Circuits Assembly articles from February 2004

Circuits Assembly archives from February 2004

All's well that starts well.(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... What do your suppliers think of you? Now that's a question that can give one pause. In this competitive day of pandering to, er, delighting the customer to ensure that one still has that customer tomorrow, we often forget the beginning...

Mexico vs. China is a home run.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... You've really outdone yourselves this month [Circuits Assembly, November 2003]. The relevance, helpfulness and timeliness of the content are really impressive. The issue gives solid, practical and useful intelligence data to your reader base....

Improving ROI.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... I had to write. The November 2003 edition of Circuits Assembly had some of the most useful information I have seen in a long time. I think the information was very universal for everyone in the industry, including equipment companies like mine....

Balancing the Mexico question.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... I must complement the article from Bill Coker ["Mexico vs. China: The EMS Battle Has Been Waged," November 2003]. Obviously he has some built-in bias for Mexico, but I thought he gave a well-balanced assessment of the Mexico vs. China question....

www.boardbuyers.com.(Web Sites Worth Mentioning)
February 1, 2004... www.boardbuyers.com BoardBuyers.com has developed a calculator to assist in measuring the cost of prospecting for new customers, which can represent up to 50% of the total cost of sales. After filling in a calculating form, managers receive...

www.airproducts.com.(Web Sites Worth Mentioning)
February 1, 2004... www.airproducts.com Air Products has introduced three new country Web sites for its growing China, Taiwan and Thailand markets. With 50,000 customers in nine countries throughout Asia, the native language Web sites aim to bridge traditional...

www.t-yuden.com.(Web Sites Worth Mentioning)
February 1, 2004... www.t-yuden.com Taiyo Yuden is offering new design tools for designers of wireless local area networks, car navigation systems, base stations, cellular handsets and other electronic equipment free of charge on their Web site. The company offers...

www.poetry.com.(Web Sites Worth Mentioning)
February 1, 2004... www.poetry.com Since February is a month for love and poetry, check out this Web site for inspiration. You can find the 100 Greatest Love Poems, regular poems and a variety of haiku. The site can even help aspiring poets to find rhymes and...

www.pcdandm.com/pcdman/resource/pcb_basics.shtml.(Industry Resources)
February 1, 2004... www.pcdandm.com/pcdman/resource/pcb_basics.shtml The fourth edition of Printed Circuit Board Basics is now available. From design and manufacturing to purchasing to considerations for managing the business, concepts are explained in simple...

www.circuitsassembly.com/bg_intro.(Surveys and Guides)
February 1, 2004... www.circuitsassembly.com/bg_intro Visit our recently updated Online Buyers Guide, a comprehensive source of supplier information. You can search for specific products, supplier contact information or industry services. Be sure to register if...

Flextronics announces settlement in Beckman Coulter lawsuit.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... Flextronics International Ltd. (Singapore, www.flextronics.com) recently announced that a full settlement has been reached in the Beckman Coulter lawsuit. The settlement includes an agreement whereby Flextronics will pay $23 million to Beckman...

Enthone North American operations awarded single ISO 9001:2000 certification.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... Enthone Inc., a Cookson Electronics Co. (West Haven, CT, www.cooksonlectronics.com), has been awarded a single ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System (QMS) certificate for all seven of its North American operations. Specifically, facilities in...

FocalSpot Inc. opens new San Diego headquarters.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... FocalSpot Inc. (San Diego, CA, www.FocalSpot.com), a provider of inspection and rework/repair solutions and services to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industries, has announced the opening...

Samsung rewards GSI Lumonics with second supplier award.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... For the second year in a row, GSI Lumonics Inc. (Wilmington, MA, www.gsilumonics.com) has been recognized by Samsung Electronics as one of its top 20 equipment suppliers. This recognition took the form of an award presented to GSI Lumonics at...

The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA) has added three new members.(In Brief)
February 1, 2004... The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA) has added three new members. Dell Inc. (Round Rock, TX), Endicott Interconnect Technologies (Endicott, NY) and Senju Comtek Corp. (San Jose, CA) are the latest companies to...

Milford Manufacturing Services.(In Brief)
February 1, 2004... Milford Manufacturing Services (Milford, MA) has opened its new product introduction (NPI) development and prototyping lab. The $1 million lab provides round-the-clock access to equipment and facilities and links to The Looking Glass, a...

Northwest Analytical Inc.(In Brief)
February 1, 2004... Northwest Analytical Inc. (NWA, Portland, OR) has moved its corporate headquarters to a new location in Portland. The headquarters is home to the company's development, marketing, sales, finance and administration departments. Now located in...

Electrotek Corp.(In Brief)
February 1, 2004... Electrotek Corp. (Oak Creek, WI), a manufacturer of complex multilayer circuit boards, received ISO 9001:2000 registration in August 2003. Audit and certification was completed by QMI, a division of CSA Group.

Texatronics Inc.(In Brief)
February 1, 2004... Texatronics Inc. (Richardson, TX), a full-service contract manufacturer, announced the opening of its new express prototype facility. The new facility is approximately 10,000 sq. feet and is located at: 1666 Firman Drive, Ste 400, Richardson,...

ITW hosts Junior Achievement facility tour.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... The employees of ITW Chemtronics and ITW Alma (Kennesaw, GA, www.chemtronics.com) recently coordinated with Hayes Elementary School (Kennesaw, GA) to teach eight first-grade classes about the local economy, how it works and the roles they,...

Toshiba America Consumer Products' plant celebrates 25 years.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... Toshiba America Consumer Products (TACP, Lebanon, TN, www.tacp.toshiba.com) recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Toshiba Tennessee plant (TNP), its Lebanon, TN, manufacturing, distribution and service plant. In December 1977, Lebanon was...

Speedline Technologies Inc.(People)
February 1, 2004... Speedline Technologies Inc. (Franklin, MA) has named Dennis O'Neal director of materials deposition products. He joined Speedline in 1995 as a product manager for semiautomatic printers. Marc Apell has been appointed director of thermal and...

Nordson/Asymtek China (Shanghai).(People)
February 1, 2004... Nordson/Asymtek China (Shanghai) has appointed Wang Tian-bo (David Wang, pictured at right) as regional sales manager and Xueqiang (X.Q.) Gao (pictured at left) as applications and field services engineer. Wang brings more than 10 years of...

Elcoteq Network Corp.(People)
February 1, 2004... Elcoteq Network Corp. (Irving, TX) announced that Jouni Hartikainen, president, Asia-Pacific, is now president and chief executive officer of Elcoteq Group. Jukka Jaamaa, current president of communications network equipment/industrial...

Lyman Brown.(People)
February 1, 2004... BP Microsystems (Houston, TX) has promoted Lyman Brown to the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. He has managed engineering, marketing, business development and business strategy throughout his career with Texas...

Peter J. Simone.(People)
February 1, 2004... Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA) has appointed Peter J. Simone to the Board of Directors. Simone currently serves as a director of Cymer Inc., Zoran Corp., Newport Corp. and several private companies. He is also an independent consultant to...

Ron Herbert.(People)
February 1, 2004... Technical Devices Co. (Torrance, CA) has appointed Ron Herbert to the position of vice president of sales. Herbert first joined the company in 1996 and has over 40 years of experience in the electronics manufacturing industry.

Ken Shirley.(People)
February 1, 2004... Titan General Holdings Inc. (Fremont, CA) has appointed Ken Shirley as its chief executive officer. Prior to forming his own consulting company, Pyxis Partnership, Shirley held management positions with General Electric, Hadco Corp., Multi...

SMTA international 2004 issues call for papers.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... Industry professionals are invited to submit a paper to the Surface Mount Technology Association's (SMTA, Minneapolis, MN, www.smta.org) forum for the manufacture of electronics products and related business practices, SMTA International...

SMTA plans Medical Electronics Symposium.(Industry News)
February 1, 2004... The SMTA has announced plans for a Medical Electronics Symposium to be held May 19-20 at the Marriott Minneapolis Airpot Hotel in Bloomington, MN. The conference chairman is Jeff Kennedy of Manufacturers Services Ltd. The once-conservative...

UM physicists show nanotubes are best semiconductors.(Focus on: HDI/Advanced Technology)
February 1, 2004... University of Maryland (UM, College Park, MD, www.umd.edu) physicists have found that semiconducting carbon nanotubes have the highest mobility of any known material at room temperature. Mobility is a measure of how well a semiconductor...

IMAPS inaugurates 2004 Executive Council.(Focus on: HDI/Advanced Technology)
February 1, 2004... Phillip J. Zulueta recently took office as the 2004 president of IMAPS North America (www.imaps.org). For the past year, Zulueta has served as president-elect and chair of the Member Benefits Task Force that is responsible for the new IMAPS...

300 mm wafer fabs dominate new semiconductor manufacturing facilities.(Focus on: HDI/Advanced Technology)
February 1, 2004... A new market report dedicated to 300 mm (12 in.) wafer manufacturing facilities lists 25 such wafer fabs currently on line with a combined capacity of almost 400,000 wafers per month when ramped to full production. The 300 mm Fab Report...

SEC/N elects board of directors.(Focus on: HDI/Advanced Technology)
February 1, 2004... The Surplus Equipment Consortium/Network Inc. (SEC/N, Scottsdale, AZ, www.secninc.com), the international trade association for the used equipment and related services segment of the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industry, elected...

China's electronics manufacturing swells.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2004... According to a report released by Electronic Trend Publications (San Jose, CA, www.electronictrendpubs.com), China has emerged as the world's leading manufacturer. China's gross domestic product (GDP) is approaching $1.5 trillion...

Outsourcing forecast: "strong resurgence".(Market Watch)
February 1, 2004... "We definitely see a strong resurgence in the industry." Those words were uttered by senior project manager Matt Chanoff at the latest Technology Forecasters Inc. (TFI, Alameda, CA, www.techforecasters.com) Quarterly Forum for Electronics...

November 2003 Book-to-Bill.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2004... The North American IMS/PCB Industry Book-to-Bill Ratio for November 2003 was 1.13. The ratio is calculated by averaging the index numbers for orders booked over the past three months and dividing by the average index numbers for sales billed...

Neptune Technologies, Galileo purchase ViTechnology's assets.(Europe Watch)
February 1, 2004... The Neptune Technologies Group (Lyon, France), associated with the investment fund Galileo (Paris, France, www.galileo.fr), has acquired all of the electronics activities of the Thermatech Group and, in particular, those of its subsidiary...

Elcoteq, Marconi sign manufacturing agreement.(Europe Watch)
February 1, 2004... Elcoteq Network Corp. (Irving, TX, www.elcoteq.com), a provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) for the communications technology industry, and Marconi Corp. plc (London, UK) have announced that Elcoteq will become Marconi's...

European companies maintain strong position in packaging, equipment for MEMS.(Europe Watch)
February 1, 2004... A new industry review by enablingMNT (Berlin, Germany, www.enablingMNT.com) highlights the large regional differences in the business approach of suppliers and service providers for the microsystems market The report, "MST/MEMS Equipment...

Cimnet, FUBA sign agreement.(Europe Watch)
February 1, 2004... FUBA Printed Circuits Gmbh (FUBA, Munich, Germany), a European printed circuit board manufacturer, and Cimnet Systems Consulting, a subsidiary of Cimnet Systems Inc. (Downers Grove, IL, www.cim-sys.com), have agreed on a multi-year,...

Fabrinet opens German office.(Europe Watch)
February 1, 2004... Fabrinet (Bankok, Thailand, www.fabrinet.com), an engineering and manufacturing services company, has announced the opening of its first European office in Mommenheim, Germany. The office will provide sales, engineering and customer service in...

Q & A with Michael R. Cannon, president and CEO, Solectron.(New! The Fine Pitch)
February 1, 2004... Circuits Assembly: What's the number one challenge facing Solectron these days? Michael Cannon: The past three years have forced all of us in the industry to recognize that the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) model must evolve to...

The oddity of automated odd-form insertion: "domo arigato, Mr. Roboto." Styx.(On the Forefront)
February 1, 2004... In the early days of surface mount, some prophesized that, eventually, through-hole components would disappear. Well, we are 25 years into surface-mount technology and through-hole technology persists. Certainly, the majority of integrated...

The robots have landed: what new technology lies in our high-tech pets?(Emerging Technology)
February 1, 2004... Did you get any high-tech presents over the holidays? Gadgets that can be fun and actually useful seem to be everywhere these days. So why not take a quick look into the gadgetry that embraces the latest emerging technology and may even depend...

Wafer-level packaging today: WLP represents one of the most exciting and innovative frontiers in the packaging industry.(SMTA Series)
February 1, 2004... Wafer-level packaging (WLP) has enabled new advances in the miniaturization and cost reduction of portable products through its chip-size form factor and gang (wafer-level) processing. Devices such as EEPROMs, integrated passive devices (IPDs)...

The ODM threat to EMS: after winning the motherboard market, Asian-based original design manufacturers have set their sights on a new target--mobile phones.(Focus on Business)
February 1, 2004... What drives original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to increase the outsourcing of the design and manufacture of their products? The answer is simply competitive market forces. These market forces include rapidly changing market dynamics such...

Optimizing processes and materials for flip chip reliability: careful material selection can yield FC assemblies with better reliabilities than some surface-mount components.(Flip Chips)
February 1, 2004... The overall attractiveness of the flip chip design has been enhanced in the past few years by continued improvements in achievable reliability and in production yield. As a result, flip chips are now commonly used in advanced high-volume...

The resurgence of cleaning: why are many high-quality assemblers making the move from no-clean back to cleaning?(Cleaning)
February 1, 2004... During the past few years, global demand for the cleaning of electronics assemblies has been steadily increasing. This phenomenon is of particular peculiarity since no-clean manufacturing processes have successfully been used for over 10 years....

Screen printing partners: an electronics assembler and its supplier eliminated tombstoning and solder balling associated with lead-free processes.(New Series! Case Study Corner)
February 1, 2004... As the changeover to lead free enters the mainstream of electronics assembly, manufacturing businesses are coming to grips with the practicalities of volume production using the new solder alloys and component terminations. Many of the issues...

Laser solutions for soldering: non-contact selective soldering with high-power diode lasers.(Selective Soldering)
February 1, 2004... The trends toward miniaturization in the electronics industry and toward automation in the telecom equipment industry have led to the demand for new, highly controllable selective laser soldering technology. In the electronics industry, modern...

Lead-free implications for barcode labels: some polyimide labels may withstand the new thermal requirements for lead-free electronics manufacturing.(Materials)
February 1, 2004... Increasing worldwide interest in lead-free soldering will bring about significant changes in the circuit board manufacturing environment. In response, the thermal environments encountered in manufacturing will change because of the higher...

Lead-free cleaning/defluxing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The SMT1000-LF aqueous cleaning/defluxing system is designed specifically for post-reflow, lead-free defluxing applications. To overcome the cleaning challenges presented with a lead-free process, the system is equipped with an...

Automated fine-pitch programming system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The 3700 MK2 is an automated fine-pitch programming system that features fast programming times and throughput, resulting in lower cost-per-device. The system is an automated device programmer that combines high-speed Flash programming with...

Lead-free BGA rework system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The DRS24L is an advanced, flexible ball grid array (BGA)/surface-mount technology rework system. A 10 X 16 in., 3500-watt bottom heater combined with a 1000-watt top heater provides the thermal capability necessary for reworking lead-free...

Digital dispensing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The Champion 6809 is a servo-driven, automated dispensing system designed for precision processes. Featuring powerful, easy-to-use proprietary software and a graphical user interface that allows for intuitive programming and control, the system...

Work table.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The RTW work table meets the needs of manufacturers who desire durable, modular and ergonomically sound furniture for their facilities. The work surface can be adjusted from 30 to 36 in. high. Based on the tasks, accessories and add-on work...

TAB repair systems.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... EAPRO Emerald series tape-automated bonding (TAB) repair systems for LCD/PDP panels are designed for panel sizes ranging from 6 to 60 in. The universal systems feature a pulsed heat power supply, motorized bonding head, separated...

Composite pallet material.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... ECP Pro is the latest composite material in the ECP family and one of the most advanced composites for the electronics assembly market. The material exceeds reflow and wave solder requirements, is static dissipative, offers longevity and is...

Correction.(Spotlight)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2004... The product spotlight in December for DEK's Stencil Inspection System was incorrect (p. 43). DEK has installed the system, but does not manufacture it.

Benchtop automatic pick-and-place machine.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... LE20 and LE40 accurately place virtually all surface-mount components--including discretes, small-outline integrated circuits (SOICs), plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCCs), quad flat packs (QFPs) and ball grid arrays (BGAs)--from...

Programmable dispenser.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The Posiratio Mini advanced dispenser comes equipped with programmable controls and a touch-screen interface for ease of use. Operators can readily calibrate, adjust and monitor all dispensing functions with a touch of their finger. Process...

Automated tray feeder.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The TF30 automated tray feeder is a self-adjusting, automated handling solution for processing devices in and out of JEDEC and semiconductor-specific matrix trays during device programming. The feeder can replenish trays within machine takt...

Test instruments.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The MS/s PXI suite of instruments increases flexibility and system performance for rapid prototyping and test of mixed-signal devices and systems. The modular instrumentation suite is matched in frequency and capability and includes four new...

Vision measuring system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The Summit vision measuring system is designed to meet the demanding requirements of a wide variety of electronics assembly applications. Elements software automatically creates measurement programs using CAD data and pre-programmed component...

Automated optical inspection system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The GEM series tabletop automated optical inspection system is modeled after the Autolnspector 1820 series, allowing similar advanced capabilities in a tabletop platform. The tabletop has a 50% smaller footprint than comparable systems. With...

Stencil printing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... TouchPrint is a fully automatic stencil printing system. As a combined stencil printing and dispensing technology system, it incorporates the ability to dispense dots on circuit boards for low- to mid-volume applications. Because of the...

Automated solder dispensing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The SolderPlus dispensing system provides cost-effective automated solder application in bench-top assembly processes. The compact, turnkey package integrates three products--high-performance solder paste, a precision dispense valve and a new...

Material control platform.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The Cogiscan platform for material control is a set of hardware and software modules that provides a practical solution on the production floor. Materials may include components, boards, chemicals, feeders and other tooling. Application modules...

Placement machine feeder.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The Twin Tape feeder's design, based on Dual Tape Single Slot (DTSS) technology, enables users to implement high-density 8 mm surface-mount device (SMD) tape component part numbers. The availability of additional lanes improves component...

Dispensing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... PVA5000 is a computer-based dispensing system for microelectronics applications such as underfill and glob top. A two- or three-zone conveyor with non-contact heating is standard, with optional contact heating. Dispensing repeatability is...

Horizontal convection oven.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The 1800HC reflow oven has a simple design principle and can be used for standard or lead-free reflow soldering. Air is circulated horizontally in one direction across the top of the board and in the opposite direction beneath the board. This...

Process control software.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The KIC 24/7 thermal management system brings automation and management to the thermal process. Users get real-time, around-the-clock process monitoring, statistical process control (SPC) charting, zero-defect production, thermal analysis,...

X-ray system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The XD7000 XiDAT large format digital x-ray inspection system's inspection area of 573 X 687 mm makes it ideal for the inspection of motherboard, large format network cards and boards larger than 16 X 18 in. It offers magnification up to 5800X...

PCB cleaning machine.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... Nikko Power Cyclone is a printed circuit board cleaner with conveyor. The machine removes dust and particles from bare boards before solder application by using a combination of a brush, high-pressure air knife and vacuum. The unit requires...

Lead-free, no-clean solder paste.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... R905 lead-free, no-clean solder paste, engineered for the thermal demands of lead-free alloys, was formulated for consistent release from the stencil for critical fine-pitched applications (0.4 mm/16 mils) with anti-slump characteristics and...

Water-based flux remover.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The VIGON A 300 water-based cleaning agent uses patent-pending MPC[R] technology. The cleaner not only operates effectively at room temperature, but also cleans hard-to-remove flux residues. The technology provides the user with a cost...

Bench-top BGA rework station.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... Den-on Instruments RD-500SH, designed for lead-free and standard solder, is a vision-based, semi-automated reflow, removal and placement rework station. It combines top and bottom heaters with auto-profiling technology to heat and reflow rework...

Flexible placement machine.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The KE-2060 high-speed flexible mounter provides one multi-nozzle laser head with four nozzles and one high-resolution head for fine-pitch component placement. The machine is capable of placing up to 12,500 cph for the multi-nozzle laser head...

BGA rework station.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The X410 ball grid array (BGA) and surface-mount technology rework station is a tool-free, gas-free system based on Focused IR technology. The unit provides profiling and process control for rework of advanced packages and delivers 150W of...

Cleaning solvent.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... AQUANOX A4512 is an enhanced concentrated cleaning solvent designed for cleaning of reflowed, no-clean flux residues. The solvent has been tested on 86 leading solder pastes, tacky fluxes and wave solder fluxes with a 95%+ success rate. It is...

Platform for film laser trim.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The TrimSmart LT2100 platform for film laser trim applications has a large work area, updated positioning system and new software and user controls. The series performs trim and test of thick film components and circuits, including printed...

Glue printing system.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... The MPM UltraDot glue printer is an adhesive deposition system that meets the needs of high-throughput electronics assembly lines. The glue printer offers advantages over adhesive dispensing technology, including: printing speeds of up to...

No-clean liquid flux.(Spotlight)
February 1, 2004... NoVOC is a water-based, no-clean liquid flux for use in wave soldering. The low solids flux contains no rosins, resins or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The no-clean formula eliminates the need for wash-up, since residual flux residues are...