Circuits Assembly articles from March 2002

Circuits Assembly archives from March 2002

Anxious, yet optimistic.(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... That's the catchphrase I've been using to describe the electronics assembly industry's mood these days. Those three words are how I've been responding to inquiries from folks who didn't make January's APEX exhibition and conference in San...

Web sites worth mentioning.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... www.idinet.com The Interconnect Devices, Inc. site offers customer-centric, personalized and interactive tools, including the ProbeBuilder that matches a product with an application, a tracking system for quotes and order history and a chat...

This month's Industry Resources.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... www.rafhdwe.com The RAF Electronic Hardware site offers a free sampler kit containing an array of electronic hardware items: standoffs; spacers; captive panel screws; shoulder screws; thumbscrews; and washers. www.minco.com/sensorcalc This...

Surveys and guides.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... http://img.cmpnet.com/assembly/pdf/surveys/rework2001.pdf. Circuits Assembly's 2001 Rework and Repair Equipment Survey.

This month's shareware preview.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... http://www.mcafeeb2b.com/naicommon/download/dats/find.asp The McAfee site allows you to download the latest Virus Definition (DAT) file to ensure that your virus protection is up-to-date with cures for the newest virus threats.

Circuits Assembly online: www.circuitassembly.com.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... * Screen Printer Specifier 2002 Circuits Assembly Staff * Process Defect Clinic, Bob Willis, Electronic Presentation Services Would you like to contribute to NET gain? Contact Holly Collins at hcollins@cmp.com.

NEC and Celestica expand relationship.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NEC Corp. (Tokyo, Japan) and Celestica Inc. (Toronto, Canada) have entered into a strategic outsourcing agreement under which the companies will, on closing, commence a five-year supply agreement with total estimated revenue of approximately...

IBM and Sanmina-SCI sign agreement.(Industry News)
March 1, 2002... IBM (Somers, NY) and Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA), an electronics manufacturing service (EMS) provider, have announced an agreement under which IBM will outsource a significant portion of its desktop personal computer manufacturing needs to...

IMAPS issues call for papers.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... IMAPS (Washington, D.C.) has issued a call for papers for the IMAPS Nordic Conference 2002, to be held September 29 to October 2, 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden. The abstract must be non-commercial in nature and submitted in electronic form to...

Firm established to aid EMS providers.(Industry News)(Powell-Mucha Consulting)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Susan Mucha, with over 20 years of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) experience, has formed Powell-Mucha Consulting (PMC, El Paso, TX) to help EMS companies and their customers better align processes and programs with their changing...

International Rectifier.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... International Rectifier (IR, El Segundo, CA) has announced the opening of a new design center for analog integrated circuits (ICs) in Quonset Point, RI. A team of design and applications engineers will focus on developing and prototyping...

NEA Inc. (Londonderry, NH), a provider of reconditioned PCB assembly equipment, has signed an agreement with Speedline Technologies (Franklin, MA) to market and sell their remaining inventory of demo model UP 500 screen printers.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... NEA Inc. (Londonderry, NH), a provider of reconditioned PCB assembly equipment, has signed an agreement with Speedline Technologies (Franklin, MA) to market and sell their remaining inventory of demo model UP 500 screen printers. NEA will...

Lamina Ceramics, Inc (Princeton, NJ), which employs proprietary technology to bond unfired ceramic to metal for use in communications and electronic components and packaging, has obtained $12 million in venture capital funding from Morgenthaler (Menlo Park, CA), a national venture capital firm, as well as from a major communications systems vendor.(Morgenthaler Venture Partners)(Sarnoff Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Lamina Ceramics, Inc (Princeton, NJ), which employs proprietary technology to bond unfired ceramic to metal for use in communications and electronic components and packaging, has obtained $12 million in venture capital funding from Morgenthaler...

Heller Industries (Florham Park, NJ) and ECD Inc. (Milwaukee, OR) announce that ECD's AutoM.O.L.E.[R] Xpert System can now be shipped as an option with all Heller reflow soldering ovens.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Heller Industries (Florham Park, NJ) and ECD Inc. (Milwaukee, OR) announce that ECD's AutoM.O.L.E.[R] Xpert System can now be shipped as an option with all Heller reflow soldering ovens. This strategic partnership enables customers to plan,...

SMTA announces Technical Committee.(Industry News)(Surface Mount Technology Association )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The SMTA (Minneapolis, MN) announced the formation of the SMTA international Technical Committee for 2002. Members include: Gerry Adams, Dade Behring; Donald Banks, 3M Company; Dr. Srinivas Chada, Motorola; Dr. John Evans, Auburn...

FeinFocus and Siemens Dematic form alliance.(Industry News)(Siemens Dematic Electronics Assembly Systems Inc.)(FeinFocus USA Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... FeinFocus USA (Stamford, CT), a manufacturer of high-resolution microfocus x-ray equipment, and Siemens Dematic EAS (Atlanta, GA), a component placement systems provider, have announced a joint technology alliance working to develop and control...

SMTA mobile classroom visits Toronto.(Industry News)(Surface Mount Technology Association)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The SMTA (Minneapolis, MN) is offering industry professionals the chance to learn more about important industry topics when they attend the Academy program, co-located with the Canadian High Tech Show, in Toronto, April 3-4, 2002. This two-day,...

JEDEC.(People)(Joint Electron Device Engineering Council)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The JEDEC (Arlington, VA) Award of Excellence was given to Jim Hayward of AMD (Sunnyvale, CA). Hayward developed and teaches a special geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) course tailored for semiconductor packaging. Recently, Hayward...

DDi Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... DDi Corp. (Anaheim, CA) has announced that Charles D. Dimick, chairman of the company, and Martin Malone, president and chief executive officer of DDi Europe, are retiring from the company. Bruce McMaster, the company's CEO, will assume...

Gould Electronics, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... L. Joseph Huss (left), vice president of human resources, has been named president and chief executive officer of Gould Electronics, Inc. (Eastlake, OH). He will succeed C. David Ferguson, who will retire following 38 years of industry service,...

Speakers at the recent SMTA International were awarded $1,000.00 and plaques for Best of Conference Paper, Best of Proceedings Paper and Best International paper.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Speakers at the recent SMTA International were awarded $1,000.00 and plaques for Best of Conference Paper, Best of Proceedings Paper and Best International paper. The winners from SMTA International 2001 are Hersh Kohli, Motorola; Dr....

IPC.(People)(Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The IPC (Northbrook, IL) introduces Start Plzak, executive vice president of SMTC Corp. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), as its new chairman of the board. Plzak replaces Ron Underwood, president and chief executive officer of Circuit Center, Inc....

GSI Lumonics, Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... GSI Lumonics, Inc. (Wilmington, MA) recently announced the promotion of Joseph Maher, Jr. (right) to vice president and general manager of semiconductor and electronics circuit trim business units. Maher will push forward new product...

CyberOptics Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... CyberOptics Corp. (Minneapolis, MN) has named Kathleen Iverson president and chief operating officer. Steven Quist, who previously held the office of president, will continue as the company's chief executive officer. Iverson will be responsible...

Advanced Research Technologies.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Joerg Baetzel has been named Mexico sales manager for Advanced Research Technologies' (ART, Saint-Laurent, Canada) ISIS[TM] product line of infrared circuit inspection systems.

Events calendar.(Industry News)
March 1, 2002... Events Calendar March 10-13 International Conference on Advanced Packaging and Systems, Reno, NV. Contact IMAPS, (202) 548-4001; www.imaps.org 11-13 ASTM Committee D09 on Electrical and...

Service Excellence Awards winners announced at APEX 2002.(Industry News)
March 1, 2002... Winners of the 2002 Service Excellence Awards (SEAs) for Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Providers and Electronics Assembly Equipment and Software Suppliers were announced at APEX 2002 on January 23 in San Diego, CA. The participating...

Electronics sales to increase in 2002.(Market Watch)
March 1, 2002... Sales of consumer electronics goods from manufacturers to dealers will surpass $95.7 billion in 2002, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA, Arlington, VA). If achieved, these projected results will set a new annual sales...

OEMs slow to share business systems.(Market Watch)(original equipment manufacturers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) surveyed recently by Technology Forecasters, Inc. (TFI, Alameda, CA), a management consulting and market research firm, reported they have just begun to share business systems and data with their...

December book-to-bill.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... IPC (Northbrook, IL) has released the U.S. PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for December 2001 as 0.94. Sales billed (shipments) in December 2001 decreased 40.4 percent over December 2000, and orders booked for December 2001 decreased 35.2...

Flextronics acquires operations from TeraForce.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Flextronics (Singapore) and TeraForce Technology Corp. (Richardson, TX) have announced an agreement in which Flextronics Design, a business unit of Flextronics, has acquired the engineering design service operation from TeraForce's wholly owned...

AIM expands in Australia.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Due to demands for AIM's (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) newest generation of solder products, AIM Australia, a manufacturer of solders and fluxes, has announced the expansion of its Sydney facility. The facility, which is ISO-9002 certified,...

Zuken backs government initiative on PCB design.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Zuken (Bristol, United Kingdom), a provider of professional software solutions for the design of printed circuit boards (PCBs), multichip modules (MCMs) and integrated circuit (IC) packages and systems, has become the first electronic design...

Beng selects Motorola software solution.(Asia Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Motorola, Inc.'s Semiconductor Products Sector (Austin, TX) plans to provide Beng Corp. (Taipei, Taiwan), formerly Acer Communication and Multimedia, Inc. and an original design manufacturer (ODM) of mobile phones, with its 2.5G Innovative...

Outlook for 2002: prospects for a brighter end: when will business improve, and what are the bright spots in the electronics sector?(On the Forefront)
March 1, 2002... The global recession of 2001 resulted in negative growth in ball grid array (BGA) and chip-scale package (CSP) unit shipments. Signals for a downturn were apparent to the careful observer, but the severity of the downturn caught many by...

Beware of "dry joints" and bad glue: solderability is key when avoiding "dry joints.".(Ask Les)
March 1, 2002... Q: What causes "dry joints" after reflow and how can I avoid them? A: The ability to form a solder joint depends on the ability of solder to wet the surface to be soldered. In addition, the solder must flow over those surfaces to create...

Managing your ESD program: implementing an ESD control program is important, and the results can make a tremendous difference in a facility's success.(ESD)
March 1, 2002... ANSI/ESD $20.20: Standard for the Development of an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Control Program can be referred to for guidance and recommendations concerning the essential elements that comprise any ESD program: program plan; training plan;...

New no-lead solder pastes and reflow techniques: a new study evaluated the performance of SnAgBi and SnAgCu alloys with bare copper and immersion tin pad finishes.(Materials)
March 1, 2002... Recently, we conducted a study to qualitatively evaluate several new no-lead solder pastes and reflow techniques. This study built upon experience we gained from previous studies of no-lead solders and our evolving industry experience. In...

Optimizing printer-based solder paste inspection: a 2-D inspection system combined with SPC can improve PCB quality and increase profitability.(Screen Printing)
March 1, 2002... Today, the device mix on any given printed circuit board (PCB) can include any combination of ultra small 0201s, extremely fine pitch quad flat packs (QFPs), delicate ceramic ball grid arrays (BGAs) plus large connectors and power supply...

Customer satisfaction drives business success: participants of the 2002 SEAs for equipment and software suppliers allowed their customers to judge their performance--and reaped the benefits.
March 1, 2002... The Service Excellence Awards (SEAs) for Electronics Assembly Equipment and Software Suppliers is the only awards program that honors companies in the electronics assembly and software industry for excelling in the critical area of customer...

Through-hole rework of thermal dissipating assemblies: step-by-step instructions are given for a new method of reworking expensive through-hole heat sink assemblies.(Rework)
March 1, 2002... Because of its familiarity, through-hole technology is not as glamorous or exciting as the evolving surface-mount technology. Besides decreasing assembly size, the implementation of surface-mount technology has shifted resources to new...

Improving the Flash value stream with new technologies: inline systems provide just-in-time programming of Flash memory devices, improving production line throughput and increasing yields.(Programming)
March 1, 2002... In today's world of fluctuating production demands and quickly evolving products, factory managers have been forced to find new ways to limit costs and add flexibility. The emergence of the Internet has encouraged managers to look beyond their...

Used equipment vs. new asking the right questions: depending on your company's needs, used assembly equipment can often be a better buy than brand new equipment.(Focus on Business: equipment)
March 1, 2002... As 2001 has come to a welcome close and we look forward to a better 2002, plans are being made all over the electronics manufacturing industry to prepare for the day when our market comes back. The feeling is to be cautiously optimistic. The...

The unkindest cut of all: performing etch cuts in external and internal connections can be simple or extremely complex.(Rework and Repair Depot)
March 1, 2002... Quite often, a rework department is confronted with the task of cutting, rather than establishing, connections. Often called etch cuts, such procedures breaking connections both on the surface of the circuit board as well as internally. ...

Inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The SVS 8300CPI component placement inspection system uses scanning laser technology to generate 2-D and 3-D images of placed components to provide reliable inspection data. The system is specifically designed for in-line, pre-reflow inspection...

Wire cutter.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The WC300 automatic wire and tubing cutter cuts wire from 2.59 to 0.025 mm in diameter and tubing from 0.025 to 7.93 mm in diameter. The cutter can accurately process up to 12,000 25.4-mm pieces per hour, or 6,900 254-mm pieces per hour. With...

Ionizers.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Centurion DC ionizers are designed specifically for use in critical cleanroom applications. The inonizers offer balanced performance with an emitter array design and high-gain dual feedback circuitry. Using corona ion technology, the products...

Socket assembly.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The configurable high insertion count (CHIC) socket allows users of programming and automatic test equipment to accommodate a new ball grid array (BGA) package inexpensively, while minimizing down time. The socket also improves electrical...

Test fixture.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The ButterflyNet[TM] test fixture, for life-test, burn-in and characterization of laser diode and other butterfly-packaged photonic devices, eliminates the need for mounting screws--facilitating easy insertion and removal of up to 16 devices...

Low stress adhesives.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Low Shrink[TM] fiber optic adhesives feature shrinkage as low as 0.1 percent and improved cure speed. Developed to prevent movement of critical components during curing and subsequent thermal cycling, the adhesives offer low total movement,...

Chip encapsulant.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... TRA-BOND 933-1 is a black, highly filled, electrically insulating epoxy encapsulant that is designed for encapsulating microelectronic chips. The product is moisture resistant and offers protection from mechanical and environmental hazards. A...

Adhesive dot inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... GlueScan[TM], an adhesive dot inspection system, uses a Windows[TM] interface integrated with an automatic table and image-processing unit to provide 100 percent inspection of adhesive placement on printed circuit boards (PCBs) after...

Optic modules.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... nLIGHTEN[TM] 1.6 Gbps parallel optic modules are designed to meet the higher bandwidth demands of scalable networking systems. The multi-channel optical transmitter and receiver modules solve the data capacity and space problems inherent with...

Magnetic module.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The H0026 features the industry's smallest IEEE compliant, five-core design for surface-mount 101100 LAN magnetic modules. At only 2.24 mm maximum height, the module facilitates electro magnetic interference (EMI) performance for PC card 10/100...

Interconnection device.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The BGA clip interconnection device allows for direct interconnection between the ball grid array (BGA) device and standard logic analyzers, eliminating the need for board mounted troubleshooting connectors. The clip permits diagnostic...

Laser cut stencils.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Low elongation metal is now featured on laser cut stencils. This material offers the strength and durability of stainless steel, with low thermal expansion, and the advantage of cutting more smoothly under the laser head. The combination of...

Component handling system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The CTS-1000[TM] component transfer and handling system is designed as a flexible platform into which a variety of process modules can be integrated. Components can be loaded and unloaded to and from matrix trays, JEDEC trays, Auer boats, tubes...

TVS arrays.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The CP Series of subminiature monolithic TVS arrays are used for the protection of sensitive integrated circuit (IC) components from the effects of electrostatic discharge (ESD). The series is designed for use in portable equipment, such as...

Micro valve.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The DL Micro Valve is specifically designed for precision dispensing of small volumes of material. The rotation of the auger is controlled by a brushless motor with a programmable encoder for achieving specific dispense parameters. The encoder...

X-ray inspection system.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The SVX-2000 x-ray inspection system combines colorlgrayscale optical inspection and x-ray inspection in one package. The system provides increased inspection capabilities through improvements to both x-ray image quality and optical...

Preheaters.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Dragon Series preheaters may be used with rework equipment to ensure reliable rework through programmable preheating of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and assemblies. The Super Dragon and Monster Dragon preheaters are area preheaters, forcing...

Miniature inductors.(Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The SMI-1 series of surface-mount inductors are designed for use in high-frequency switchmode and RF products at various currents. With pads solder-masked to the core, these inductors can be IR or vaporphase soldered directly to the printed...

Managing quick-turns: the prototype assembly stage doesn't have to riddle a project with delays.(Guest View)
March 1, 2002... Choosing an electronics manufacturing service (EMS) provider, with full support of the product life cycle, is a significant first step in the assembly process. Companies should look for a full service EMS provider that can handle as many build...