Circuits Assembly articles from May 2005

Circuits Assembly archives from May 2005

Capitol gains.(Caveat Lector)
May 1, 2005... The push to keep Terry Schiavo alive showed just how quickly Washington can react when faced with a public outcry (bad) and the possibility of getting on TV (good). (For those just emerging from their caves, the Schiavo case involved a deeply...

Comet North America.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Comet North America (cometna.com) relocated its headquarters to Stamford, CT. The renovated facility, previously home of recently acquired Feinfocus, features two applications labs and testing and repair facilities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Agilent Technologies.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies' (agilent.com) InstaPin performance library for the 93000 SOC Series test system offers per-pin licenses that can be shared across pins of testers in one or multiple factories.

Asymtek.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Asymtek (asymtek.com) received Intel Corp.'s 2004 Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement award for its automated fluid dispensers.

Action Circuits Ltd.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... U.K.-based Action Circuits Ltd. purchased a BP4700 automated programming system from BP Microsystems (bpmicro.com). BP Microsystems also chose Hitech El. Indl. Coml. Ltda. (hitech.com.br) to represent its equipment throughout Brazil.

Visiprise Inc.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Visiprise Inc. (visiprise.com) and SAP will offer a turnkey business software solution, based upon SAP NetWeaver, to manufacturers of discretes. Visiprise will port its flagship manufacturing execution system to the platform.

Dage Holdings Ltd.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Dage Holdings Ltd. (dage-group.com) sold its contract manufacturing division to a subsidiary of TT Electronics PLC, and will concentrate on test and inspection equipment.

Ambitech International.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Ambitech International (ambi.com) sold its Silicon Valley PCB fabrication and assembly division (previously Hunter Technology Corp.) to a group of investors. Terms were not disclosed.

Suntron Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Suntron Corp. (suntroncorp.com) is suing Applied Materials, claiming unfair business practices on the part of the maker of semiconductor gear (appliedmaterials.com). Suntron seeks over $20 million in damages.

ASBIS.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... ASBIS (asbis.com) will distribute components to Europe, Middle East and Africa for Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. (foxconn.com).

Teradyne Inc.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Teradyne Inc. (teradyne.com) was named a member of the U.S. EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program.

Key Electronics.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... EMS provider Key Electronics (keyelectronics.com) acquired Accutronix Manufacturing Services, an electronics manufacturer with 47 employees in Owingsville, KY. The operation will remain in Owingsville and will take the Key Electronics name.

SigmaTron International.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... EMS company SigmaTron International (sigmatron.com) signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase Able Electronics Inc. The company also announced its intent to sell its Las Vegas operation to Grand Products Inc.

Semiconductor Equipment Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Semiconductor Equipment Corp. (semicorp.com) will distribute Yamaha's i-CUBE II high-speed, flip-chip placement system and automatic die bonder in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Isola Group.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... Isola Group (isola-group.com) acquired the assets and IP of Gividi-Italy, a specialty manufacturer of fiber glass cloth for the PCB industry. The company will be renamed Isola Fabrics S.r.l. and will report to Isola Europe.

AIM.(In Brief)
May 1, 2005... AIM (aimsolder.com) will manufacture and sell Nihon Superior's (nihonsuperior.co.jp) Sn100C tin-copper-nickel lead-free solder alloy in North America.

All cracked up: MSDs still driving us nuts.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Minneapolis -- Tracking moisture-sensitive devices after their removal from moisture barrier bags remains a headache for process engineers, a recent survey reveals. The results show that, after years of study, assemblers remain vexed by...

New Sony CEO could mean more outsourcing.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... San Francisco -- Sony Corp.'s new chief executive is expected to launch a major push toward outsourcing electronics manufacturing to Tier 1 providers, a group of analysts say. The Japanese electronics giant (sony.com) already outsources...

Intel: U.S. tech leadership 'under assault'.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... San Jose -- The coming transition to nanoscale semiconductor devices means that leadership in information technology is up for grabs, warned the Semiconductor Industry Association in March. At a March news conference in Washington, DC,...

PCB West draws 1400, good reviews.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Atlanta -- The 14th annual PCB Design Conference West provided over 55 leading exhibitors with a targeted audience of approximately 1,400 attendees. The audience included corporate executives, purchasing/procurement executives, design engineers...

Viva Mexico? EMS gaining in south.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Guadalajara -- Electronics manufacturing in Mexico is not dead after all. While expansion in China continues to make the most waves, Mexico has been quietly reshaping its manufacturing infrastructure to accommodate higher end and faster turn...

Navman expands site, says on track for $400M.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Auckland, New Zealand -- Navman has finished a major expansion in Northcote that doubled the size of its electronics manufacturing space. The company, which is owned by U.S.-based Brunswick Corp., designs and builds marine, wireless data and...

IPC to Bush: get your act together.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Bannockburn, IL -- Enforcement of existing international trade agreements is the main thrust of an industry lobbying effort this spring, as IPC is coordinating an industrywide call on Congress and the Bush Administration to press China to live...

CTS Corp.(People)
May 1, 2005... CTS Corp. named Don R. Schroeder president of the electronics manufacturing solutions business unit. He will retain his position as corporate executive vice president.

Indium Corp.(People)
May 1, 2005... Indium Corp. promoted Jeff Anweiler to Northeastern regional sales manager. Anwiler joined the company in 1995 and has served as account coordinator and applications engineering product specialist. Other promotions: Theresa Schachtler to...

Kemet Corp.(People)
May 1, 2005... Kemet Corp. named Per-Olof Loof chief executive. He was managing partner of a management consulting firm and previously CEO of Sensormatic Electronics. Frank G. Brandenberg was elected chairman.

KVH Industries Inc.(People)
May 1, 2005... Robert Balog joined KVH Industries Inc. as VP of engineering for satellite products. Balog was previously president of Automation Services Inc., a contract engineering services company.

Feinfocus.(People)
May 1, 2005... Feinfocus named Anja Weber regional sales manager, Europe. Weber manages the line of x-ray inspection systems in Europe and Israel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Venture Outsource Group.(People)
May 1, 2005... Venture Outsource Group named Eric Olsen to develop custom, lean manufacturing solutions. He is former worldwide manufacturing educator for Hewlett Packard.

Henkel's Electronics Group.(People)
May 1, 2005... Henkel's Electronics Group promoted Giuseppe Caramella to European product manager for solder materials. Caramella spent 12 years with Multicore, now a part of Henkel, in R & D, technical training, marketing and sales.

Buying trends 'on display'.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change Dec. Jan. (r) Feb.* YTD Computers and electronics products...

Production steady in March.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Tempe, AZ -- Manufacturing ticked down in March yet grew for the 22nd consecutive month. Growth in new orders and inventories helped offset lower production, and backlogs jumped, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). "The...

Study: computing outsourcing still No. 1.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Alameda, CA -- Computer systems account for 44% of all outsourcing--a figure that will remain constant even as ODMs grab a larger portion of the market, says research firm Technology Forecasters (techforecasters.com). The total value of the...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Semiconductor equipment (1) 1.0 0.99 0.80 0.78 Semiconductors (2) 1.3% -3.5% 0.0% 16% Rigid...

IC downturn waning.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Saratoga, CA -- The decline in semiconductors that began in the second half of 2004 possibly came to a halt in January, according to a leading research firm. "Although it seems that the decline stalled in January, we discourage extrapolating...

Top EMS firms up 22% in '04.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2005... El Segundo, CA -- The top 10 EMS firms grew a combined 22% last year, to nearly $80 billion in sales, according to a report by iSuppli Corp. (isuppli.com). Flextronics, the largest EMS firm, grew 20.1% to $16.1 billion. Hon Hai, again in...

'How flexible can you be?'.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... There's timing, and then there's timing. Led by a management group and a healthy investment from KPS Special Situations Fund, a New York investment group, Speedline Technologies bought itself out from Cookson Electronics in 2000 for an...

Selling EMS: strategies continue to evolve; Your sales structure should align with your business model.(Focus on Business)
May 1, 2005... Many electronics manufacturing services companies were launched by engineers or technical business executives who won initial business through personal relationships with a few key accounts. In the history of the top EMS contractors, there is a...

Increase profits by carrying inventory? Inventory reduction does not always mean better profitability, let alone customer satisfaction.(Global Sourcing)
May 1, 2005... Don't let the ghosts of inventory past scare you into reduced profits. Inventories in the late '90s grew to unsustainably high levels and when the bubble burst few companies came away unscathed. Unfortunately, many have reacted by reducing...

RFID signals a new electronics age: the future may be summed as 'What does it cost to put a tag on a box?'.(On the Forefront)
May 1, 2005... With major mandates for RFID tag use and double-digit growth projected, RFID tag manufacturing is one of the most exciting areas in electronics. At first blush, RFID tag use aids inventory control and asset management. Yet its potential impact...

Beyond assembly: alternative applications for high accuracy screen printing.(Screen Printing)
May 1, 2005... In my first column I promised to address some of the ways that high-accuracy mass imaging is enabling processes beyond traditional assembly. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg and are discovering new applications for this technology...

The price of efficiency: a modest proposal for cleaning up the Kyoto mess.(Better Manufacturing)
May 1, 2005... The Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997 by 141 countries with the intention of reducing carbon dioxide (and other) emissions so that the effects of global warming would be reduced. It called for developed nations to penalize themselves severely...

Design and assembly of 01005 passives using Pb-free solder: this study finds a process similar to 0201 parts, with a 100 [micro]m thick stencil and a nitrogen environment.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... The use of 01005 size passives poses a number of challenges. First, a feasible screen-printing process must be achieved. To achieve a high-yield soldering process, a sufficient amount of paste is needed and variations in paste volume must be...

PBGA package warpage and impact on traditional MSL classification for Pb-free assembly: the authors call for new classification criteria in light of warpage results.(SMD Characterization)
May 1, 2005... Traditional moisture sensitivity classification per IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020C outlines how a device manufacturer must classify a given package type for moisture/reflow performance. (1) Device classification is based on electrical test results and...

Handling failed product after AOI: a series of setups are available for inline or offline rework.(AOI Setup Basics)
May 1, 2005... The impact of automated optical inspection systems on output quality is well documented. After selecting the AOI machine that best fits the manufacturer's process, the remaining decision is to define how to disposition, handle, repair and...

Steps to develop and promote Indian EMS: what will it take for the last great emerging market to become an EMS player?(Emerging Markets)
May 1, 2005... To paint a picture of the large subcontinent of India, I refer to Octavio Paz, the Nobel laureate, poet and onetime Mexican ambassador to the country. In In Light of India, Paz writes: "The first thing that surprised me about India, as it has...

Placement challenges of 0201s: the next generation of chips requires better motion control, machine vision, feeder design and nozzles.(0201 Placement)
May 1, 2005... The size and weight savings offered by adopting the 0201 form factor for passive components are attractive to designers of products such as mobile phones and portable computers. Component manufacturers have solved the majority of challenges to...

Issues in outsourcing Pb-free prototypes: for short-run producers, ensuring material integrity is complex because of procurement on consignment or on short notice.(Pb-Free Prototypes)
May 1, 2005... As the deadline for Europe's Restriction on the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) approaches, more companies are actively converting their product lines. Some of the issues associated with...

Risks and rewards of outsourcing opto: why the electronics assembly model does not work for fiber management.(Optoelectronics Assembly)
May 1, 2005... In optoelectronics manufacturing there is often some question as to how outsourcing fits, what roles the original design manufacturer and contract manufacturer play, and what supply chain model is appropriate. Standardization and...

Putting Pb-free to the test: why AOI and SPI are vital to upfront process control and verification.(Test and Inspection)
May 1, 2005... Solder paste inspection (SPI) and AOI, integrated into the manufacturing process, can ease the transition to lead-free. SPI and AOI provide early defect detection and prevention specifically by identifying new types of defects that are expected...

Implementing lead-free wave soldering: higher levels of copper and iron can change the alloy and require new guidelines.(Countdown to Pb-Free)
May 1, 2005... The implementation of a lead-free wave soldering process will be successful only when multiple challenges are addressed. The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's (iNEMI's) Lead-Free Wave Soldering Project has identified specific...

Destructive testing for reconstructing processes: cross-sections still beat alternate means for accurate problem-solving.(Process Doctor)
May 1, 2005... Nondestructive testing methods are obviously the preferable means for detecting potential problems, but sometimes these methods are unable to examine fully issues that are indicative of process weaknesses. A company was concerned that the...

Frame stencil system.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... VectorGuard can load, unload, store and clean stencils. Eliminates loading jig, aligns stencil to frame with foot pedal. Foil surrounded by thin aluminum extrusion for easier handling. Said to maintain uniform tension throughout product life....

In-circuit test.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Medalist 15000 ICT has modular, scalable configurations. Automated test development software and new non-multiplexed tester-per-pin architecture accelerate test and fixture development and simplify engineering change orders. Tests are...

X-ray imaging software.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Quality Assurance 2005 2-D x-ray software is for automated inspection test of area arrays, QFPs, MLFs and PTHs. Imports any CAD file; part types are saved to common library and optimized inspection routines are aligned with part geometry....

Digital x-ray.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... XiDAT XD7500 digital x-ray for PCBs provides oblique angle views up to 70[degrees] around any point of the inspection area. Inspects interconnections on BGAs and CSPs. Incorporates latest revision of "point and click" operating system, Image...

Pb-free rework.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... RD-500 Series II rework stations feature; three-point heating system for Pb-free rework; two-point cooling system for stronger solder joints; two-point auto-profiling; new top vented nozzle design for thermal isolation; and user-defined,...

Batch cleaner.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... EMC 7883CD uses a rotary selector switch with eight standard and one custom program for control. Standard wash recipes have adjustable times, temperatures. Features 106-gal./min, thermally protected circulation pump and RS-232 printer port....

Spray-in-air cleaner.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Aquanox A4630 cleans lead-free materials with ambient temperatures, low concentrations and an MEA-free designed material. Typically used in aqueous spray-in-air equipment at 10 to 20% from ambient temperatures, without sump side additives. Said...

SMD placement.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... C5 series SMD placement machines is available with single or dual beam. Has capacity for 192 8-mm feeders. Dual beam has max. placement rate of 22,000 cph. Both models feature 100% vision centering, 600 X 460 mm placement area and smart feeder...

Placement platform.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... AdVantis AC-30L high-speed modular system features the rotary Lightning head, ideal for NPI and fast product changeovers. High utilization for top and bottom side applications along with high-speed placement of large parts. Can place up to...

High-throughput placement.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... MY-Series Extended reportedly achieves 30-40% increase in throughput, greater flexibility and higher accuracy. Available in four sizes. Includes a new high-speed Hydra extended range mounthead, T3 internal conveyor with linear drive technology...

X-ray inspection.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... VJE X2500 automated x-ray inspection is said to provide high-contrast resolution at high viewing angles. Has integrated motion control and image measurement analysis. Setup program and interface permits characterizing the entire process....

Enterprise software.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Version 6.0 (V6) provides NPI, materials management and MES functionality for manufacturing control and visibility, including: new process-wide solutions for total shop-floor materials management, support for test programming and fixture design...

Compact CNC.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... MiniRaptor high-speed CNC machine is designed for machining aluminum for micro drilling, milling, tapping and engraving associated with the production of panels, housings, enclosures and test fixtures. Has 51 X 51" footprint, 20 X 20 X 8"...

ESD packaging.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Pillowstat packages one or more ESD-sensitive devices without custom tooling. Inside a static-shielding molded plastic case, "pillow-pads" encapsulate the component for a secure fit. The conductive foam will not generate a charge. ...

Modular workstation.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Series 8000 workstations can be assembled and reconfigured in a variety of heights and lengths. Come in five standard widths and three heights, providing vertical space up to 84". Easily converted from single to double sided. Dove gray laminate...

Automatic selective soldering.(NEPCON EAST Product PREVIEW)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... TR300 PC-programmable table robot is for automatic selective and point-to-point soldering. Comes as a benchtop system. Processes optimized through customizable parameters in Windows. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Global Automation Inc.,...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
May 1, 2005... Lead-Free Soldering "Effects of Cooling Slopes in Lead-ree Reflow" Authors: Marc Apell, Tad Formella and Alden Johnson, Speedline Technologies Abstract: Lead-free SMT production raises concerns over reflow cooling slopes and...