will reach $1.42 billion in 2011. Demand is higher due to use of BGAs and other area array packages, plus...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. May June July August Sept. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.84 0.90 0.93 1.05 1.02 Semiconductors (2) 4.1% 0.5% 0.3%...

Q3 PC shipments rise sharply.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Stamford, CT -- Worldwide PC shipments totaled 55 million units in the third quarter of 2005, a 17.2% increase from last year, driven by lower prices and mobility, according to Gartner Inc. (gartner.com). Dell remains the market leader,...

Cellphones continue to ring up gains.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Framingham, MA -- Global Q3 shipments of cellphones rose 19.1% year-on-year to 203.8 million units, led by Nokia and Motorola, research firm IDC (idc.com) said. New products, portfolio refreshes and new form factors contributed to growth....

Consumer OEMs humming happy tune.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2005... Arlington, VA -- Revenues from sales of consumer electronics are expected to increase 9% during the upcoming holiday shopping season, according to a recent survey by the Consumer Electronics Association (ce.org). CEA forecasts overall holiday...

Feeding assembly innovation.(Talking Heads)(Interview)(Company Profile)
December 1, 2005... Since 1989, Hover-Davis (hoverdavis.com) has made its place in the placement business by building component feeders. The company was founded by a pair of former Eastman Kodak engineers, John Hover and Peter Davis. Hover remains CEO and...

Recognizing the real cost of equipment ownership: a new model for comparing inline aqueous cleaning systems has yielded annual six-figure savings.(Global Sourcing)
December 1, 2005... Manufacturers that keep a sharp eye on the bottom line know that the cost of ownership and operation of a piece of capital equipment is actually more important, when considered over the span of the useful life of the equipment, than the initial...

Pb-free solder paste in enclosed print heads: as with SnPb, some do well and some do not.(Screen Printing)
December 1, 2005... Enclosed print heads were introduced a number of years ago. Within a few months, each of the major screen print equipment suppliers had rolled out their version of an enclosed print head. Today several versions of enclosed print heads are...

More than an association to me: a strong sense of community differentiates the SMTA from other professional organizations.(Better Manufacturing)
December 1, 2005... "Ain't it good to know you've got a friend."--James Taylor At the recent annual meeting during SMTA International in Chicago, my colleagues at ITM--Jim Hall, Bob Klenke and the late (great) Ron Daniels--and I were honored with the...

Lead-free new problems--new solutions.(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Over the past several decades the electronics assembly industry has perfected efficient and high quality manufacturing of leaded assemblies. Today we are faced with disruptive changes required by the production of Lead-Free electronics....

Surface oxidation as a tin whisker growth mechanism: while water vapor accelerates whiskers, they also grow in ambient air.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... A popular alternative to SnPb solders used for surface finish applications is pure tin. Pure tin plating can develop "whiskers," outgrowths of small, wire-like protrusions from tin (Figure 1). These whiskers are electrically conductive and...

Gauging true speed and accuracy: the authors propose new standards for measuring throughput based on production floor environments.(Dispensing)
December 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2446/ Typically, dispensing platforms specify only x-y repeatability or dot placement accuracy (expressed as a Sigma value). These specifications fail to cover all...

Switching to Pb-free: reflow soldering; Stalagmites look pretty in caves, but not in convection tunnels.(Pb-Free Transition)
December 1, 2005... Ed.: For the complete article please visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2440/. Also, the previous installment of this series misreported that the RoHS directive bans halogen flame retardants. FR-4 materials do not contain PBB or PBDE,...

Novel conductive inks for smart label applications: a new silver material delivers low resistivity, stable physical and electrical properties, and a wide processing window.(Antenna Materials)
December 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2445/ Recent material advancements have produced a new family of highly conductive silver inks for smart card and label antennas that achieve significantly better...

Purchasing manufacturing process equipment: lessons learned over 28 years of buying and selling machinery.(Equipment Sourcing)
December 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2442/ Over the past 28 years I have worked on the supplier and user side, currently at Speedline Technologies, and previously at Motorola. One of my interests is...

Tin whiskers and conversion to Pb-free: a low-lead-content SnPb finish reduces whiskers while cutting lead volume by 85%.(Soldering Tips)
December 1, 2005... Current SnPb finishes, although virtually whisker-free, do not meet the lead limits imposed by the RoHS directive, forcing component manufacturers to search for alternatives. Many have elected pure tin or alloys of tin containing bismuth,...

Fluxing: the critical parameter in wave soldering.(Wave Soldering)
December 1, 2005... Fluxing is a critical parameter in the wave soldering process, and with the introduction of Pb-free soldering, flux can determine whether the process is sucessful. There is more to consider than just the choice of fluxes; success also depends...

Tin whisker management guidelines: although full understanding of whisker growth is lacking, these specifications and practices will reduce risks.(Countdown to Pb-Free)
December 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2444/ Despite more than five decades of research on tin whiskers, there is no consensus on the mechanisms that control whisker growth, although much progress has...

Let it flow: a short reflow profile causes flux entrapment under low standoff components.(Process Doctor)
December 1, 2005... During reflow soldering it is important to allow time for good solder flow, as well as time for flux to complex and move from a tacky state to a hard and insulative state. If ample time is not permitted for flux to volatilize, harmful...

Setting up the ESD area; The first step: know your materials' ESD sensitivity.(ESD Basics)
December 1, 2005... Setting up an ESD workstation or area to reduce the risk of ESD is a matter of understanding your processes and installing the necessary and proper ESD avoidance materials. However, simply installing ESD avoidance materials and items without...

Teradyne's 3-D x-ray inspection system: offers off-center tomosynthesis and a static wide-angle x-ray, for improved images.(Equipment Advances)
December 1, 2005... About 35 to 40% of all joints coming off an assembly line bond a BGA to a PCB. Research suggests that by 2007, area-array packaging will hide more than 50% of all solder joints produced. Combine the growing loss of visual and electrical access...

Multifunctional placer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... New capabilities on AX machine expand component range from fine-pitch to 01005s, with no decrease in speed. Scalable from 45,000 to 150,000 cph in 5000 cph increments on the same footprint. Component processing aided by digital vision systems,...

Statistical sampling software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... SwifTest 5.2 real-time statistical sampling software suite claims to reduce test cost and improve quality and test efficiency. New features include: Teradyne Flex ATE support; part average testing enhancements; geographic wafer analysis option;...

Wire-bondable resistors.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... WBC series wire-bondable chip resistors feature self-passivating tantalum nitride thin film technology on silicon substrates. Resistance values range from 10 to 400 KW. Absolute tolerance ranges are down to [+ or -]0.1%, with absolute TCRs to...

Pb-free conformal coating.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... LFCC Pb-free conformal coating is flexible, transparent and fast-drying. Is said to work within an excellent operating temperature range. Formulated to adhere to Pb-free flux residues while matching conventional conformal coat specifications....

Combination tester.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... MTS300 Hybrid Combi test system offers PXI functional test enhancement as well as a fixture lifting mechanism for ICT and functional test. Modular concept has up to 3456 non-multiplexed pins and numerous functional test modules for automotive,...

Ultrasonic fluxer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... Optima Fluxing System features the Ultra-Spray head that produces a vertical spray pattern, ensuring through-hole penetration with water-based VOC-free fluxes. Ultrasonically atomizes VOC-free flux into a fine mist, then traverses the spray...

6-head dispenser.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... Inline dispenser, based on a positive displacement auger valve, can be equipped with up to six dispense heads to dispense 40,000 dph. Individual heads can mount dispense needles with different diameters to achieve a variety of dot sizes....

Inline stencil printer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... SP200avi inline stencil printer is designed for medium and high throughput, high-mix applications. Twin roving cameras mounted on independent x,y gantries ensure alignment using fiducial marks or PCB/stencil features. Facilitates "paste on...

Drop-in feeders.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... SSF family includes 12/16, 24/32, 44 and 56 mm tape feeders and is compatible with Siemens Siplace systems. Tape is compatible with EIA-481 compliant materials. Feature forward/reverse buttons to simplify tape threading. Include Cogiscan RFID...

ESD-dissipative Cabinets.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... ESD Drawer Storage Cabinets meet electrical property requirements to ensure static dissipation at a safe rate. Can be protected by static dissipative powder coat finishes in five colors. Drawer interior options include conductive plastic boxes...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
December 1, 2005... Materials Management "Product Material Considerations--Customer and Industry Requirements" Authors: Marie Cole and Jay Dietrich; colems@us.ibm.com. Abstract: This paper describes a holistic, business process-based approach to...