Circuits Assembly articles from July 2002

Circuits Assembly archives from July 2002

Well, it sure didn't feel mild.(Editorial)
July 1, 2002... The latest word from those watching the economy is that, historically speaking, we're emerging from a rather mild recession. According to William Hunter, senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the...

Web sites worth mentioning.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... www.viscomusa.com Viscom's site now offers an interactive onrine customer forum--a support tool for daily manufacturing operations. Users can initiate training requests online and gain access to the current test specimen database, online help...

This month's industry resources.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... www.agilent.com/find/ADN The Agilent Developer Network (ADN) is a Web-based tool created to help engineers install, manage and use test and measurement software and connectivity tools. The system is tailored for those who work in PC-based...

Circuits Assembly online: www.circuitassembly.com.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Jetting for 0402s and Beyond New developments allow the dispensing of 0402 dot sizes. Bob Hoffman, Asymtek Making Fine-Pitch Electrical Connections New trace alignment allows fine-pitch inter-connections between many...

Adept and DEK announce partnership.(Industry News)(Adept Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Adept Technology, Inc. (San Jose, CA), a manufacturer of flexible automation equipment for the fiber optic, telecommunications and semiconductor industries, has announced a formalized partnership with DEK (Flemington, NJ) to develop a fully...

Conference on Lead-Free creates debate.(Industry News)(International Conference on Lead-Free Electronic Assemblies)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The International Conference on Lead-Free Electronic Assemblies, sponsored by the IPC (Northbrook, IL) and JEDEC (Arlington, VA) and held April 30-May 2 in San Jose, CA, was well attended--representatives from many of the top manufacturers in...

Conference overview.(SMTA International 2002 Preview)(Surface Mount Technology Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... SMTA (Minneapolis, MN) is again co-locating SMTA international with the Assembly Tech Expo (ATExpo), to be held September 22-26, 2002, at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The event is dedicated to surface-mount, advanced...

Opening session and annual meeting.(SMTA International 2002 Preview)(Surface Mount Technology Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The opening session and annual meeting during SMTA International 2002 will be held on Tuesday, September 24. The opening session is free to all attendees and will feature the presentation, Status of the Technology, a comprehensive overview of...

GM and Ford executives to speak at ATExpo.(SMTA International 2002 Preview)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo), co-located with SMTA International, will feature two free keynote addresses by senior operations executives from General Motors (Detroit, MI) and the Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI). Gerald Elson, vice president...

EMS symposiums.(SMTA International 2002 Preview)
July 1, 2002... For industry professionals involved in providing contract manufacturing services, a four-part symposium created by Circuits Assembly magazine (Atlanta, GA), with Lisa Hamburg, editor-in-chief, serving as chairperson, will take place during SMTA...

Events calendar.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Events Calendar July 8-10 IPC-A-610C Worker Proficiency Course, Holly Springs, NC. Contact Circuit Technology Inc., (919) 552-3434; www.smt-network.com/cti. 11-14 First...

Cookson Electronics.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Steven J. Corbett (pictured left) has been appointed president of Cookson Electronics Chemistry (Enthone, West Haven, CT) by Cookson Electronics (Foxborough, MA). He will be responsible for leading and growing the Enthone chemistry business...

IPC (Northbrook, IL) has named Doug Sober as the new chairman of the Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC).(People)(Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) has named Doug Sober as the new chairman of the Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC). Sober, vice president of quality assurance at GIL Technologies, Inc. (Collierville, TN), was elected at IPC printed Circuits...

Nilfisk-Advance America, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Nilfisk-Advance America, Inc. (Malvern, PA) has promoted former director of operations, Paul Miller, to vice president. In his new position, he will oversee all company activities, including sales, marketing and overall operations. Miller will...

GNP Computers, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Patricia McGowan has joined GNP Computers, Inc. (Monrovia, CA) as senior product marketing manager. With more than two decades of marketing and technical experience, she will oversee ongoing product development and marketing of the Continuant...

Creation Technologies.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Creation Technologies (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) has appointed Arthur Tymos as chief operating officer. He will be responsible for ensuring the efficiency of company operations and will work to shape the vision and direction of the...

DEK.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Lisa Carbin (pictured left) has joined DEK (Flemington, NJ) as the Western region sales manager. She will work closely with the company's customer service team to provide a focused and coordinated approach to supporting clients. Carbin's...

Senior executive retreat offered.(People)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Quantum Performance Group, LLC, a market research group, will produce an exclusive senior executive retreat October 18-19, 2002, at The Aviara Four Seasons in Carlsbad, CA. The meeting, Succeeding in Difficult Times, will provide an...

Sharpe comments on Cookson repositioning.(Industry News)(Ray Sharpe, Cookson Electronics )(Interview)
July 1, 2002... Circuits Assembly recently had the opportunity to interview Ray Sharpe, president and chief executive officer of Cookson Electronics (Foxborough, MA), to discuss his take on the recent Cookson Electronics "repositioning." As reported last month...

Women in Electronics.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Women in Electronics (WIE, Duluth, GA) recently hosted a dinner to honor sponsors and to present scholarships to students pursuing electronics-related degrees. Sharon Clark, scholarship chairperson, presented a total of $9,000 in scholarships...

Desco Industries, Inc. (Chino, CA) has acquired the Protektive Pak division of Brick Container Corp. (La Mirada, CA).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Desco Industries, Inc. (Chino, CA) has acquired the Protektive Pak division of Brick Container Corp. (La Mirada, CA). The division manufactures and markets corrugated paper and plastic containers for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protected...

Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, WA) and manufacturing partner Flextronics Corp. (Singapore) have announced plans to establish a manufacturing and assembly operation for the Xbox[TM] video game system in China later this year.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, WA) and manufacturing partner Flextronics Corp. (Singapore) have announced plans to establish a manufacturing and assembly operation for the Xbox[TM] video game system in China later this year. The console...

IPC.(Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) announces the adoption of the IPC-A-610C, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, by the U.S. Army for use by the Department of Defense (DoD, Washington, D.C.). The document is used with the material and process standard...

The precious metal activities of Degussa Galvanotechnik AG (Schwabisch Gmund, Germany) have been successfully integrated into OMG (Cleveland, OH) and will now be known as OMG Galvanotechnik GmbH.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The precious metal activities of Degussa Galvanotechnik AG (Schwabisch Gmund, Germany) have been successfully integrated into OMG (Cleveland, OH) and will now be known as OMG Galvanotechnik GmbH. The company will supply electrolytic precious...

ETP releases report on IC Packaging Market.(Market Watch)(Electronic Trend Publications)
July 1, 2002... A report from Electronic Trend Publications (ETP, San Jose, CA), The Worldwide IC Packaging Market, 2002 Edition, offers optimism for the future of the semiconductor industry. Based on expected worldwide economic growth in 2002 of just over...

MEMS long-term outlook is positive.(Market Watch)(microelectromechanical systems)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based solutions for optical networking is moving forward at a rapid pace. In-Stat/MDR (Scottsdale, AZ), a research firm, reports in MEMS and Optical Networks: The Good, The Bad, and the...

April PCB stats.(Market Watch)(printed circuit boards)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) has released the U.S. PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for April 2002 as 0.94. Sales billed (shipments) in April 2002 decreased 31.5 percent over April 2001, and orders booked for April 2002 decreased 10.9 percent over...

Solectron expands services in China.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Solectron Corp. (Milpitas, CA), a provider of electronics manufacturing and supply-chain management services, expanded its after-sales service in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong by acquiring the assets of NC&C (Hong Kong, China), a privately...

Qualitek expands in Asia.(Asia Watch)(Qualitek International Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Qualitek International, Inc. (Addison, IL) has announced the opening of the expanded facility of Qualitek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), the Asia Pacific headquarters of the group. The new facility features a research and development...

Flextronics and Casio enter partnership.(Asia Watch)(Casio Computer Company Ltd.)(Flextronics International Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Flextronics (Singapore), a global provider of operational services, and Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), a consumer electronics company, have announced a contract manufacturing agreement in which Flextronics will manufacture a variety...

EMS suppliers look to India.(Asia Watch)(electronics manufacturing services)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... India is becoming an important stop for major electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers seeking a low-cost manufacturing destination. As EMS providers expand in China, many are studying India's large, skilled labor pool. ...

Toppan and NEC to integrate board operations.(Asia Watch)(Toppan Printing Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) and NEC Corp. (Tokyo, Japan) have signed a memorandum to establish a joint venture company and integrate their printed wiring board (PWB), including high-density module board, operations. The goal of the...

North America's manufacturing future: will North American facilities survive the shift to overseas manufacturing?(On the Forefront)
July 1, 2002... Driven by corporate cost models and pressure to produce improved financial performance to shareholders, North American companies have witnessed an unprecedented shift in manufacturing--from in-house, board-level assembly to outsourcing. Many...

Is it clean? Why do you want to know? Part I: do you sometimes battle with your customers over cleanliness?(Ask Les)
July 1, 2002... Q: Is there a standard my company can use to demonstrate that both our no-clean and cleaning processes deliver soldered assemblies with "good cleanliness" and put all this questioning to rest? A: Unfortunately, the answer is probably closer...

CSP implementation: successful execution begins with design.(Problem Solved)(chip-scale packaging)
July 1, 2002... Editor's Note: S. Craig Beddingfield, with the Advanced Assembly Technology Center at Siemens Dematic, joins our "Problem Solved" roster of authors this month. Find his submissions bimonthly, alternating with George Westby, director of the...

Surface-Mount Solder attachments: due to questionable test regimens and extravagant claims, IPC developed a standard to ensure proper solder joint reliability tests.(Standard Features)
July 1, 2002... The ideal solder joint forms a reliable, electrically continuous and mechanically sound connection. Appropriate design for reliability (DFR) is needed to ensure proper performance. Solder joints created using DFR, when manufactured with good...

Array package rework--lead free throws a curve: correct reflow profiles and automated equipment are the keys to successfully reworking array packages.(Rework)
July 1, 2002... Three factors continue to drive electronics manufacturing: size, functionality and cost. We may be approaching the physical boundaries on size. Additional functionality seems limitless, constrained only by the creativity of system designers....

Area array rework--size does matter! Out with the old manual rework practices. CSPs and flip chips require new automated techniques.(Rework)(chip-scale package)
July 1, 2002... The demand for innovative technology has pushed the electronics industry to build smaller, lighter and less expensive products with greater levels of functionality. In turn, manufacturers of electronic devices have responded with a new breed of...

Screening for errors: what's to blame? Stencil printer verification procedures allow production problems to be quickly isolated and corrected.(Process Optimization)
July 1, 2002... A stable, robust manufacturing process requires identification and control of all variables that affect the end product. Every problem that causes an end-of-line defect will be related to either the process, the equipment or the setup....

MEMS for mobile communications: packaging systems for MEMS have very specific requirements, hermetic sealing thermal and mechanical stability.(Emerging Technologies)(microelectromechanical systems)
July 1, 2002... The first article in this series discussed the potential microsystem applications for mobile communications with a key focus on radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS). The focus of this article is packaging, which is a key...

Aegis Industrial Software Corporation.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Aegis Industrial Software develops state-of-the-art Manufacturing Productivity Software for electronics assemblers. Aegis web-centric systems collaboratively manage design and bill of materials data, automate machine programming, manage product...

A.P.E. South.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A.P.E. South is proud to announce "The Rework Catalog," featuring 36 pages of repair solutions for surface-mount, BGA and through-hole components from the recently launched Chipper to the innovative Sniper Flo-Master split-vision placement and...

Data I/O.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... FlashPAK is a stand-alone system for high speed, flexible programming of flash devices in design engineering and production applications. Design engineers benefit from the speed, capacity and quality of a production programmer, but at a price...

Ekra.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... EKRA's E5 Series if High Performance, Flexible inline printers provide the market's best repeatability and capability. EKRA's patented vision system with software controlled variable lighting and 2 1/2D post print inspection are technologies...

Amtech.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... SYNTECH[TM] SYNTHETIC SOLDER PASTE Drive down your manufacturing costs with Synthetic[TM], the world's first high performance synthetic no-clean solder paste. made with synthetic poly-adduct components, SynTECH speeds up process lines and...

ASYS Automation.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The mission of ASYS Automation LLC is to provide our customers with high quality equipment and excellent support throughout the Americas, The product range includes hoard handling, pallet systems, solder frame hand rig, depanelizers, inline...

Digi-Key.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... 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...

Indium.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... NC-SMQ 92J is a no-dean, halide-free, air reflowable solder paste formulated to meet the challenges of today's diverse electronic assembly processes. Designed with a wide process window, NC-SMQ92J offers superior wetting and probe testability...

Kester solder.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... KESTER BRINGS CONSISTENCY TO WATER-SOLUBLE PASTE Kester's HydroMark 531 provides water-soluble solder paste users with the highest level of consistency and performance. Lot after lot. HydroMark 531 provides hours of stable stencil life,...

OMG.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The OMG Microbond family of solder pastes and die attach products includes a complete line of No Clean, Water Soluble, RMA and Lead Free solder paste materials which provide the perfect fit for all your SMT applications. OMG also offers...

Phoenix/x-ray Systems + Services.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINE BGA WETTING ERRORS The pcba|sentry is the only automated microfocus x-ray inspection/failure analysis system that determines opens and wetting errors instantly at known levels of confidence. Its powerful BGA...

Vitronics Soltec North America.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... VITRONICS SOLTEC'S "5 STEPS TO LEAD-FREE SOLDERING" A new full-color 12-page brochure details the five steps. These steps include step 1, select the right materials and equipment; step 2, define the process; step 3, develop a robust...

Metcal.(Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... With just a 0.043" (1.1mm) gap between components and a standoff height as low as 0.002" (0.05mm), Metcal,s VPI-1000 Optical Inspection System allows operators to check interior rows of solder balls as well as top and bottom connections and...

Legend and markings repair: boards with damaged legends or markings aren't necessarily destined for the scrap bin--three IPC-approved methods can help.(Rework and Repair Depot)
July 1, 2002... Numbers, letters, legends and nomendature are common features on printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies. When they become damaged, or partly or wholly obliterated, should they be repaired or replaced? Is repair possible? The answer to each...

Rework System.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Sniper-WB Split Vision Rework System SMD-7007 incorporates large board handling and temperature control/process development to meet the demands of telecom PCBs and other high-mass, multi-layer assemblies with components that are difficult...

Optical inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The VPI-1000 optical inspection system offers an on-screen magnification range of 300X to 460X and can inspect under components, with a standoff as low as 0.051 mm. A specially designed optical tip requires a 1-mm distance between components to...

X-Ray inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The FOX-160.25, a nanofocus x-ray inspection system, provides total magnification up to 7,200X (2,400X geometric magnification) and features recognition of 500 nm (0.5 microns). The system can be used by PCB and semiconductor manufacturers to...

In-circuit test system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A new release (Version 3.2) of ScanWorks boundary-scan (IEEE 1149.1/JTAG) test and in-system programming (ISP) environment features interconnect test tools that offer improved test coverage and advance the test development process with simpler...

Solder fillet inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Model 22X fv series offers solder fillet (solder meniscus) inspection in a desktop set up. In all models, image pattern matching technology is used to compare images between the golden board and production boards. In current models, an FL...

Optical transceivers.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Improvements to high-performance small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceivers will give original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end users additional options to meet the needs of specific applications, while offering improved...

Automated workcell solution.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Flexsys[TM] family of standardized, automated manufacturing systems, for advanced packaging and assembly in optoelectronics and microelectronics, accommodates multiple process and assembly operations on a single automated platform--enabling...

ESD hand lotion.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Reztore[R] hand lotion is specially formulated for use in the electronics manufacturing environment. The moisturizing formula can be used to reduce skin electrical resistance and enhance the reliability of electrostatic discharge (ESD) control...

Component mounter.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The FCM Ceramic placement system allows fully-automated, high-volume processing of ceramic boards. By offering flexible set up, 75-kcph placement speed on ceramic boards and high uptime, the system delivers an accuracy of 75 [micro]m, at 3...

Substrate support system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The In-line Red-E-Set[R] system is configured to provide substrate support in pick-and-place machines, producing single- and double-sided boards, to reduce setup time, reduce defects, increase throughput and provide additional machine uptime....

Electronic tactile sensor.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Xsensor, a new electronic tactile force and pressure-indicating sensor, allows the user to monitor precisely how force is disbursed between any two contacting, impacting or mating surfaces in real-time. Any application or test where pressure...