Circuits Assembly articles from June 2008

Circuits Assembly archives from June 2008

Black pad has multiple causes.(Letters)
June 1, 2008... Phil Zarrow's April column narrowly assumes causes of black pad. And recommending more gold as mitigation is harmful advice (assuming many readers may miss his 4 [micro]in maximum as the reasonable upper limit). Japanese science has proven, in...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
June 1, 2008... Due to an editorial error, the April 2008 Better Manufacturing column incorrectly stated the IPC standards for gold plating volume in [mu]m. The correct volume is [mu]in. We regret the error.

Spin cycle.(Caveat Lector)
June 1, 2008... The recent events in Myanmar and China are unspeakable. At last count, the massive earthquake that rocked central China on May 12 cost at least 50,000 lives and left more than five million homeless. The infrastructure of Sichuan Province-roads,...

Dai Nikko Engineering.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Dai Nikko Engineering plans to build a pair of assembly subsidiaries in Vietnam. The $400-million EMS firm will consolidate its Chinese operations to one or two locations. It currently has plants in Wuxi

Rehm Thermal Systems.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Rehm Thermal Systems (rehm-group. com) in April opened a subsidiary in Dongguan, China, to provide direct sales and support in China. The maker of reflow and vapor phase soldering ovens is severing a previous venture with SunEast in China.

Electrolube.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Electrolube (electrolube.com) supplied Safewash aqueous cleaning products and Acrylic Protective Lacquer conformal coating to the US Department of Transportation for use on PCBs in traffic control boxes. Separately, Electrolube named REStronics...

Phoenix X-Ray.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Phoenix X-Ray (phoenix-xray.com) will open a West Coast demo and customer service center in Newark, CA, this month.

Hunter Technology.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... EMS provider Hunter Technology (hunterpcb.com) opened a design center in San Diego, and plans to add service centers around the US during the next few months.

Cookson Electronics.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Cookson Electronics (cooksonelectronics.com) will implement IBS America's (ibs-us com) QSi quality management software at its 55 locations around the world.

Distron Corp.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... EMS provider Distron Corp. (distron.com) installed Aegis Software's (aiscorp. com) MOS suite of traceability and data acquisition tools.

Zollner Group.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... The Zollner Group (zollner.de) selected an Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) Medalist x6000 automated x-ray inspection system

Milara Inc.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Milara Inc. (milarasmt.com) appointed Unotech Inc. (unotech.co.kr) its representative for Korea.

Valor Computerized Systems.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Valor Computerized Systems (valor.com) appointed Technical Resources Corp. (trcflorida.com) its representative in Florida, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. It also named Hankuk Valence (valence.co.kr) its representative in Korea.

Electronic Systems Inc.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... EMS firm Electronic Systems Inc. (electronicsi.com) signed Alki Sales as its manufacturing representative in Texas and Oklahoma.

Flex Interconnect Technologies'.(In Brief)
June 1, 2008... Flex Interconnect Technologies'. (fit-4flex.com) quality management system has been certified to AS9100 revision B standards. The audit was conducted by Intertek Systems.

Brian Lau.(People)
June 1, 2008... DEK USA named Brian Lau general manager-Americas. He was formerly Group Manager, SMT Sales at Panasonic.

Rick Gour.(People)
June 1, 2008... Inovar Inc. named Rick Gour director of quality assurance. He has 20 years' experience in program management, engineering and quality fields, much of it with TRW, where he most recently served as manager of value management and Six Sigma Black...

Mike Splain.(People)
June 1, 2008... Sun Microsystems promoted Mike Splain to executive vice president, Micro electronics Group. A Sun fellow with 20 years' experience at the company, Splain will lead all aspects of microelectronics technology development and business operations....

Tony Ge.(People)
June 1, 2008... Zestron appointed Tony Ge to its Asia/Pacific application technology team. He was previously an analytical engineer at SMIC Shanghai, and has a master's in chemical engineering from zhejiang University. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Mark Kohler.(People)
June 1, 2008... EMS provider Adeptron Technologies named Mark Kohler chief financial officer.

Emilio Stornaiuolo.(People)
June 1, 2008... MTA Automation promoted Emilio Stornaiuolo to CEO, Bruno Thomann to authorized representative, and Utz Esser to CEO of MTA Automation Deutschland.

Mark Brainard.(People)
June 1, 2008... Hella Electronics Corp, named Mark Brainard vice president-program management, responsible for business development, program management and customer relationships in North America.

John Macrina.(People)
June 1, 2008... Microscan Systems named John Macrina global vice president of sales and service. He was director of Panasonic Factory Solutions' Electronics Assembly group, and has also held sales management positions at Zevatech, Asymtek, Amistar and Nalco...

Daniel Casacci.(People)
June 1, 2008... Multisorb Technologies appointed Daniel Casacci business development leader, electronics market.

Tiow Ping Sim.(People)
June 1, 2008... Zestron named Tiow Ping Sim South Asia sales manager, based in Singapore. He will manage the company's local distributor network and customer support. He has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the Queensland University of Technology...

Michael Burgess.(People)
June 1, 2008... Aim named Michael Burgess strategic account manager, responsible for the full line of solder assembly materials, and for managing and coordinating promotional, sales and support activities. He has a degree in engineering and 17 years'...

Peter Hoctor.(People)
June 1, 2008... Ametek Specialty Metal Products named Peter Hoctor regional sales manager for Europe, responsible for sales and marketing of specialty metal products. He has 15 years' experience in sales and marketing of specialty metals, and will also...

Sherwin Kobak.(People)
June 1, 2008... Indium Corp. named Sherwin Kobak (top) regional sales manager, where he will head soldering product sales throughout Northern California, Oregon, Washing to, Idaho, B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. Kobak is based in Portland, OR, and has 16...

Justin Testa.(People)
June 1, 2008... Cognex Corp. promoted Justin Testa to executive vice president, reporting to president Dr. Robert J. Shillman. Testa, who joined Cognex in 1983 as a sales engineer, has held a variety of positions in sales and marketing organization, most...

Steve Pudles.(People)
June 1, 2008... API Nanotronics named Steve Pudles chief executive. He was previously CEO and president of Nu Visions Manufacturing (nvsems.com) (now OnCore) and is an IPC director.

RoHS exemptions input released.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... BRUSSELS - The European organization charged with collecting and collating comments to the latest RoHS exemption list will hold a series of meetings this month to discuss the preliminary input with stakeholders. Oko-lnstitute.V. (oeko.de)...

Cal urged to back down on chemicals ban.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... SACRAMENTO, CA - A measure by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish a new framework for chemicals management is drawing criticism from electronics industry trade groups. The so-called Green Chemistry Initiative...

NPL devises Pb-free alloy tester.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... TEDDINGTON, UK - A new approach adopted by the National Physical Laboratory (npl.co.uk) has led to the design and build of equipment for testing low cycle isothermal fatigue of Pb-free solders. The NPL-IPTM (Interconnect Properties Test...

'Lack of Martha Stewarts' slowing XRF acceptance.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... BOXBORO, MA - If XRF is the best choice for detecting the presence or absence of RoHS-banned substances, why aren't more companies using it? That was one of the unavoidable questions during the Boston SMTA chapter meeting in April, as...

iNEMI seeks to resolve Pb-free Alloy, failure issues.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... iNEMI Seeks to Resolve Pb-Free Alloy, Failure Issues HERNDON, VA-iNEMI (inemi.org) is organizing several new efforts to help industry collaboratively address common challenges. Among the new projects scheduled for launch this spring are...

Raby: 'PTH, not transistor, greatest invention'.(Industry NEWS)
June 1, 2008... ATLANTA-After 50 years in electronics, Jim Raby believes the industry's greatest invention was not the transistor, but the plated through-hole. The guru of electronics, Raby led what an audience member called a "fireside chat" at the...

A/V recovery.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). %Change Jan. Feb. Mar. YTD ...

April PMI a mixed bag.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... TEMPE, AZ - Manufacturing failed to grow for the third consecutive month in April, as the PMI registered 48.6%, flat with March. The good news: Backlogs grew, breaking six consecutive months of decline, and new export orders showed continued...

Industry Market Snapshot.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Semiconductor 0.82 0.85 0.89 0.92 (r) 0.89(o) Equipment (1) Semiconductors (2) 4.39% 3.27%...

Printed electronics to hit $300B by 2028.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... DUBLIN - Printed electronics will be a $300 billion market within 20 years, claims a recent research report, with the largest segment printed transistors and memory. The technology, says Research and Markets (researchandmarkets.com), will drive...

CE sales to rise 10% this year.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... MARJOCA, SPAIN - Sales of consumer electronics at retail stores will rise 8% this year, down from 14% in each of the past two years, says Jurgen Boyny, a consumer electronics analyst for market research institute GfK (gfk.com). Mobile...

TFI lowers EMS outlook.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... ALAMEDA, CA - Technology Forecasters (techforecasters.com) lowered its five-year forecast for electronics production and EMS growth, saying, "economic drivers behind the numbers are a clear signal that the U.S. is in a recession." The research...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
June 1, 2008... Date Price Per Lb Date 5/8/07 2/11/08 3/10/08 4/7/2008 5/6/08 LME Cash $6.30 $7.69 $8.73 $9.28 $10.99 Seller and Settlement for Tin LME Cash $0.94 ...

'We have to make it relevant'.(Talking Heads)
June 1, 2008... Haley Fu is just like you and me. That is, if you and me had a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, ran projects on design for environment, lifecycle assessment and RoHS in Motorola's Advanced Research Lab, and were in process management at...

Correlating 2-D and 3-D SPI; As pads get smaller, the correlation between the various area measurements weakens.(Screen Printing)
June 1, 2008... Solder paste inspection systems can be classified into two major categories: in-printer inspection and end-of-process inspection. This inspection system can be broken down to 2-D (area coverage) or 3-D (height/volume coverage) inspection. Both...

The China syndrome; Mere mention of it can set people off, but there's reason to be wary.(Better Manufacturing)
June 1, 2008... In my April column, I endeavored to discuss one of the causes of black pad on ENIG-finished PCB substrates. I must emphasize that I mentioned a substandard (and, hence, inadequate) layer of gold over the uneven and unsolderable nickel layer is...

China goes 'upmarket'; IP theft remains an issue, but business rolls on in Shanghai.(Nepcon China)
June 1, 2008... This year's Nepcon China played to strong crowds and plenty of noise, as usual. The show, many watchers agree, needed a strong showing this year to fend off a challenge from the producers of Productronica, who are mounting a challenge to...

Out of the garage; How a northern Utah-based EMS firm is turning Cache Valley into cash Valley.(Inovar)
June 1, 2008... When Blake Kirby first invested in Inovar some 10 years ago, he "didn't even know what contract manufacturing was." Now president and COO of the EMS firm, Kirby recalls when he first saw the company, it was housed in a garage. The space was so...

Improving production line performance.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2008... Simulations make the case for uneven buffering, placed appropriately between workstations. Designing production lines with no form of mechanical pacing is not an easy affair. For instance, where to place operators who work at different...

Manufacturing steps onto the enterprise IT stage Disparate software tool proliferation begs for an integrated solution.(Productivity Tools)
June 1, 2008... Ed.: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/6589. Ask almost any worker in a manufacturing company what ERP system they use and the answer is instant-and limited. Perhaps they will say they use one vendor now...

Measuring and controlling wave height and dwell time: a direct measurement, closed-loop system is effective for regulating critical parameters.(Wave Control)
June 1, 2008... An unfortunate, somewhat rhetorical, utterance often heard at the wave soldering work center is "I don't understand this. One day this board runs perfectly and the next it's loaded with defects!" This generally indicates something has changed...

What have we learned about copper dissolution? Pull testing reveals large differences between alloys.(Wave Soldering)
June 1, 2008... The solubility of any specific metal in a liquified alloy is characterized in a phase diagram where temperatures, percentages, metal phases and intermetallics are defined. As a result, solid metals immersed in liquid solder will dissolve until...

The SAC-SnPb dilemma: when can SAC-finished parts be soldered with SnPb solder?(Tech Tips)
June 1, 2008... Over the past several years, electronics manufacturers have made many inquiries to the EMPF Helpline about whether it is possible to solder a component finished with SnAgCu (SAC 305) with SnPb solder, and whether there are any reliability...

The boundary scan buzz at Apex: new products are leveraging existing technologies - and receiving much broader adoption.(Test and Inspection)
June 1, 2008... What's driving interest in boundary scan? What are test vendors doing to address this interest? Introduced in 1990 when the IEEE released the original 1149.1 standard, boundary scan isn't exactly news. While hardcore boundary scan users are...

What is 'reliably' clean? Quick analytical tests can produce reliable conclusions on surface cleanliness.(Process Doctor)
June 1, 2008... Engineers are typically confronted with the question of cleanliness levels when assessing assemblies. A wide range of standards and test methods exist. Assemblies exposed to critical, frequently alternating climatic influences require high...

Fab workarounds, part 2: More tips and tricks to help assemblers in a pinch.(Pb-Free Lessons Learned)
June 1, 2008... Continuing last month's discussion... Undercured solder mask. Although this is not often noted, it is still occasionally reported. I think it occurs more frequently than we realize, but we just don't have the awareness to check for it....

Dfx for Lean, Part II.(Getting Lean)
June 1, 2008... A simple scale highlights recommended changes and benefits. As mentioned in this space in April, an EMS provider's facility can completely embrace Lean Manufacturing principles, but if the OEM customer's products aren't designed for Lean,...

Small die size adhesives.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... Ablestik 8000 series die attach adhesives are formulated to optimize wafer backside coating processes. Come in conductive and nonconductive formulations. Said to address requirements of smaller die sizes, for packages such as COLs, SOs, TSOPs...

High-speed die sorter.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... DS 15000 die sorter is said to have full flip-chip and vision inspection capability up to 15,000 UPH. Reportedly minimizes material changeover times and has 100% online quality inspection and 100% inkless manufacturing as a result of wafer...

Tabletop pick, place and dispenser.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... ONYX500 automatically picks, places, dispenses and assembles. Offers the same features of the high-speed cell platform, in a tabletop footprint. Uses upper and lower vision-based digital cameras; is reportedly capable of placement within 5...

25-[micro]m die attach coater.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... DirEKt Coat printing platform enables wafer coating with die attach materials down to a reported 25 [micro]m thickness. Is enabled by a flat pallet, wafer shield for active side wafer protection, Galaxy printer and specially designed squeegee....

Die attach materials.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... Hysol QMI5100 and Hysol QMI5200 are designed to streamline die attach for stacked die applications; combine properties and functions of die attach film and dicing tape into one. Are dual structured materials. Film is laminated to the backside...

Wafer temperature profiler.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... Solar Cell monitors cell temperature as it passes through the contact firing process. Consists of data logger, thermal barrier and Insight software; monitors wafer temperature as it travels through the furnace, without disrupting production....

Batch and inline water cleaner.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... Micronox MX2628 aqueous cleaner is a versatile chemistry that can be used in batch or inline cleaners. Is designed to clean advanced packaging Pb-free fluxes. Is environmentally friendly, said to have a long tank life and safe for multiple pass...

Oblique angle inspection.(SEMICON[R] Product West PREVIEW)(Author abstract)
June 1, 2008... Lynx optical inspection system now employs LED illumination and an oblique and direct viewer. Provides a 360[degrees] view around the components for 34[degrees] angled inspection of corners that are reportedly hard to reach using stereo...

PCB terminal block.(SEMICON Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... SPTA is a compact, low profile, angled PCB terminal block that provides connections for up to 10 A. Push-in spring technology is said to permit solid and flexible wires with ferrules to be connected without the use of tools. [ILLUSTRATION...

'Auto-planarity' bonder.(SEMICON Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... Model 860 "Eagle" Bonder includes LED lighting, CCD camera and 12:1 zoom lens for magnification to 600X. Viewer automatically moves between two programmable positions. Includes side-view camera option for in-process viewing and final...

Benchtop plasma cleaner.(SEMICON Product West PREVIEW)
June 1, 2008... PE-100 provides a modestly sized vacuum chamber that accommodates up to 240" of process area capacity per run cycle. An RF power supply with matching network, vacuum pumping, PLC-based process/vacuum controller with touch-screen programming is...

Mid-volume printer.
June 1, 2008... MPM 125 screen printer is for low-to-medium volume applications. Reportedly features [+ or -]12.5 urn accuracy at Six-Sigma, with Cpk [greater than or equal to] 2.0. Includes CANopen motion control architecture, benchmarking software and...

'No test points' ICT.
June 1, 2008... Cover-Extend Technology is a limited access solution for in-circuit test. Is said to eliminate the need for physical test points. Is part of VTEP v2.0 powered test suite. Is a hybrid between boundary scan and VTEP vectorless test. Relies on...

Low power reflow.
June 1, 2008... Pyramax 75A features 75'' of heated length and six zones, 350[degrees]C maximum temperature, flexible platform configuration, low power consumption, and a comprehensive menu of options. Is said to deliver side-to-side recirculation and...

'No CAD' line transfer tool.
June 1, 2008... vPlan version 1.2 introduces features intended to enhance the ability to transfer production between lines and factories, even when CAD and AVL data are not available. Creates manufacturing process definitions, even when incoming data are poor....

1 or 2-gantry flexible placement.
June 1, 2008... AdvantisX surface mount platform includes single- and dual-gantry highspeed models with Lightning heads, and multifunction configurations using Inline7 and Inline4 high force flexible heads. Features a linear motor positioning system. Universal...

XRF analysis tools.
June 1, 2008... UniQuant comes on the ARL QUANT'X energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence system for qualitative and quantitative nondestructive elemental analysis. Includes integrated camera for sample imaging. Uses eight filters. Software corrects overlaps and...

Combo planning, analytic software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... Manufacturing operations system software version 7.0 joins process planning and launch technology with factory execution. Provides "actionable" real-time dashboards and analytics within one system and on a single data model. Web-browser-based...

High-volume pick-and-place.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... MY100DX component placement platform reportedly delivers 70% more throughput. Is designed for high-volume production. Has 96 feeder positions; also comes with 160 feeder positions (MY100DX-14). Both can be configured with various synergy...

Programmable preheater.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... PCT-1000 benchtop programmable preheater is said to deliver more heat to difficult boards, while maintaining high levels of thermal control and lower operating temperatures. Delivers forced convection heat that can be controlled with four time...

Vapor phase rework station.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... V-Works 24 is said to deliver uniform condensation heat transfer to the single component rework environment. Permits use of absolute limits of maximum temperatures and small delta at peak temperatures. Comes with 24" x 24" working envelope,...

'1% dry' cabinet models.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... XSD series of 1% RH dry cabinets is designed to meet J-STD-033 for handling MSDs. Is said to deliver precision measurement, 24/7 data logging and ergonomic touch-screen operator interface. SDR series accepts full feeder trolleys from all...

Wave height monitor.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... Wave height monitor and control module for KISS selective soldering line reportedly maintains solder wave heights to within +/-0.005". Is said to be effective when working with wave nozzle sizes from 6 to 1.5 mm, and selectively soldering tight...

Hand soldering, rework system.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... MFR-2200 Series is for production hand soldering, touchup and SMD rework. Incorporates SmartHeat technology and permits operation of different handpieces simultaneously. Includes a range of soldering and rework cartridges, similar to Metcal,...

Fast-dry conformal coating.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... Flexible silicone conformal coating is said to meet IEC 61086-2. Said be fast drying and has passed all coating tests for assembled PCBs, including thermal aging, flexibility, damp heat and salt mist. Visual inspection using ultraviolet light...

Large board print platform.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... Photon Vi is designed for substrate image sizes from 1.5" x 2.0" to 24" x 24". Handles board products up to 16.5 lb. and 0.236" thick. Accommodates Instinctiv productivity tools. Has adjustable transport rails and a two-speed board transport...

4-Head gantry placement.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
June 1, 2008... MC683 is a four-head dual gantry pick-and-place system. Includes Cognex on-the-fly vision alignment, for 0201s, SOICs and [mu]BGAs, while bottom vision handles 0.015" pitch QFPs and large BGAs. A plug-and-play feeder docking trolley can be...