Circuits Assembly articles from October 2005

Circuits Assembly archives from October 2005

'Be a manager, go to jail'.(Caveat Lector)
October 1, 2005... I don't usually plagiarize from myself but this case merits an exception. As I wrote in the Aug. 19 issue of our digital newsletter, PCB UPdate, those looking to implement lead-free--more or less all of you--take note. A new standard document...

Digi-Key Corp.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Digi-Key Corp. (digikey.com) signed a deal to distribute Micrel Inc.'s (micrel.com) IC lines.

Dage Precision Industries.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Dage Precision Industries (dageinc.com) opened an East Coast demonstration center and application lab at Circuit Technology Center's (circuittechctr.com) 30,000 sq. ft facility in Haverhill, MA.

Elektrobit Group Plc.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Elektrobit Group Plc (elektrobit.com) combined its Testing and Automation Solutions business units. Former executive VP of testing Dr. Hannu Hakalahti is now executive VP of the combined unit.

Asymtek.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Asymtek (asymtek.com) named Shanghai Kankun Trading Co. (kankun.com.cn) to market its automated fluid dispensing systems in China. Headquartered in Shanghai, Kankun has branches in Suzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Chengdu and Wuhan.

Leica Microsystems.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Leica Microsystems (leica-microsystems.com) opened a cleanroom at its Weilburg, Germany, facility. Replacing the previous cleanroom in Wetzlar, the 594 [m.sup.2] facility will bring together the assembly lines of both locations.

Amkor Technology.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Amkor Technology (amkor.com) has added multiple Agilent (agilent.com) 93000 Pin Scale systems to its existing installed base at locations in Korea and Singapore. The systems include the Audio/Video 8 analog card for parallel multisite analog...

Astronic Industries.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... EMS provider Astronic Industries (astronic.ch) ordered eight NSpec AOI systems from Christopher Associates (christopherweb.com) to supplement its installed systems.

Envision Solutions.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Envision Solutions will represent JNJ Industries' (jnj-industries.com) screenprinting accessories, cleaning chemistries, ultrasonic cleaning equipment and specialized tooling products in TX, OK, AR and LA.

BTU: oven maker on fire.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... N. Billerica, MA -- After being given up by many for dead, business is heating up at BTU International. In one of the industry's top feel-good stories, the maker of soldering equipment (btu.com) has posted three straight profitable quarters,...

Cobar Solder Products.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Cobar Solder Products (cobar.com) appointed Comtree/Northtouch Canada (northtouch.com) to represent its line of solder pastes, fluxes and other materials in Canada. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

Endevco Corp.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Endevco Corp. (endevco.com) signed AkronNV (akron.be) as non-exclusive distributor of its test and measurement products in the Benelux region.

CheckSum.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... CheckSum (checksum.com), a supplier of ICT systems, opened an office in Shanghai.

Cirtronics.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... EMS firm Cirtronics (cirtronics.com) recently purchased 35 Align Adjustable Height work-stations from Lista International (listaintl.com) to aid its move from batch manufacturing to Lean manufacturing.

Veris Manufacturing.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Veris Manufacturing (verismfg.com) acquired the 60,000 sq. ft. CYR Industrial facility in Rosarito, Mexico.

Purex International.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Purex International (purexltd.co.uk), manufacturer of fume extraction systems, opened a demonstration and training office in Gurnee, IL.

Feinfocus.(In Brief)
October 1, 2005... Feinfocus (feinfocus.com) will collaborate with INNOV-X Systems (innov-xsys.com), a manufacturer of portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers, on assembly and semiconductor packaging products.

Schmits named president of Universal Instruments.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Binghampton, NY -- Jeroen Schmits was named president of Universal Instruments Corp. (uic.com) in August, replacing Ian deSouza, who left the company earlier that month. Schmits had been president of Vitronics Soltec (vitronics-soltec.com)...

Additional RoHS exemptions sought.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Brussels -- Comments are being sought from companies whose designs would either be rendered impracticable by RoHS-banned substances or where the negative environmental and consumer safety impacts caused by switching would outweigh the benefits....

Study finds accuracy critical for Pb-free deposition.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Franklin, MA -- Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech.com) and Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) have found that positional accuracy of a paste deposit relative to the pad is the critical element in ensuring good fine-pitch, lead-free...

OEM group calls for steady supply of SnPb parts.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Herndon, VA -- The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (inemi.org) in August issued a set of recommendations calling for continued availability of tin-lead compatible components for products exempted from European restrictions....

Dynatech Technology.(People)
October 1, 2005... Chris Cleland joined Dynatech Technology as Western region sales manager. He was previously a manufacturer's rep handling pre-owned placement equipment. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

Viscom.(People)
October 1, 2005... Viscom appointed Dr. Udo E. Frank (pictured) as head of its x-ray application center. Norbert Meuser will become managing director of the Singapore branch office, Viscom Machine Vision Pte. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

KIC.(People)
October 1, 2005... KIC hired Mark Vininski as senior technologist and application engineer. He previously worked at Intel and Honeywell.

Assembleon Asia Pacific.(People)
October 1, 2005... Assembleon Asia Pacific appointed Goh Kee Tuan vice president/general manager. He was formerly with Philips RF Solutions.

Indium Corp.(People)
October 1, 2005... Indium Corp. hired Greg Phipps (pictured) as vice president of marketing. He previously worked at Boston Consulting Group and RR Donnelly. Gary Usyk joined the company's IT staff as network administrator. Anne McKerrow has been promoted to...

Zestron's European.(People)
October 1, 2005... Uwe Nikolaus and Martina Stieglmeier join Zestron's European marketing team as junior product managers. Also, Zestron America named Cesar Gazcon technical sales manager for Mexico.

Leviton Manufacturing Co.(People)
October 1, 2005... Leviton Manufacturing Co. promoted Donald J. Hendler (pictured) to president. Outgoing president Harold Leviton will remain CEO. Stephen B. Sokolow was named vice chairman. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Elcoteq Network Corp.(People)
October 1, 2005... Elcoteq Network Corp. named Miguel Angel Perez Andres business development director for Latin America, based in Sao Paulo. He joins the company from Celestica.

Parkheath.(People)
October 1, 2005... Parkheath appointed Nigel Bard as sales manager of Cobar materials in the UK and Ireland. Bard has experience as a senior engineer at Panasonic and operations manager at AB Electronics (now TTems).

Valor teaming on placement calibration.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Pittsburgh -- Valor Computerized Systems' manufacturing data sets will be integrated with a startup EDA firm's component placement software in a move that could help speed electronics design. DesignAdvance Systems (designadvance.com), a...

Agilent to sell semi businesses.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Palo Alto, CA -- Agilent Technologies will divest its Semiconductor Products segment to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Silver Lake Partners for $2.66 billion. The company also plans to spin off its SOC and Memory Test businesses in 2006. ...

U.S. EMS firms poorly positioned.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Frankfurt -- Deutsche Bank has expressed concern over U.S.-based EMS vendors' high-cost manufacturing footprint and Asian-based ODM/EMS vendors' increasing competitiveness for the past several years. U.S.-based EMS firms experienced healthy...

RoHS guidance notes reissued.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... London -- The U.K. government is awaiting formal notification of the adoption of the Commission decision establishing the RoHS Directive's maximum concentration values. To keep industry stakeholders informed of the latest developments, the DTI...

Speedline CEO: Pb-free peak still ahead.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Franklin, MA -- Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech.com) reported second-quarter bookings rose 44% sequentially and in July reached their highest level since 2000. At the end of July, backlogs had climbed 68% versus the end of the first...

IPC's Bergman to keynote PCB East.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2005... Atlanta -- PCB Design Conference East, a conference and exhibition for PCB engineering, design and manufacture professionals, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Manchester, NH, on Oct. 10-14. Dieter Bergman, director of technology transfer...

Storage all full.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... Storage All Full Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change May June (r) July * YTD ...

Manufacturing still hot in August.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... Tempe, AZ -- The manufacturing sector grew for the 27th straight month in August, although high energy prices raise concerns for future growth. New orders and production slipped from July but remained strong, according to the latest Institute...

Hardware forecast slows in August.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... San Francisco -- Expected spending on computer hardware softened in August, according to a poll of U.S. CIOs by Deutsche Bank (db.com). More than 42% said they would increase hardware spending, down from 48.3% in July. Just 30.2% of CIOs at...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... Industry Market Snapshot Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. April May June July Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.81 0.84 0.90 0.93 Semiconductors (2) ...

ICs: correction ahead?(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... Los Altos -- Have semiconductor inventories gotten out of whack? The disparity between strong sales of end-use items and the drop in IC shipments suggests a "major inventory adjustment," said research firm Henderson Ventures...

Gartner: servers up 4.7% in June quarter.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2005... San Jose -- June quarter sales of servers grew to $12.1 billion worldwide, up 4.7% year-over-year, said researchers Gartner (gartner.com) Revenue fell 1.6% sequentially. For the quarter, IBM was the market leader, at a 30.4% share,...

Celestica's new driver.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
October 1, 2005... In January, Celestica announced a 15-month restructuring that would cut 5,500 jobs from the EMS company's ranks. On May 16, the company introduced Craig H. Muhlhauser as president and executive vice president of worldwide sales and business...

Harmony across the Pacific: coping with language barriers is just one of the "tricks" of global trade.(Global Sourcing)
October 1, 2005... I was initially excited about the prospect of doing business in Asia. My first trip there, seven years ago, was a real eye-opener to the unlimited possibilities of world economics. But to this day, even with an office and staff in Taiwan that...

An all-silicon package? It would permit the perfect match of identical materials. So, why not?(On the Forefront)
October 1, 2005... Wafer-level packaging is gaining momentum as newer designs and processes continue along the learning curve. Organic substrates, especially polyimide film (flex-based packaging), have achieved some level of success and continue to grow. Why not...

'Prevention vs. Reaction': short a standard, machine specs and performance are derived different ways.(Screen Printing)
October 1, 2005... Our industry has no standard criteria for the qualifying factors used in determining equipment performance specifications, or even for what equipment specifications should be supplied to the customer. There are no rules all equipment suppliers...

Lead-Free or die: RoHS exemptions are a stay of execution, not a commuted sentence.(Better Manufacturing)
October 1, 2005... "Send lawyers, guns and money, the sh-t has hit the fan."--Warren Zevon [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Last year I presented the Five Stages of Lead-Free (sidebar). Now, with less than 10 months before RoHS kicks in, it is...

When to outsource rework: breaking down the cost and quality decisions.(Business Management)
October 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2077/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] One compelling argument for outsourcing the rework and repair of printed circuit boards is that it permits the assembler...

Calibrating the value of execution speed: three case studies show how U.S. firms can maintain mid-volume projects.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... In outsourcing, production realization cost is typically driven by two factors: landed unit price and the opportunity cost associated with execution speed. Identifying and eliminating hidden cost drivers in the outsourcing relationship is...

Lead-free new problems--new solutions.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... Over the past several decades the electronics assembly industry has perfected efficient and high quality manufacturing of leaded assemblies. Today we are faced with disruptive changes required by the production of Lead-Free electronics....

Building in clusters: change(over) is inevitable, and assembly efficiency can be aided by intelligent feeders and better software.(Trends in Placement)
October 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2080/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Until about 1994, feeder banks were fixed on machines, requiring every feeder to be changed individually. One of the...

Pb-free rework differences and practices: no lead means using four heating zones and one cooling zone for reflow.(Pb-Free Rework)
October 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2078/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Good assembly practice calls for retrained staff and new profiles. Maintaining high quality rework is more challenging...

Switching to Pb-free: how difficult is it? Very, says this four-part series on materials, equipment and process considerations.(Process Change)
October 1, 2005... Ed: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2079/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] When switching to Pb-free, the product dictates all restrictions. The cost (that is, the retail price) of the product and...

Mixed metallurgies: can SAC-finished components be soldered with SnPb? Sometimes.(Soldering Tips)
October 1, 2005... Within a two-week period, the EMPF (Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility) Helpline received four calls asking whether it is possible to solder, using SnPb, a component with a SnAgCu finish and whether there are reliability concerns....

Solderability and joint design: thermal solderability demands solder not cool below its melting point during joint formation.(Wave Soldering)
October 1, 2005... Successful wave soldering requires that components to be joined by solder withstand the process without damage. This sounds obvious, but it is not always an easy requirement to satisfy considering that the components must have good wettability...

The relationship of components, alloys and fluxes, part 1: call it a love triangle--or a Bermuda Triangle. Either way, the best alloy may be determined by the end-application.(Countdown to Pb-Free)
October 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2081/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Lead has been an indispensable element in solders due to its high ductility, reasonable mechanical strength, low...

Escape artist: design changes involving a standoff permit flux trapped under PQFNs to volatilize and escape.(Process Doctor)
October 1, 2005... Ed.: For the full article, please see circuits assembly.com/cms/content/view/2075/ [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] In my last column ("On a Flat Note," September 2005), I discussed an assembler's problem with flux entrapment under...

Direct Logix's Control Center XP.(Software Advances)
October 1, 2005... Control Center server v. 3.3 and 8 Web-accessible applications are integrated for design for manufacturing analysis (DFx), communication, engineering procedure management and approval processes. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] ...

Configurable AOI.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Supra M AOI system comes with a large format digital camera and high-precision linear x/y stage. One-camera system permits a configurable field of view. Pixel resolution adjustable from 15 to 22 [micro]m/pixel. Has a 960 X 965 mm footprint,...

Pb-Free materials.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Pb-Free suite of assembly materials are for WEEE and RoHS compliance and include no-clean and water-wash solder pastes, solder preforms in tape and reel packaging, wave solder flux, reworkable no-flow underfill, and rework and repair materials....

Concurrent programmer.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... The 2710 concurrent programming system for high-density devices, including flash, programs a 64 Mb device in 15 sec. Uses FX4 socket modules to program up to four devices simultaneously per site. Compatible with existing standard and automated...

No-clean Pb-free paste.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... EnviroMark 907 no-clean, Pb-free solder paste is said to feature a long stencil life, with joints that resemble SnPb paste. Capable of extended downtimes in printing, print speed is up to 6 in./sec. Said to have excellent cold and hot slump...

Pb-free reflow oven.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... RO300FC full convection reflow oven for high-temperature soldering of sensitive electronics is said to enable high throughput with small footprint (2 m) and homogeneous heat distribution. Available as tabletop or stand model for reflow or...

Pb-free solder paste.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Sn89Sb10.5Cu0.5 high-temperature solder paste has a solidus temperature of 242[degrees]C, 22[degrees]C [DELTA] above SAC. May be used for multiple-step component assembly. Said to exhibit high tensile strength (~12,000 PSI), improved wetting...

Rotary dispensing table.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... RT404-FLEX II has two rotating platforms for simultaneous dispensing in a circular pattern. Flexible z-axis features adjustable height, tilt and speed. Dispensing controller can be housed in the table for easy access. Has adjustable rotation...

Multifunctional placer.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... MG-1 places 01005s through large, fine pitch QFPs to oddform parts and components up to 15 mm. Placement beam carries eight independent z-servo controlled heads. Side viewing camera system verifies 01005 or 0201 presence at the nozzle. Measures...

Screen printing platforms.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Galaxy high-accuracy mass imaging machine platform with DirEKt Ball Placement is said to meet speed and accuracy demands of SMT assembly and semiconductor packaging. Europa platform with HawkEye and high throughput conveyor is suited for...

Selective soldering.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Firefly selective soldering solution can be used with SnPb or Pb-free alloys. Is said to have high level of energy supplied by the laser, precise targeting and accurate temperature control. Components can be soldered without dedicated...

Wave profile fixture.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Wave Surfer self-contained measurement system for wave solder machines provides data on machine setup and processes. Has five embedded thermocouples. Made of a material similar to typical wave solder pallets, can withstand thousands of passes....

PCB/BGA X-ray inspection.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Redesigned Jewel Box RTX real-time x-ray systems for PCB and BGA inspection are said to provide rapid, reliable in-process inspection. Are compact, lightweight and include wheels. Offer magnification up to 2000x. Feature microfocus x-ray tubes...

Optimized surface analysis.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... SurfaceScan QC-100 characterizes Pb-free single- or multilayer finishes. Sequential electrochemical reduction analysis (SERA) determines solderability, surface oxidation, coating contamination, coating thickness and film characteristics of Cu,...

Boundary scan controllers.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Scanflex boundary scan hardware architecture consists of controllers of various performance classes, together with six different TAP Transceivers and an I/O module (SFX Module) for parallel, digital I/O. Product family includes USB, LAN, PXI,...

SMT X-ray inspection.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Cougar Versatile X-ray platform SMT version inspects BGAs, [mu]BGAs and wafer-level CSPs. Includes a microfocus x-ray tube up to 160 Kv, standard five-axes manipulator with oblique viewing, CNC capabilities, HDX-ray real-time 16-bit image...

3D paste inspection.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... SE 300 Ultra reportedly offers accurate, repeatable 3D solder paste inspection up to 25% faster than the SE 300. New body design and flexible conveyor system add capability for a range of applications. CyberOptics Corp., cyberoptics.com ...

Rotary placement head.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... The Lightning head features 30 independently-controlled spindles with touchdown sense, auto z update at pickup and board z-height mapping to compensate for possible board warpage. Has dual on-the-head optics, places components from 01005 to 30...

Soldering robots.(Product PREVIEW)
October 1, 2005... Inline robotic cells and semiautomated tabletop robots for micro-soldering, micro-dispensing and assembly operations. Can also handle selective point-to-point soldering and dispensing for one- or two-component products. Volumetric dispensers...

In case you missed it: cleaning.(Technical Abstracts)
October 1, 2005... "Optimizing Cleaning Energy in Batch and Inline Cleaning Systems: Phase II" [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Abstract: In 2004, Stach and Bixenman found that defining an optimized electronics assembly cleaning system requires an...

In case you missed it: component assembly.(Technical Abstracts)
October 1, 2005... "Considerations in the Development of the 01005 Component Assembly Process" Abstract: One of the miniature component packages used for resistors and capacitors is the 01005 package. Measuring 0.40 X 0.20 mm, the 01005 component package is...

In case you missed it: design.(Technical Abstracts)
October 1, 2005... "Investigating Microvia Technology for 10 Gbps and Higher Telecommunications Systems" Abstract: The evolution of various backplane architectures has pushed system bandwidth from hundreds of megabits/sec. to terabits/sec. In the pursuit of...

In case you missed it: solder qualification.(Technical Abstracts)
October 1, 2005... "Lifecycle Assessment of Lead-free Solders in the Electronics Industry: Application and Insights" Abstract: Lifecycle assessment is a holistic analytical technique for assessing the environmental effects associated with a product, process...