Circuits Assembly articles from January 2003

Circuits Assembly archives from January 2003

Happy birthday.(Editorial)(Editorial)
January 1, 2003... You may have noticed a new logo on our front cover this month: "Celebrating 100 Years of the Printed Circuit." Hard to believe, but the mainstay of the electronics industry--as recognized in its earliest form--turns 100 years old in 2003. ...

2002 salary survey aids job search.(Letters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Congratulations for the great effort you guys are putting down to make this great magazine! I'm an unemployed surface-mount/process engineer thinking of relocating to Florida, Texas or Puerto Rico. At this time, I'm performing my job-hunting...

"Ask Les" inspires more questions.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... The first thing that I do when I receive my new issue of Circuits Assembly is turn to your article ["Is It Clean? Why do You Want to Know? Part II, August 2002]. I have a great interest in ionic contamination, as our largest customer markets...

Editorial sparks kudos.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Congratulations on your nine years in the electronics manufacturing. I enjoyed reading your editorial ["All That's Old is New Again"] in the September 2002 issue of Circuits Assembly. It sounds like the round tables were very good. ...

An "economic vent" becomes a topic suggestion.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... I enjoy your magazine, when I get the chance to read it. In my little world as an engineer, life has been getting more hectic than ever, with the workload being huge and staff reductions always on the precipitous edge of reality. I recently put...

"Telecom refugee" laments the end of R&D.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Your article ["The End of an Era," September 2002] tells it exactly like it is. I was with a major [telecommunications] outfit's interconnect group. Our task was to work with the connector vendors to get them to make their next generation...

Web sites worth mentioning.(NETgain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... www.efdsolder.com The EFD Solder Paste Group has creed a new site that offers product information, tutorials on solder paste, MSDS sheets, real-life applications reports, technical sheets and white papers. www.jst.com This site features a...

This month's industry resources.(NETgain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Institute of Printed Circuits images added to online store )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... www.ipc.org The IPC has added thousands of photographic images to its online store. More than 4,200 images, Categorized into bare boards end assemblies, applications/end products, components and electronic assembly/printed circuit board...

Surveys and guides.(NETgain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... www.circuitassembly.com/online/0301/ 0301editindex.html The Circuits Assembly 2002 Editorial Index. www.schemazoo.net/jaguar/cabg/ The Circuits Assembly Buyer's Guide provides company Services and contact information in 35 product...

Speedline and EKRA enter legal battle.(Industry News)(Speedline Technologies/ EKRA America, Inc. Ekra/ Germany GmbH patent infringement lawsuits filed)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Speedline Technologies (Franklin, MA, the legal entity name of Cookson Electronics Equipment, www.cooksonelectronics.com) has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against EKRA America, Inc. (Marlborough, MA, www.ekra.com) in the Federal District...

Sanmina-SCI plant to close.(Industry News)(layoffs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... As reported by Dan McGilluray of the Kennebec Journal, approximately 100 to 150 workers at the Sanmina/SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA, www.sanmina-sci.com) assembly plant in Augusta, ME, are expected to lose their jobs during the first week of...

SMTA establishes student chapters.(Industry News)(Surface Mount Technology Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... In an effort to strengthen ties between academia and industry, and to enrich post-secondary students' education in electronics assembly, surface-mount technology, microelectronics, electronics packaging and related curricula, the SMTA...

Dage Precision Industries (Fremont, CA) has announced their membership in the Advanced Packaging Interconnect Alliance (APIA)--an alliance of industry equipment suppliers and process developers serving the advanced packaging and interconnect industries.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Dage Precision Industries (Fremont, CA) has announced their membership in the Advanced Packaging Interconnect Alliance (APIA)--an alliance of industry equipment suppliers and process developers serving the advanced packaging and interconnect...

ASYS Automation.(new office )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... ASYS Automation (Atlanta, GA) recently occupied a new office to accommodate the company's growth in the past few years. The new location features more office space and a new show room for customer demonstrations. The increase in warehouse space...

Nextek, Inc.(People)(Charles Perry)(Mark Edwards )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... (Madison, AL) has announced that Charles Perry has accepted the position of vice president and chief operating officer. In his new position, he will be responsible for all aspects of sales and marketing, contract management, manufacturing,...

Enthone Inc.(People)(Dave Penman )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Dave Penman has been appointed as vice president of operations at Enthone Inc. (West haven, CT). He is responsible for global manufacturing operations, quality assurance, as well as health, safety and environmental compliance. Penman has over...

Newark opens warehouse, offers online ordering.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Newark Electronics (Guadalajara, Mexico, www.newark.com.mx), a division of global distributor Premier Farnell plc (Leeds, United Kingdom, www.premierfarnell.com), has announced the opening of its first Mexico-dedicated warehouse. Located in...

NPL launches reports on CD.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... National Physical Laboratory (NPL, Middlesex, United Kingdom, www.npl.co.uk) has compiled all major, relevant reports, written in the last six years, into a single CD. The reports cover a wide range of technical issues, including: lead-free...

Cookson banks on semiconductor packaging.(Industry News)(Cookson Electronics Equipment )(Company Profile)
January 1, 2003... In a recent phone interview, Pierre de Villemejane, president of Cookson Electronics Equipment (Franklin, MA, www.cookson.com), stated that his company has "reinforced our focus on semiconductor packaging." The company plans to target...

TMRC economic outlook: bumpy, but recovering.(Market Watch)(Institute of Printed Circuits' Technology Market Research Council)
January 1, 2003... Cloudy New Orleans was the scene of continuing gray skies in the North American electronics manufacturing business. At November's IPC (Northbrook, IL, www.ipc.org) Technology Market Research Council's meetings held in the Big Easy, speaker...

October 2002 book-to-bill.(Market Watch)(U.S. Printed Circuit Board Industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The U.S. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Industry Book-to-Bill Ratio for October 2002 was 0.91. Sales billet (shipments) in October 2002 decreased 7.1 percent from October 2001 and orders booked decreased 3.4 percent from October 2001. ...

NEPCON Shanghai/SMT 2003 attendance expected to soar.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2003... China's bid to become a major force in global electronics manufacturing is benefiting from a significant increase in foreign investment, as more and more international companies gear up to take advantage of Chinas claim to fame--price and...

Hon Hai selects eMPower solutions.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Tecnomatix Technologies, Ltd. (Herzeliya, Israel, www.tecnomatix.com) has announced that Asia's second-largest provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Taipei Shian, Taiwan, www.foxconn.net),...

Sorrento strengthens footprint in Asia.(Asia Watch)(Sorrento Networks Corp./Unitech Networks contract)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Sorrento Networks (San Diego, CA, www.sorrentonet.com), a supplier of intelligent optical networking solutions for metro and regional applications, and Unitech Networks (Hong Kong, China, www.unitechnetworks.com), an Internet engineering firm...

Nam Tai Electronics expands, invests.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Nam Tai Electronics, Inc. (Hong Kong, China, www.namtai.com) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Shenzhen Namtek Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, China) is expanding and has established a new office in Shanghai, China. Namtek has leased...

OMM to supply modules to China's ZTE.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... OMM, Inc. (San Diego, CA, www.omminc.com), a provider of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based all-optical switching modules, has announced that ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen, China, www.zte.com.cn) has incorporated OMM's products into the optical...

Economic outlook for 2003: the outlook for 2003 is a bright spot in the current gloom resulting from 2002 economic woes.(On the Forefront)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2003... With the global economy experiencing one of the most severe economic recessions in recent memory, many question when a recovery will occur. In the last year, economists have predicted a turnaround every quarter. While some improvement can be...

Correction.(On the Forefront)(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2003... CORRECTION: In the December 2002 "On The Forefront" column, I erroneously included AMI printers among the "firms of the past" with regard to its SMT printers. I am pleased to report that. in addition to its hybrid and semiconductor printers,...

Activate your solderability testing program: a summary of the decision to use ROL1 flux for solderability testing standards.(Standard Features)
January 1, 2003... This month brings the publication of long-awaited updates to two of the electronic industry's solderability test methods. IPC/EIA/JEDEC J-STD-002B, Solderability Tests for Component Leads, Terminations, Lugs, Terminals and Wires, and IPC/EIA...

Concerned about stencil life? Use care--don't abrade, bend, staple, twist, mishandle or overheat the stencil!(Ask Les)
January 1, 2003... Q: I am looking for guidelines to determine the estimated lifetime of my solder paste stencils. IPC documents do not answer my question. Is there any quantitative measurement that can be used to determine when to replace the stencil and how the...

Afraid of the dark? We'll examine the effect of severe black pad defect on solder bonds on BGAs.(Soldering)
January 1, 2003... The corrosion of immersion gold-plated, electroless nickel (Ni/P), described as "black pad defect," has been documented in terms of the effect on the surface solderability of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and ball grid arrays (BGAs). (1,2,3)...

A manufacturable lead-free surface-mount process? NEMI demonstrates that lead-free manufacturing may be possible using existing production tools and equipment.(Soldering)
January 1, 2003... Printed wiring boards (PWBs) assembled with lead-flee solders require higher processing temperatures than boards manufactured with standard tin/lead solders. This fact has been a major source of concern for the electronics industry as the...

Component rework: a small world and getting smaller: the difficulty faced when reworking very small parts can be overcome with new techniques and tools.(Rework & Repair)
January 1, 2003... With the continuing decrease in electronic product sizes, micro surface-mount devices ([micro]SMDs) are being applied to an ever-increasing spectrum of new products. Such components are wafer-level chip-scale packages, where the package size...

Spray fluxing--it's not the same old game: spray fluxing has advanced to become a versatile technique, capable of performing a variety of tasks.(Dispensing)
January 1, 2003... Applying solder flux using spray methods has become dominant in many electronics assembly applications, from standard wave soldering of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to selective fluxing of components and assemblies. Spray fluxing began in the...

Jumpering in difficult areas.(Tech Watch)
January 1, 2003... Increasing complexity and time-to-market pressures make the requirements for functional circuits more demanding. If an error exists during substrate development, traces are usually cut and jumper wires are added. Ball grid array (BGA)...

Dispensing software.(Product Spotlight)(from Asymtek Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Version 4.5 of Fluidmove[R] dispensing software optimizes cycle times with variable valve speed tool that programs multiple flow rates without dual valves. Dispensing control enables separate controllers for the dispense head, conveyor module...

Repair system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The WQB3000 repair system reworks surface-mount components, including ceramic and plastic BGAs, micro BGAs and multi-layer boards. The system offers below-board, infrared pre-heating; regulated and metered heat applied to the component; and...

Reflow alloy.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Sn63LT alloy, designed to reduce tombstoning of small components, contains a blend of two solder alloys, resulting in an extended liquidus time of the paste during reflow. The time available to wet each end of the component is increased,...

Reflow solder paste.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Multicore 63S4 MP200 no-clean solder paste eliminates tombstone defects and reduces misalignment when reflowing small components, Suitable for fine-pitch, high-speed printing applications, the paste is a drop in replacement for standard lead...

Dispensing tool.(Product Spotlight)(EFD Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The HP7x dispensing tool eliminates hand fatigue when applying small amounts of viscous materials, The tool connects to a 100-psi air-powered dispenser, minimizing the risk of stress injuries and increasing consistent yields. The tool increases...

Two-component epoxy adhesive.(Product Spotlight)(from Master Bond Inc. )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Master Bond EP72M3 is a two-component elastomer-modified epoxy adhesive for general purpose bonding. Formulated to cure at room temperature, or more rapidly at elevated temperatures with a one to one mix ratio, weight or volume, the bonds are...

Semi-automatic rework system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The IR-X400, a hands-free, semi-automatic rework system, offers a focused IR heating system with a dual zone preheater. The system also features independent component and circuit board closed loop temperature control. A precision component...

Motorola products authorized repair guide from A.P.E.(A.P.E South Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A.P.E. South's Official Motorola Printed Circuit Board Rework and Repair Guide contains 33 pages of authorized procedures, technical information, and equipment descriptions and specifications, much of it in color. From hot air--based rework...

Digi-Key.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Digi-Key is the premium service, one-stop shopping center for quality electronic components in prototype quantities through high volume production quantities. 200,000 + products; 240 + manufacturers; Parts Search; Ordering; Quote Request; Order...

EKRA 21/2D inspection system.(EKRA America Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The patented 21/2 D[TM] inspection system from EKRA is an important factor in significantly reducing the overall defect rate in production processes. The innovations that the EKRA system provides over other available technologies is the...

PCB depaneling systems.(scored board depanelers)(Fancort Industries, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Tab-routed and scored board depanelers are showcased in this new Fancort brochure. Seven different pneumatic and electrically powered benchtop systems are described, including the NE52 programmable tab router fro processing densely populated,...

In-line cleaner.(Product Spotlight)(from Zestron)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Atron AC 100 is a surfactant-based cleaning technology designed for defluxing applications in in-line and batch cleaning equipment. With increased bath life, the cleaner eliminates "white scaling" of solder joints and does not foam. The cleaner...

Dispensing system.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2003... The programmable Servo-Flo[TM] 302 dispensing system can meter, mix and dispense potting compounds in metered shots or beads of a single- or two-component epoxy, silicone, urethane or other potting compound. Programmable, profiled volumetric...

Reflow furnace.(Product Spotlight)(from BTU International Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The TCAS furnace delivers atmosphere and temperature control, with a maximum temperature rating of 800[degrees]C The custom-configured system is capable of a high-purity hydrogen atmosphere of up to 95 percent, with oxygen levels as low as 2...

Air-free volumetric dispenser.(Product Spotlight)(Fisnar Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The I&J123-S and 123-D series dispensers use a flexible hydro-link to connect a micro-step motor to a precision piston ram assembly--enabling any two-part epoxy or single-part fluid to be dispensed from a syringe, including pre-filled packaged...

Full convection reflow oven.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The SMRO-0403C reflow oven is designed to handle the newest materials and components, including 0201s, chip-scale packages (CSPs), ball grid arrays (BGAs) and lead-free pastes. The oven is programmable through a built-in control panel or via...

When boards lose their edge: when the corner of a circuit board breaks or is damaged, the problem cannot be ignored.(Rework and Repair Depot)
January 1, 2003... One of the most easily, and most frequently, damaged areas of a circuit board is the edge or corner. Corner damage often occurs when employees mishandle or drop the board. Since circuit boards are generally rectangular, corners are particularly...

Can you clean a no-clean assembly? Troubled assemblies are put to the test.(Process Doctor)
January 1, 2003... Recently, a client experienced a high percentage of product returns from the field, but, on closer examination, many of the returned boards were functionally good when examined at the test bench. The number of no trouble found (NTF) returns was...

The 2003 salary survey results.(Illustration)
January 1, 2003... The 2003 Salary Survey Results Does your total compensation package stack up against your industry peers? Take a look at the results from this year's salary survey respondents and find out. Circuits Assembly staff PERSONAL ...