Circuits Assembly articles from February 2009

Circuits Assembly archives from February 2009

Starting a fire.(Caveat Lector)
February 1, 2009... You're still here? Sorry; in times like these, it's no doubt impolitic--not to mention impolite--to joke. Call it gallows humor. But there's something to be said if, after the thousands of layoffs and some high-profile...

M-TEK (Assembly) Ltd.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... M-TEK (Assembly) Ltd. (mtek.co.uk) installed a Dage (dage.com) XD7500 digital x-ray inspection machine.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Endicott Interconnect Technologies (eitny.com) has been awarded certification to the AS9100 Quality Management Standard for aerospace suppliers.

David A. Kuklinski.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... EMS firm Winland Electronics named David A. Kuklinski director of sales.

Dynatech Technology.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Dynatech Technology (dynatechsmt.com), the exclusive US distributor of Samsung SMT assembly equipment, is relocating its corporate headquarters, order processing and logistic operations from Horsham, PA, to Edgewood, NY. The company will add...

Enics.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Enics (enics.com) purchased a Siemens (siplace.com) placement line for its Vasteras, Sweden plant.

Benchmark Electronics.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Benchmark Electronics (bench.com) has gained International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) AS9100 certification for its Ayudhaya, Thailand facility.

Blue Thunder Technologies.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Blue Thunder Technologies (bluethundertechnologies.com) reported 26% growth in 2008, and is moving to larger corporate headquarters that will quadruple its existing facility.

Inovar.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... Inovar (inovar-inc.com) acquired a Fischer Technologies FischerScope XDAL XRF.

High-Tech Conversions.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... High-Tech Conversions (high-tech-conversions.com) reported double-digit growth for 2008. The privately held company is moving to a larger manufacturing facility this quarter and ramping production in China, Mexico and Germany.

American Competitiveness Institute.(In Brief)
February 1, 2009... American Competitiveness Institute (aciusa.org) has installed a Vision Engineering (visioneng.us) Mantis inspection scope and a Pace (paceworldwide.com) MBT350 soldering/desolder station.

Elcoteq slashes 5,000 jobs, closing plants.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... HELSINKI -- Elcoteq (elcoteq.com) on Jan. 15 announced plans to cut 5,000 workers, or about 25% its global workforce, and shut plants around the world. The EMS firm, the world's sixth largest according to the Circuits Assembly Top 50 (page 22),...

NOTE acquires Norteam, expands nordic presence.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... STOCKHOLM -- EMS provider NOTE has acquired all shares in Oslo-based electronics manufacturer Norteam Electronics AS, the company said. Financial details were not disclosed. Norteam focuses on prototypes and low-volume manufacturing. It has...

Computrol buys Orem, no cuts planned.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... MERIDIAN, ID -- Computrol Inc. (computrol.com) has purchased fellow EMS provider Wolf Electronix for an undisclosed amount. The combined company will have 350 workers across its three factories. Orem, UT-based Wolf operates a 33,000 sq. ft....

Proposed RoHS revisions to include medical devices.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... BRUSSELS -- A series of proposed revisions to ROHS and WEEE calls for a sea change in how mandatory take-back targets are set, and adds medical devices to its list of covered end-products. The European Commission in December proposed adding...

Connect systems disconnects Slovakia site.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... VRABLE, SLOVAKIA -- Connect Systems International, the contract manufacturing division of IPTE (ipte. com), in October shuttered its factory here and is taking a 500,000 euros charge in connection with the closure. The move is expected to save...

STI moves into 54,000 sq. ft. facility.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... MADISON, AL -- STI Electronics Inc. has relocated to a 54,000 sq. ft. facility here. The site is three times larger than the firm's previous facility. STI says it is positioning itself for marked growth in 2009, increasing capabilities in...

MatriX technologies expands to China.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... SHENZHEN -- MatriX Technologies (m-xt.com), a manufacturer of high-speed x-ray systems, has opened a subsidiary here. The Dachau, Germany-based company is also intensifying its activities in the NDT area of automatic material analysis for...

Essemtec adds SMT demo room in India.(Industry NEWS)
February 1, 2009... BANGALORE -- Essemtec India (essemtec.com) has expanded its office here to offer total SMT solutions with full sales and service support. The branch office service department will act as service hub for the Indian and Southeast Asian...

Roger Hovland.(People)
February 1, 2009... Kitron ASA named Roger Hovland sales and marketing director. He was vice president at Hoegh Autoliners AS.

Martin Linder.(People)
February 1, 2009... LEAB Group named Martin Linder president. He was previously with Note Group, where he led business development.

Giancarlo De La Garza.(People)
February 1, 2009... YESTech named Giancarlo De La Garza regional manager, responsible for European operations, new business development, key account management and technical support. He will also continue to oversee YESTech's Latin and South American territories,...

Winland Electronics.(People)
February 1, 2009... Winland Electronics promoted CFO Glenn A. Kermes to executive vice president and CFO, and David A. Kuklinski to vice president of sales and marketing.

Aqueous Technologies.(People)
February 1, 2009... Aqueous Technologies promoted John Hall to Western regional sales manager.

Alexander Koegel.(People)
February 1, 2009... Zestron named Alexander Koegel junior product manager, responsible for surface cleanliness and bath analysis products.

Emily Giasone.(People)
February 1, 2009... Indium promoted Emily Giasone to metals manager, Metals, Chemicals and Energy, responsible for purchasing and trading raw materials, and certain sales in China. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

STI Electronics Inc.(People)
February 1, 2009... STI Electronics Inc. named Ryan Kirk to manage industrial sales, and Lee Pulliam and Jim MacAniff as outside sales representatives.

SMART Group.(People)
February 1, 2009... SMART Group, a UK-based electronics society, has elected Keith Bryant chairman, superseding Paul Salmon. Bryant is European sales manager for Dage X-Ray Systems.

Semis and computers crash.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). -% Change- Sept Oct Nov YTD (r) (*) Computers and -2.3 2.2 -4.5 -1.0...

Manufacturing continues decline in December.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... TEMPE, AZ -- Economic activity in the manufacturing sector failed to grow in December for the fifth consecutive month, and the overall economy contracted for the third consecutive month, says the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). In...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Now Semiconductor 0.83 0.81 0.70 0.96 (r) 1.00 (p) equipment (1) Semiconductors (2) 7.11% 7.02% 4.82%...

Electronics equipment sales to dip 2.2% in '09.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... LOS ALTOS, CA -- Global electronic equipment revenues will fall 2.2% in 2009, before rebounding to 6.7% growth in 2010, according to a new forecast by Henderson Ventures (hendersonventures.com). The firm estimates 2008 will show a 1.2% gain,...

Large-sized LCD panel shipments decline 5% in Q4.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Following a 3% sequential decline in the third quarter, global unit shipments of large-sized (diagonal dimension of 10" or more) LCD panels decreased another 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, says iSuppli Corp (isuppli.com)....

Is semi industry about to turn?(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... NEW YORK -- Wachovia (wachovia.com) analyst David Wong has upgraded the semiconductor sector to overweight from market weight, saying a recovery could come in the next quarter. "As more data become available, allowing us to quantify the impact...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
February 1, 2009... Metals Index Price Per Lb. Date 1/07/08 10/13/08 11/10/08 12/08/08 1/05/09 LME Cash $7.44 $6.49 $7.01 $5.22 $5.24 Seller and Settlement for Tin LME Cash...

'Spending dollars to chase pennies' when it comes to OEM-EMS relationships, greed isn't good.(Global Sourcing)
February 1, 2009... In each of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's famous 16th century illustrations of the Seven Deadly Sins, a symbolic animal occupies center stage. In the woodcut made from Bruegel's illustration of Avaritia (Figure 1), greed is represented by a...

The next leap of faith? Embedded passives are inevitable, and fabricators must be brought up to speed.(Screen Printing)
February 1, 2009... There comes a point in every technology's lifespan where, either by necessity or mandate (i.e., legislation), evolution must occur. We've seen this with the migration from through-hole to surface mount and, of course, the recent transition to...

Understanding IPC-9850: why the standard pick-and-place reference document doesn't tell the whole story.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2009... After accuracy and placement quality (defects per million), a pick-and-place machine's output is perhaps its most important parameter. It determines the number of boards that can come from a line, and thus the line's return on investment. ...

The $50 billion club: the gap between the top 10 EMS companies and their smaller rivals is striking.(Top 50 EMS Companies)(Company rankings)
February 1, 2009... Determining the size of the largest EMS companies is more difficult than would first appear. Just looking at the major players' annual revenues is recipe for error. Many of these companies also perform original design work, and market...

The changing role of OEM product development engineering teams: downsizing could put staff in unfamiliar roles. Here's how to cope.(Supplier Collaboration)
February 1, 2009... It is no secret OEM engineering teams are being asked to do more with less on a regular basis. At Screaming Circuits, we've seen this trend precede the current economic downturn. In some companies this is a planned transition from internal to...

Reflow environment effects on OSP board solderability: nitrogen helps, but is best only in reflow areas.(Reflow Soldering)
February 1, 2009... Copper organic solderable protection surface finish provides a temporary layer of protection from oxidation of the copper surfaces of a PCB. During soldering, the organic coating is penetrated and dissolved by flux. Then the flux removes oxides...

Optimizing your test strategy: Microsoft's Xbox is a shining example of the economy of maintenance.(Test and Inspection)
February 1, 2009... Consumers are electing not to fill prescriptions and are skipping doctor visits in hopes of saving money, the article said. Result: Uncontrolled health issues are getting worse and requiring more advanced treatment, which in turn costs more...

Will discoloration tarnish ImAg reliability? Watch for silver embrittlement and corrosion.(Tech Tips)
February 1, 2009... A customer recently observed discoloration of an immersion silver (ImAg) finish on their printed circuit boards. The customer wanted to know the origin of the discoloration (Figure 1) and whether it would affect assembly reliability. ...

Stress-free epoxy.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Duralco 125 forms a flexible, electrically conductive bond for continuous use to 400[degrees]F. For manufacturing and repairing flex circuits, solder, EMI shielding and other uses. Handheld applicator is said to dispense with pinpoint accuracy....

Video inspection system.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... VIS-750 is microscope-based, for PCB or parts inspection. Features SPZT-50 stereo zoom body with magnification range of 6.7 to 50x with 10x eyepieces; zoom ratio of 7.46:1; field-of-view of 34.3 to 3.6 mm; working distance of 108 mm; and...

Stencil frame adaptor.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Space Saver Frame reportedly reduces storage space from 1.5" per stencil to 0.5" per stencil while maintaining traditional mounting techniques. Measures 29 x 29 x 0.5". Adaptor measures 29 x 29 x 1" and is required for each printer. Is designed...

Oven stability validation.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... CeTaQ Shuttle carrier now validates reflow oven stability. Is said to control temperature profiles. Records temperatures using seven to 12 thermocouple sensors fixed on small pieces of titanium. Imports data after each run. Calculates peak...

Vacuum condensation reflow.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... VPS Condenso is said to minimize void rates by subjecting the molten solder to a vacuum, removing residues and gas inclusions that would otherwise result in voids in the solidified joint. Reportedly can produce solder joints with surface...

01105 tweezers.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... ESD-safe DTV-2000 Vacuum-Tweezer contains two separate vacuum pumps. Handles a range of SMD parts from 01005 to several inches in size. Long-life diaphragm pumps generate up to 6" of mercury with an open-air flow of 1.7 lpm on each side....

Thermal interface gap filler pad.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Sarcon GR-Fd has an integrated nylon mesh layer said to prevent distortion and stretching during die-cut operations. Reportedly transfers heat with a thermal conductivity of 1.5 W/m[degrees]K and a thermal resistance ranging between 0.60 and...

Selective soldering with PCB warpage compensation.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... mySelective 6748 selective soldering machine is said to ensure points to be soldered are always the same height above the wave, even if board has slight warpage. A noncontact laser sensor measures the distance between an assembly in process and...

Low-temp bake dry box.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... T40W can restore surface mount devices and assemblies that have serious damage or failure from ambient moisture absorption. Dual-capability systems are low-temperature baking ovens that reclaim MSDs and are also desiccant cabinets. Meet...

Work surface mat.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Polysim 509 is for ultra-sensitive environments. Has permanent static dissipative properties. Is made from non-outgas-sing, thermoplastic urethane material. Does not particulate and contaminate workplace. Has abrasion resistance...

Zero sensor film.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Pressurex Zero tactile pressure-indicating sensor film characterizes tactile contact surface pressure down to 7.2 psi (0.5 kg/[cm.sup.2]). Is flexible and placed between contacting or mating surfaces to measure and map pressure magnitude and...

Turnkey/low-volume SMT line.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
February 1, 2009... Advanced Starter consists of stencil printer, automatic pick-and-place and Pb-free conveyor reflow oven. Only option is feeders. ECM-6711S placer has on-the-fly top vision plus bottom vision, 24-lane feeder base, 13.75" x 9.8" placement area,...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
February 1, 2009... Assembly Line Optimization "Zero Tolerance For Defects" Author: Robert Alexander Gray Abstract: This paper explains the zero defects philosophy through its relevance to a typical high-volume SMT line. It assesses the cost of...