Circuits Assembly articles from March 2003

Circuits Assembly archives from March 2003

Desperate times ...(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... Certain news recently reaching my desk underscores how desperate of a time in which the electronics industry is living. First, I read on Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA)'s Web site that the organization was to...

Editorial forewarning brings nods of agreement.(Letters)
March 1, 2003... Your November editorial ["Be Forewarned"] was very interesting and timely. Just the other week, The New York Times ran an article called "Manufacturing Jobs Are Exiting Mexico: Business Leaders Try to Stop the Exodus of Factories to China" In...

Les knows stencils.(Letters)
March 1, 2003... Read your article ["Concerned About Stencil Life?" Jan. 2003] about questions over stencil life... I get asked this all the time, and you hit the nail right on the head with your answers. Nothing really changes when you are aware of the common...

Finding the right EMS provider.(Letters)
March 1, 2003... I really enjoyed Bob Bilbrough's article ["The Right Tool for the Job"] in the November 2002 issue of Circuits Assembly. As a small EMS myself, I think he hit the nail on the head. --Bill Reese, Burton Industries

Web sites worth mentioning.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... www.spprecision.com S.P. Precision International's redesigned Web site now offers customers the convenience of requesting quotes for custom tooling through its online request for quote (RFQ) system. www.uic.com. Universal Instruments has...

Industry resources.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(electronics industry )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... www.leadfree.org IPC hosts this site in an effort to better position the U.S. electronics industry for the impending change. Users can peruse the technical library, stay abreast of legislative and marketing moves and download the IPC roadmap...

Surveys and guides.(NET gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... www.schemazoo.net/jaguar/cabg/ The Circuits Assembly Buyers' Guide provides company services and contact information in 35 product categories. www.circuitsassembly.com/resource/survey_index.html All of the Circuits Assembly equipment...

Circuits Assembly online: www.circuitsassembly.com.(Net gain: the latest the Internet has to offer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... * Smoothing the Transition to a New Contract Manufacturer Paula Fowler, Vitel Technologies Inc. * Machine Vision in Today's PCB Market Nello Zuech, Vision Systems International * The Benefits of Fume Filtration Karl...

Sanmina-SCI, IBM sign multibillion outsourcing agreement.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Sanmina-SCI (San Jose, CA, www.sanmina-sci.com) has expanded its relationship with IBM (Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com), signing an agreement that calls for Sanmina-SCI to provide a range of additional manufacturing services to IBM in North America...

NEMI names Pfahl VP of operations.(Industry News)(Robert Pfahl Jr., National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (Herndon, VA, www.nemi.org) has named Robert Pfahl Jr. as vice president of operations. Pfahl replaces Ron Gedney, who retired at the end of 2002. Pfahl recently retired as director of...

IPC announces Electronics Assembly Scholarship Fund.(Industry News)
March 1, 2003... IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries (Northbrook, IL, www.ipc.org) recently announced the creation of the IPC Electronics Assembly Scholarship Fund, an endowment the association established to support the electronics program of...

Murrietta Circuits.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Murrietta Circuits (Anaheim, CA) has moved to a larger facility down the street from their old one. The new center has 47, 500 sq. ft. and will allow the company to combine printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication and assembly operations with...

Matrix Integrated Systems, Inc. (Richmond, CA) will install Mykrolis (Billerica, MA) mass flow controllers.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Matrix Integrated Systems, Inc. (Richmond, CA) will install Mykrolis (Rillerica, MA) mass flow controllers to standardize the company's "Cats" line of photoresist removal, dry etch and surface cleaning systems.

Legacy Electronics.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Legacy Electronics (San Clemente, CA) has received ISO 9001:2000 certification registration. Obtained through the Quality Management Institute, a division of CSA International, the registration encompasses all quality management system...

BP Microsystems.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... BP Microsystems (Houston, TX) has opened an office in Hung Kong, China. Antoine Tran, the business development manager for China, will run the new office. He can be reached at + 852 9588 0103 or antoine_tran@bpmicro.com.

Phihong.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Phihong (Fremont, CA) has opened a new sales office in England to service its European customers. Steve Smith will be the European sales director at the new location. The contact information is: P.O. Box 196, Bamstaple, Devon, EX31 2XJ,...

Applied Systems Intelligence.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Applied Systems Intelligence (Roswell, GA) has announced that Tintronics Industries (Huntsville, AL) has selected ASI's eValue to collaboratively manage their supply chain events and processes. Tintronics joins two of its trading partners,...

AGA Chemical Inc. (Charlotte, NC), a subsidiary of Asahi Glass Co. (Tokyo, Japan), will launch domestic production of its AK-225 line of fluorinated solvents in the second quarter of 2003.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... AGA Chemical Inc. (Charlotte, NC), a subsidiary of Asahi Glass Co. (Tokyo, Japan), will launch domestic production of its AK-225 line of fluorinated solvents in the second quarter of 2003. The company will open a plant in Bayonne, N J, marking...

SMTA recognizes outstanding authors.(Industry News)(Surface Mount Technology Association)
March 1, 2003... The Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA, Minneapolis, MN, www.smta.org) recently announced the outstanding authors from SMTA International 2002. To reward exceptional achievement, SMTA gives $1,000 awards and plaques for the Best of...

ESDA schedules S20.20 seminar.(Industry News)(ESD Association )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The ESD Association (Rome, NY, www.esda.org) has scheduled an ANSI/ESD S.2020 seminar for independent assessors, program managers and consultants. The seminar will take place March 26 and 27 at ESD Association headquarters. The two-day...

Teradyne signs Molex, partners with Kaparel.(Industry News)(Teradyne, Inc. Connection Systems Division)(Molex Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Teradyne, Inc. Connection Systems Division (Nashua, NH, www.teradyne.com/tcs), and Molex Inc. (Lisle, IL, www.molex.com) have signed a second-source licensing agreement, granting Molex the right to manufacture, market and sell the GbX...

LNL Technologies to develop optoelectronic chips.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... LNL Technologies (Cambridge, MA, www.lnltech.com), a developer of monolithically integrated photonic and optoelectronic chips, has raised $7,1 million in seed funding to date. LNL will use the funding to commercialize its photonic...

IPC releases APEX technical conference schedule.(News Industry)
March 1, 2003... IPC (Northbrook, IL, www.ipc.org) has announced the technical conference sessions to be presented at APEX 2003 (www. goapex.org), March 31-April 2, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA. During the technical conference, global...

ITT Industries, Cannon to acquire VEAM/TEC.(News Industry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ITT Industries, Cannon (Santa Ana, CA, www.itt.com) has signed an agreement to acquire VEAM/TEC (Watertown, CN), a division of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Component Technologies sector. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The...

IMS wins Lockheed-Martin Supplier Award.(News Industry)(International Manufacturing Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... International Manufacturing Services Inc. (IMS, Portsmouth, RI, www.ims-resistors.com), a supplier of thick and thin film chip resistors and chip attenuators to the electronics manufacturing industry, has been named a recipient of the Lockheed...

Atlanta SMTA Vendor Show open to exhibitors.(News Industry)(Surface Mount Technology Association)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Atlanta chapter of the Surface Mount Technology Association (Minneapolis, MN, www.smta.org) is seeking exhibitors at its upcoming vendor show. The seventh annual Atlanta SMTA Vendor Show is scheduled for April 24 at the Gwinnett Civic...

Yamaichi Electronics USA.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Yamaichi Electronics USA (San Jose, CA) has appointed Alfred Muranaga as president. Muranaga, former senior vice president of sales and marketing, succeeds former president Shinichiro Koga.

ViTechnology.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Gary Burroughs has joined ViTechnology (Haverhill, MA) as president of U.S. operations. Gary was previously president of Juki Automation Systems (Raleigh, NC).

Libra Industries.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Libra Industries (Mentor, OH) has hired Chuck Gardner as business development manager. Gardner, formerly with Avnet Electronics, has 29 years of experience in the electronics component industry.

March Plasma Systems.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... March Plasma Systems (Concord, CA) has named Dave Selestak as Eastern U.S. regional sales manager. Selestak has been a Nordson employee for over 22 years and a member of the sales team for the past 12 years.

Global Automation Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Cliff Bockard has joined Global Automation Inc. (Old Saybrook, CT) as vice president of sales and marketing. Bockard was previously a vice president at ERSA inc.

Indigo System Corp.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Indigo Systems Corp. (Goleta, CA) has appointed Thomas Surran as chief financial officer. Prior to joining Indigo, Surran was CFO for Headway Technologies Inc.

Study: ten most attractive markets for MEMS/MST devices.(Market Watch)
March 1, 2003... According to a recently released market study from Venture Development Corp. (Natick, MA, www.vdc-corp.com), approximately 3.4 billion microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microstructure technology (MST) units were sold in 2002, generating...

Study analyzes market for flip chip, wafer-level packages.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... TechSearch International (Austin, TX, www.techsearchinc.com) has released a new study that investigates the growing market for flip chip integrated circuits (ICs) and wafer-level packages (WLPs). "Flip Chip and Wafer Level Packaging Market...

December 2002 Book-to-Bill.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The U.S. IMS/PCB Industry Book-to-Bill Ratio for December 2002 was 0.96. Sales billed (shipments) in December 2002 decreased 12.7 percent from December 2001, and orders booked decreased 12.2 percent from December 2001. Compared to 2001,...

Asia upswings with MEMS R&D and microsystems assembly.(Asia Watch)
March 1, 2003... Asia is the crossroads where the yin of high technology meets the yang of high-volume manufacturing. Lately, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and die-based products assembly have gathered momentum here. Fueled by high-speed communication,...

How long until the next killer application? Will wireless products continue to drive semiconductor technology?(On the Forefront)
March 1, 2003... What will be the next driver for semiconductor packaging technology? At a recent consumer product show in Las Vegas, NV, many companies were searching for the next new killer application. Is it some form of creature comfort in an automotive...

You can't hang 'em out to dry; the rinse and dry steps are critical to the aqueous cleaning process.(Ask Les)
March 1, 2003... Q: We solder with a water-soluble flux. After soldering, we use an in-line aqueous cleaner with added chemistry. Even though we have a hot air dryer at the end of the rinse section, I have noticed moisture on some of our more dense assemblies...

Facility certification update: catching up on the ESD control program standard, S20.20.(ESD)
March 1, 2003... More than three years have passed since the ESD Association (ESDA) introduced the electrostatic discharge (ESD) control program standard, ANSI/ESD S20.20-1999: Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies and Equipment (Excluding...

Reflow atmospheres in the lead-free era: a recent study examined the effects of several process variables on tin/silver and tin/silver/copper solder pastes.(Lead Free)
March 1, 2003... The one factor common to most useful lead-free solders is their high melting points as compared to that of the eutectic tin/lead alloy (Sn63/Pb37), which has a melting point of 183[degrees]C. Detailed reviews of lead-free alloys are available,...

Finding BGA opens in production: a new method using AXI compares reflowed BGA ball sizes to detect open solder joints.(AXI)
March 1, 2003... Printed circuit board (PCB) complexity and density continue to increase with no slow-down in sight. Simultaneously, more and increasingly complex integrated circuits (ICs) are being used on those boards. Conventional packaging methods using...

Checkmate: improving profitability through better use of process data; playing the manufacturing game correctly may result in increased productivity, reduced training costs and minimized failures.(Data Management)
March 1, 2003... Today, most major production equipment brands have reached a standard of excellence, and all serious manufacturers know how to assemble electronics. Yet competition has reached a feverish pitch that generates winners and losers every day. What...

Connector grief? Today's inspection equipment must handle multiple pin heights within a connector and quickly identify defective pins.(Inspection)
March 1, 2003... Ever-tightening cost control environments continually challenge us to find new, cost-effective manufacturing solutions. One solution explored by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) has been the outsourcing of connector assembly to...

MSL, Videoton enter alliance.(EMS News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies MSL (Concord, MA, www.msl.com) and Videoton (Szekesfehervar, Hungary, www.videoton.hu) have announced that they will enter into a strategic alliance to offer their customers more complete and...

OPS selects OEM worldwide as new manufacturer.(EMS News)(OnLine Power Supply Inc.)(OEM Worldwide)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... OnLine Power Supply, Inc. (OPS, Centennial, CO, www.powersupply.com) has selected OEM Worldwide (Watertown, SD, www.oemworldwide.com) to be the contract manufacturer of its patented power supplies. OEM Worldwide is an EMS provider to the...

Sanmina receives ISO and TL certification, FDA approval.(EMS News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA, www.sanmina-sci.com) has become the first EMS company to achieve ISO 9001:2000 and TL 9000 release 3.0 certification for its 14 communications-focused enclosure facilities. The facilities, located in eight...

Tecnomatix signs deals with Venture, Victron.(EMS News)(Tecnomatix Unicam)(Venture Corporation Ltd.)(Victron Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... EMS provider Venture Corp. Ltd (Singapore, www.venture.com.sg) has signed an agreement valued at $850,000 to license and support the implementation of eMPower MPM software solution from Tecnomatix Unicam (Nashua, NH, www.tecnomatix.com) at...

CirTran partners with SVI, receives initial Solectron order.(EMS News)(SVI Public Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... CirTran Corp. (Salt Lake City, UT, www.cirtran.com), a contract electronics manufacturer of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), cables and harnesses, and SVI (Thailand, smtp.svi.co.th), an electronics assembly house, have announced a...

Electronics assembler develops high-tech niche.(EMS News)(Advanced Circuit Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Electronics assembler Advanced Circuit Technology (ACT, Rochester, NY, www.advcircuit.com) is developing special capabilities in electronics and microelectronics fabrication. In the past three years, the company has invested over $2.5 million...

Don't give me what I ask for: give me what I need: a guide to creating accurate RFQs.(EMS Insight)
March 1, 2003... When original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) request quotations from contract manufacturers (CMs), the requests often contain incomplete or inaccurate data concerning design, supply-chain, production, post-production and management needs. The...

OEM squeeze play: tougher terms for EMS players: how can EMS companies remain flexible in today's economy?(EMS)
March 1, 2003... Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies are viewed by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as an extension of manufacturing capability. In good economic times, this view translates to order increases above expectations and the...

"Tool time" in rework: expect the unexpected: common tools can be put to good use during rework.(Rework and Repair Depot)
March 1, 2003... Most people are familiar with the types of tools and equipment used in circuit board rework--from hot-air rework systems costing thousands of dollars to solder fountains, solder pots and microscopes. But you might be surprised to discover that...

Component cleanliness in a no-clean world: a case study of component residues.(Process Doctor)
March 1, 2003... In the world of no-clean assembly technology, remember that what is on the components before and during assembly is also what is on the surface in the field. The primary source of contamination for no-dean assemblies is bare board residues,...

Reflow solder paste.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... Multicore 63S4 MP200 no-clean solder paste eliminates tombstone defects and reduces misalignment when reflowing small components. Suitable for fine-pitch, high-speed printing applications, the paste is a drop in replacement for standard lead...

Off-line tooling system.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... The Board-Lok Instant Fixture System is a reusable cartridge-style carrier that enables finely spaced pin support nests to be created in minutes, off-line from the in-line printer. The system uses a setup station, and lightweight construction...

Water-soluble solder paste.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... Alpha WS-709 water-soluble solder paste is suited for applications involving extended open time and wide ranges of environmental conditions. The paste has a humidity resistance of 25 to 75 percent, a print temperature range of 20 to...

Interchangeable inspection head.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... With the Unified Platform, users can change an optical-based SJ50 automatic optical inspection (AOI) platform into a laser-based SP50 solder-paste inspection (SPI) system through a single interchangeable optical head. The exchange can also be...

Stencil cleaning system.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... The 201SC-CLR closed-loop ultrasonic stencil cleaning system is fully self-contained, has no liquid waste stream and does not require connection to a drain or an evaporator. The system is capable of washing, rinsing and drying a stencil in 3...

In-line stencil printer.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... The X5HSP automated in-line printer, designed specifically for ultra-high throughput environments, includes a three-stage conveyor handling system and high-speed axis for high reliability. The system is equipped with the EVA Vision System and...

Optical measurement system.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... The Nexiv VMR is an optical- and laser-based measurement system capable of taking automatic measurements at the wafer level. The accurate, non-contact system offers through-the-lens (TTL) auto focus for both high-speed spot focusing and laser...

Automatic stencil printer.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... TouchPrint is a fully automatic stencil printing system that incorporates the ability to dispense dots on boards for low-to mid-volume applications. The stencil printer is capable of loading, aligning, printing and unloading boards without...

Packaging and surface-mount assembly software.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... Galaxy, the micron-class platform for semiconductor packaging and next-generation surface-mount assembly applications, has new design features as well as remote real-time machine management. The software for the platform adds new automated...

PCB cleaner.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... Power Cyclone, a printed circuit board (PCB) cleaner, eliminates the small dust particles on boards prior to solder paste application. The cleaner removes particles through the combination of a spinning anti-static brush, high-pressure air...

Automated magazine handling.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... The "auto-ident" concept enables a just-in-time production with automatic line adjustments without operator intervention. The magazine loader at the entrance of the line is equipped with a barcode reader that identifies the assigned magazine....

Flux remover.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... Vigon RC 101 is a manual flux remover for reflow and wave solder equipment. Due to its water base and low-odor formulation, the cleaner can be sprayed directly onto cold or warm surfaces. The cleaner has no flash point, a short soaking time and...

Stencil cleaner.(Product Spotlight)
March 1, 2003... ErgoSonic is an ergonomically designed front-loading ultrasonic stencil cleaner. The design facilitates front-loading of the stencil at a safe and comfortable height and does not require a stencil basket, The cleaner is fully automatic,...

Free radicals: creative minds and new energy will enable market recovery.(Guest View)
March 1, 2003... The first thing I must say is that the downturn is over. Doubting the recovery is easy because it is not taking the shape with which we are so familiar. Although not readily recognizable, businesses will all need one important characteristic to...