Circuits Assembly articles from March 2009

Circuits Assembly archives from March 2009

A Sober look at J-STD-709.(Caveat Lector)
March 1, 2009... Speaking, as we were last month, about J-STD-709, the controversial draft standard that would impose stringent limits on halogen, bromine and chlorine use in certain electronics products, we receive letters from task group members who are...

Digi-Key Corp.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Digi-Key Corp. (digikey.com) will distribute LEDdynamics' LuxDrive LED products on a worldwide basis.

JDS Uniphase.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... JDS Uniphase (jdsu.com) is outsourcing certain communications test and measurement programs to Benchmark Electronics (bench.com), and select laser products to Fabrinet (fabrinet.com).

Kester.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Kester (kester.com) named Assembly Solutions representative in Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.

MC Assembly.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... MC Assembly (mcati.com) has signed a deal for an unspecified number of YESTech (yestechinc.com) F1-Series AOI systems for its EMS facilities in Florida and Zacatecas, Mexico.

FCT Solder.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... FCT Solder and FCT Recovery, divisions of FCT Assembly (fctassembly.com), have named Hess & Associates manufacturers' representative for Southern California.

BTU International.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... BTU International (btu.com) named Omni-tronics (omni-tronics.com) representative in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, northern Wisconsin and Iowa.

Lenthor Engineering.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Lenthor Engineering (lenthor.com) has installed an ACE Production Technologies (ace-protech.com) KISS-104 selective soldering machine.

Austin American Technology.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Austin American Technology (aatcorp.com) named Aqueous Technologies (aqueoustech.com) exclusive worldwide distributor for its conveyorized (inline) defluxers.

Essemtec.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Essemtec (essemtec.com) signed distribution deals with RSA Rosengren Consulting (rc-ab.se) in Sweden, TCH, Technology & Chemical (tch.es) in Spain, and Sinerji Group (sinerji-grup.com) in Turkey.

Sparton Corp.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... EMS firm Sparton Corp. (sparton.com) laid off 6% of its approximately 1,000 employees.

IBM.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... IBM (ibm.com) installed a V-Works Vapor Phase Rework System from Vapor Works, a division of R&D Technical Services (rdtechnicalservices.com), for its Eclipse Web tooling platform.

McIntosh Laboratory.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... McIntosh Laboratory (mcintoshlabs.com) installed a Universal Instruments (uic.com) SMT production line, including an AdVantisX, in its Binghamton, NY, manufacturing facility. Also, SigmaPoint Technologies (sigmapoint.com) purchased four...

Surface Mount Technology.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... Surface Mount Technology (Holdings) Ltd. (smthk.com) has laid off 2,200 of its employees over the past quarter. The company, a top 50 worldwide EMS firm, now employs 8,800 workers across its factories in China.

Indentco International Corp.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... A series of compatibility tests performed by Indentco International Corp. (identco.com) and Zestron America (zestron.com) showed label compatibility when exposed directly to certain novel Zestron cleaning agents during trials.

SMT Corp.(In Brief)
March 1, 2009... SMT Corp. (smtcorp.com) purchased a MUST III solderability test system from Ascentech (ascentechllc.com).

Scott C.(People)
March 1, 2009... Textron promoted COO Scott C. Donnelly to president. Donnelly joined Textron last June after a 19-year career with GE, where he most recently served as president and CEO of GE's $16 billion Aviation unit.

Gordon Madlock.(People)
March 1, 2009... Sparton Corp. named Gordon Madlock senior vice president, operations; Steve Korwin group vice president, electronics; and Mike Osborne senior vice president, business development and supply chain.

Dr. Harald Wack.(People)
March 1, 2009... Zestron promoted Dr. Harald Wack (pictured, top) to president, worldwide operations. He supersedes his father, Dr. O. K. Wack, who founded the company. Zestron also promoted Umut Tosun (pictured, bottom) to global task group manager, and named...

Pete Wasnac.(People)
March 1, 2009... EMS firm The Millennia Group named Pete Wasnac director of sales/marketing. He has 20 years' experience in electronics distribution and manufacturing, including 18 years at Arrow Electronics.

Andreas Brockt.(People)
March 1, 2009... Rehm Thermal Systems named Andreas Brockt VP sales, Europe. He spent 25 years at Siemens Electronics Assembly in global sales management, strategic global account management, and Asian business development.

Dr. Ingo Bretthauer.(People)
March 1, 2009... LPKF Laser & Electronics appointed Dr. Ingo Bretthauer chief executive. He has broad experience in sales and marketing of industrial equipment, having previously worked at AEG, as chief marketing officer for DB Reise & Touristik, and as CEO and...

Dave Fahey.(People)
March 1, 2009... Sunburst EMS named Dave Fahey vice president of sales and marketing.

Soo-Uk.(People)
March 1, 2009... Asymtek named Soo-Uk (Alex) Nam Korea regional sales manager and Henry Chang Hian Kwee regional sales manager for Southeast Asia.

Harald Eppinger.(People)
March 1, 2009... Koh Young named Harald Eppinger European sales manager. Eppinger will also be managing director of Koh Young Europe GmbH, the company's Germany factility. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

David White.(People)
March 1, 2009... Sanmina-SCI CFO David White resigned in February.

Richard Brooks.(People)
March 1, 2009... Christopher Associates named Richard Brooks technical sales engineer for Texas and border regions of Mexico. A multiple patent holder, he was formerly with Motorola and Indium, has 20 years' of industry experience, and holds degrees in...

Agilent to exit inspection business.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... SANTA CLARA, CA--Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) plans to exit the electronics inspection systems business by the end of March. In making the announcement, the company deferred comment on the number of persons affected or potential financial...

Report: Flextronics to sack 400 workers in Hungary.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... ZALAEGERSZEG, HUNGARY--Flextronics (flextronics.com) will axe 400 workers from its plant here by the end of March, according to published reports. The cuts will bring the total number of recent layoffs to 1,400, including contract workers,...

Sanmina-SCI to buy JDS's Shenzhen ops.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... MILPITAS, CA--JDS Uniphase (jdsu.com) has signed a definitive agreement to sell certain manufacturing and other assets in Shenzhen to Sanmina-SCI (sanmina-sci.com). No financial terms were disclosed, although JDS said it would save the company...

Leader tech completes phase II of tech center expansion.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... TAMPA, FL--Leader Tech (leadertechinc.com) has completed the second phase of its Global EMI Shielding Technology Center expansion. The latest moves include the hiring of three domestic sales representatives, a regional sales engineer and...

Silicon valley EMS firms swap owners, top management.(Industry NEWS)(Company overview)
March 1, 2009... SANTA CLARA, CA--EMS firm NBS Corp. (nbscorp.com) will acquire CompServ (compserv-inc.com), whose president in turn will head the companies, the company said in January. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fremont, CA-based...

Jabil cuts put 3,000 out of work.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... ST. PETERSBURG, FL--Jabil (jabil.com) will sharply reduce its manufacturing capacity around the world and lay off up to 3,000 workers, the company said. Jabil will take estimated charges of $65 million in pretax restructuring and impairment...

TT Electronics to cut 700 jobs.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... SURREY, ENGLAND--TT Electronics (ttelectronics.com), the parent company of TT EMS, will lay off 700 workers this year, the company said in February. The cuts are in addition to headcount reductions of 595 positions in 2008. The company,...

EMS M&A deals slowed in 2008.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... CHICAGO -- Merger and acquisition activity in the EMS sector slowed slightly in 2008, with a total of 48 EMS companies changing hands in 2008, down three from 2007. Consolidations were the most common transaction, with 19 taking place last...

Survey: some business shifting from Asia to West.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... BANNOCKBURN, IL--A survey of electronics supply chain companies reveals more than 40% say customers have changed sourcing from Asia to North America or Europe in the past two years. The IPC (ipc.org) survey of executives and marketing...

PCB east 2009 registration now open.(Industry NEWS)
March 1, 2009... ATLANTA -- Registration is now open for PCB East 2009, scheduled for April 27--May 1 at the Westin Waltham-Boston in Waltham, MA. Held annually on the East Coast since 1996, PCB East provides show attendees--PCB engineers, designers,...

The defense talks.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). -- % Change -- Oct Nov Dec * YTD Computers and electronic 2.2 -5.0 -0.4...

January new orders up, manufacturing still slow.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... TEMPE, AZ--Economic activity in the manufacturing sector failed to grow in January for the 12th consecutive month, and the overall economy contracted for the fourth consecutive month, says the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). The...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Semiconductor equipment 0.81 0.70 0.96 0.97 0.93 (1) (r) (p)...

Global semi sales fell 2.8% in 2008.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... SAN JOSE--Global semiconductor sales totaled $248.6 billion, down 2.8% compared to 2007, the first year-on-year drop in sales since 2001, the Semiconductor Industry Association (sia-online.org) reported. December sales were $17.4 billion, down...

Report: consumer electronics output to drop 6.4% in 2009.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... LOS ALTOS, CA--Consumer electronics output will drop 6.4% in 2009 on a lack of compelling new products coupled with the dismal economic environment, says Henderson Ventures (hendersonventures.com). Sales were up just 1.7% in 2008, the firm...

Crash costs drive ADAS sales.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... EL SEGUNDO, CA--Worldwide Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) sales are expected to soar to 56.3 million in 2013, a CAGR of 26.6%, from 17.3 million in 2008. ADASs target the auto safety market, where accidents in 2003 incurred $231...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Price Per Lb. Date 2/11/08 11/10/08 12/15/08 1/12/09 2/2/09 LME Cash Seller $7.69 $7.01 $5.33 $5.26 $4.81 and Settlement for Tin LME Cash Seller $1.37 ...

Recession-Based marketing: EMS faces the perfect storm: old school meets new school, and both have something to learn.(Focus on Business)
March 1, 2009... Every few months in this space I try to discuss marketing. Given the current economic challenges we face, I thought the timing was good for one that deals with changing promotion options. One impact of the current recession may be the death of...

No free lunch: some Chinese suppliers, saddled with meeting low costs and codes of conduct, have formed off-the-books "shadow" companies.(Global Sourcing)
March 1, 2009... Sometimes what's right in front of your nose is hardest to recognize. As a person close to me said recently, "Why don't we have any traditions in our family? We just keep doing the same things over and over." So it is with the concept of...

Why didn't Sony invent the iPod? Corporate culture is vital, even more than "just research.".(On the Forefront)
March 1, 2009... The global recession has left many companies in a bind, but the news from Japan has been especially bad. There were many long faces at the InterNepcon show in late January. With consumer spending down, many electronics companies have fallen on...

In the loop: defect prevention capability is only achievable with robust closed-loop process controls.(Screen Printing)
March 1, 2009... Closed-loop process control is the dream of every SMT process engineer. What is closed-loop process control? It is a method to continually monitor and adjust a process to maintain a particular target value of an output or outputs. For a...

A call for co-ops: who needs apprenticeships? We do.(Better Manufacturing)
March 1, 2009... Last time, we looked at market stability and touched on once-common apprenticeships. We did not spend much time considering this subject, but it clearly should be considered in more detail. In November, I wrote: "Apprenticeships were...

Handling hot components: ways to beat the heat range from innovative materials to third-party converters.(Thermal Transfer)
March 1, 2009... Packing more hardware onto printed circuit boards and fitting additional components into shrinking chasses may lead to better performance, but at the risk of generating greater amounts of heat. Dissipation of this heat, accomplished by thermal...

Electronics as a solution for sustainability: our collective industry holds potential for far-reaching energy-efficient impacts.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2009... Over the past several years, environmental sustainability was evolved into a more-refined technical discipline. The imperative is clear: We, as global citizens and industry leaders, have an incumbent impact from our operations, products and...

Optimizing outsourced medical equipment repair depot support: how Kimball electronics triages and rescues product--and end-customers.(Board Repair)
March 1, 2009... Efficiently outsourcing repair of longer lifecycle medical equipment requires a clear understanding of a combination of technical, business and quality issues. Concerns include RoHS/leaded compatibility challenges, maintaining adequate...

How REACH impacts electronics components use: seven steps on navigating the new set of regulations for those importing assemblies to the EU.(Materials Reporting)
March 1, 2009... The requirements of the European Union's REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) Directive are massive and involve manufacturers and importers of chemicals, compounds and articles. Here are seven basic...

Bound by experiment: the best, most practical design means limiting the size of the study.(Tech Tips)
March 1, 2009... In a bit of a strategic departure from the normal range of electronic manufacturing topics, the EMPF would like readers to consider the importance of preparation in the arena of designed experiments in order to properly qualify a manufacturing...

Use of wettable and non-wettable nozzles: a study finds nozzle performance is tied to diameter.(Selective Soldering)
March 1, 2009... When soldering assemblies with a small number of through-hole components alongside large numbers of surface mount components, selective soldering shows advantages in assembly quality compared to traditional hand soldering or wave soldering with...

All cracked up: when conformal coating splits, look for process residues.(The Defects Database)
March 1, 2009... Conformal coating cracking (Figure 1) was found after an assembly was returned from the field for investigation. The assembly was for a medical application produced in medium volume using a SnPb assembly process. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] It...

Breaking the bridge.(Wave Soldering Trouble-shooting)
March 1, 2009... Bridging is the unwanted formation of a conductive path of solder between conductors. When bridging occurs, the primary process setup areas to check are: * Conveyor speed too slow or other incorrect solder wave settings. * Time over...

'Every tool has its place': the final part of our comparison of test methods looks at the C3.(Process Doctor)
March 1, 2009... High-performance liquid chromatography (or high pressure liquid chromatography, HPLC) is a form of column chromatography used to separate, identify, and quantify ionic and organic compounds. HPLC uses a column that holds chromatographic packing...

10 Lean lessons learned: the right plant layout simplifies process and materials flow.(Getting Lean)
March 1, 2009... Most companies engaged in Lean manufacturing can easily discuss the changes they've implemented, but which changes really contribute the most? At EPIC, we developed a list of the top 10 lessons we've learned in our Lean journey. Our January...

Siemens' Multistar placement head.(Equipment Advances)
March 1, 2009... The Siplace Multistar CPP placement head offers high-speed chip placement and large midrange and fine-pitch device placement capability. It consists of a high-speed revolver head capable of placing up to 23,500 chips per hour, using 12 nozzles...

Automatic Pb-free batch oven.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... R006-PLUS offers full convection soldering capability and curing programs with durations up to 18 hrs. Soldering and curing programs predefined. Includes free memory for other temperature profiles; temperatures up to 300[degrees] C can be...

Fully enclosed laser stencil cutter.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Stencil Laser P 6060, for SMT stencil production, uses a lightweight motion system said to permit positioning accuracy while maintaining speed. Cuts all stencils, framed and frameless; adjusts to fit stencil sizes up to 29.1" x 37.4". Requires...

Reballing preforms.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... EZReball is available in ball sizes down to 0.20 mm. Can accommodate devices down to 0.4 mm pitch sizes. Solder sphere alloys are available in Pb-free, SnPb and high-temperature. Come in packages of 15 and with a QC stencil. [ILLUSTRATION...

Small footprint solder dross recovery.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... EVS 7000 and EVS 9000 capture solder dross in a reduced footprint. Feature advanced electronic controls and integrated diagnostics. EVS 7000 offers a capacity of 10 kg/20 lb.; EVS 9000 provides up to 20 kg/44 Ib. EVS 9000 performs single-step...

Pb-free flux cored solder wire.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... SN100C(510) is said to generate little spatter, even with the high solder tip temperatures required to burn off polyurethane insulating enamel. Reduces risk of copper erosion during soldering and slow growth of the interfacial intermetallic...

'1-file'PCB Release package.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... CAM350 Release 10 and BluePrint-PCB Release 2 are integrated for PCB post processing. Used together, they create and distribute a complete PCB fabrication and assembly release package in a single electronic file. CAM350-150 is a new...

Neutral-cure, low-VOC sealant.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... HM-2520 enables parts to be moved immediately upon application. Has a tensile strength of 700 psi and service temperatures ranging from -50[degrees] to 300[degrees]F. Is formulated for automated assembly. Is said to combine the immediate green...

Burn-in tray loading.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Vacula vacuum tweezer is a self-contained pick-and-place tool that activates from a top-side plunger. Is ESD-safe and reportedly eliminates contamination from skin oils and handling damage to leads. Is suited for loading burn-in trays or...

Laser-Cut Wipes.(Product)
March 1, 2009... Ultimate Wipes are individually laser cut, with each edge melted and heat-sealed to eliminate loose fibers. Are said to be low in particle emission, nonvolatile residue and ionic levels. Are cleanroom laundered, individually inspected and...

Land pattern tool.(Product)
March 1, 2009... V2009 IPC LP Calculator is a free download offered as a major upgrade to all LP Viewer and LP Calculator Limited Edition users. Has hundreds of new features, including four measurement units and printing; thousands of existing parts are...

Spray fluxer.(Product)
March 1, 2009... SSF-400 has a novel two-part mixing nozzle said to reduce clogging and ease maintenance. Includes automatic cleaning system for the conveyor chain, upper and lower exhaust fans, and color LCD touch panel. Handles boards from 2" x4" to 16" x...

Production control suite.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... ProcessWatch production control suite traces boards, records events throughout the assembly process and tracks associated consumables, stencils and tooling. Benefits include stencil/board/tooling compatibilities, materials aging and event...

Compliance data manager.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... GreenData Manager-REACH is a desktop application that tracks and reports on the presence of REACH substances of very high concern. Manages RoHS compliance status and certificates from suppliers, material composition substance data, MSL and peak...

Low maintenance PCB marking.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... 781RC MicroMark Recirculating Spray System is said to reduce maintenance and downtime associated with conventional marking systems. Uses a recirculating pump to keep pigments in suspension and a short burst of air after each cycle to clear the...

Variable focal spot x-ray.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Variofocus is said to close the gap between microfocus and conventional x-ray tubes in digital radiography and CT. Is said to be less than half the size of conventional x-ray tubes and more symmetrical. Provides performance of high-power x-ray...

XRF Analyzer with large area drift detector.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Niton XL3t is said to offer overall sensitivity and measurement times as much as 10 times faster than conventional Si-PIN detectors, and up to three times more precise than conventional silicon drift detectors. Permits light element detection...

RFID-based feeder cart.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... The RFID Smart Storage Cart for Juki feeders complements the IFS-X2 intelligent feeder system. Provides the capability to automatically detect all Juki intelligent feeders in offline storage carts. Comes in a range of feeder storage options,...

Pb-free flux cleaner for pallets.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Atron SP 200 reportedly removes all screened Pb-free flux residues on standard solder pallets at concentrations of 10 to 20% at different operating temperatures. Is surfactant-based; bath life is said to be up to 10 times longer compared to...

Aerosol-based ESD shield.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... 6500 Staticide is a humidity-independent water-based coating that provides a constant surface resistivity of [10.sup.6]--[10.sup.9][OHM] without washing off. Dries clear and can adhere to acrylic, polycarbonate, PETG and glass. Contains no...

4-Lane placement conveyor.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Quad Lane handles four PCBs side-by-side on a single pick-and-place machine. Can produce the same or different products on each track or any combination thereof. When larger boards are needed, switching to traditional transport concepts like...

2-silicone skin lotion.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... SafetySmart Barrier Cream is a non-greasy skin protectant lotion. A single application reportedly protects skin for up to 4 hr. Is alcohol-free, fragrance-free, nonflammable and non-toxic. Can protect hands from solvents, paint, grease, oil,...

Solvent-free conformal coating.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... EMAX 903 cures under UV or visible light and has a secondary moisture cure mechanism said to ensure complete cure in PCB protection applications where shadow areas on high-density circuit boards are a concern. Fluoresces vivid blue for black...

Component traceability software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
March 1, 2009... Mytrace traceability software is fully automatic. Quickly traces mounted components to PCBs. Can archive data with no manual procedures. Is future-proof and modular. Stores data in an application-independent format that does not rely on a...

Component processing.
March 1, 2009... "Implementation of 01005s: A Case Study" Authors: Paul N. Houston, Gary L. Turpin and Daniel F. Baldwin, Ph.D.; dan.baldwin@engentaat.com. Abstract: This paper presents a production part implementation case study for 01005 passive...