Circuits Assembly articles from December 2006

Circuits Assembly archives from December 2006

ITW: integrating technology (big) wheels.(Caveat Lector)
December 1, 2006... It was Nov. 7, Election Day in the United States, and I was working the phones like crazy, trying to ascertain who the winner would be. The winner of the Speedline Technologies sweepstakes, that is. (What did you think I meant?) It...

Lean is mean.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I am one of the old-timers in the industry and have seen it all. Phil Zarrow's column ["Anorexic Manufacturing," October 2006] is right on track: Reductions in force have caused many deficiencies in manufacturing operations worldwide. We used...

Should placement add AOI?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I liked the column on anorexic manufacturing. I've seen several companies under pressure cutting heads in manufacturing and quality while keeping more people in accounting than they have in engineering. I constantly see companies "driving with...

'Stock' response.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I read with great interest your article "Stock Answers" (Caveat Lector, October 2006). Simclar was mentioned as a "$60 million dollar EMS company that wrote down $1.86 million in parts due to obsolescence during its March quarter--nearly 10% of...

Benchmark.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Benchmark (bench.com) will open a second Suzhou facility in 2007 to meet increased demand.

Flextronics.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Flextronics (flextronics.com) is investing $25 million in a 430,000 sq. ft. plant in Juarez, Mexico. About 300,000 sq. ft. of the new site would be dedicated manufacturing floor space, with 14 SMT lines to start, and the plant will employ 4,000...

Digi-Key.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Digi-Key (digikey.com) will globally distribute SMSC's PC system controllers and other products, CR Magnetics' power transducers and other components, and expanded its distribution agreement with semiconductor designer Win-bond to include...

Indium.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Indium named Accelonix Group to distribute its line of semiconductor packaging assembly materials, engineered solders, and materials for wafer and chip bumping, as well as pastes, fluxes, cored wire, and underfills for non-PCB assembly in...

DEK.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... DEK (dek.com) will streamline its consumables line in the Americas to focus on high-performance cleaning rolls, cleaning chemistry, presaturated wipes and replacement stencil blades. Some discontinued items are still sold in other regions. The...

Yamaha.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Yamaha installed a YG 200 chipshooter at CI Shurlok's factory in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. CI Shurlok manufactures automotive electronic components.

Syscom Tech.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Syscom Tech (syscomtechusa.com) achieved IECQ QC 080000 certification, the international RoHS compliance specification. Contract Manufacturing Services (cms-rohs.com) implemented the certification and NSAI (nsaiinc.com) performed the audit.

Ascentech.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Ascentech (ascentechllc.com) will distribute and provide service and support for GEN3 Systems' (gen3systems.com) conformal coating systems throughout North America. GEN3 is the former Concoat Systems.

Jabil Circuit.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Jabil Circuit (jabil.com) is being sued in federal court for alleged backdating of stock options and over claims certain Jabil officers and directors violated federal securities laws by issuing false or misleading public statements regarding...

LaBarge.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... LaBarge (labarge.com) received a $4.3 million order from Modular Mining Systems to build electronics assemblies used in mine information management systems. LaBarge will manufacture the assemblies at its Pittsburgh facility.

Interplex NAS.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Interplex NAS (interplexnas.com), a supplier of solder and flux bearing edge clips, has completed its new corporate headquarters in Northvale. The 54,000-sq. ft. facility will house 70 employees including engineering.

TXP Corp.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... TXP Corp. (txpcorporation.com) will acquire the assets and IP of Siemens AG's Optical Network Terminal technology. The transaction is expected to close this quarter.

Phoenix X-Ray Systems.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Phoenix X-Ray Systems (microfocus-x-ray.com) installed a Nanomex system at Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems and a PCB Analyzer at Kelvinside Electronics.

SMC.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... SMC (smcems.com) named Nu-Way Electronics (nuway.net) as its representive in the Chicago area.

Prism Electronics.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Prism Electronics (prism-electronics.com) has installed XJTAG's (xjtag.com) boundary scan development system for debugging and testing PCBs with FPGAs and BGAs.

Solectron Corp.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Solectron Corp. (solectron.com) will cut 1,400 jobs--about 2.5% of its workforce--and consolidate about 700,000 sq. ft. of facilities in Western Europe and North America. The firm will take restructuring charges of $50 million to $60 million...

Nam Tai Electronics.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Nam Tai Electronics (namtai.com) is proceeding with plans for a factory in Shenzhen and another in Wuxi. Expansion projects are expected to commence in the summer of 2007.

Kemet Corp.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Kemet Corp. (kemet.com) will reduce headcount by approximately 400, about 120 in actual layoffs, in its Monterrey, Mexico facilities.

TES.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... Electronics design and manufacturer TES (tesbv.com) has acquired a manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia, from AV Industries. The acquisition includes equipment, employees and AVI's customers. Financial terms were not disclosed. TES will...

Marshall Institute.(In Brief)
December 1, 2006... A newly revised U.S. space policy puts defense at the top of the list. It reads, in part, that the goal is to "strengthen the nation's space leadership and ensure that space capabilities are available in time to further U.S. national security,...

Benchmark to buy Pemstar in $300M deal.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2006... ANGLETON, TX -- Benchmark Electronics (bench.com) will buy Pemstar Inc. (pemstar.com) in a stock swap worth about $300 million, including the assumption of debt. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007. Benchmark is the...

EU chemicals law will stretch manufacturers' resources.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2006... BRUSSELS -- Of the roughly 3,500 chemicals put on the European market since 1981, 70% are known to possess dangerous properties. All of those have been tested, but they make up just a fraction of the chemicals available. Of the overall number...

New products make their marks at AT Expo.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- The fireworks between the sponsors of Assembly Technology Expo notwithstanding (Caveat Lector, November 2006, p. 4), the annual trade show did have its share of technology news. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A second head has been...

Report: Pb-free still a fraction of production.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2006... BANNOCKBURN, IL -- When it comes to Pb-free readiness, North American OEMs trail their counterparts in Asia and Europe. However, barely half the Asian OEMs declared themselves "fully engaged" in Pb-free assembly. That's according to the...

Differences acute between EU, China RoHS laws.(Industry NEWS)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Companies that currently import into the EU are implicitly declaring RoHS compliance. So says Steve Andrews, head of the eco-design and product registration unit with the UK Department of Trade and Industry (dti.gov.uk). European...

Fabrinet.(People)
December 1, 2006... EMS provider Fabrinet named Dr. Tawee Tanbun-ek chief technical officer, responsible for technical development. He was previously with AdTech Optics Inc., and was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at A & T Bell Laboratories. ...

National Physical Laboratory's Electronics Interconnection Group.(People)
December 1, 2006... National Physical Laboratory's Electronics Interconnection Group has hired Dr. Davide Di Maio. He obtained his doctorate at Oxford University and previously worked in Pb-free alloy development at Cookson Electronics. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Identco International.(People)
December 1, 2006... Identco International named Gunter Enne (at right) key account sales manger, Central Europe. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Bonso Electronics International Inc.(People)
December 1, 2006... Electronics manufacturer Bonso Electronics International Inc. named chairman Anthony So chief executive, superseding George O'Leary, who retired on Oct. 1 after about 15 years with the company.

Photo Stencil.(People)
December 1, 2006... Photo Stencil promoted Mike Burgess to vice president and Val Quinones to director of sales. Burgess has 20 years' experience in electronics, Quinones more than 10 years.

Hunter Technology.(People)
December 1, 2006... Hunter Technology named David Parola to handle sales in New England. He has worked with Hadco, Sanmina and Pronto Circuits. The firm also signed John Skulavik as a representative in Southern California. He has worked for Hughes Aircraft,...

Cognex Corp.(People)
December 1, 2006... Cognex Corp. promoted Eric Ceyrolle (pictured) to executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, responsible for direct and channel sales worldwide for modular vision systems. He joined Cognex in 1992 as general manager of European...

Endicott Interconnect Technologies.(People)
December 1, 2006... Endicott Interconnect Technologies named Eric Hills director of program management, military and defense program. He was formerly principal business development manager at Rockwell Collins' Simulation and Training Solutions Group. ...

Synova.(People)
December 1, 2006... Synova named Philippe Senn chief operating officer. He was supply chain manager at lomega and procurement and operations director at Agilent.

Militarily speaking.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change July August (r) Sept.* YTD Computers and electronics products...

ISM: slow growth for manufacturing industry.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... TEMPE, AZ -- Economic activity for the manufacturing industry grew in October for the 41st consecutive month, reported the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). But the manufacturing sector fell to its lowest level of growth since June...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. May June July Aug. Sept. Semiconductor equipment (1) 1.11 1.14 1.06 1.00 1.00 Semiconductors (2) 9.4% 9.0% 11.5%...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... Price per Price per Price per Price per Date lb. 8/7/06 lb. 9/5/06 lb. 10/2/06 lb. 11/6/06 LME Cash Seller and $3.81 $4.11 $4.13 $3.30 Settlement for Tin LME...

Mobile device shipments on track for 1B.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... LONDON -- More than 245 million mobile devices shipped in the third quarter and the market is on target to reach one billion devices shipped by year end, according to ABI Research (abiresearch.com). The Gang of Five -- Nokia (36%), Motorola...

VoIP a driver for telecom.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Voice over Internet Protocol has become a key driver for telecom equipment suppliers, according to iSuppli Corp. (isuppli.com). Worldwide VoIP equipment revenue will rise to $11.9 billion in 2010, a compound annual growth rate...

Report: active RFID market on rise.(Market WATCH)
December 1, 2006... CAMBRIDGE, UK -- Active RFID is said to be growing, with several applications worth more than $100 million in place, and is responsible for more than 20% of all spent on RFID. Leading the way: The U.S. military, which placed the largest RFID...

Chemical cycles.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Kyzen burst onto the electronics assembly scene in 1990 with a simple yet revolutionary product that gave manufacturers a low-ozone-depleting alternative to banned cleaners like CFCs. A small yet publicly held (over-the-counter) firm, Kyzen's...

China label law a sticky situation: green, blue, with or without an "e?" All that is known is there is a rule.(Global Sourcing)
December 1, 2006... Effective March 1, China will require labels on products sold to end-users that contain any substances that can be considered to fall under any of the six RoHS classes. But two problems persist: what the labels will look like, and the...

Doing the Poka-yoke: avoiding cross-contamination through process verification and tracking.(Screen Printing)
December 1, 2006... With the EU Pb-free implementation date behind us, assemblers are asking for help managing process consumables and tracking "cradle to grave" materials that go through screen printers. This can mean anything from green-colored blades and pump...

Pb-free solder joint reliability: In God we trust; all others must supply data.(Better Manufacturing)
December 1, 2006... "You give up something for everything you gain... So pay for your ticket and don't complain."--Bob Dylan The RoHS Directive and Pb-free may be a wrong direction for a number of reasons, some valid, others questionable. The same can be...

Improvements in Pb-free stencils: nickel has inherent benefits as a stencil medium, and refinements make it a superior choice to steel.(Nickel Stencils)
December 1, 2006... Nickel is proving to be a valuable element aiding the move to cost-effective Pb-free assembly at high production volumes. When screen printing with Pb-free (SAC) solder pastes, stencils made from pure nickel or a nickel alloy help to achieve...

New tools for high-mix manufacturers: how an EMS firm cut NPI setup by 1.5 to 2 times.(Placement Software)
December 1, 2006... Ed: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/4149 Recently, software has been introduced to help make product changeover, NPI and error correction ahead of first-article build a quick and seamless task. This...

Key issues in supporting customers not transitioning to Pb-free: a standard process for developing an action plan should be used across the EMS firm's customer base.
December 1, 2006... The initiative behind the RoHS Directive has the same potential impact on the EMS provider as the OEM: the opportunity for revenue loss. The potential loss for companies trying to maintain a leaded product is tied directly to component...

Finding hidden placement problems: recalibrating equipment improves placement yields.(Case Study)
December 1, 2006... Something wasn't quite right at Phoenix International, and although the engineers knew it, they couldn't quite put their fingers on the cause. It had to do with the pick-and-place equipment. Some components weren't where they should be, or were...

Practical steps to reduce total cost of ownership: DfM is an umbrella term under which several concepts--and significant cost-savings--reside.
December 1, 2006... Ed: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/4151 A startling statistic shows the need for design for repair: Up to 50% of units returned for repair are not faulty. Several conditions can cause this waste of...

Die attachment technology: a primer on common packages and mounting methods.(Tech Tips)
December 1, 2006... In most cases, an IC chip (die) is packaged into a plastic or ceramic enclosure, such as a quad flatpack, small outline package, or one of the newer BGA or quad flatpack no-lead (QFN) packages (Figure 1). These packages are then soldered onto a...

Solderable coatings and Pb-free alloy combinations: the amount of each element can have wide bearing on joint properties.(Wave Soldering)
December 1, 2006... Many alloys can be used in Pb-free soldering. Most are developed for a specific process, such as reflow soldering. Apart from that, different component-lead coatings often have to be used in the assembly. Finally, the coating on the PCB affects...

Optimizing test requirements: ways to eliminate test steps, cut time and optimize production through collaboration.(Test and Inspection)
December 1, 2006... We believe it critical to develop individual test plans for each assembly part number while minimizing the cost of these tests. We work with customers to help take their research and development test, which often focuses on the verification of...

Rescue cleaning of no-clean assemblies: saving hardware after a failure analysis.(Process Doctor)
December 1, 2006... After a failure analysis, we are routinely asked if the current inventory can be cleaned or recovered in some fashion. Our answer: It depends. With the issues of dirty incoming bare boards for a no-clean assembly process, a cleaning protocol...

Entry-level selective soldering.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... Rhythm selective soldering is an entry-level machine for soldering through-hole and odd-form components. Presents solder from the board underside without any special tooling or accessories. Features a tilting axis that enables a small...

Rotary-head parts mounter.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... The SI-G200 cellular mounter offers two optional, interchangeable eight-nozzle rotary heads (high-speed and multifunctional) on one platform. High-speed head is said to place 45,000 cph, per IPC-9850, at an accuracy level of 45 [micro]m at...

Flexible dispense tips.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... Ultra PP dispense tips, with flexible polypropylene shafts, reach into hard-to-access areas and work with scratch-prone substrates. For use with air-powered benchtop dispensers or automated dispense valves, and come in 0.5" or 1.5" lengths,...

Samsung placement machines.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... Small IC feeders for Samsung placement machines are said to quickly and reliably tube-feed small IC packages such as MSOP, TSSOP, TDFN, QFN, SOT 223, TSOC, and SOIC 8/14/16. Require one feeder slot and reportedly mount with same ease as Samsung...

AOI SPC data analysis.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... Process Insight SPC software is based on an enterprise-level database and open computing standards. Reportedly provides complete analysis of process performance and comprehensive SPC charting capabilities. Is a common interface for SE 300 Ultra...

AOI with new software, GUI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... GEM Series tabletop AOI comes with iPro[square root of (term)] software with a new GUI said to be easier to use. Software guides users on setting up inspection parameters, resulting in improved productivity and less training time. Ultra 850G...

Component event management tool.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... PCNAIert, for component event management, permits timely receipt of manufacturers' part change notices. Ranks manufacturers based on their notification process. This ranking assesses the risk of using parts from a particular manufacturer. Also...

AOI for 01005 devices.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... Medalist SJ50 Series 3 AOI improves ease of use, throughput, component location and can handle 01005 devices. Includes algorithms for greater image clarity to low-contrast components, for better defect analysis and lower false-call rates. Is...

Reworkable silicone adhesive.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... SnapSil RTV230A/B adhesive is a two-component, room temperature cure silicone adhesive that features a reported tack-free time of six min., primer-less adhesion to many substrates, and flexibility in use and storage. Can be reworked prior to...

Pb, Pb-free reflow.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... The Electrovert OmniFlex 7 reflow soldering oven comes in air and nitrogen configurations and handles high-volume reflow, curing and hybrid applications for lead and Pb-free alloys. Speedline Technologies, speedlinetech.com

Chip interconnection design, test tool.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2006... The open-source Interconnector design suite enables design and testing of chip-to-chip interconnections supporting signaling rates of up to 25 Gbps. Can be used to assemble a system, select ICs, channels and connectors; test components to...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
December 1, 2006... Business Management "Calling a Change in the Outsourcing Market" Authors: Kenneth Landis, Somnath Mishra and Kenneth Porrello; weager@deloitte.com. Abstract: Emerging evidence indicates mixed outsourcing results. This in-depth...