Circuits Assembly articles from September 2004

Circuits Assembly archives from September 2004

Changing outsourcing rules.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Regarding "What Electronics Will Remain in North America" [Market Watch, April 2004, p. 12] I agree. But I think somewhere down the line you just might have to look at the political results. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] This looks...

To borrow a phrase.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... The phrase "on a fast crawl toward recovery" in your April editorial ["The Show Must Go On," p. 7] is the best I have heard to express the current progress of the overall U.S. recovery. Remember, this praise comes from a certified Ph.D....

The Burnout backdraft.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Your May column "Burnout" [Editorial, p. 5] was very good. Our contract manufacturer is on the upswing. They laid off a portion of their workforce about two years ago, but are scrambling for people now. They are working two shifts and...

Good to be green.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... "Get Ahead of Environmental Compliance [June 2004, p. 36] triggered several ideas for design for recycling and [to] take redesign opportunities to reduce cost and part count. Well done. Paul Hart Carrier Inc.

Who's pushing lead free?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Regarding the clever "Five Stages of Lead-Free" column [August 2004, p. 18], I agree about the need to come to terms with reality, although not with the concluding thought about the electronics industry being stronger for the effort of going...

Green's gains.(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... As product stewardship--taking responsibility for a product from cradle to grave--makes its way into mainstream manufacturing, OEMs will be faced with greater oversight for ensuring that obsolete electronics avoid the landfill. [TEXT NOT...

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials (alphametals.com) will implement a surcharge on its solder paste to cover cost increases for tin if the London Metal Exchange price exceeds $9,500/metric ton.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials (alphametals.com) will implement a surcharge on its solder paste to cover cost increases for tin if the London Metal Exchange price exceeds $9,500/metric ton. Tin prices more than doubled in the past six...

Elcoteq Network Corp. (elcoteq.com) will build an $18.6 million plant in St. Petersburg, Russia.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Elcoteq Network Corp. (elcoteq.com) will build an $18.6 million plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. Construction of the 158,000 sq. ft. plant is expected to begin in the final quarter of 2004. The plant is expected to employ about 1,500 people.

Production Solutions Inc.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Production Solutions Inc. (production-solutions.com), a provider of substrate support tooling systems, named Protec sales representative in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.

MfgQuote.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... MfgQuote (mfgquote.com) is an online source for custom manufactured parts and engineered components, including PCBs.

International Manufacturing Services Inc.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... International Manufacturing Services Inc. (ims-resistors.com), a manufacturer of thick-film resistors and substrates, named DM Associates (dmassociatesllc.com) as representative in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and western Pennsylvania.

Centor Software Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Centor Software Corp. (centor.com), Foxconn (foxconn.com), MatrixOne (matrixone.com), Microsoft (microsoft.com) and Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech.com) have joined NEMI (nemi.org), the industry consortium.

Valor Computerized Systems.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Valor Computerized Systems (valor.com) received special recognition from IPC (ipc.org) for its work on IPC-2581, a data transfer format, and its donation of ODB++ (X).

What execs need to know about Pb-free.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Atlanta -- A new one-day seminar that instructs on the impact of new environmental regulations on operational costs and process implementation is now available from Design Chain Associates, EPTAC Corp. and UP Media (publisher of Circuits...

PCB shops lining up for PCB East.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Manchester, NH -- More than 20 board shops ranging from niche firms to global players will be among the exhibitors at next month's PCB Design Conference East 2004. Now in its ninth year, PCB East will be held Oct. 4-8 at the Radisson Hotel...

London, UK--David Wright, an architect and founder of the design company Electrickery (electrickery.uk.com), has found a new use for old circuit boards.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... London, UK--David Wright, an architect and founder of the design company Electrickery (electrickery.uk.com), has found a new use for old circuit boards. After realizing that passing light through translucent PCBs creates interesting visual...

BP Microsystems (bpmicro.com) will standardize its automated product tools on the Windows XP platform.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... BP Microsystems (bpmicro.com) will standardize its automated product tools on the Windows XP platform. All automated equipment will ship with Windows XP only, unless otherwise requested. BP also named Beijing Yake Electronics Company as...

Indium Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Indium Corp. (indium.com) named Progressive Technologies to provide service and sales of its assembly products in central New York state.

Amkor Technology Inc. (amkor.com) is acquiring Unitive Inc. and 60% of its Unitive Semiconductor Taiwan Corp. JV, for $48 million plus $23 million in debt.(In Brief)
September 1, 2004... Amkor Technology Inc. (amkor.com) is acquiring Unitive Inc. and 60% of its Unitive Semiconductor Taiwan Corp. JV, for $48 million plus $23 million in debt. Unitive is a maker of 300 mm electroplated wafer bumping technology and wafer-level...

Cookson offering Pb-free process evals.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Jersey City, NJ -- Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials has opened its analytics lab to assist companies in assessing lead-free process capability. Through CE Analytics, Cookson's diagnostics and analytical arm, the company provides a test...

Flextronics dials in.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... San Jose, CA -- Flextronics (flextronics.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Hughes Network Systems' stake of 55% of Hughes Software Systems (hssworld.com), a software and services provider to telecom infrastructure companies. The...

New process has double vision.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... San Jose, CA -- Sanmina-SCI (sanmina-sci.com) and Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) have devised a technique for rapid generation of high-resolution, sub-surface 3-D scans of complex multilayer back-planes and assemblies. Using Agilent's...

Spotting fakes.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Princeton Junction, NJ -- A special manual that identifies fraudulent and substandard parts is available from the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (idofea.org). The Electronic Components Inspection Manual sets general...

ATExpo: going to Mars.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Rosemont, IL -- The principal manager for the Mars Rover devices will keynote Assembly Technology Expo (atexpo.com) later this month in suburban Chicago, IL. Christopher Salvo, mission manager, Mars Exploration Rover at NASA/Jet Propulsion...

Universal Instruments Corp.(People)
September 1, 2004... Universal Instruments Corp. named Ian deSouza (below) president, replacing Ian McEvoy, who plans to return to the U.K., where his family resides. Previously senior vice president of operations and systems, deSouza was responsible for global...

Cookson Electronics.(People)
September 1, 2004... Cookson Electronics named 11 employees as 2003 Presidents Award recipients. Doreen Agnew, Robert Wallace, Gary Klimala, Robert Cahill, Wim van Ravenswaay, Rich Caron, Rick Correia, Stephen Whitehead, John Tremblay, Mark Foster and Axel Fuhrmann...

Indium Corp.(People)
September 1, 2004... Indium Corp. named Paul Salmon director of marketing in Europe.

Enthone Inc.(People)
September 1, 2004... Enthone Inc. appointed Aaron Storms managing director of Latin America.

March Plasma Systems.(People)
September 1, 2004... March Plasma Systems named Terumitsu Tsuji (top) business manager and Yuji Takai (bottom) regional sales manager for Japan. Tsuji has six years of sales and service management experience in semiconductors. Takai spent four years selling...

Feinfocus.(People)
September 1, 2004... Feinfocus named Dr. Guido Rademaker and Thomas Pukall as application engineers, responsible for identifying market demands for x-ray equipment.

Able Electronics.(People)
September 1, 2004... Able Electronics promoted George Laurie to vice president of manufacturing. Laurie joined Able in February 2000 as director of manufacturing.

Scholars cash in.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Chicago -- Three high school students received $500 scholarships from the IPC Electronics Assembly Scholarship Fund. Mateusz Czerw, Eric Li and Edwin Moy received $500 each from an endowment established to support the electronics program of...

ICs up big in Asia Pacific.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... Stamford, CT -- Revenues from semiconductors sold in Asia Pacific will grow 27.4% this year, according to research firm Gartner (gartner.com). Regional sales are expected to reach $138.8 billion by 2008, a CAGR of 14.3%. "Riding on the...

Revised forecast hurts semi tool sales.(Industry News)
September 1, 2004... New Tripoli, PA -- The SIA's latest forecast for semiconductors--29% growth this year and 4% in 2005, revised from 19% and 6%, respectively--should hurt equipment sales for 2004, according a report recently published by The Information Network...

ICs turn down.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] ICs Turn Down Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change March...

ISM says July, Q3 looking good.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... Tempe, AZ -- Demand for manufactured products rose in July, reversing a two-month decline. Overall, manufacturing grew for the 14th consecutive month, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws), based on its monthly poll of the supply...

Industry market snapshot.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... Industry Market Snapshot Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. March April May June Semiconductor equipment (1) 1.09 1.13 1.10 1.08 Semiconductors (2) ...

Report: high-rel computers CAGR 4.4%.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... Natick, MA -- Demand in North America and Western Europe for rugged and industrial computers is expected to grow 4.4% annually through 2006, according to a recent report by Venture Development Corp. (vdc-corp.com). Defense and aerospace will...

Top PCB makers have Asian flavor.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... New York -- The top five PCB makers in 2003 were Japanese, with combined revenue of $4.57 billion, or 13.3% of the total world output, says a leading PCB market researcher. In this month's PCD&M (pcdandm.com), Dr. Hayao Nakahara of N.T....

ECA: June order index up.(Market Watch)
September 1, 2004... Arlington, VA -- Executives from leading manufacturers say the market continued to grow in June, driven by steady gains for a range of goods, including digital cameras, flat panel displays, DVDs and car cockpit electronics. The monthly...

New adventure: Kester and FlipChip International.(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... In recent news, Kester and FlipChip International (FCI) have published a press release announcing a new product from Kester co-developed for FCI's proprietary, economical wafer bumping process. Q: What led to the development of this...

Q&A with Neil MacRaild, DEK Americas general manager, process support products.(The Fine Pitch)
September 1, 2004... Circuits Assembly: Give us a brief history of DEK stencils, tooling and consumables and the motivation behind adding these product offerings. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Neil MacRaild: It was really more of an expansion of our...

Tin Whiskers: an old problem reappears: the answers to today's problems may lie in yesterday's research.(On the Forefront)
September 1, 2004... Nearly 20 years ago the industry was entertained with with photos of microscopic tin whiskers on TAB tape. With the movement to environmentally friendly manufacturing and the elimination of lead, tin-plated leads are one alternative. Today we...

'There are changes every day': three EMS providers discuss challenges and opportunities of adopting lead-free practices.(Focus on Business)
September 1, 2004... One major challenge facing EMS providers is adequately addressing impending regulations related to elimination of lead and other contaminants from manufacturing processes. The best-known driver: the RoHS (Restriction on the Use of Certain...

Lead-free impact seminar: new one-day seminar for only $349!(Assembly Insider: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Gain the competitive advantage to succeed in the new lead-free environment. This one-day seminar will focus on: * Industry and governmental regulations and directives RoHS/WEEE * Implementation and operational costs * Product...

Electronic reprints.(Assembly Insider: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Electronic reprints show your clients, partners and employees that you have been recognized in a well-respected industry magazine. They also serve as an attractive endorsement, adding credibility to your company and its products and services....

How do your customers rate your service?(Circuits Assembly's Service Excellence Awards: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Enter the 2005 Circuits Assembly Service Excellence Awards and find out your customers' honest opinions about your products and customer service. On October 1st, Circuits Assembly will begin accepting entries for the 13th annual Service...

News and resources for PCB industry professionals.(Assembly Insider: Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... PCB UPdate is a semimonthly e-mail newsletter from UP Media Group, which provides subscribers with the terrific editorial content and expertise of UPMG's two industry magazines: Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture and Circuits Assembly....

Reducing variation through 'intelligent' stencils; a study on stencil design and manufacturing and its impact on printing.(Screen Printing)
September 1, 2004... Since the object of stencil printing is the repeatable deposition of the proper amount of solder in the proper location, the factors that affect aperture size and aperture location must be explored. The majority of stencils currently used in...

Next-generation interchangeable foils: improved foils are easy to load and unload, safe to use and even eliminate loading jigs.(Stencil Developments)
September 1, 2004... Metal laser-cut stencils have been built by securing the stencil foil permanently within a polyester or stainless steel mesh-covered aluminium frame. This frame-mounted construction method is intended to last the life of the stencil and...

An on-board mass calibration system for liquid encapsulation: a case study shows pump output tolerances of 1% can be achieved.(Cover Story)
September 1, 2004... In the selection and use of dispense platforms, much emphasis is placed on the pump technology. For dispensing epoxy, three methods have gained wide acceptance: time pressure, auger and positive displacement. For whatever technology chosen, the...

Considerations for implementing lead-free soldering: smaller process windows equal greater stress. How to manage the changeover.(Pb-Free Soldering)
September 1, 2004... The smaller process windows of lead-free alloys increase demands on soldering equipment, procedures and associated operational costs. Indications suggest that existing soldering equipment is being either upgraded or replaced to meet standards...

Adjustable workstation.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Series 6600 workstations are adjustable via a hand crank or motorized drive mechanism. With a weight capacity of 1000 Ibs. and a height adjustment range of 15.5", workstations are available in sizes from 24 X 30" to 48 X 90". Center justified...

Pb-free solder.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Multicore LF320 lead-free solder paste requires a minimum peak reflow temperature of 229[degrees]C. Is said to have a print speed of 25 to 100 mm[s.sup.-1] and an abandon time of up to two hours. Reportedly resists slump and solder balling....

Variable foil stencils.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... VectorGuard frame mounted stencils are surrounded by a thin aluminum extrusion, to reduce weight and sharp edges. Mounting requires no alignment of teeth, slots or holes. Rigid construction protects stencil body during handling and permits...

'No calibration' hand tool.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The PS-800 hand soldering tool features variable power/fixed temperature control and reportedly requires no calibration. Uses easy-to-remove replaceable heater tips. Designed for repetitive manual assembly and touch-up. [ILLUSTRATION...

Reflow performance monitor.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Datapaq Surveyor identifies if a process is within specific tolerances. This add-on to the reflow tracker system pinpoints where the reflow profile is out of tolerance. Adjustable frame rides on the oven rail or mesh belt and fixed temperature...

High-speed robot.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The TH650 SCARA robot reaches a composite max. speed of 7500 mm/s (z-axis 2000 mm/s), and fits into compact production cells. It has arm spans of 650 mm, a maximum payload of 10 kg and x- and y-axis repeatability of [+ or -]0.015 mm. Reportedly...

Diaphragm valve.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The TS5622VU-DVD diaphragm valve precisely dispenses low- to medium-viscosity fluids. The stainless steel fluid chamber is compatible with a range of chemicals and UV-cure fluids. A short opening stroke provides fast, positive shutoff. Has an...

Modular x-ray platform.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Cougar is a basic modular x-ray inspection platform. Initial configuration includes a microfocus x-ray tube up to 160 kV, TXI control, four-axes manipulator, a real-time image processing system and a real-time image chain with high-res 4" image...

Post-reflow cleaner.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Aquanox A4520 cleaning solvent helps clean reflowed no-clean flux residues in aqueous batch or in-line spray machines. Effective on reflowed paste and uncured SMD adhesives, is environmentally safe and protects solder joint/bumps from...

Large format pick-and-place.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Over 300 feeders can be installed simultaneously on the CLM9000-PLUS-L pick-and-place machine for quick changeovers and complex assembly. Standard board size of 700 X 600 mm is expandable to 750 X 650 mm with 150 feeder slots. Based on a new...

Real-time x-ray.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The Verifier FSX-080 BGA/SMT solder verification and defect detection tool has a 30 X 33" footprint. Reportedly provides continuous real-time x-ray solder verification, defect detection and failure analysis of assemblies up to 16 X 18". ...

PCB cleaner.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Nikko Power Cyclone, a PCB cleaner with conveyor, thoroughly removes dust and particles from PCB surfaces before solder application. Combines brush, high-pressure air knife and vacuum removal. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NIX of America,...

Optical inspection system.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... ERSASCOPE2 SMT/BGA inspection system offers an aperture height below 0.012 mm and is for lead-free PCB inspection. Provides 90[degrees] and side-view images of SMDs. Special flip-chip head reportedly provides a "look down image" of a flip chip...

Manufacturing production monitor.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... TraceXpert MES (manufacturing execution system) enhances productivity and quality in SMT production. Includes real-time feeder and performance monitoring, automatic program selection, low level warning, stock control, traceability, feeder...

Wafer bumping paste.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... SE-Cure 7501 solder paste for organic in situ wafer bumping applications prints on wafers of bump pitches below 125 [micro]m. Available in Sn63Pb37, as well as low alpha and ultra-low alpha Sn63Pb37, and is said to offer consistent printing,...

3-head pin inserter.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The P350 fully automatic x-y insertion machine applies terminals for PCBs with three product-specific insertion heads. Each head has a rotary insertion finger to apply products at different angles without rotating the PCB. Comes with transfer...

Preforms for Pb-free.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Solder preforms, clad to various other metals, can be produced in a range of shapes and solder alloys, including lead-free. Solder can be clad onto one or both sides of the base material to produce rigid links, jumper discs and other structural...

Benchtop dispenser.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... DispenseMate D-550 benchtop dispenser is for batch operations, rework and process development. Features include a precision motion system with closed-loop brushless DC motors, an integrated height sensor, digital gauges and optional vision...

Color AOI.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... ScanPoint color AOI operates before and after reflow, after paste disposition and inspects PCBs for component and solder faults. Easily programmed, with or without CAD data, it reportedly performs fast, comprehensive inspection. Available in...

Fine-pitch stencil roll.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Micro-Wipe FP roll wipe for fine-pitch screen printing, features a synthetic wiping fabric said to be stronger, more absorbent and cleaner than standard rolls. Is configured for all major stencil printers. Micro Care, microcare.com ...

Linear magazine feeder.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Agilis magazines, for 8-, 12- and 16-mm feeders, use solenoid actuated feeder heads on servo-controlled linear motion mechanisms. Control speed, pitch and x/y positioning throughout pick cycle. Individual smart feeders can be loaded in 10 sec....

Bath test kit.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... The Easy Bath Control Kit eliminates tedious bath control measurements. Formulated for water-based cleaners, and said to eliminate hardware, calculations, indicator liquids and human error by requiring only a count of the number of drops of...

Z-axis compliant pin.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... Z-axis compliant pins, designed for automation using existing pick-and-place equipment with a special feeder, provide axial compliancy to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction. Benefits include geographical stability, high locational...

Fine-pitch programmer.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... 3700 MK2 provides automated fine-pitch programming for high-density flash up to 256Mb with programming times from 15 to 120 sec. and support for over 17,000 devices. It has 16 sockets using FX4 socket modules or universal programming with four...

High-mix screen printer.(Product Preview)
September 1, 2004... MPM Accuflex stencil printer is for moderate volume, high-mix operations, handles boards from 3 X 2" to 23 X 20" and can print 0.012" devices. A triple-track conveyor system with 3 mm bottom-side edge clearance provides improved board flow and...

Effective ESD control programs: putting basic ESD principles into practice starts at the top.(ESD Association)
September 1, 2004... Starting and maintaining an ESD control program is similar to many other business activities and projects. Although each company is unique, at least six elements are critical to successfully developing and implementing an effective ESD control...

Activate that flux! Moisture absorbed by poorly activated flux residues coupled with other ionic residues can cause failures.(Process Doctor)
September 1, 2004... Flux residues are a common cause of product reliability concerns. When fluxes are left on boards and not fully activated, great reliability risk occurs. Flux residues come from wave soldering on the topside of the board, reflow soldering or...