Circuits Assembly articles from June 2002

Circuits Assembly archives from June 2002

Less than zero.(Editorial)
June 1, 2002... The results are in and officially confirmed. The year 2001 stunk. For the first time since 1985, the electronics manufacturing services industry (EMSI)--the short-lived darling of Wall Street and the industry every pundit believed to be the...

Net gain: the latest the internet has to offer.(Industry News)
June 1, 2002... Web sites worth mentioning www.virtualchip.com This Virtual Chip Exchange site offers OmniSearch[TM] software--providing OEM and EMS members with company-wide visibility of excess component inventory across multiple manufacturing...

Solectron and Lucent enter agreement.(Industry News)(Lucent Technologies Inc.)(Solectron Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Solectron Corp. (Milpitas, CA), a provider of electronics manufacturing and supply chain management services, has reached a three-year agreement to produce optical networking equipment for Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ). Lucent will...

Emerson & Cuming offers applications laboratory.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Emerson & Cuming (Billerica, MA), a supplier of adhesives, encapsulants, coatings and sealants for circuit board assembly, announces a new applications laboratory with the ability to simulate the production equipment used by customers. The new...

Atlanta SMTA chapter holds Expo.(Industry News)
June 1, 2002... The Atlanta SMTA Expo, held at the Gwinnett Cultural and Civic Center (Duluth, GA) in April 2002, featured 87 companies and attracted 389 visitors. Six conference sessions were presented on technical topics ranging from printed circuit board...

NEMI names new board members.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEMI (Herndon, VA) has announced a new chairman and two co-directors of planning. Nasser Grayeli, vice president of Intel Corp.'s (Santa Clara, CA) technology and manufacturing group and director of assembly technology development, is NEMI's...

IPC releases contract; issues call for papers.(Industry News)(IPC Northbrook, Illinois)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) announces the release of IPC Sample Master Ordering Agreement for EMS Companies and OEMs (IPC-EMSI-TC2)--a document created to assist the industry in forming business relationships between original equipment manufacturers...

Cookson seeks improved market definition.(Industry News)(Cookson Electronics)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cookson Electronics (Foxborough, MA) is repositioning itself to better define organization to customers, shareholders, employees and vendors. The businesses formerly known as Speedline Technologies, Alpha-Fry Technologies and Polyclad...

Advanced Research Technologies, Inc. (ART, Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada) and Siemens Dematic Electronics Assembly Systems, Inc. (Norcross, GA) have signed an agreement.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Advanced Research Technologies, Inc. (ART, Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada) and Siemens Dematic Electronics Assembly Systems, Inc. (Norcross, GA) have signed an agreement to evaluate the distribution and integration of ART's ISIS[R] systems into...

VJ Electronix.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... VJ Electronix (Bohemia, NY) announces the opening of a new facility in Manteca, CA, that will serve as a West Coast service and support center for local installations. With two full-time service engineers, the facility will support the complete...

Desco Industries, Inc. (Chino, CA) has purchased the assets and operations of ENGINEEREDSTATIC Corp. (Cinnaminson, NJ).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Desco Industries, Inc. (Chino, CA) has purchased the assets and operations of ENGINEEREDSTATIC Corp. (Cinnaminson, NJ). Desco will continue the business of ENGINEERED STATIC, and sales will be handled through Desco's Custom Manufacturing Group....

Adept Technology, Inc. (San Jose, CA) has signed Modular Automation (Birmingham, England) as a preferred photonics partner.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Adept Technology, Inc. (San Jose, CA) has signed Modular Automation (Birmingham, England) as a preferred photonics partner. Modular Automation will develop photonics manufacturing solutions based on Adept automation products, focusing on fiber...

Vertu Ltd. (London, England) announces a new manufacturing tool--the Zero Defect Production Line.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Vertu Ltd. (London, England) announces a new manufacturing tool--the Zero Defect Production Line. Over the past two years, with the help of Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Chiryu, Japan) and ViTechnology LLC (Haverhill, MA), the production...

Zero Defect Production Line introduced.(Industry News)(Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Ltd.)(ViTechnology L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Chiryu, Japan) and ViTechnology, LLC (Haverhill, MA) announce the Zero Defect Production Line--the result of a joint technology development started in 2001. This program began when a mutual customer was...

Coinstar selects DNE to manufacture equipment.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... DNE Manufacturing & Service Co. (Wallingford, CT), an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, has been chosen as a contractor for the manufacture and system integration of terminals used by Coinstar (Bellevue, WA), a provider of more...

AIM announces expansion in China.(Industry News)(AIM Corp.)(CPD HK)(Sharemate Technology)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... AIM is pleased to announce the appointment of CPD HK (Hong Kong, China) and Sharemate Technology (Suzhou, China) as distributors for the complete line of AIM electronic assembly materials. CPD HK and Sharemate form another link in the global...

Reptron Electronics, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Reptron Electronics, Inc. (Tampa, FL) has appointed Bonnie Fena as president of the company's manufacturing services division. Fena will leverage best practices from the company's three manufacturing facilities, while developing one cohesive...

O.C. White Co.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... O.C. White Co. (Three Rivers, MA) has announced that Ken Russell has joined the company as the new vice president of sales and marketing. Russell will also serve as vice president of sales and marketing for two other company...

DL Technology.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Richard Massero, Jr. (pictured left) has been named worldwide engineering manager for DL Technology's (Haverhill, MA) dispensing valve and needle product lines. He is responsible for production and custom applications engineering and supports...

The IPC (Northbrook, IL) Designers Council's Education Committee recently appointed two individuals as IPC Designers Council Certified Master Instructors (C.M.I.s).(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The IPC (Northbrook, IL) Designers Council's Education Committee recently appointed two individuals as IPC Designers Council Certified Master Instructors (C.M.I.s). Glenn Wells, manager of hardware development at Integrated Device Technology...

Shellcase.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Koby Leist has joined Shellcase (Jerusalem) as vice president of manufacturing. He will be responsible for ramping up the company's manufacturing capabilities at a newly opened production facility that includes a 15,000-sq. ft. clean room.

ITW Chemtronics (Kennesaw, GA) has appointed Dayi Zhou, of Assembly Electronics, Ltd. (Shanghai, China), as sales agent/master distributor.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ITW Chemtronics (Kennesaw, GA) has appointed Dayi Zhou (pictured right), of Assembly Electronics, Ltd. (Shanghai, China), as sales agent/master distributor. He will oversee the support and expansion of current distribution, end user development...

Conductive Circuits, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Conductive Circuits, Inc. (CCI, Garner, IA) has named Kurt Peterson vice president of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for all business development activities--sales and marketing, strategic planning and company relationships....

Surface-mount fact book offered.(Market Watch)(Global Fact Book of Surface Mount Technology Lines)
June 1, 2002... Frost & Sullivan (San Jose, CA),a consulting and training firm, introduces a global fact book that examines the intricacies of surface-mount technology lines. The report, entitled Global Fact Book of Surface Mount Technology Lines, reveals that...

Slow recovery ahead for PCB market.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A recent report from iSuppli Corp.'s (El Segundo, Ca) Market Intelligence Services group, Hammered PCB Market Looks for Healthier 2002, shows that U.S. PCB manufacturers have been hit the hardest, with factory utilization falling to as little...

March PCB Stats.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) has released the U.S. PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for March 2002 as 0.98. Sales billed (shipments)in March 2002 decreased 33.6 percent over March 2001, and orders booked for March 2002 decreased 14.8 percent over...

China's expanding electronics industry.(Asia Watch)
June 1, 2002... Visits Circuits Assembly had the privilege of recently visiting two electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers located in the Shanghai area. Both are also currently in the process of expanding manufacturing operations in China. ...

MSD: What you don't know may be killing you: MSDs could be destroying your facility's yields at this very moment.(On the Forefront)
June 1, 2002... Ignoring moisture sensitive devices (MSDs) may be seriously detrimental to your printed circuit board (PCB) assembly process. Due to the material selected for the component substrate and/or overmolding compound, some integrated circuits (ICs)...

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: having problems with solderability issues? Les guides two readers through possible solutions.(Ask Les)
June 1, 2002... To begin, I'd like to share the following comment I received regarding my April column on reflow process anomalies. The reader offers good advice and the information is worth sharing. He writes, "Les, your recent column in Circuits Assembly...

Substrates for flip chip assembly: optimize substrate design and technology selection to reduce assembly defect levels and overall substrate costs--before the production phase.(Problem Solved)
June 1, 2002... Problem Much too often, achievable tolerances are not properly accounted for in the design of substrates for flip chip assembly. Many times, this issue has allowed the use of less expensive substrates, which results in the inability to...

ESD educational resources: excellent ESD resources do exist--if you know where to look.(ESD)
June 1, 2002... Over the course of a year, I receive a number of questions concerning electrostatic discharge (ESD). Often, the questions deal with specific situations, such as "Our boards are being damaged by ESD in the production process. How do we correct...

Conformal coatings for component protection: a new thick-film lacquer provides short process times and improved protection from climatic, chemical and mechanical loads.(Materials)
June 1, 2002... Printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) are often exposed to severe climatic conditions and mechanical stresses. The possible climatic loads that may occur during electronic assembly include high or low air humidity, high or low temperatures,...

Are lead-free solder joints reliable? Judge for Yourself. A NEMI team found that lead-free manufacturing can be implemented without degrading solder joint reliability.(Lead Free)(National Electronic Manufacturing Initiative)
June 1, 2002... The National Electronic Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA) formed a project in 1999 to help North American electronics manufacturers develop the capability to produce lead-free printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). Realizing that...

Recycling batch screen and stencil cleaner wastewater: closed-loop recycling offers an efficient, cost-effective alternative to evaporation.(Cleaning)
June 1, 2002... Users of batch aqueous cleaning systems, such as screen and stencil cleaners, are constantly faced with disposing of contaminated wastewater, which is hazardous waste primarily due to its lead content. Several disposal options are currently...

MEMS for mobile communications: microelectromechanical (MEM) components and systems can enhance future wireless systems.(Emerging Technologies)(Microelectromechanical systems)
June 1, 2002... New functionality and extreme miniaturization of electronic systems are required for future wireless systems. The third and fourth generation of multi-mode/ multi-band wireless terminals will provide connectivity to new services, Internet and...

Retaining OEM customers in today's economy: EMS providers should develop consistent management processes to retain their good-fit OEM customers.(Focus on Business)(original equipment manufacturers)
June 1, 2002... The electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry has had a rough two years. Consolidation has dramatically changed the playing field, and some of the strongest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have also become the weakest....

OEMs enhance relationships with suppliers: OEMs shouldn't make a scapegoat out of their suppliers--the real problems could lie within.(EMS Insight)(original equipment manufacturers)
June 1, 2002... Now that outsourcing manufacturing is more popular than ever in the electronics industry, original equipment manufacturers' (OEMs') dependence on suppliers has reached an all time high. The health of an OEM's customer satisfaction, time to...

EMS, China and the WTO: EMS providers can benefit from China's accession to the WTO through tariff cuts, elimination of non-tariff barriers and distribution freedom.(EMS)(ectromechanical systems)
June 1, 2002... China was a founding member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor of the World Trade Organization (WTO, Geneva, Switzerland), when the organization was established in 1946. That membership eventually became a...

Like Gulliver in Lilliput: reworking tiny components: rework of 0402 and 0201 chip components is not impossible.(Rework and Repair Depot)
June 1, 2002... Reworking the smallest of chip components can be a real challenge--imagine removing and replacing chip components that look like grains of coarse-ground pepper! Such rework is successfully performed many times each day, but the methods used,...

Dross "Grabber" separates good solder from dross.(Tech Watch)
June 1, 2002... Virtually every wave soldering machine on the market features a method of managing and removing dross from the system before build-up can reach the boards being processed--before solder defects can be formed. To avoid removing all dross, manual...

Ultraviolet lamp power supply.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... Version Gen 3 of the electronic ballast system (EBS), for powering ultraviolet (UV) lamps, offers the ability to continuously monitor the voltage, current and power drawn by the lamp. Combined with the existing capability to provide...

Desoldering ribbon.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... Matrix[R] desoldering ribbon is an alternative to conventional braided wick. The ribbon is constructed with four layers of fine precision copper screen wire mesh to remove more solder than conventional wick--resulting in less heat stress to...

Damming material.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... HYSOL[R] FP6401 is a flexible damming material designed to act as a flow control barrier around areas of bare-chip encapsulation. The liquid epoxy material exhibits low modulus for use on devices that are stress-sensitive or have tight...

Conformal coatings.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The 1H series of conformal coatings, developed with an environmental focus, replace solvents in acrylic and polyurethane coatings with water-producing environmentally friendly coatings. The coatings are non-flammable, non-hazardous to handle...

Logic analyzer.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The TLA7Axx logic analyzer and probing system enables users to test digital designs with speed, accuracy and reduced cost. The system, built with silicon germanium technology, can discover the causes of digital signal integrity problems....

High-reliability component inspector.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The low-dose|mode inspection option, specifically designed for inspection of high-reliability components and boards, is targeted for application in satellites, aerospace, military, medical and failsafe industrial processes. The new option...

Patch cord.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The shielded Cat5E350 patch cord is engineered for users needing extra protection within noisy network environments--as a direct result of outside electromagnetic interference (EMI)/radio frequency interference (RFI). The cords offer enhanced...

Tooling upgrade.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The Grid-Lok tooling upgrade integrates quick changeover with ease of use and flexibility for single or double-sided board support. The system produces dedicated fixture support at the press of a button, supporting the entire printed circuit...

Inspection camera.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... The High-Speed Gold Camera, an inspection camera designed to meet the demand for real-time inspection, can be used for defect capture in high-throughput applications. The camera features an inspection window nearly three times larger than the...

Filler pads.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... SARCON[R] XR-e and XR-j thermal gap filler pads feature improved thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, consistency and elasticity. The silicone gel sheets are well suited for filling air gaps and uneven surfaces in a variety of electronic...

Surface-mount LEDs.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... Pix-Tek[TM] surface-mount light-emitting diodes (LEDs) feature uniquely shaped pixel lenses to provide a wider viewing angle in a discrete surface-mount configuration. Patented technology offers the advantages of through-hole discrete...

Epoxy resin system.(Product Spotlight)
June 1, 2002... EP30-2 is a two-component epoxy resin system designed for high-performance sealing, bonding and laminating applications. The product produces a bond that is resistant to thermal cycling and chemicals. Service operating temperatures range from...