Circuits Assembly articles from March 2005

Circuits Assembly archives from March 2005

The Asian invasion.(Caveat Lector)
March 1, 2005... As we went to press, Jabil Circuit was busy snatching up the manufacturing arm of Varian Inc. The deal, which is scheduled to close later this month, will add about $200 million in annual revenues for Jabil, not to mention a healthy GAAP...

LG Electronics and Nortel Networks will form a joint venture to develop equipment for 3G wireless networks based on W-CDMA technology.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... LG Electronics and Nortel Networks will form a joint venture to develop equipment for 3G wireless networks based on W-CDMA technology. LG (lge.com) will hold just under 50%, and Nortel (nortel.com) will have 50% plus one share. The JV is named,...

Teradyne.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Teradyne (teradyne.com) will lay off 320 employees from its Connection Systems and Assembly Test divisions and relocate in Poway, CA, as part of an effort to cut expenses. The company will take an $11 million charge.

Hong Kong-based Schmidt & Co. (H.K.) Ltd.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Hong Kong-based Schmidt & Co. (H.K.) Ltd. will provide sales and services support for Speedline Technologies' (speedlinetech.com) Electrovert wave, reflow and cleaning equipment and MPM stencil and screen printing systems in Taiwan and mainland...

Solectron.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Solectron (solectron.com) will close one of its four factories in Malaysia in May and pay a reported $1.6 million to the 750 displaced staff. The Johor plant was no longer viable due to customers' changing needs, a local report said.

TUV America Inc.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... TUV America Inc. (tuvamerica.com) has renamed its product safety division Product Safety Services. Formerly Machinery, Information Technology and Consumer Products (MIC), the group provides electrical and mechanical safety evaluations for U.S.,...

FocalSpot Inc.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... FocalSpot Inc. (focalspot.com), a provider of BGA/SMT inspection and rework products, has expanded distribution, service and support to Taiwan, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Puerto Rico and additional U.S. regions.

Nu Horizons Electronics Asia Pte. Ltd.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Nu Horizons Electronics Asia Pte. Ltd. (nuhorizons.com.sg) will distribute Austriamicrosystems' (austriamicrosystems.com) ASSP and standard linear IC products in the Asia Pacific.

Nam Tai adding 1000 workers in Shenzhen.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Shenzhen, China -- Nam Tai Electronics, facing a sharp uptick in orders, will recruit 1,000 new workers this quarter for its manufacturing sites in Shenzhen. The addition will bring the total number of employees to 6,600 by the end of March....

Are Chinese workers 'waging' a pay war?(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Guangdong Province, China -- Are wages among factory workers in China about to rise? Reports from several news sources seem to indicate that a massive shortage of manpower, coupled with modest inflation of the national currency, will lead to...

Kemet alleges AVX infringement, CEO quits.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Greenville, SC -- Kemet Corp. has filed a lawsuit against AVX Corp. to protect trade secrets relating to the development and manufacture of tantalum polymer capacitors. Kemet seeks damages and an injunction. Separately, Jeffrey A. Graves...

Draper Laboratory, the U.S. Navy's prime contractor for guidance-related engineering, and Goddard Space Flight Center.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Draper Laboratory, the U.S. Navy's prime contractor for guidance-related engineering, and Goddard Space Flight Center have selected Glenbrook Technologies' (glenbrooktech.com) x-ray inspection systems. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

DiagnoSYS Systems.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... DiagnoSYS Systems (diagnosys-usa.com) named The EMC3 Group (Clermont, FL) as sales rep for its line of board testers and AOI equipment in Florida, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

EMS provider TTems (ttems.com) won a [pounds sterling]6 million.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... EMS provider TTems (ttems.com) won a [pounds sterling]6 million, 10-year contract to build sonobuoys for Ultra Electronics' Sonar and Communication Systems (sonarsyststems.com).

Agilent Technologies.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) will buy closely-held Wavics, a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of power amplifier modules for mobile handsets.

Panasonic Industrial Co.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Panasonic Industrial Co. (panasonic.com) named Arrow Electronics (arrowelectronics.com) a North American distributor of its passive and electromechanical products.

Bulova Technologies.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... Bulova Technologies (bulovatech.com), an EMS firm, raised $6 million in mezzanine capital for future expansion. Financing was provided by NewSpring Ventures and TRF Urban Growth Partners.

EMS provider Three-Five Systems Inc.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... EMS provider Three-Five Systems Inc. (threefive.com) sold its Tempe, AZ, headquarters in a deal worth more than $11 million.

SpatiaX Infosystems.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... SpatiaX Infosystems (spatiax.com) has embedded Cimmetry's (cimmetry.com) AutoVue visualization and collaboration technology into its sxMARKUP-Web application.

The Atlanta SMTA chapter.(In Brief)
March 1, 2005... The Atlanta SMTA chapter (atlantasmta.com) will hold the ninth annual SMTA Expo on April 21 at the Gwinnett Civic Center. The event, which drew over 70 exhibitors last year, will also feature technical presentations and an on-site job fair.

Kyocera bolts for Mexico.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... San Diego -- Kyocera Wireless Corp. will move its mobile phone and telemetry manufacturing operations to Tijuana, Mexico, and lay off 450 manufacturing personnel in San Diego. "Wireless is among the most competitive of all consumer...

Analyst terms EMS outlook 'cautious'.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... San Francisco -- A leading analyst in January maintained its cautious outlook for providers of electronics manufacturing services. Deutsche Bank (db.com) said recent reports from major OEMs that outsource manufacturing indicate tepid and in...

Report: cost containment, lean top 2005 initiatives.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Framingham, MA -- This year, manufacturers will look for ways to drive down the cost of information delivery while seeking opportunities to invest in product development, demand management and supply network operations. So says a new report...

Tim Davis.(People)
March 1, 2005... Eurotherm, a unit of Invensys plc, appointed Tim Davis as manager for the company's Leesburg, VA, repair center. Davis served as product manager for the Eurotherm Power Products line since 1999. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [TEXT NOT...

Mike Wallace.(People)
March 1, 2005... TeligentEMS named Mike Wallace vice president of business development, responsible for finding RF, fiber-optic and industrial customers in North America.

Guler Basol.(People)
March 1, 2005... DEK named Guler Basol product manager, European Distributed Products (Consumables), a new position. She has experience in consumables sales and product management for Fiat Automobil. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Greg Burneske.(People)
March 1, 2005... Greg Burneske joins Winland Electronics as director of engineering services. He has 17 years of new product development experience, most recently with Plexus.

Robert Black, Jr.(People)
March 1, 2005... Robert Black, Jr. (pictured), previously chairman of Juki Automation Systems, has returned to over-seeing day-to-day operations as president and CEO. He replaces Kaz Nomoto who has been promoted to a GM position within Tokyo-based Juki Corp....

Jennifer Read.(People)
March 1, 2005... Technology Forecasters named Jennifer Read to manage its Quarterly Forum workshops, media communications and marketing.

Agilent Technologies elected William P. (Bill) Sullivan (pictured) president and CEO.(People)
March 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies elected William P. (Bill) Sullivan (pictured) president and CEO. Sullivan, previously executive VP and COO, succeeds Edward W. (Ned) Barnholt, who retired. James G. Cullen, who has served on the board since 2000, becomes...

Benchmark expands (again) in Asia.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Angelton, TX -- Benchmark Electronics will add a third manufacturing site in Asia by the end of the quarter to meet increased customer demand. The EMS provider said it will lease a facility in Ayudhaya, Thailand, 30 miles north of the Bangkok...

EPIC completes buy of 2 Siemens EMS plants.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Atlanta -- Siemens Energy & Automation has completed of the sale of its electronics manufacturing center business to EPIC Technologies. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Effective Feb. 1, all current employees transferred to EPIC...

Flextronics enjoys record quarter.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... San Jose -- Flextronics posted record GAAP net income of $98.7 million, up 361%, for its third quarter. The EMS firm also topped previous records for revenues, reporting sales of $4.3 billion, up 3% over last year. The company...

More restructuring for Sanmina-SCI.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... San Jose -- Sanmina-SCI reported first-quarter revenues rose 9.5% to $3.25 billion, at the low end of previous company guidance, and the EMS firm announced yet another series of factory closures. For the period ended Jan. 1, the company...

UPMG adds sales, circulation staff.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Atlanta -- UP Media Group, the parent company of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, has hired two employees to help the company with its advertising sales and circulation efforts. "2005 is going to be a growth year for us, and this announcement reflects...

Winning defense.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Winning Defense Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change Oct....

Production ends 3-month lag.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... Tempe, AZ -- The manufacturing sector grew in January for the 20th consecutive month, despite a drop in new orders and backlogs. Production reversed a three-month slide, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). Calling the...

PC market up 14% in Q4, says IDC.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... Framingham, MA -- The worldwide PC market grew 13.7% in the fourth quarter, driven by smaller businesses and holiday consumer demand, according to IDC (idc.com). Shipments rose to 51.5 million units, the seventh consecutive quarter of...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... Industry Market Snapshot Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.94 0.96 1.0 0.95 Semiconductors (2) ...

EMS, ODMs to grow 15% AGR through 2009.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... Alameda, CA -- Technology Forecasters predicts that last year's double-digit growth for the EMS and ODM industry will continue into 2005. The research group (techforecasters.com) forecasts average growth rates over the next five years of 15%...

Consumer goods peaking.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2005... Arlington, VA -- Manufacturer-to-dealer sales of consumer electronics will reach a record-high of $125.7 billion in 2005, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (ce.org), an 11% climb year-on-year. Meanwhile, the trade group...

KIC: cooking up recipes.(Talking Heads)
March 1, 2005... Some say that the reason people buy computers is to run software. Are advances in machine software making the same true for process equipment? The subject of this month's interview, Bjorn Dahle, has been president of KIC Thermal Profiling...

Building OEM-EMS relationships: the strongest relationships begin during the sales process and involve the EMS provider and OEM.(Focus on Business)
March 1, 2005... The complexity of the electronics manufacturing services relationship creates interesting negotiating dynamics in the sales process. Unfortunately, short-term wins can turn to long-term losses for both EMS providers and their clients....

Selecting electronics outsourcing partners: late (or unreturned) phone calls are a plain sign to steer clear.(Global Sourcing)
March 1, 2005... If you move to a new area and need to find a physician, one of the best ways to decide is to contact hospitals in your new neighborhood. Depending on the type of doctor you seek, ask to speak with that particular department's charge nurse....

Manufacturing hot spots 2005: yes, China is still aflame. But the fires are heating elsewhere, too.(On the Forefront)
March 1, 2005... Given the uncertainty surrounding the worldwide economy, many electronics companies are weighing their options with respect to the best opportunities and most promising geographic regions in which to invest. During the past few years, many...

Will your printing process be affected by Pb-free? Paste properties of lead-free solder alloys differ considerably from tin-lead.(Screen Printing)
March 1, 2005... As the industry prepares for the shift to lead-free manufacturing, numerous workshops, conferences and technical sessions are addressing the subject. Surprisingly, the majority of these so-called educational courses leave out detailed...

An alternative to cheap labor: low-cost regions play a major role, but they do not have all the answers.(Better Manufacturing)
March 1, 2005... Outsourcing to low-cost regions has had a profound effect on the manufacturing bases of Europe and the Americas. Many products have a relatively high labor content, and if they are to be built in volume the scale of operations in Asia offers...

Fat results for Lean times: how Solectron's Lean program increased productivity 13% and cut lead times 68%.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... Today's marketplace has caused manufacturers to rethink their business models. The days when the price of a product was determined by a simple equation (cost + profit = price) have disappeared as some manufacturers find themselves competing...

Customer value through employee satisfaction: the success of Lean initiatives hinges on the creativity of those who implement and maintain them.(Lean Principles)
March 1, 2005... Lean is a business improvement system, involving all employees, that focuses on the elimination of waste, with the ultimate goal of providing industry-leading performance in quality, delivery and service to customers at the lowest possible...

"Sierra Proto Express presents tomorrow's technology-today!" Tired of endless evolution? Are you ready for a real revolution?(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... In 2004, Sierra Proto Express decided it was time for a change--time for America's electronics industry to awaken from its slumber and reclaim its role as the world's leader in printed circuit board innovation. Time to turn heads. Time to...

Lean principles in EMS: a case study of a mid-size firm's foray into Lean.(EPIC Technologies)
March 1, 2005... While several EMS providers have begun implementation of Lean manufacturing practices, the reality is that Lean manufacturing principles in their purest form don't adapt seamlessly into the EMS environment. An OEM adopting Lean principles can...

Cutting test times: built to be run by novices, next-generation testers are designing complexity out.(Advances in Testing)
March 1, 2005... Test equipment makers have to look at what is happening in Southeast Asia as both wakeup call and opportunity. In the U.S. and Western Europe, it is not unusual to work with engineers who have decades of manufacturing experience. They...

Optoelectronics' technology roadmap: it's time to map out a more competitive strategy--together.(Optoelectronics Assembly)
March 1, 2005... A plan is necessary to get anywhere or do anything in business. And a plan means "any detailed method, formulated beforehand for doing something," specifically: design, project and scheme. That's the dictionary definition, yet it reads as...

Transitioning to Pb-free assemblies: convergence on a single lead-free alloy means studying compatibility (backward and forward), and materials and process development.(Countdown to Pb-Free)
March 1, 2005... Five years ago the international microelectronics industry was considering and testing several lead-free alloys that could potentially replace SnPb eutectic for solder reflow and wave solder applications. Today, a narrow range of compositions...

Overcoming lower wetting forces of Pb-free alloys: severe process changes mean more defects--and call for greater test measures.(Test and Inspection)
March 1, 2005... Several types of defects are likely to increase with lead-free processes, defects that can be mitigated through certain test and inspection methods. The defects that are expected to increase are misalignments, bridging, opens, tombstoning,...

What does ESD really cost? Would you believe 4 to 8% of revenues are wasted each year?(ESD Basics)
March 1, 2005... In most serious conversations about ESD, the discussion inevitably turns to cost. What does ESD really cost us? Is it cost-effective to control ESD? [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] According to Stephen Halperin, a consultant...

Speedline's MPM Accela: the new stencil printer platform maximizes parallel processing.(Equipment Advances)
March 1, 2005... Ed.: This new section spotlights significant advances in equipment and materials for electronics manufacturing. Claims are those of the manufacturer and are not verified by CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Speedline...

Environmental chamber cleanliness is critical: the right cleaning protocol can eliminate false failures.(Process Doctor)
March 1, 2005... A quality or reliability test is only as good or accurate as the test equipment used. When performing humidity testing, results can only be accurate indicators of product performance if the interior of the testing chamber is free of...

Compact dispense valve.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... The 752 series compact dispense valve reportedly applies accurate, consistent amounts of cyanoacrylate adhesives and other assembly fluids. Pneumatically operated valve has no tubing to leak or O-rings. A fast, clean cutoff after each shot...

2-squeegee printer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... SemiTouch semiautomatic screen and stencil printer offers self-diagnostic programming for instant troubleshooting. Has print area of 16 X 20", offers double squeegee assembly and multiple print modes. Includes programmable squeegee speed and...

Programmable RGB LED chip.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... SMTC0606 0.6 mm surface-mount RGB (red, green, blue) device features individual addressable die for exact color mixing and matching. Comes in an 0606 SMT package, and is WEEE and RoHS compliant. Features internal tri-chip circuit design, with...

Magazine handling.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... EMB-700 multifunctional magazine handler features one-touch programming, for line unloading and loading, magazine rack buffer (LIFO or FIFO modes) or pass-through conveyor use. Equipped with PLC, single magazine rack storage system, sliding...

Connector platform.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Aptera connector has a 10 mm slot pitch for tight spaces. Electrical test results demonstrate crosstalk under 2% at a 50 picosec. rise time (20-80%). Combined with a matched impedance interface and zero skew, is scalable for future system...

Environmental Compliance manager.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Materials Compliance Central tracks environmental compliance regulations (WEEE, RoHs, ELV) throughout product development. Users can analyze BOM or product content information from any source and cross-reference data against multiple substance...

High-speed printer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... MX5 high-throughput printer uses parallel vision technology for cycle times of less than 5 sec., including printing. Has standard 2-D post-print inspection and vision technology. Configurable with various handling systems to process virtually...

Pb-free paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Multicore LF318 halide-free, no-clean, pin-testable, lead-free solder paste promises broad process windows for printing and reflow. Reportedly achieves a high degree of coalescence upon reflow even after 72 hrs. at 27[degrees]C and 80% RH. Has...

X-ray target.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... High-Power transmission target has an interaction layer of tungsten and a special backing layer that provides improved heat transfer and lower focal spot temperature. Users can operate the x-ray tube with higher energies at the highest possible...

Pb-free wave-solder flux.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... WF-7742 flux is designed for lead-free wave soldering of all types of assemblies. The water-based, nonflammable flux eliminates VOC emissions and special storage requirements. Said to reduce solder balling and eliminate cleaning. Indium...

PCB CAM software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... CAM350 v. 8.7 includes modules for Fast Array and ODB++ Import. All mid-range and high-end configurations include ODB++ Export. Fast Array automates the sub-panel process to quickly array a PCB or a group of PCBs on a panel. Bi-directional...

RoHS-friendly cables.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Straight cable, coiled cords and high performance flexible products that meet current environmental requirements are available for a range of medical and commercial interconnect applications. Comply with environmental directives such as RoHS...

Low-VOC flux.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... 94QMB9 low-VOC flux for Pb-free wave and selective soldering is said to evaporate more readily than VOC-free formulations, reducing preheating time and the potential for oxidation and splatter. Contains Dl-water and alcohol, features a...

Stencil printing squeegees.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Permalex metal squeegees are infused with a polymer lubricant that reduces friction and stencil wear. Said to eliminate sticking seen on conventional metal squeegees when using Pb-free solder paste. Transition Automation Inc.,...

Large feeder capacity placement.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... Advantage 3 pick-and-place machine has up to 324 single feeders and the ability to change feeders on the fly without interrupting production. Has parallel pickup capability of up to 5 components; fast-flash and parallel-processing for component...

Metal matrix composite.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2005... AlSiC (Aluminum Silicon Carbide) metal matrix composite for optoelectronic housings and lids enables a tailored CTE, offering compatibility with various electronic devices and assemblies. Unlike traditional housing materials, the isotropic CTE...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
March 1, 2005... Lead-Free Manufacturing "Transitioning to Lead(Pb)-Free Manufacturing with Toshiba Semiconductor Products" Author: Toshiba America Electronic Components, leadfree.toshiba.com. Abstract: Describes Toshiba's manufacturing procedures...