Circuits Assembly articles from January 2006

Circuits Assembly archives from January 2006

Drucker's legacy.(Caveat Lector)
January 1, 2006... It's odd, I think, that more hasn't been made of the passing of the world's foremost authority on organizational management, Peter F. Drucker. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Drucker died on Nov. 11; perhaps the news was lost amid all...

Jabil.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Jabil (jabil.com) loaned $25 million to an undisclosed EMS provider, with an option to acquire the company in the future.

Bain Capital (bain.com), a private investment firm.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Bain Capital (bain.com), a private investment firm, bought FCI (fciconnect.com), a manufacturer of connectors and interconnect systems, from Areva (areva.com).

Newark InOne.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Newark InOne (newarkinone.com) expanded its complimentary re-reeling service to include thousands of SMT diodes, transistors, ICs and optoelectronic components.

EMS provider Sparton Corp. (sparton.com) was awarded an initial $2 million contract to produce assemblies for Raytheon-Network Centric Systems (raytheon.com).(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... EMS provider Sparton Corp. (sparton.com) was awarded an initial $2 million contract to produce assemblies for Raytheon-Network Centric Systems (raytheon.com). Sparton expects to begin production in February at its Brooksville, FL, facility.

CADParts & Consulting.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... CADParts & Consulting (cadpartsusa.com) recently re-opened its Marlboro, NJ, facility. The remodeled 2,200 sq. ft. facility offers library and design services, circuit design, ICT, functional testing and RoHS compliance services.

Handling Systems Inc. (handlingsystems.com) will distribute Bosch Rexroth (boschrexroth-us.com) aluminum framing and workstation products in Alabama.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Handling Systems Inc. (handlingsystems.com) will distribute Bosch Rexroth (boschrexroth-us.com) aluminum framing and workstation products in Alabama, Mississippi and northwestern Florida.

International Manufacturing Services (ims-resistors.com) appointed W. Howard Associates (whoward.com) as product representive in Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... International Manufacturing Services (ims-resistors.com) appointed W. Howard Associates (whoward.com) as product representive in Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. NextWave Technologies (nextwave.co.il) will represent IMS' products in...

ZTE Ltd. (zte.com.cn), a communication device maker and national wireless supplier in China, purchased XtremePCB from Mentor Graphics (mentor.com).(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... ZTE Ltd. (zte.com.cn), a communication device maker and national wireless supplier in China, purchased XtremePCB from Mentor Graphics (mentor.com). The product, part of Mentor's Expedition Enterprise flow, facilitates team design.

Tyco to close 16 electronics plants.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... Pembroke, Bermuda -- Tyco International (tyco.com) plans to close 16 of its electronics manufacturing factories in North American and Europe and may even spin off some businesses. The conglomerate will take a restructuring charge of up to $175...

China EMS 'snapshot' released.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... Alameda, CA -- Chinese companies are moving up the value chain in product design, and their engineering teams offer customers an increasing array of technical options and product features. That's according to a new report by Technology...

OCM Manufacturing (ocmtech.com), an ottawa-based contract manufacturer.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... OCM Manufacturing (ocmtech.com), an Ottawa-based contract manufacturer, has installed a Siemens (siplace.com) Siplace F5HM placement machine in its Thurston Drive facility. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

Seiko Instruments Micro Printer Division.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Seiko Instruments Micro Printer Division (siiprinters.com) signed a distribution agreement with Sager Electronics (sager.com).

Tyco Electronics'.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Tyco Electronics' Global Application Tooling Division (tooling.tycoelectronics.com) opened an automation technology center in Willow Grove, PA, to develop Pb-free assembly technologies and RFID inlay assembly processes and systems.

LaBarge (labarge.com) secured a $2.2 million contract from Boeing (boeing.com) to supply wire harness assemblies for USAF T-38C training jets.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... LaBarge (labarge.com) secured a $2.2 million contract from Boeing (boeing.com) to supply wire harness assemblies for USAF T-38C training jets. LaBarge began making the assemblies in 2000, and expects production to continue through September...

Vanguard EMS.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... Vanguard EMS (vanguard-ems.com) introduced front-end product support service (Vanguard Velocity), a quickturn team focused on driving time and cost out of NPIs.

SensArray Corp.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... SensArray Corp. (sensarray.com) relocated from Fremont, CA, to a larger site in Santa Clara. The company makes front- and back-end process optimization tools and measurement systems for semiconductor processing and flat panel fabrication.

IPCore Technologies Corp. (ipcoreinc.com), China's largest design service company, selected Agilent's (agilent.com) 93000 SOC series for testing digital, mixed-signal and RF devices.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... IPCore Technologies Corp. (ipcoreinc.com), China's largest design service company, selected Agilent's (agilent.com) 93000 SOC series for testing digital, mixed-signal and RF devices. The companies are also collaborating on test-program and...

SchmartBoard (schmartboard.com) has signed Indian distributor Concept Shapers & Electronics Pvt. Ltd.(In Brief)
January 1, 2006... SchmartBoard (schmartboard.com) has signed Indian distributor Concept Shapers & Electronics Pvt. Ltd. (conshape.com) to market its product for teaching and prototyping surface-mount components.

DEK publishes Pb-free stencil guidelines.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... San Jose, CA -- DEK (dek.com) in November published its latest findings on screen printing with Pb-free pastes, focusing on the implications for stencil design rules. The results underline the importance of using an enclosed head and nickel...

Next-gen packaging tops iNEMI Research Priorities.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... Herndon, VA -- "[M]ost of today's key semiconductor and electronic packaging technologies are not capable of meeting the needs of the industry in 2015," says International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative vice president of operations Bob...

H. Dave Chambliss.(People)
January 1, 2006... H. Dave Chambliss is now chief operating officer of Visiprise, which recently merged with HMS Software. Chambliss, previously president and general manager of North American operations at Tecnomatix, will lead the integration team for the two...

SensArray Corp.(People)
January 1, 2006... SensArray Corp. appointed Sandy Burgan as head of U.S. sales. She was previously Western regional sales manager at DNS Electronics, a subsidiary of Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co.

Kevin Maddy.(People)
January 1, 2006... RVSI Inspection hired Kevin Maddy as president. Maddy spent the past 14 years as a general management executive with P&L, and has held positions at Ford, Unisys, United Technologies, Howmet and SPX Corp. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Laura Ripoli.(People)
January 1, 2006... Laura Ripoli joined BEST to manage rework/repair and prototype build projects. She recently managed an electronic components business, and held positions at mL Technologies, Arrow Semi and Tek-Aids Industries.

Mouser Electronics.(People)
January 1, 2006... Mouser Electronics promoted Brad Taylor to director of supplier business development, and added John Crawford as director of semiconductor product marketing and Gary Crawford as director of asset management.

Bill Brunstedt.(People)
January 1, 2006... Bill Brunstedt joined Indium Corp. as Asia-Pacific market development manager. He spent the last 21 years with BTU International, most recently as managing director for the Asia Pacific region.

Dr. Alan Poskanzer.(People)
January 1, 2006... Dr. Alan Poskanzer (Poskanzer & Assoc.) joined Gene H. Weiner & Assoc. as senior associate. Dr. Poskanzer was formerly director of technology licensing for Arizona State University, and most recently served as director of technology licensing...

Curt Williams.(People)
January 1, 2006... ACC Electronix, a ruggedized EMS provider serving middle market OEMs, named Curt Williams VP of sales and marketing. He has 10 years of experience marketing EMS services.

Cisco to buy Scientific Atlanta.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... San Jose -- "It is extremely unlikely for us to ever do a large acquisition. My view is, most all of them fail."--Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, August 2005 "Extremely unlikely" just happened. Cisco agreed on Nov. 17 to buy...

Metals prices hitting 15-year highs.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... London -- Prices of precious metals are soaring, sparking fears of even tighter margins at electronics manufacturers hesitant to pass along charges to customers. Prices of gold, silver, platinum and copper have approached or passed...

Electronics MNCs seeing growth in China ops.(Industry NEWS)
January 1, 2006... San Francisco -- End-market demand remains relatively healthy, driven by robust growth in handsets, according to a December report from Deutsche Bank (db.com). Following meetings with Flextronics, Jabil, Amphenol and Nam Tai Electronics...

A banner year for PCs.(Market WATCH)
January 1, 2006... [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] A Banner Year for PCs Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change ...

U.S. manufacturing chugging along.(Market WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Tempe, AZ -- U.S. manufacturing kept chugging in November. Production and new orders slid a notch, yet remained well above expansion levels. It was the 30th straight month of growth, according to the latest Institute for Supply Management...

Green materials to reach $8.7B by 2010.(Market WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Norwalk, CT -- The global market for green materials, estimated at $6.1 billion last year, is expected to reach $8.7 billion by 2010, an average annual growth rate of 7.4%, according to Business Communications Co. (bccresearch.com). ...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Industry Market Snapshot Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. June July August Sept. Oct. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.90 0.93 0.90 0.95 0.97 Semiconductors (2)...

Chips in line for 10% CAGR.(Market WATCH)
January 1, 2006... San Jose -- Global semiconductor sales are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 10% from 2005 through 2008, with consumer products emerging as a major growth driver, SIA (sia.org) president George Scalise said during an...

Let's get small.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... In late September, Motorola hosted a workshop on miniaturization attended by more than 100 industry suppliers and manufacturers. One of the organizers, Motorola Labs director of microminiaturization technologies Dr. Aroon Tungare, asserts that...

Short sited? The 'pack' mentality may drive companies to ignore locations best-suited for their business or customers.(Focus on Business)
January 1, 2006... Just as EMS customers like to add significant rating weight based on a contractor's experience with projects of similar size or scope, EMS companies often add weight to locations recognized as EMS cluster zones. Initially, this mentality made...

RoHS implementation: an OEM and EMS case study: the process by which a Pb-free line was evaluated is detailed.(Global Sourcing)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: For the full column, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2579/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Each OEM/EMS team approach to Pb-free conversion will be different. These differences can be generated by limiting...

Ghosts past, present and future: why disasters (natural and otherwise) can promise future opportunities.(On the Forefront)
January 1, 2006... 2005 was a relatively good year. Off to a slow start, the industry ended with capacity fully utilized for a multitude of packaging and assembly operations including gold bumping, wafer level packaging, laminate substrates and component assembly...

Using a printer in chip attachment and encapsulation: part two of a look at how traditional SMT processes address semiconductor packaging.(Screen Printing)
January 1, 2006... In our November column, we began this two-part discussion on the use of SMT processes to address semiconductor packaging. In this conclusion, we cover chip attachment and encapsulation. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Attaching the...

Installing flash LEDs on flex: flex can save up to 70% in space or weight, but beware of improper bending.(Flex Assembly)
January 1, 2006... A flex circuit is made from a flexible polymer film laminated to a thin sheet of copper that is etched to produce a circuit pattern. Various configurations include single-sided, double-sided, multilayer and rigid-flex circuits. Figure 1 shows...

Get a free vacuum handling tools and accessories catalog! Shop our new on-line store!(Assembly Insider: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... Virtual Industries is the world's largest supplier of innovative vacuum handling tools, pick-up tips and accessories. These ergonomic tools provide customer specific solutions that make assembly and processing operations more productive. ...

Processes and their parameters: when updating procedures and developing processes, rely on "real world" data, not lab tests.(Pb-Free Soldering Profiles)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: For the full article, please visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2580/ The Pb-free conversion process consists of two interlinked aspects. On one hand is the physical reality; i.e., everything that occurs around the production...

Use of closed-loop process controls in dispensing: the side-by-side effects of open- and closed-loop dispensing processes.(Cover Story)(Reprint)
January 1, 2006... Dispensing processes use a variety of technologies. The most common: squeeze bottles and paint brushes. All are simple, handheld devices that allow some measure of control over the placement and amount of fluid deposition. The operator squeezes...

Low pressure molding: a primer: how the process compares to potting and injection molding.(Encapsulant Materials)
January 1, 2006... Reduced dimensions of components coupled with higher cost and fragility are rendering traditional encapsulant and molding techniques either inadequate or unnecessarily complex. Traditionally positioned between injection molding and potting, low...

Still the king of shows: three standout products made royal debuts at the world's largest electronics equipment fair.(Productronica Recap)
January 1, 2006... Some things you can just count on. Elvis is the King. Howard Stern is the King of all Media. And Productronica is (still) the king of trade shows. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] The Munich exhibition opened in November to strong...

Hand solder rework of Pb-free PTH and SMT packages: some pad lifting may be unavoidable, but our study found no resulting reliability failures.(Pb-Free Rework)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2578/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Rework of a defective or incorrectly placed component occurs when it fails visual inspection or electrical test. The...

Choosing a BGA inspection system: a review of three types of nondestructive equipment: 2-D x-ray, endoscopic and 3-D x-ray.(Soldering Tips)
January 1, 2006... While BGAs offer certain advantages over gull-wing parts, the equipment used to verify and maintain solder joint integrity in BGAs adds a step to the inspection process and increases costs. Among the three types of nondestructive BGA inspection...

Why dull or frosty Pb-free solder joints are not defective: matte or dull joints are normal and should be considered just 'an effect.'.(Wave Soldering)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2583/ A rough surface appearance is typical of SAC (SnAgCu) alloys commonly in use in Pb-free soldering applications. Among the reasons for the dull appearance is...

Compensating for Pb-free inspection: leaded solder joints offer perfect conditions to reflect AOI light beams. How to adjust for Pb-free parts.(Test and Inspection)
January 1, 2006... The characteristics of a Pb-free joint place higher demands on AOI and the algorithms used. This column describes some considerations required to develop effective AOI algorithms and equipment to test Pb-free assemblies. During development, the...

Tin whisker management guidelines, part 2: how 40 [micro]m was found to be the maximum acceptable whisker length for high-rel product, and recommended strategies for mitigation.(Countdown to Pb-Free)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: Part one was published in December. Sample size. To ensure a consistent plating process, testing (using the three test conditions) should be done on three different plating finish lots with different date codes and plated at least one...

White residues: are they or aren't they? When it comes to white residues, a defect is not always a defect.(Process Doctor)
January 1, 2006... I PC-A-610D, section 10.4.3, states that white residues are considered a defect for class 1, 2 and 3 hardware when: [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] * White residue is on the PCB surface. * White residues is on or around the...

Mentor's Expedition Enterprise: simultaneous team design using a common software, integrated flow.(Software Advances)
January 1, 2006... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2581/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Expedition Enterprise provides a complete solution for PCB and FPGA design, embedded in a global enterprise environment....

Thermal protection devices.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Alpha thermal protection devices prevent partial reflow and damage to adjacent components during rework. Cool components and semiconductor packages during high-temperature, Pb-free rework. CoolCaps fit over standard BGA and QFP packages....

Benchtop rework.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... MFR Series benchtop Multi Function Rework system uses "Smartheat" to provide Pb-free soldering. Power unit offers two ports to which tools can be attached for rework, SMT tasks and through-hole soldering and desoldering. For heavier or varied...

High-speed board conveyor.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Combined with Micron-class Europa mass imaging system, the Rapid Transit Conveyor high-speed board transport delivers a 4-sec. core cycle time. Stepper motor increases board transport speed and replaces traditional belt-type transfer with a...

Dross eliminator.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... MS2 molten solder surfactant eliminates dross in wave soldering. For leaded and Pb-free processes, does not mix with metal; instead, forms a thin floating layer that covers entire solder surface except the wave. Prevents dross from forming on...

Inspection/repair system.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Ecoselect AOI+R combines AOI and selective soldering in one machine. Can perform fully automated PCB optical inspection and repair for Pb-free PTH assemblies with a max. temperature of 285[degrees]C. Features first-pass yield production, no...

Pb-Free materials.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Pb-Free Suite of materials for WEEE and RoHS compliance includes reworkable no-flow underfill, no-clean and water-wash solder pastes, solder preforms in tape and reel packaging, and wave solder flux for mixed applications. Indium Corp.,...

Tabletop laser soldering.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Laser reflow combines the precise, rapid deposition of dispensable solder paste with the high-speed, noncontact, localized heating of diode laser systems. SolderPlus paste provides fast, clog-free dispensing; can survive sub-second reflow cycle...

Modular placement platform.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Modular Siplace platform ranges from the Compact Series to the X-Series, which reliably places 01005 components. Real-life application and line configurations range from "Extreme Performance" to "Extreme Flexibility." Includes productivity...

Flexible pick-and-place.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... FLX2010-LCV flexible pick-and-place system for high-mix production has a large board size and feeder capacity with a small footprint. Intelligent feeders, offline programming and job planning offer changeover without downtime. Starts at 5,000...

Process qualification.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... ScanINSPECT VPI (virtual product inspection) process control qualifies each step of assembly and fabrication processes before production. Standalone system has high resolution, color flatbed scanner and dual lighting system to verify components...

Laser marking island.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Laser marking island consists of a board destacker, laser marker, an optional flip station and a restacker. Handles up to 510 PCBs/hr. including code verification. Optional station can flip boards for double sided marking. Can handle standard...

Large PCB wave soldering.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... ECO Pascal for Pb-free wave soldering uses static pressure flow to maximize vertical solder flow at the nozzle and reduce machine maintenance. Vertical flow is increased to 15-18 mm in wave height, to reduce voiding and improve fillet formation...

Pb-free, any climate paste.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Halide-free, no-clean, pin-testable Multicore LF318 is said to achieve a high degree of coalescence upon reflow and excellent humidity resistance. Can be used in Pb-free processes in all manufacturing sites, regardless of climate. Reportedly...

12-zone reflow oven.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Model 20X2HC operates using horizontal convection with 12 vertical zones in a 146" heated tunnel and 20" wide conveyor. Typically reflows PCBs at 3 to 4 ft./min. Horizontal forced air circulation results in uniform temperature profile along the...

Solventless stencil rolls.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... MicroWipe FP stencil rolls clean stencils without solvents in fine-pitch or Pb-free SMT environments. A patented synthetic paper from DuPont eliminates the need to wet the stencil wipe. Reduces paper costs and avoids contamination of solder...

Pb-free thermal process kit.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Profiler kit includes SlimKIC 2000, Auto-Focus oven recipe search engine, metal shield, higher temperature thermocouples and aluminum tape. New metal thermal shield offers thermal protection while keeping the slim physical dimension of the...

Automated high-volume rework.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Fineplacer Micro automatically sequences repair steps without operator intervention: component de-solder and discard, residual solder removal, flux dispense (where necessary) and component re-solder. Pivot arm with component rotation capability...

Selective soldering system.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Firefly uses laser technology for automatic selective soldering. Based on Viva Integrated Platform, it offers a three-step process for generating, verifying and running a soldering program, plus software tools for flexibility and performance....

Pb-free wave soldering systems.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... SM-450 has an electromagnetic pump that operates on Windows XP; a computerized spray-fluxing unit; computerized, automatic width and angle adjustments of the conveyor; and three preheat zones with independent control of temperature and airflow....

Wave profiler pallet.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Wave profiling pallet measures wave nozzle height. Includes two wave nozzle height slides with inscribed height measurements. Fabricated from 8-mm thick, black, ESD composite material with a 1/8" thick glass; laser etched to permit accurate...

Lead-Free wave Retrofit.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Lead-Free Retrofit Kit upgrades wave soldering machines for Pb-free operation in lieu of buying a new machine or replacing the solder pot. Titanium construction prevents corrosion associated with surface-coated solder pots, pumps and nozzles....

Low-VOC aqueous cleaner.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... A4615 is a low-VOC aqueous cleaner for pastes, fluxes and residues. Safe for humans and environmentally friendly. Contains organic solvents, non-ionic surfactants, alkalinity builders and organic and inorganic inhibitors in a water base. Can be...

Four-gantry placement.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Quadris-S combines 80,000 cph placement performance, 0201 to 44 X 44 mm component range, support for tape and tray feeders including dual-track feeders, automatic board centering between feeder banks, on-the-fly gang recognition and bank feeder...

Vacuum nozzle.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... MaxVac Extended Reach Blade (ERB) series vacuum nozzles are made for deep male and female connectors/sockets. Tips can be reportedly adapted to any pick-and-place vacuum nozzle. Available in 1 X 3 - 12 mm tips and 1.5 X 4 - 12 mm tips. ...

Workstation systems.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Series 8000 Modular Workstations can be assembled and reconfigured quickly. Available in five widths and three different heights, for use of vertical space up to 84". "Starter and adder" system boosts layout possibilities, including x and y...

Dry packaging card.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Humidity Indicator Card indicates humidity at 5,10 and 60%. For use with dry packaging for keeping surface-mount components dry and safe from ESD during shipping and storage. The 60% spot permits the card to be used for MSL 2a-5a of IPC/JEDEC...

Modular x-ray inspection.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Concept FX offers 30 configurations for bare board, assembly and package inspection, prototyping, process validation and rework verification. Features an ergonomic design, no-clamp sample tray and a footprint of 44 X 38". Handles bare or...

Inline inspecton.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... YTX-5000 inline system combines AOI and AXI. Inspects for visible and hidden defects on BGAs, flip chips and other area arrays. Inspects solder joints, leads, component presence and position, correct part, polarity, color and through-hole...

Adhesive transfer film.(Product PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... Unifilm U800B unsupported acrylic adhesive transfer film is said to balance tack and peel, and maintain shear properties at temperatures over 200[degrees]C. Designed for flexible printed circuits, LCD assembly, EMI shield bonding, industrial...