Circuits Assembly articles from October 2008

Circuits Assembly archives from October 2008

Clean slate?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... I have been waiting to read your insights on the recent announcement of a joint conference [on cleaning] sponsored by IPC and SMTA. While I think any personal issues between these or any two groups should not be amplified in the media, this is...

Show me the weather.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... I enjoyed reading Susan Mucha's recent column ("Weathering a Trade Show Storm," September 2008). Interesting that a limited attended show was one of my best! You see, the people who were prepared were the people I wanted to deal with. And the...

Profiles in standards.(Caveat Lector)
October 1, 2008... As standards go, so goes our industry, not that we talk about them much. But you don't have to look much further than a master drawing or the program contract to know how vital a role standards play in our daily operations. [ILLUSTRATION...

Digi-Key.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... The new Digi-Key (digikey.com) Toolbar provides quick access to the component distributor's inventory, product information and training. Features include access to Digi-Key's part search with recent search history and drag-and-drop and...

TT Electronics.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... TT Electronics installed two EVS 6000 systems from EVS International at its Rogerstone, UK, plant.

Valor.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Valor (valor.com) launched an initiative promoting the development of software for improvement of electronic design and manufacturing. The Valor Innovation Circle gives users access to new software and favorable terms in return for a one-year...

BPM Microsystems.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... BPM Microsystems (bpmmicro.com) signed a deal with VirTex (virtexassembly.com) to manufacture PCBs for BP Micro's device programmers.

Kester.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Kester (kester.com) named Floritronics (floritronics.com) its representative for Florida.

GS electronic vertriebs und service.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... KIC (kicthermal.com) named Amtech spol. s r. o. (amtech.cz) distributor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. KIC also named GS Electronic Vertriebs und Service (gselectronic.de) as distributor.

FocalSpot Inc.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... FocalSpot Inc. (focalspot.com) has doubled its San Diego facility size and expanded manufacturing, assembly and equipment/parts warehousing and its R&D lab.

PEM Technologies.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Henkel (henkel.com/electronics) signed PEM Technologies to represent its Loctite brand electronics adhesives in the South African region.

EE Technologies Inc.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... EE Technologies Inc. (eetechinc.com) purchased a Vitronics Soltec (vitronics.com) Delta 5 wave soldering system.

Cookson Electronics.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Cookson Electronics' (cooksonelectronics.com) Apodaca Nuevo Leon Monterrey, Mexico, manufacturing facility received ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications. The company expects to certify to OHSAS 18001:2007 in early 2009 or sooner.

Catalyst Manufacturing Services.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Catalyst Manufacturing Services (catalyst.ems.com) has standardized on Aegis' (aiscorp.com) Software Operations Planning, Execution, and Analysis system across its multi-factory enterprise.

Teknek.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Teknek (teknek.com) named InterLatin (interlatin.com.mx) as its distributor in Mexico for its contact cleaning equipment.

MPC.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... MPC (mpccorp.com) will lay off 5% of its nationwide workforce and transfer some manufacturing to Flextronics (flextronics.com) in Juarez, Mexico, according to published reports. Most of the jobs are in IT and sales, KTIV reported. MPC acquired...

TXP Corp.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... TXP Corp. (txpcorp.com) and Cambridge Industry Group (cambridgegrp.com) have signed a memorandum to merge. The merger reportedly would form the world's largest ODM and services business focused on fiber-to-the-home equipment. TXP generated...

Vitronics Soltec.(In Brief)
October 1, 2008... Vitronics Soltec (vitronics.com) named Production Automation Corp. (gotopac.com) its manufacturer's representatives for wave, reflow, and selective soldering systems in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and northwestern Wisconsin.

Creation buys Circuit Service, enters China.(Industry NEWS)(Company overview)
October 1, 2008... VANCOUVER - Creation Technologies (creationtech.com) has acquired Circuit Service Inc. (circuitservice.com) and its Chinese subsidiary, Changzhou CSI Ltd. (CCSI) of Changzhou, China. The acquisition marks the first foray for the EMS provider...

Kimball buys neighboring EMS firm Genesis.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2008... JASPER, IN - Kimball Electronics (kegroup.com) on Aug. 31 acquired Genesis Electronics Manufacturing (genesismfg.com) for an undisclosed sum. Genesis, an EMS provider based in Tampa, FL, has annual revenues of about $17 million and...

Circuits assembly opens 2009 Service Excellence Awards.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2008... ATLANTA - CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY seeks participants for its annual Service Excellence Awards (SEAs) for EMS providers and electronics assembly equipment, material and software suppliers. Now in its 17th year, the SEAs (circuitsassembly.com/sea)...

Plexus expanding to Hangzhou.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2008... NEENAH, WI-Plexus Corp. (plexus.com) has signed a deal to lease approximately 106,000 sq. ft. in the Binjiang Hi-Tech Park located in Hangzhou, China. Production is expected to begin late in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The company did not...

Catalyst starts up 2d Tijuana plant.(Industry NEWS)
October 1, 2008... TIJUANA, MEXICO - Catalyst Manufacturing Services (catalyst.ems.com) has opened an 80,000 sq. ft. facility in Tijuana, its second here, the company said. The site features two SMT lines and 60,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space. The EMS company...

Ron Wrable.(People)
October 1, 2008... Inovaxe Corp. named Ron Wrable director of sales, responsible for sales and channel management within the North Americas. He has 25 years' experience in sales and sales management within the electronics industry, most recently as regional sales...

Kena Pegram.(People)
October 1, 2008... R&D Circuits named Kena Pegram West Coast regional sales manager.

Scott Kentner.(People)
October 1, 2008... Finetech named Scott Kentner applications engineer.

Dag songedal day.(People)
October 1, 2008... EMS provider Kitron AS named Dag Songedal Day managing director. He was previously vice president at Norsafe AS, and was CFO for Sonec ASA.

Sergio Romero.(People)
October 1, 2008... Krayden Inc. named Sergio Romero industrial engineer, responsible for the EI Paso, Chihuahua, Juarez and Torreon territories, and David Ayala sales representative for Monterrey, San Luis Potosi and Saltillo.

Thomas tong boon Hwa.(People)
October 1, 2008... Indium named Thomas Tong Boon Hwa (pictured) technical support manager, Asia-Pacific Region. He has 20 years' experience in SMT, semiconductor and solar. The company named as area sales managers, Asia/Pacific Ricky A. Canlas, Winston Chew and...

BEST symposium highlights practical rework techniques.(Industry)
October 1, 2008... ROLLING MEADOWS, IL - With a traveling classroom on its doorstep (AKA the rework bus), the front office at BEST Inc. (solder.net) looks like any other office. But then you round the corner. Like Oz behind the curtain, the bustling building is...

Semis leap.(Market)
October 1, 2008... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % change May June (r) July * YTD Computers and electronics products ...

August continues manufacturing decline.(Market)
October 1, 2008... TEMPE, AZ - Economic activity in the manufacturing sector failed to grow in August, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). While new orders rose 3.3 points sequentially, production dropped slightly to 52.1%. Inventories were up...

Industry market snapshot.
October 1, 2008... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Mar. Apr. May June July Semiconductor 0.87 0.82 0.78 0.81 (r) 0.83(p) equipment (1) Semiconductors (2) 1.82% 3.82% 4.18%...

PC, cellphone prospects strong.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2008... LOS ALTOS, CA - PC and mobile phone manufacturers are upbeat about second-half prospects, says Henderson Ventures (henderson-ventures.com), pointing to a 12% jump in semiconductor bookings during the second quarter. Henderson is forecasting an...

Report: EMS labor costs rising.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2008... SAN JOSE - The average cost of labor for EMS in most global geographies continues to rise at a rate equal to or slightly above the currency-adjusted local inflationary index, according to Charlie Barnhart & Associates (charliebarnhart.com)....

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
October 1, 2008... Date 9/10/07 6/2/08 7/7/08 8/4/08 9/2/08 LME Cash Seller and $6.77 $9.60 $10.60 $9.84 $8.82 Settlement for Tin LME Cash Seller and $1.37 $0.89 $0.71 $0.98 $0.88...

Reach costs 'horrifically expensive'.(Talking Heads)
October 1, 2008... The legislation known as REACH (Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) has been in effect since June 1, 2007, yet that particular date lacked impact, says Michael Kirschner. The president of Design...

The 7 Deadly Sins of outsourcing: and how to heal the "fundamentally broken" supply chain relationship.(Global Sourcing)
October 1, 2008... Medieval scholars and church officials, arguably the management consultants of their age, cite a list of attitudes to avoid, in an effort to get their clients on track toward a good life. The "Seven Deadly Sins" were first developed by John...

Substrate support: dedicated vs. reconfigurable; One size doesn't fit all. here's why.(Screen Printing)
October 1, 2008... The focus of many of my musings in this space has been around the impact of proper-or improper! - inputs on the screen printing process. We've discussed ideal squeegee angles, stencil manufacturing quality, paste selection and more. One subject...

To the finish: for Pb-free PWB surface finishes, there's no panacea, just choices.(Better Manufacturing)
October 1, 2008... One aspect of the Pb-free conversion process is the PWB surface finish. With regard to production volumes, the contenders are HASL, pure tin, NiAu, OSP and immersion silver. There are others and others will evolve no doubt, but at this point,...

'Checking up' on medical electronics: a healthy relationship involves understanding FDA documentation.(Medical Electronics Assembly)
October 1, 2008... Medical electronics assembly demands a different set of criteria than do commercial PCBs. In particular, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires specific documentation, especially for verification of certain processes. Complying with...

Solder ball attachment using laser soldering: used to reball parts, the process eliminates two thermal cycles and enhances component reliability.(Cover story)
October 1, 2008... Solder ball attachment to BGA and CSPs is seldom performed without at least some negative impact on component reliability. Most solder ball attachment processes in use are convection processes. These require heating the entire component to...

Improving QFN reliability: the proper solder volume makes a dramatic difference.(Components)
October 1, 2008... Small QFN packages (sometimes referred to as a micro leadframe package, or MLP) present processing challenges. The requirements for grounding the package bottom and making reliable connections to I/Os on the periphery on this same plane can be...

Is my oven Pb-free capable? The conveyor, cooling system and reflow atmosphere are critical factors.(Reflow Soldering)
October 1, 2008... The assembly yield of a specific PWB will depend on the interaction of two variables: materials and process. Materials employed in construction of electronics products are being changed in such a fashion as to have a significant effect on the...

Reworking Pb-free PCBs: proper preheat and cleaning techniques are essential.(Tech Tips)
October 1, 2008... Hand soldering, paste reflow and wave soldering are the dominant methods used to apply solder in electronics assembly. They predate the shift toward Pb-free processes now making their way into the mainstream. The transition process (Table...

'Bump'ing up coverage: a novel soldered probe could improve access at ICT.(Test and Inspection)
October 1, 2008... Test access continues to be an issue, especially for in-circuit test, which is fundamentally dependent on electrical access. One way to battle the access issue at ICT is through Bead Probe technology. This novel method is steadily becoming more...

An education on cleaning: An upcoming symposium addresses rising concerns over residues.(Process Doctor)
October 1, 2008... Higher I/O counts, progressive miniaturization, more reliable performance, and other demands are being impeded by circuit board cleanliness effects.(1) Contamination can severely diminish the ability to resist shorting adjacent to leads or...

A clean start: our columnist gets a wakeup call on the tenacity of Pb-free residues.(Pb-Free Lessons Learned)
October 1, 2008... For several years, I've been under the impression residues from Pb-free solder pastes weren't any more difficult to clean than their SnPb predecessors. Today, I stand corrected. I now have it on authourity that Pb-free flux residues, whether...

Photovoltaics in EMS sector: have spare capacity? Simply bolt-on solar cells!(Alternative Energies)
October 1, 2008... The solar cell sector is buoyant, booming even. What's interesting for those like me with experience in other process-driven sectors - in my case surface mount pre-placement technology - is the number of parallels and similarities in business...

Nozzle-free BGA rework.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... RE-7500 is nozzle-free and incorporates IR, but requires no light bulb. Has precision x-y table, on-board preheater and built-in cooling. Connects to laptop for remote operation. Saves profiles for future use. Uses no hot air. One-year...

Automated stencil printer with Vision.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... SP200-AV2 stencil printer includes Trans-Stencil-Vision; has PCB shuttle mechanism. The upper part of the machine frame contains vision cameras, the print head and the stencil-frame guide. Squeegee does not have to be removed for stencil...

Pb-free, no-clean solder paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Alpha POP-959 is designed to deliver repeatable paste volumes for PoP assembly. Provides flux and solder powder. Designed to minimize expensive rework and scrap. Is said to offer resistance to shear forces associated with PoP dip application...

Selective soldering nozzle locator.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... The Linear Encoder high-accuracy option for selective soldering provides closed-loop feedback, reportedly indicating the exact location of the solder nozzle; is said to provide overall repeatable accuracy of +/-0.001". [ILLUSTRATION...

Dispense gun, mixer combo.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Mixpac F system consists of a manual or pneumatic dispensing gun, a cartridge and a static mixer, all designed to work together. Cartridge dispensing systems are used to dispense two-component adhesives in a variety of volumetric ratios....

PV production thermal profiler.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... SunKIC thermal profiler has a 19 mm (0.75") tall thermal shield. Includes easy-to-use software and displays relevant process data such as peak temperature, dwell time in various temperature ranges, and slope gradients. Measures area under the...

Enhanced CAM tool.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... VisualCAM 2006 and GerbTool 15.2 feature version 8.0 ODB++; flip panel; IPC-D-356B support; nearly 200 enhancements and defect fixes; ability to "see through" composite layers, and flying probe test point generation. Choose to export full...

0402 desktop AOI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... The scanner-based FA-Inspector optical inspection system uses a high-res scanner and computer-based image processor to provide image acquisition, fault identification and SPC reporting. Incorporates proprietary optics, custom illumination and...

Thermal profiler with DPMO.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... KIC 24/7 thermal profiler now comes standard with a feature that reportedly transforms a reflow oven to a transparent process tool. Generates reports for defects per million opportunities and reflow process yield. This information is said to be...

Benchtop solder dross recovery.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... KDS-101 recovers purified solder from dross in all soldering operations. Recovered solder can be immediately reused and dross disposed of efficiently. Koki Tec Corp. /Christopher Associates Inc., christopherweb.com

High-temp, non-silicone tape.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... 815 is said to withstand temperatures up to 350[degrees]F. Is designed to mask and hold tools, forms and parts for metal and composite bonding, and for masking PCB contacts during conformal coating. Consists of a high-temperature nylon backing,...

Dual vacuum stencil cleaner.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... i8 fully automatic screen printer now has an improved understencil cleaner with dual vacuum cleaning changers; the solvent holes tube is easier to remove from the main understencil cleaner body. Also comes with Pad on Pad Verification (PPV)...

'1-touch' thermal profiler.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... V-M.O.L.E. is a thermal profiler designed to complement MegaM.O.L.E. 20, SuperM.O.L.E. Gold, and oven profilers such as OvenRIDER and OvenWatch. Has one-touch profile verification. Warnings are given on batteries, core temperature and TC...

Fluid jetting valve.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... DispenseJet DJ-9500 is for high-speed underfill applications and jetting silicone for LEDs. Flexible pneumatic design enables jetting a wider range of fluid types, reportedly at up to 10 times faster than needle-type dispensers, with better...

Dual mode screen printer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... SP150 is manual or semiautomatic, with metal or rubber squeegees. Features squeegee lengths of 130, 220, 260, 300 or 400 mm. Has an adjustable print pressure force of 4-140N, programmable printing speeds of 10 to 99 mm/sec, and adjustable...

9-MP color camera.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... SV9C10 12-bit color 9-MP 7 fps camera is externally triggered or free run, compact and rugged. Has flexible interface cable, software control. Area of interest is adjustable for higher frame rates. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EPIX Inc.,...

No-clean Pb-free solder paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... DSP862 is said to have a broad processing window and accommodates a range of applications. Complies with ROLO IPC and IPC Class III. Available in standard form as well as green for SAC and most other Pb-free alloys. Has brick definition,...

Large board undersupport.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... VacuNest shape memory board support is said to handle large board products up to 450 x 450 mm, including backplanes, solar and fuel cell panels and multiple substrate printing. Designed to eliminate problems associated with conventional...

Low foaming defluxer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Bioact EC-88 is made with AquaEdge technology. Is recommended for cleaning Pb-free, no-clean and high-temperature solder pastes. Is said to have high flux loading capacity, low foaming property and low environmental impact. Used with aqueous...

Rosin-, halide-free flux.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... 355-35 no-clean, Bellcore-compliant liquid flux is a rosin-free, halide-free, halogen-free, VOC-free flux designed for high-temperature Pb-free applications. Is said to promote fast wetting and maximum wetting spread; eliminates skips and...

Conformal coat adhesion promotion.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... AdPro Plus is said to increase adhesion between Parylene conformal coatings and various substrates. Reportedly improves adhesion of Parylene to materials such as titanium, stainless steel, gold, chromium, Santoprene, polyimide, polycarbonate...

Acrylic conformal coating.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Turbo-Coat is designed to speed board production throughput without additional UV systems or other capital equipment. Is said to dry tack-free in 3 min.; full cure achieved in 10 min. with elevated temperatures. Can be sprayed or brushed;...

Green Pb-free solder paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Green Paste is said to help eliminate cross-contamination between leaded and Pb-free boards in a mixed production environment. Is visually green, permitting operators to distinguish it from gray-colored SnPb paste. Color remains until reflowed,...

Real-time thermal profile updating.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... Explorer thermal profiler comes in radio frequency version that beams profile data in real-time to the computer, as the profiler runs through the reflow oven or wave solder machine. Instantly shows what is going on with the process. There is...

Sn-based solder.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... SN100e Pb-free solder is manufactured from tin, copper and cobalt. Is RoHS-compliant and reportedly reduces copper dissolution. Is said to provide brighter, shinier solder joints compared to SAC alloys. Is compatible with all SAC and SnCu...

Flex handler for Pick-and-Place.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
October 1, 2008... The FLX2011-MKL placement machine now comes with a twin vacuum table said to ease flex board and film substrate handling; reportedly doubles productivity. Is twice the size of the former table, with ends that protrude from both sides of the...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
October 1, 2008... Connectors "Process Development and Reliability Study with Anisotropic Conductive Film Bonding as a Replacement for Surface Mount Connectors and Hotbar Soldering" Authors: Jonas Sjoberg, Jenson Lee, Shah Alam and Dongkai Shangguan,...