Circuits Assembly articles from September 2007

Circuits Assembly archives from September 2007

Foxconn's big con.(Caveat Lector)
September 1, 2007... Consider me appalled. For years the industry has pondered the mystery that is Foxconn. It's hard to say which has been more remarkable: The EMS/ODM/connector supplier's astounding growth, or the veil of secrecy that cloaks it. About...

Employers lack guts.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2007... Thank you for the on-target article, "Writings on the Wall?" (Focus on Business, June 2007). As a worker in the Silicon Valley since 1983, I have experienced firsthand the changes in employee-management relations through the years. Gradually,...

BPM.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... BPM (bpmicro.com) appointed Kasion Automation Ltd. (kasion.com) as a distributor in China.

Calsonic Kansei.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Calsonic Kansei, a Japanese maker of automotive electronics, will implement Pb-free processes in its manufacturing plants in Japan, Thailand and China.

Production Automation Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Production Automation Corp. (gotopac.com) will distribute Henkel Corp.'s (henkel.com/electronics) line of Hysol, Loctite and Multicore materials in New England, MN, ND, SD, NB, WI, TX, AZ, Southern CA and Mexico.

Valor Computerized Systems.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Galileo Avionica chose Valor Computerized Systems' (valor.com) DfM software for design verification.

P. Kay Metal.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... P. Kay Metal (pkaymetal.com) will manufacture its MS2 molten solder surfactant in China starting in 2008.

Newark.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Component distributor Newark has launched operations in Sydney, Australia (newark.com/au).

Transition Automation.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Transition Automation (transitionau-tomation.com) named JEM Quantum Edge Tech Corp. (jemquantum.com) as exclusive distributor in the Philippines.

Elcoteq.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Elcoteq (elcoteq.com) has ceased production at its manufacturing plant in Lohja, Finland, and will close its plant in Juarez, Mexico, later this year. Production will be moved to plants in Monterrey, Mexico and China. However, CEO Jouni...

Goepel Electronic.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Goepel Electronic (goepel.com) restructured its U.S. organization, combining its automotive test and JTAG/boundary scan divisions. The provider of test hardware and software will now sell products directly via direct sales and manufacturers'...

Kimball Electronics.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Kimball Electronics will shutter its Gaylord, MI, facility by the year-end and layoff some 214 workers. The loss of two plant customers reportedly led to decision. Manufacturing will be transferred to plants in Indiana and China. The plant was...

Jabil.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Jabil (jabil.com) president and CEO Tim Main told shareholders in August the company is looking to expand into Russia, and has considered several African locations but decided the timing is not right.

Sanmina-SCI Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Sanmina-SCI Corp. (sanmina-sci.com) produced what it claims is the first PCB with embedded ESD protection, covering 100% of the components on the board. In third-party testing, Sanmina-SCI-manufactured Viking VLP DDR2 memory modules reportedly...

Jabil Circuit.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... Jabil Circuit (jabil.com) will establish a consumer electronics division, covering mobility (cellphones and mobile products), connected displays (TVs), set-top boxes and peripheral products and named John P. Lovato its executive vice president...

Creation Technologies.(In Brief)
September 1, 2007... EMS provider Creation Technologies (creationtech.com) in August acquired SMC Inc. (smcems.com). No financial details were disclosed. SMC will remain part of the EMS Alliance, a group of loosely scattered contract assemblers that partner on...

Arena Solutions.(People)
September 1, 2007... Arena Solutions named Paul Patterson vice president of sales.

Newark.(People)
September 1, 2007... Newark named Paul Buckley senior vice president product and regional supplier management. He was senior vice president supplier services group, at Arrow Electronics, and has 20 years' experience in electronics at such firms as National...

IEC Electronics.(People)
September 1, 2007... IEC Electronics named Stephanie Martin vice president supply chain. She was formerly vice president of materials at Kimball Electronics Group, and vice president of supply chain management for Sparton Corp.

Finetech.(People)
September 1, 2007... Finetech promoted Neil O'Brien to director of sales. An employee since 2001, he was formerly Eastern Region sales manager. He has 16 years' industry experience and a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of...

Gene H. Weiner & Associates Inc.(People)
September 1, 2007... Marc Chason joined consulting firm Gene H. Weiner & Associates Inc. as a senior associate. He spent 23 years at Motorola, most recently as director in Motorola Labs' Physical Realization Research laboratory.

TXP.(People)
September 1, 2007... TXP named Robert Christopher Ryan chief financial officer. He previously worked at Tellabs, Chiaro Networks and Xtera Communications.

TT Electronic Manufacturing Services Ltd.(People)
September 1, 2007... TT Electronic Manufacturing Services Ltd. named Stewart Taylor business development director. He was previously in business development roles with Plexus, Jabil Circuit and Celestica.

Tyco Electronics.(People)
September 1, 2007... Tyco Electronics named Michael Robinson senior vice president of operations responsible for strategic purchasing, manufacturing, logistics and quality assurance functions. He spent 27 years at United Technologies.

Goepel.(People)
September 1, 2007... Goepel named Raj Puri vice president of sales and marketing.

Lincoln International.(People)
September 1, 2007... Lincoln International named John McManus senior director in its global Electronics Group.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY opens 2008 Service Excellence Awards.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- Beginning Oct. 17, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY (circuitsassembly.com) seeks participants for its annual Service Excellence Awards (SEAs) for EMS providers and electronics assembly equipment, material and software suppliers. The SEAs honor...

Speedline names Koizumi GM, VP.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... FRANKLIN, MA -- Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech.com) in August named Scott Koizumi vice president and general manager. He was most recently general manager of J & B Aviation Services (specialtyaviation.com), a division within Speedline...

Favre named to head PhotoStencil.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- PhotoStencil (photostencil.com) in August named Keith Favre president and chief executive. Favre was vice president of product marketing and business development for Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech.com) and was...

Fjelstad to deliver PCB East keynote.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ATLANTA -- Joseph Fjelstad, founder and president of Verdant Enterprises (verdantenterprises.com), will keynote PCB Design Conference East 2007 in Durham, NC, on Oct. 23. Fjelstad's keynote, Robust Environmentally Friendly Electronics...

EIA board OK's split.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- The Electronic Industries Alliance's (eia.org) board of directors has approved a plan that would split the assets of the trade group coalition across five distinct organizations. Under the plan, EIA will distribute its assets...

DKN Research develops film base connector.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... HAVERHILL, MA -- Engineering firm DKN Research (dknresearch.com) has developed the film base connector, the construction of which is built on a thin plastic film. It was developed for use as a high-density termination technology for flexible...

New DEK Shenzhen plant to make quick mark.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... SHENZHEN -- DEK (dek.com) says its latest manufacturing facility, which opened in Shenzhen in August, is expected to account for half its worldwide production by the end of this year. The facility, part of DEK's ongoing capacity expansion...

Henkel opens 2d solder sphere plant.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2007... YANTAI, CHINA -- Henkel (henkel.com/electronics) is continuing to expand in the solder sphere market, recently opening its second major production hub. The 4,100 sq. meter plant will manufacture solder spheres and Type 1 through Type 7 solder...

Defense Dives.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change April May (r) June* YTD Computers and electronics products...

Manufacturing moderates.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... TEMPE, AZ -- New orders for manufactured durable goods slowed to 57.5% in July, down 2.8 points from June, the trade group ISM (ism.ws) reported Aug. 1. Production was also down, at 55.6%. Inventories, however, were up 3.2 points, at 48.5%,...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.98 0.99 0.98 0.98 (r) 0.94 (p) Semiconductors (2) 4.4% 3.2% 2.27%...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... Price Per Lb. Date 5/14/07 6/11/07 7/9/07 8/6/07 LME Cash Seller and Settlement $6.55 $6.44 $6.44 $7.38 for Tin LME Cash Seller and Settlement ...

Report: stronger H2 in store for electronics equipment.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Electronics equipment revenues will grow 12% in the second half, to bring the annual growth to 6%, says iSuppli (isuppli.com). Mobile handset growth remains vibrant and is expected to end the year with a 10% unit...

PC shipments on track for 11.2% growth.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2007... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- At just beyond the midyear point, all signs point to the PC market attaining the annual forecast of 11.2% growth in unit shipments, says iSuppli Corp (isuppli.com). Notebooks have been a key driver, but desktop PC...

'Our best sales force is our customers'.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
September 1, 2007... Bengt Broman, the new president of Mydata Automation (mydata.com), has big shoes to fill. Under his predecessor, Marten Lundberg, revenue grew from SEK 28 million in 1988 (about $4 million) to SEK 643 million ($96 million) in 2005. But Broman...

Do EMS Market Trends affect your EMS brand? EMS cycles are like the California housing market. Here's how to manage your risk.(Focus on Business)(Company overview)
September 1, 2007... Market consolidation and accountability cost are two dominant trends this year. Neither is new. They repeat in a four-to-seven-year cycle. The value in looking at these trends from a marketing perspective is they will influence OEM decision...

The component cops: a flood of counterfeit parts has given rise to specialists who spot the fakes.(Global Sourcing)
September 1, 2007... The problem was subtle. The component looked just like a Hitachi part. For starters, there was no visual evidence suggesting otherwise. It passed the solvency test, meaning the ink did not run. Even the marking was great. And it worked. ...

Total recall: does China's recent quality missteps create opportunities for others?.(On the Forefront)
September 1, 2007... Recent recalls of Chinese-made product have both consumers and companies that outsource manufacturing worried. Are products made in China inferior? Why are we seeing so many quality problems? Who is at fault? Does this provide opportunities for...

Heterogeneous assembly: can large and small devices be processed in harmony?(Screen Printing)
September 1, 2007... It never fails. Every time I deliver a presentation about technologies and developments our company is working on, I get the same question: What is your solution for heterogeneous assembly? Clearly, this is a top-of-mind issue for the majority...

Use them or lose them: the overlooked--and often untapped--benefits of user groups.(Better Manufacturing)
September 1, 2007... Many sources of information can help build a picture of potential suppliers for equipment or services; the Internet is now one of the favorites, but it is not the only one. One source of information often overlooked by equipment or services...

Still strong in Singapore: two decades after making its mark, Singapore remains an epicenter of manufacturing excellence. Here's why.(Medtech Sector)
September 1, 2007... Ed: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/5290. Manufacturing output within the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) sector reached $15 billion in 2006, a 30.2% increase over the prior year, according to Singapore's...

XRF equipment and materials characterization for RoHS compliance: an evaluation of five systems showed broad performance differences.(Comparing XRF)(Reprint)
September 1, 2007... Ed: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/5291. We selected two handheld and three desktop XRF spectrometers because of their main specifications, performance and cost. They are Vendor 1-D, Vendor 2-D,...

Using AOI in the 01005 assembly process: a multiple inspection strategy improves detection without increasing false calls.
September 1, 2007... Traditionally, AOI can be deployed in three areas of the SMT process: post-paste print, pre-reflow and post-reflow. The rationale of putting AOI early in the process is the belief of early defect detection and repair; the earlier in the process...

Closed-loop customer service: EMS firm IMI believes customer satisfaction leads to more business.(SEAs 2007)
September 1, 2007... Integrated Microelectronics Inc. took home the top prize as the overall winner for EMS companies with revenues greater than $100 million. In an interview, IMI marketing communications manager Fred Blancas explains the company's approach: ...

Growing at light speed: after a false start, OE is fast becoming a key differentiator for many new products.(Optoelectronics)
September 1, 2007... Ed.: For the complete article, visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/5292. Great things are forecast for optoelectronics. The U.S.-based Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) predicts a nearly $1 trillion business...

Controlling flux deposition: methods for measuring uniformity and volume.(Wave Soldering)
September 1, 2007... When applying flux, the key issues are: * How the flux is applied. * What type of flux is used. * How much flux is applied. * Uniformity of the deposition. Once a flux has been selected and approved for a product, it is...

Keep it clean: proper flux and cleaning solvents selection can control cleanliness.(Tech Tips)
September 1, 2007... Despite advances in soldering technologies and equipment, hand soldering remains an important element in electronics manufacturing. The multitude of available solder alloys has expanded in recent years mainly because of the influx of Pb-free...

Test strategy tips and tricks: some simple reminders for maximizing test implementation ROI.(Test and Inspection)
September 1, 2007... Despite the prevalence of papers, case studies, consultants and so on, a great deal of confusion remains surrounding the selection of an optimum test strategy. Those investigating test strategies--be it solder paste inspection, AOI, automated...

What to look for when qualifying a new process (Part I): always compare soldering interactions to the bare board's cleanliness.(Process Doctor)
September 1, 2007... Per J-STD-001, a new solder paste, cored wire and wave solder requires process requalification. We designed a board to help qualify primary and secondary soldering operations processes. Using the Umpire Test assembly, we are able to look at a...

Keep an eye on your pot: your solder pot may be trying to tell you something.(Pb-Free Lessons Learned)
September 1, 2007... I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Our eyes are probably the most useful diagnostic tool we have in wave soldering. The more we learn about Pb-free soldering, the more we realize what is important in general soldering is even more...

Driving lean through the visual factory: visual instructions offer the simplicity employees need.(Getting Lean)
September 1, 2007... Imagine arriving at work and viewing a visual display for concise directions on your tasks for the day. Through a standard, visual work order, you instantly know exactly where to go and what to do. This information enables you to begin your...

QFNs [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII].(Materials World)
September 1, 2007... [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 circuits...

Closed-loop rework.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Weller WHA900 hot air station has a closed-loop feedback control said to maintain desired temperature at the nozzle, independent of airflow rate. Sensor adjusts heat output based on preselected setting, so users don't have to interrupt work to...

4-axes dispensing robot.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Gantry Cartesian robots are for dispensing applications integrated to an inline conveyor driven process or where necessary for the work to remain stationary during dispensing operation. I & J9000 robots include three- and four-axes gantry...

User-configurable MES.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Data Miner v. 7 is a process planning and manufacturing execution software system. Includes redesigned MES user portal and user-configurable real-time dashboard system. Said to deliver historical analytics and business intelligence with...

Convection hand soldering.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... The PCT-100 Series Focus preheater uses convection heat and is designed for Pb-free, multilayer assemblies with large ground planes. Focused heat promotes quick ramp to temp. Directly targets the underside of the PCB; said to provide a thermal...

High-speed, high-accuracy placement.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... The SM321 series pick-and-place can place up to 21,000 cph with [+ or -]50 [micro]m accuracy, based on IPC-9850. Can place QFPs and BGAs at up to 5,500 cph at [+ or -]30 [micro]m accuracy. Handles boards up to 20" x 24" at production speeds....

Fast-dry solvent cleaner.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... LFFR, lead-free flux remover is a fast-drying solvent cleaner formulated for quick, efficient removal of Pb-free residues. Is reportedly effective on R, RA, RMA and no-clean flux residues and features a 100% ozone-friendly solvent to leave a...

Screen printer with 2D & D inspection.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... eP Series printers combine mono-block casting and a two-stage, servo-driven granite table with a digital, servo-controlled drive system. Includes 2D & D print quality inspection, a triple-section PCB transport system, and programmable squeegee...

High-speed stencil printer.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Horizon 01i is said to offer continuous, repeatable high throughput printing, with a reported cycle time of 10 sec. Comes equipped with Instintiv user interface. Includes HawkEye 400 post-print verification technology as standard, with the...

Low-pressure molding.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Macromelt low-pressure molding encapsulants are composed of polyamide hot-melt material that encapsulates circuitry and forms the outer shell of the device. Reportedly reduces the number of process steps required by conventional potting. Has...

Concurrent ICT.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... TestStation Duo is a high throughput, concurrent in-circuit tester that combines two independent test modules inside a single tester frame. Said to enable manufacturers to perform simultaneous testing of two identical PCBs, doubling test...

Large board rework.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... Hakko FR-1012 high-density, IR preheater and adjustable boom stand reworks boards up to 10 x 12". Features closed-loop system with two modes of operation: power mode (percentage of power) and thermocouple mode (board temperature). Adjustable...

AOI with intuitive interface.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... YTV Series AOI systems reportedly have an intuitive interface for automated PCB inspection. Suited for high-volume or high-mix manufacturing environments. Fusion Lighting and image processing technology integrate color, correlation and...

Stereo inspection, rework.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... The 6x Super Long Working Distance objective for Mantis Elite is said to provide greater working distance for inspection and rework tasks. Stereo inspection system is used for PCB inspection and manipulation. An expanded eyepiece is said to...

Steam generator batch cleaner.(Product PREVIEW)
September 1, 2007... AquaTherm batch cleaner features Aqua-Flex cleaning system. Comes in a small footprint. Aqueous wash or aqueous with additives (rinse aid, defoamer, wash chemistry) are configured along with unique steam cleaning capability via onboard steam...

In case you missed it.(Technical Abstracts)
September 1, 2007... Packaging "Advanced Cover Tape Technology for Electronic Component Packaging" Author: James T. Adams, jtadams@mmm.com. Abstract: A single, transparent plastic film, with a synthetic, room temperature, pressure-sensitive adhesive...