Circuits Assembly articles from May 2008

Circuits Assembly archives from May 2008

'Electronic Velcro'.(Caveat Lector)
May 1, 2008... The biggest breakthrough shown on the floor during Apex last month wasn't a placement machine, a reflow oven or a tester. Instead, "it" would fit on the tip of your forefinger. The inventor didn't even have a booth. "It" refers to the...

ERSA.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... ERSA (ersa.de) sold a Versaprint printer and Hotflow 10 reflow oven to Vadatech (vadatech.com).

Zestron America.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Zestron America (zestron.com) named Rich Sales (richsales.com) its sales representative for Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Nihon Superior.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Nihon Superior (nihonsuperior.co.jp) is collaborating with the University of Queensland (Australia) to investigate the growth and properties of intermetallic compounds that form between solder alloys and soldered substrates. The four-year...

Amistar Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Amistar Corp. (amistar.com) entered into an agreement to sell the assets of its automation machine division to newly formed Amistar Automation Inc. (amista-rautomation.com). Financial terms were not disclosed. Joseph Pultinevicius becomes...

Anritsu.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Test equipment OEM Anritsu has reportedly commercialized a laser SPI.

Inovaxe Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Inovaxe Corp. (inovaxe.com) named Restronics Co. (restronics.com) distributor in the mid-Atlantic, New England, Southeast, Southwest and Midwest regions.

Koh Young.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Koh Young opened a sales and service division in Japan, Japan Koh Young Co., and named former Hitachi Manufacturing executive Mutsuo Furuya president and Daniel Suh sales manager.

KSR International.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... KSR International selected a Universal Instruments (uic.com) Genesis GC-120Q placement platform.

Cobar BV.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Cobar BV (cobar.com), part of the Balver Zinn Group (balverzinn.com), received ISO/TS 16949 quality accreditation.

Photo Stencil.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Photo Stencil (photostencil.com) named PAC Global (pac-global.com) its manufacturer's representative in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mexico.

Sono-Tek Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Sono-Tek Corp. (sono-tek.com) has created two business units: electronics and advanced energy and ultrasonic coating solutions. Steve Harshbarger will head the electronics and advanced energy unit, while Luis Abarca will head the ultrasonic...

Totech Super Dry.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Totech Super Dry (totech.eu.com) launched Totech Universal Inc., replacing Totech America, which no longer sells authorized Totech products.

RMD Instruments.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... RMD Instruments (rmd-leadtracer.com) appointed Advanced Precision Sales/WittcoSales (advprecision.com) its manufacturing representative for Southern California and Baja, Mexico, and Southwest Systems Technology (swsystems.com) as manufacturing...

Perception Software.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Perception Software (perceptionsoft-ware.com) will integrate its EDAConnect suite with Siemens PLM Software's (sie-mens.com) Teamcenter PLM software. Under the agreement, Perception will also become a Siemens channel distributor for the...

Stencils Unlimited.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Stencils Unlimited (stencilsunlimited.com) selected LPKF's (lpfkusa.com) stencil laser cutting technology.

Pro-Mation.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Pro-Mation (pro-mation-inc.com) selected Production Automation as its authorized sales representative in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

Tessera Technologies.(In Brief)
May 1, 2008... Tessera Technologies (tessera.com) said the International Trade Commission has overturned a recent court decision to stay the company's patent infringement action against Motorola, Freescale, Qualcomm and others.

Sypris Electronics.(People)
May 1, 2008... Sypris Electronics named John Walsh president. He was previously corporate executive vice president of strategy, technology and development at Ducommun Inc., and president of Ducommun Technologies.

The Morey Corp.(People)
May 1, 2008... The Morey Corp. chief technology officer Emad S. Isaac will keynote PCB East 2008 (pcbeast.com), the annual trade show to be held this month in the Chicago suburbs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sparton Corp.(People)
May 1, 2008... David W. Hockenbrocht retired as Sparton Corp. chief executive and president, effective March 7. He was Sparton's president for 30 years, and CEO since 2000. Sparton's board appointed CFO Richard L. Langley interim president and CEO, and Joseph...

Rehm Thermal Systems.(People)
May 1, 2008... Rehm Thermal Systems named Marc Dalderup chief commercial officer. He has spent 25 years in the global soldering market, working for Soltec BV, Cobar Soldering Materials and most recently as vice president of sales at Vitronics Soltec. He will...

YesTech Inc.(People)
May 1, 2008... YesTech Inc. named Scott Roberson regional sales manager, responsible for sales in the Southern US. He has 21 years of engineering and sales experience in semiconductors and PCBs, most recently as president of Sertek Inc.

EMS firm Global Innovation.(People)
May 1, 2008... EMS firm Global Innovation named Harvey "Sonny" Dorren Western regional sales manager.

Electrolube.(People)
May 1, 2008... Electrolube hired Monica Bartosik as technical support representative, based in Chicago. She has a bachelor's in chemistry from the University of Illinois. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Possible RoHS followup 'arbitrary and capricious,' IPC claims.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2008... BANNOCKBURN, IL -- Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the factory. With the industry still reeling in some circles from the aftershocks of the RoHS Directive, a proposed list of nearly 50 additional substances has touched off...

ITW finalizes Vitronics buy.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2008... STRATHAM, NH -- ITW (itw.com) has acquired Vitronics-Soltec (vitronics.com) from Francisco Partners for an undisclosed sum. The deal puts two of the world's largest suppliers, in revenues, of wave soldering equipment, under the ITW roof. ...

Siemens' Electronic Assembly group to split from parent.(Industry NEWS)(Company overview)
May 1, 2008... FRANKFURT -- Siemens AG plans to "carve out" its Electronic Assembly Systems unit (siplace.com) by the end of September. The unit employs about 2,100 workers and has reported sales in the "medium three-digit million euros" range. The unit...

Henkel acquires National Starch.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2008... IRVINE, CA -- Henkel acquired National Starch on April 3 in an all-cash deal worth 3.8 billion euros (about $6 billion). Alan Syzdek of National Starch was named corporate senior vice president and head of the division, while president Pat...

Webinar: counterfeiting a 'real' issue.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- High-tech products make up four of the top 10 border seizures, while one of every 10 IT products is counterfeit. So says Design Chain Associates (designchainassociates.com) senior vice president Tom Valliere, in a March Webinar...

MMI, IPC to take on Nepcon China in Shanghai.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2008... SHANGHAI -- Messe Munchen International and IPC (ipc.org) have inked a deal under which the two groups will cooperate on an assembly trade show in China. No financial terms were disclosed. The show, Electronica and Productronica China 2009,...

Semis plunge.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change Dec. Jan. (r) Feb.* YTD Computers and electronics products ...

March manufacturing continues slide.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... TEMPE, AZ -- Manufacturing continued its downward trend in March, as the PMI index remained below 50%, at 48.6%. New orders dropped 260 basis points, down for the fourth straight month, while production decreased to 48.7%. Inventories dipped 50...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.80 0.82 0.85 0.89 (r) 0.93 (p) Semiconductors (2) 4.58% 4.39% 3.27%...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... Price Per Lb. Date 4/5/07 1/07/08 2/11/08 3/10/08 4/7/2008 LME Cash Seller and $6.43 $7.51 $7.69 $8.73 $7.05 Settlement for Tin LME Cash Seller and...

Report: semiconductor outlook mixed.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... EL SEGUNDO -- Reductions in chip inventory levels often indicate a rise in global semiconductor sales, but an expected decline in surplus stockpiles during the last quarter is revealing troubling signs of market weakness, says iSuppli Corp...

PCs to show 9.7% CAGR through 2011.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Consumer electronics continue to be strong worldwide and will expand through 2011, reports research firm In-Stat (instat.com). Shipments of PCs and peripherals, traditional consumer electronics and communications products will...

2007 global semi gear sales rose 6%.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2008... SAN JOSE -- Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment totaled $42.77 billion in 2007, up 6% year-over-year, SEMI (semi.org) reported. "Supported by the momentum of the 300-mm ramp and intensive memory investments, the global...

More change, fewer bells.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
May 1, 2008... Dover Electronic Technologies is today what some other conglomerates aspire to be. The business unit took in nearly $1.4 billion in revenues last year, and its success has boosted the fates of its top management, in particular John Hartner....

Enhancing EMS customer longevity: processes must drive strategy and ensure opportunities are acted on.(Focus on Business)
May 1, 2008... With the EMS industry's 12-to-18 month sales cycle, growing a customer is faster and more economical than acquiring a new one. Some EMS companies do an excellent job of growing accounts, but others miss the mark. Typical reasons existing...

Rx for outsourcing: relieving the pain of being slapped by the "invisible hand.".(Global Sourcing)
May 1, 2008... It's no secret US-based electronics manufacturers are facing challenges of historic proportions. Some analysts speculate the falling dollar will make these companies acquisition targets for foreign-owned corporations, which may see this...

Playing the angles: why a 55[degrees] squeegee angle enhances print quality.(Screen Printing)
May 1, 2008... Arguably, it's not the hottest topic at the local pub or around the water cooler, but it is a subject that has been debated among engineers and printing specialists for a long time. While screen printers have seen dramatic advancements in...

Eliminating board defects: the assembly drawing should specify process-related issues.(Quality Control)
May 1, 2008... Ed.: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/6439. The processes involved in eliminating board defects cut a wide swath through design, fabrication, and even assembly. Along the way, experience and know-how...

'Inspiration to innovate': the annual awards programs offer motivation for excellence, entrants say.(SEA and NPI Awards)
May 1, 2008... The 2008 edition of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY'S Service Excellence Awards was as notable for the continuing dominance of Aegis Industrial Software as for the ascent of several previously under-the-radar EMS companies that made their mark for the first...

Evaluating manufacturability and operational costs for new conformal coating processes: "breaking down" the key process variables.
May 1, 2008... Ed.: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/6448. The original CC-Tango test vehicle (1) was extremely useful in generating a database of qualification and reliability results for conformal coating...

DPMO analysis implementation: yield improvement is one good way to reduce costs.(Reflow Soldering)
May 1, 2008... A recent case study illustrates the impact of defects on cost. For this particular company, the DPMO value was calculated to be 3,500 parts per million (ppm) at a production rate of 1,000 boards a day and 4,200 defects per shift. Time to rework...

Testing gets to the point: high-speed signal propagation obviates test points, driving a new solution.(Test and Inspection)
May 1, 2008... In their search for increased data rates between devices, board designers are replacing externally clocked parallel busses with serialize/deserialize (SERDES) structures. These are characterized by gigabit per second transfer rates,...

'If you clean, you must rinse': our expert clarifies his stance on brush cleaning.(Process Doctor)
May 1, 2008... It has been brought to my attention ("The Big Brush Off Revisited," April 2008) that I was unclear in a December 2007 case study on localized brush cleaning. (1) To recap, I am not suggesting localized cleaning is good or bad, but if you clean,...

Erasing fab problems: the pink pencil eraser and other solutions.(Pb-Free Lessons Learned)
May 1, 2008... The past few months, I've been reviewing problems that PWB fabrication issues can inflict on automated assembly and mass soldering operations. I've reviewed general assembly complications, those specific to Pb-free, and prevention strategies....

Standard work procedures: by making problems "visible," we can improve efficiency and safety.(Getting Lean)
May 1, 2008... Celestica applies "Lean thinking" to absolutely everything we do, and today, a big part of the Lean picture is our ongoing work to develop and implement "standard work" procedures. Simply defined, standard work means establishing precise,...

RoHS[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII].(Materials World)
May 1, 2008... [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Renzhe Zhao, Ph.D., is a senior applications engineer at Henkel's Electronics Group (henkel.com); renzhe.zhao@us.henkel.com. For the English version, visit...

Halide-free, no-clean paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... S3X48 Series solder paste performs across a range of Pb-free applications. Is said to provide printability, performance at high reflow temperatures, and rapid wetting of all common Pb-free alloys. Features a wide process window and six-month...

120X stereo zoom microscope.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... Lynx stereo zoom microscope offers magnification up to 120X and a modular design to permit a range of camera and optical accessories. Has 14-point LED ring light with intensity control. An optional oblique viewing accessory permits components...

No-clean Pb-free paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... NL900 no-clean Pb-free solder paste is formulated for SAC and SN100C alloys. Is a modified rosin-based solder said to feature high open time, tack performance and soldering activity with pin-probable post-soldering residues. Designed for slump...

Inline SPI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... The KY-8030 inline solder paste inspection system is for high-mix/low-volume applications. Incorporates optical and image processing technology and feedback tools. Uses full parametric inspection algorithms. Is said to deliver results based on...

Micro vision system.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... In-Sight is 30 mm x 30 mm x 60 mm. Has EasyBuilder configuration software and VisionView 700 operator interface that displays information from up to nine vision systems in a tiled view. Is said to be a full vision system the size of a...

'Mechanical failure resistive' Pb-free paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... Alpha OM-350 Pb-free solder paste with InnoLot Pb-free alloy reportedly resists mechanical failure after exposure to thermal cycling and vibration. Reportedly has higher mean cycle time to failure versus SAC 387-based alloys. Offers fine...

High-speed flexible mounter.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... KE-2060 light (limited edition) comes with a quadruple placement head with laser alignment, one high-precision placement head, and vision and laser alignment. Is rated per IPC-9850 at 12,500 cph (laser alignment) and 1,750 cph (vision...

'6-in-1' solder paste analyzer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... ShareGen SPA 1000 provides fast, accurate testing to control and manage solder paste in production. Said to help reduce missing components, tombstoning, component misalignment, nonwetting. Performs up to six separate tests, including solder...

70-[micro]m res thermal imager.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... EL includes a new camera with a 320 x 240 uncooled detector array with [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OptoTherm, optotherm.com

Embedded passive inkjet printing.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... 256Jet-D has stainless steel construction and prints traces, contacts, embedded passives and components (resistors, capacitors, inductors) on PCBs. Can be removed, cleaned and reassembled. Uses interchangeable nozzle plates to print distinct...

ESD event detector.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... Trek Model 900 is a diagnostic tool for identifying or investigating suspected ESD incidents. Includes a voltage-sensitive antenna that can be positioned near potential problem areas to monitor ESD events. Detection is conveyed via an audible...

SMT stencil cutter.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2008... StencilLaser G 6080 uses an enclosed laser to cut SMT stencils. Has a new architecture and lightweight construction, using carbon fiber material. Is said to automatically adjust to fit any stencil size up to 29.1" x 37.4". Has new loading...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
May 1, 2008... PCB Design "Changing the Methodology for DfM, Moving from Design-Checker to Interactive, Informed Design Methodologies" Author: Nolan Johnson; njohnson@sun-stone.com. Abstract: "Design for manufacture" strongly implies the use of...