Circuits Assembly articles from May 2009

Circuits Assembly archives from May 2009

Moving targets.(Caveat Lector)
May 1, 2009... I'm beginning to really dislike Greenpeace. The organization was funnier as a target of light mocking in the hit TV show Seinfeld, as the landing spot for the fictional president of NBC who, on a whim to win the affections of Seinfeld...

KIC Thermal.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... KIC Thermal (kicthermal.com) named the Balver Zinn Group (balverzinn.com) to distribute its product range as a VAR.

Valor.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Valor (valor.com) named Southwest Systems Technology (swsystems.com) as its representative throughout Mexico.

Flextronics.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Flextronics (flextronics.com) laid off about 200 employees at its plant in Ofakim, Israel.

Novatec.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Novatec (vacunest.com) appointed Christopher Associates (christopher-web.com) to distribute its VacuNest custom tooling in the US and Mexico.

Celestica.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Celestica (celestica.com) will close its Oxnard, CA, site and lay off 81 workers.

ASYS Solar's.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... ASYS Solar's (asys.de) revenues tripled for the fourth time in a row on "substantial orders" in the second half of 2008, the firm says. The company doubled its production floor space in Dornstadt, Germany to approximately 200 000 sq.ft.

Sunburst electronics.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Sunburst Electronics (sunburstelectronics.com) added a Mydata (mydata.com) SMT placement line.

TT electronics.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... TT Electronics' (ttelectronics-ims.com) EMS plant in Suzhou has been awarded the AS9100 standard.

Morey Corp.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Morey Corp. (moreycorp.com) has been certified as ISO/TS 16949:2002 compliant.

Techcon Systems.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Techcon Systems (techconsystems.com) named E-Tronics Ltd. (e-tronics.ie) as distributor in the Czech Republic.

Coinx.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Coinx has reportedly developed a patent-pending repair method that uses similar processes and techniques as for auto body repair. Founder James Bishop has been involved in the repair of dented and dinged metal panels for 17 years, working with...

Enics.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Enics (enics.com) acquired Sweco's Industrial Electronics Service unit in Vantaa, Finland.

Indium.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Indium appointed Yankee Tronics as sales representative in upstate NY.

Continental Automotive Systems.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... Continental Automotive Systems installed a Gen3 (gen3systems.com) MUST III Solderability test system at its Morelos, Mexico plant.

MART Technologies.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... MART Technologies signed a deal with the Zollner Group (zollner.de) to assemble boards for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

SEMI.(In Brief)
May 1, 2009... SEMI is launching an electronic information exchange forum for EHS regulatory compliance issues at semi.org/en/issues/ehs/ctr_028852.

iNEMI reports highlights from 2009 roadmap.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... LAS VEGAS - The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (inemi.org) in April debuted its latest industry roadmap, highlighted by new chapters on photovoltaics, solid-state illumination and RFID item-level tags. The latest...

Fire destroys Foxconn site.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... JUAREZ, MEXICO - A 900,000 - sq. ft. building partially occupied by Foxconn (fih-holdings.com) was destroyed in a fire April 7. The blaze began in a section of the building occupied by a picture frame manufacturer and a medical products...

EMS toll from Nokia decision: $5B.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... EL SEGUNDO, CA - Nokia's (nokia.com) decision to move production in-house will rob the EMS industry of more than $5 billion in revenues, according to iSuppli (isuppli.com). The move also portends overcapacity, headcount reductions and...

Sanmina expanding in Ottawa.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... KANATA, OTTAWA - Sanmina-SCI (sanminasci.com) will expand its factory here and add up to 90 workers by year-end, the company told local reporters. The EMS firm will expand the plant size, currently 50,000 sq. ft., by 50% or 25,000 sq. ft....

Inventors devise solderable thick-film circuit.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... HAVERHILL, MA - A US-based research firm and a Japanese PWB fabricator have reportedly developed a solderable thick-film circuit system on a thin flexible substrate. The ability to solder the substrate enhances its potential for use as a basic...

Kester completes HQ expansion.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... ITASCA, IL - Kester (kester.com) recently completed an expansion project at its Itasca headquarters to dedicate more floor space to solder paste and flux products. Floor space was increased more than 3,000 sq. ft., the company said. ...

Oko, Fraunhofer recommend discontinuation of 7 RoHS exemptions.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... FREIBURG, GERMANY - A pair of firms hired by the European Commission to review existing and new requests for exemptions to the RoHS Directive said it found seven unworthy of continuing. Following a review of 29 exemptions, Oko Institute...

NPL researching tin pest, whiskers in Pb-free solder.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... TEDDINGTON, UK - National Physical Laboratory scientists are researching what use of Pb-free solder alloys could mean for tin pest and tin whiskers. NPL has been studying the allotropic phase transformation in tin and its alloys, commonly known...

Foxconn PC subsidiary relocating to Fort Worth.(Industry NEWS)
May 1, 2009... FORT WORTH, TX - California's loss is Texas' gain, as a Foxconn Electronics subsidiary plans to build a computer assembly plant in Fort Worth. Q-Edge is shuttering its operations in Fullerton, CA, and relocating to a 445,000 sq. ft. site...

Patrick M. Antkowiak.(People)
May 1, 2009... Northrop Grumman promoted Patrick M. Antkowiak to vice president of strategy and capability for its Electronic Systems sector's engineering, manufacturing and logistics organization.

Bernhard Fritz.(People)
May 1, 2009... Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems named Bernhard Fritz head of product marketing. He has a bachelor's in industrial engineering and has been with Siemens since 1998 in several sales and marketing positions, most recently as the head of SEAS...

Raj Badoni.(People)
May 1, 2009... Flex Interconnect Technologies named Raj Badoni director of sales and marketing.

Vincent Wu.(People)
May 1, 2009... VJ Electronix named Vincent Wu China sales manager and Jeremy Zhou senior application engineer.

Greg Slome.(People)
May 1, 2009... Sparton named Greg Slome CFO and announced the retirement of Dick Langley as president.

Brian Leach.(People)
May 1, 2009... AccuSpec Electronics named Brian Leach (top) vice president of sales. He has experience with Texas Instruments, NEC, Harris, and SoPark Corp. It also named Rich Krusz (bottom), formerly of Jabil Circuit, senior vice president of business...

Gary Peacock.(People)
May 1, 2009... Electrolube named Gary Peacock commercial director, HK Wentworth Group.

Mike Hoelzle.(People)
May 1, 2009... Murray A. Percival Co. named Mike Hoelzle for sales in mid Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

All stored up.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change Dec Jan Feb * YTD ...

Manufacturing decline moderates 'somewhat'.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... TEMPE, AZ - Economic activity in the manufacturing sector failed to grow in March for the 14th consecutive month, says the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). The March PMI index was 36.3%, up 50 basis points sequentially. A reading...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.96 0.97 0.86 0.47 (r) 0.48 (p) Semiconductors (2) -2.1% -9.5%...

Netbook PC LCD Shipments to soar.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... EL SEGUNDO - Shipments of low-cost netbook PC displays will nearly quadruple to 47.4 million units from 2008 to 2012 as consumer demand for the small form-factor PCs soars, according to iSuppli Corp. (isuppli.com). Market revenue will more than...

Gartner sees Signs of electronics life; Taiwanese ODMs spike.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... NEW YORK - Signs of life are emerging among electronics producers, a leading research firm said, but end-user demand is lagging. The forecast: A rebound won't come until year-end and will last some two years to reach its full effect, Gartner...

EMS forecast bucks trends.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... MONTREAL - The global electronics manufacturing services market will grow at an 8.5% CAGR through 2014, Electronics.ca Publications (electronics.ca) said. The market will hit $519 billion in 2014, up from $321 billion in 2008 and $345 billion...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
May 1, 2009... Metals Index Price Per Lb. Date 4/7/08 1/12/09 2/2/09 3/2/09 4/6/09 LME Cash Seller and $7.05 $5.26 $4.81 $5.01 $4.99 Settlement for Tin LME Cash...

China, after the recovery; will new 'bear' emerge from the bear market?(On the Forefront)
May 1, 2009... China has been impacted by the global recession, just as other regions have, and recently lowered its GDP estimates from 7.5% to 6.5%. However, it is the response to the global recession and what happens as China emerges that may forever change...

Assembly is not 'only a rental car': how gluttonous OEMs are ruining an industry.(Global Sourcing)
May 1, 2009... The fifth deadly sin in our series is that of Gluttony, which typically refers to eating too much food. Because most electronics manufacturers are not in the habit of eating printed circuit boards, how does that translate to outsourcing? ...

What's in a squeegee blade? In the SMT world, a whole lot! But know the right attack angle, too.(Screen Printing)
May 1, 2009... If we compare the stencil printer to an automobile, squeegee blades are analogous to where the rubber meets the road. You would never consider putting low-performance tires on a high-performance sports car; that would diminish the purpose. The...

SiP: shrink without sacrifice: replacing actives with bare die reduces the footprint as much as sevenfold.(Better Manufacturing)
May 1, 2009... As electronics technology progresses, system miniaturization drives more function into smaller and lighter packages, increasing package density. The tighter line widths and spaces and smaller vias required by the increase in density are ideal...

What is halogen-free solder paste? And do independent lab results support its use?(Cover Story)
May 1, 2009... Increased interest in halogen-free assemblies is a result of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) exerting pressure on electronics manufacturers to eliminate halogens. The NGOs' primary focus is on resolving global environmental issues and...

The year of survival: it was Apex vs. the economy, and the economy won.(Apex Recap)
May 1, 2009... In 2009's first test of how the electronics manufacturing industry is holding up, the crowds mostly stayed home from the major North American trade show of the year. Travel bans at several major OEMs clearly dampened Apex turnout in April -...

Reflow process development: forcing science on the long-held "art" of profiling.(Reflow Soldering)
May 1, 2009... Art is the use of skill and imagination in the production of things of beauty. Is a reflow profile art? It could be, provided the result of the profile is a robust, repeatable reflow process. However, learning the art of reflow profiling is a...

Broken lines: vibration and strain from Pb-free solder can crack traces near PBGAs.(The Defects Database)
May 1, 2009... This month we feature one recent issue on broken circuit traces on an area array design. A large plastic BGA was found with open circuit connections on the corners of a package. The assembly reportedly failed in the field in a...

Creating a Lean culture: nothing beats hands-on training and built-in flexibility.(Getting Lean)
May 1, 2009... Much has been written on implementation of Lean manufacturing philosophies on the factory floor. However, the most efficient Lean systems grow out of Lean cultures, where everyone contributes to continuous improvement. EPIC's training program...

Induction soldering systems.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... This line of air-cooled induction soldering systems has output power from 5W to 5kW. Applications include conductor to wafer, wire to connector, coax to connector and connector to PCB. iTherm Technologies, itherm.com/solder.html

'0.008"-Parts' Vacuum Tweezers.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... The Small Part Vacuum Tweezer Kit is a general-purpose vacuum-handling tool that plugs directly into 110v 50/60 Hz (220V units available). Said to handle a variety of optics, ball lenses and SMT parts, including 0.008"-sized parts, without...

Wireless barcode Time Clock software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... Job Costing reporting software now comes with Wireless Time and Attendance Time Clock capability. Is Windows-based. Uses barcoding to track labor and parts against jobs. Produces multiple reports that help track direct costs against jobs. Time...

'Green' defluxing solvents.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... VeriClean EU aerosol is a high-end defluxer; ProClean EU is a lower-cost defluxer/degreaser. Reportedly formulated to cut global warming impact up to 99.6%. MicroCare, microcare.com

'Low shrinkage' Pb-free paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... SN 100C P520 D5 is said to reduce shrinkage defects, slow intermetallic growth, and offers high-impact strength for 0402 components. Reportedly reflows with minute solder volumes, wets on all common substrates, exhibits minimal cracking of flux...

On-board printer inspection.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... The Enhanced Evaluation system is said to provide 100% inspection at line rate speeds. Features parallax-free optics and rectified imaging; permits a full shadow-free image of the substrate and automatic comparison of the print to the stencil...

Handheld capacitance/LCR meters.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... U1701A (for capacitance) and U1731A/U1732A (for inductance, capacitance, resistance) include one-touch measurements, tolerance testing (with visual and audible indication), value recording (with min., max. and average), and a dual display....

Automated, expandable buffer storage.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... The SMD Tower is said to correctly store components in a controlled atmosphere, ready for a quick, smooth line changeover. Records movements and tracks all stored reels and component quantities for single reel or tray, and automatically...

Large size screen printer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... X5Pro printer has been updated to provide expanded board size capability and updated I/O system. Is compatible with IPAG integrated paste and glue dispensing system and 2 1/2 D Plus high-speed inspection system. Uses a high-speed servo vision...

Stainless steel squeegee Blades.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... Alpha Blades for surface mount printing are said to eliminate design and manufacturing inconsistencies. Come in flat form in standard 6" to 22" lengths and thicknesses from 0.004" to 0.015". Custom flat squeegee designs available. ...

2-D x-ray/CT Inspection.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... Y.Cheetah combines x-ray technology with high-speed flat panel detection. Features synchronized tube and detector motion for constant image contrast at high resolution. Repositions imaging components at constant magnification for higher...

High-speed inline selective soldering.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... mySelective 6745's processing speed is now up to 50% faster. Is inline-capable and said to be quick to set up. Is compact and modular. Uses Easyteach2 program. The higher-volume mySelective 6748 now features a wave height measurement system;...

Inline 2 MP AOI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... VT-S700 uses a telecentric lens and is said to reduce image distortion and improve inspection accuracy at the edges of large field-of-view. Delivers inspection of up to 10 [mu]m for components as small as 01005 and down to -0.012" pitch. Uses...

Reusable custom support tooling.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... VacuNest now has a 570-mm long support module for large boards and backplane applications. Reportedly offers maintenance-free tooling support for printers, dispensers and pick-and-place systems. ESD-safe modules offer a platform that conforms...

Dual jet dispenser.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... CDS6200 with two jet dispensers permits proportioning of various media at a large number of points. Contains a custom-built vacuum table that can be adjusted manually to the height of + 10 mm, and can be triggered independently; is removable...

High-speed 3-D SPI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2009... SE500 inspects assemblies at reported speeds up to >70 [cm.sup.2]/sec. inspection speed. Inspects pad sizes down to 01005. Conveyor transports panels from 50 x 50 mm to 510 x 510 mm. (SE500X can transport panels from 100 x 100 mm to 810 x 610...

In case you missed it: "next-level requirements for ultra fine-pitch printing".(Printing)
May 1, 2009... Authors: Richard Brooks, John Carr and Marty Carr; info@greatlakeseng.com. Abstract: New assembly technologies are being considered for production to reduce size and/or increase functionality. These new technologies include 0201 and 01005...

"Planning and implementing a successful box-build: a process FMEA implementation".(Reliability)
May 1, 2009... Authors: Haans Petruschke and Roy Starks; hpetruschke@libraind.com. Abstract: The main subject of this paper is the Process Failure Mode Effect Analysis (PFMEA), and how this methodology was used to identify risk, priority rank potential...

"Studies on solder Electromigration in lead-free flip chip joint system".(Reliability)
May 1, 2009... Authors: Kimihiro Yamanaka, Takafumi Ooyoshi, Takayuki Nejime and Yutaka Tsukada; kimihiro. yamanaka.yb@kyocera-slc.co.jp. Abstract: Electromigration phenomena in SnAg3.0CuIn0.5 solders in flip chip joint systems were investigated....

"Heavy thermal load Pb-free wave soldering - getting top hole fillets with + 3 Oz. Copper planes".(Wave Soldering)
May 1, 2009... Authors: Corey Peterson and Jeff Kennedy; capeterson@ra.rockwell.com. Abstract: High copper weight boards with internal ground plane structures act like heatsinks. This usually has a detrimental effect on hole fill. While much work and...