Circuits Assembly articles from September 2008

Circuits Assembly archives from September 2008

Be still, shakeup seers.(Caveat Lector)
September 1, 2008... Here we go again. A recent report predicted a coming shakeout in electronics manufacturing services. And the media, doing what media do best, picked up and ran with it, facts be damned. The Reuters news service in August wrote Flextronics...

ASYS Inc.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... ASYS Inc. (asys.de) opened an office in Hillsboro, OR, and also is installing multiple metallization lines in its Atlanta operations. "Two service and application engineers are located onsite, and we are stocking spare parts for all of our...

Fraunhofer Institute.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... A recent Fraunhofer Institute (fraunhofer.de) study found Ovation Products' (grid-lok.com) HD Grid-Lok reconfigurable tooling capable of supporting a variety of SMDs with no damage. Fraunhofer scientists used pressure sensors to monitor...

Digi-Key Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Digi-Key Corp. (digikey.com) entered into a global distribution agreement to supply Laird Technologies' components for EMI shielding, thermal management, mechanical actuation, signal integrity, and wireless antennae.

IEC Electronics Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... EMS firm IEC Electronics Corp. (iec-electronics.com) received a $3.7 million order from one of its military and defense customers. Shipments will run from the September quarter through April 2009.

Allied Electronics.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Allied Electronics (alliedelec.com) signed an agreement with AIM Solder (aimsolder.com) to distribute solder products, including solder paste, wire solder and bar solder lines.

Samsung.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Samsung (samsung.com) and Dynatech Technology (dynatechsmt.com) have installed a Samsung SMP400 stencil printer at the American Competitiveness Institute's (aciusa.org) EMPF demonstration factory. Samsung already has a placement machine at the...

Nortech Systems.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... EMS provider Nortech Systems (nortechsys.com) has achieved ISO 13485 quality certification.

Orbotech Ltd.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Orbotech Ltd. (orbotech.com) has fired dozens of employees from its workforce in Israel, according to Global Online. The firm's LCD testing system division reportedly has been affected most because of canceled new projects. The firm also will...

Sunburst EMS.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Sunburst EMS (sunburstems.com) purchased a DEK (dek.com) Horizon 03i screen printer.

Indium Corp.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Indium Corp. (indium.com) named Recht Associates (rechtassociates.com) as sales representative for Northern California and Nevada.

USR Electronic Systems.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... EMS firm USR Electronic Systems selected Valor's (valor.com) vPlan enterprise-level process engineering software.

i-Pulse Co.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... Valor (valor.com) has signed an agreement to deliver a complete CAD-to-machine NPI solution for i-Pulse Co's (ipulse.co.jp) assembly machines. iPlan will permit intelligent data input and preparation, BoM processing, machine optimization and...

American Competitiveness Institute.(In Brief)
September 1, 2008... The American Competitiveness Institute (aciusa.org) will host a free workshop on selecting high frequency (6-65 GHz) connectors that require increasingly dense footprints on Sept. 10 at 10:00 am. Glen Walther of W.L. Gore and Associates will...

Michael Brianda.(People)
September 1, 2008... DEK International promoted Michael Brianda to president. He has been with DEK since 1996, most recently as global sales and marketing director. He also has held roles as general manager, and sales manager for Germany. [ILLUSTRATION...

Cecilia Liu.(People)
September 1, 2008... Elcoteq named Cecilia Liu general manager of its plant in Dongguan, China. She has been with Elcoteq since 1999 as product line manager and operations manager, and has a bachelor's in refrigeration engineering from the Wuhan University of...

Keith Favre.(People)
September 1, 2008... Photo Stencil chief executive Keith Favre resigned in August. COO Todd Woods was named interim CEO. Separately, the company promoted Skye McDaniel to sales manager and Bill Vaughn to CAD manager.

Ernie Grice.(People)
September 1, 2008... ERSA named Ernie Grice vice president of sales for the firm's North American operations, responsible for all equipment areas. He has worked for ERSA for six years and has 20 years' experience in the electronics manufacturing industry. ...

Ray Lindner.(People)
September 1, 2008... Millennia Technology Inc. named Ray Lindner quality assurance manager. He was previously quality manager/process engineer at Monitech Interlock Systems, and quality manager/proof of design manager at Celestica.

Brian Worrall.(People)
September 1, 2008... Aegis Software named Brian Worrall director of system integration and customization services, responsible for overseeing customer deployments and analyzing customer requirements. He was a business systems analyst and programmer at Fiber-Line...

Eric Bastow and Mario Scalzo.(People)
September 1, 2008... Indium promoted Eric Bastow and Mario Scalzo (pictured, top) to senior technical support engineer, responsible for customer inquiries, problem solving and product support. Bastow has been with Indium since 2001, Scalzo since 2000. Also, Tom...

Bob Catardi.(People)
September 1, 2008... Bob Catardi, a sales engineer at Krayden Inc., was named top distributor seller for Dow Corning Electronics.

Serge Tuerlings.(People)
September 1, 2008... Kyzen named Serge Tuerlings European technical manager, responsible for developing and implementing business and expansion plans throughout Europe. He has extensive experience in chemicals and electronics and was previously European market...

Jill White.(People)
September 1, 2008... Krayden Inc. promoted Jill White to Eastern area sales manager.

Robert Livingston.(People)
September 1, 2008... Dover Corp. promoted Robert Livingston to president and chief operating officer. He was president and CEO of its Engineered Systems segment and has spent 24 years at the company.

Victor Tejeda.(People)
September 1, 2008... CADParts & Consulting named Victor Tejeda to head its ATE Design Services division.

Mark Woodward.(People)
September 1, 2008... E2open Inc. named Mark Woodward chief executive officer, replacing Greg Clark, who remains the company's technical advisory committee chairman. He is a former senior advisor to Blackstone Private Equity Group and president and CEO of Serena...

iNEMI recommends management approaches for Pb-free alternatives.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... HERNDON, VA - A host of major OEM and EMS companies, under the auspices of iNEMI (inemi.org), has outlined a set of recommendations for managing Pb-free alloy alternatives. The consortium members recommend the following to help manage the...

IPC: Industry not ready for REACH.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... BANNOCKBURN, IL - More than 40% of manufacturing and purchasing personnel have no understanding of the REACH regulation as it affects their companies, according to a recent IPC (ipc.org) survey. The same holds true for nearly one-third of...

Catalyst starts Mexico ops.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... TIJUANA, MEXICO - Catalyst Manufacturing Services (catalystems.com) in July opened a contract manufacturing operation in Tijuana and began shipping production volumes. The renovated 60,000 sq. ft. facility operates as a full-service turnkey...

Escatec opens 4th Penang plant.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... PENANG, MALAYSIA - Escatec (escatec.ch) has opened an additional 8,125 sq. ft. facility in Penang, its fourth on the EMS company's campus. The new building has 3,250 sq. ft. of production space in which the company is housing two SMT...

Self-cleaning squeegee blade patent offered.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... ARLINGTON, MA - The holder of a patent-pending self-cleaning squeegee blade arrangement is offering the technology for sale or license. The technology is said to automatically clean solder paste from squeegee blades to help eliminate...

ACI awarded $100M Navy contract.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA - The American Competitiveness Institute (aciusa.org) has been awarded a five-year $100 million contract from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research. The research firm will manage and operate the Benchmarking and Best...

R&D to merge with Anestel.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ - R&D Circuits (rdcircuits.com) will merge with Anestel Corp. (anestel.com), the companies said in a statement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "We saw two companies with adjacent products and similar...

Gear missing from SemiCon West.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO - It didn't take much looking to realize what SemiCon West was missing this year: the equipment. While exhibitor numbers appeared stable, companies opted for much less floor space at the mid July show than in years' past, and...

Zestron to open expanded European Site.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... INGOLSTADT, GERMANY - Zestron (zestron.com) this year will open a 30,500 sq. ft. facility in Ingol-stadt, about 62 miles north of Munich. The new European headquarters will include a state-of-the-art, 9,000 sq. ft. analytical and technical...

EuP draft sent to EU.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... BRUSSELS-The EC Regulatory Committee on Ecodesign and Energy Labeling on July 7 agreed to a draft concerning the standby and off modes of energy-using household and office products. The proposal has been sent to the European Council and...

Plexus to close mass. plant.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... AYER, MA--Plexus (plexus.com) will close its facility here over the next six months and cut 170 jobs, the EMS company said in August. Production will be shifted to other Plexus facilities, mostly in Wisconsin. Plexus will take a $2 million...

Essemtec opens expanded HQ.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... AESCH, SWITZERLAND--Equipment manufacturer Essemtec (essemtec.com) in July expanded its head-quarter's production space by about 4,000 sq. ft. The new two-story building includes production space, offices and a large cafeteria. ...

Palomar achieves management buyout.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... CARLSBAD, CA--Palomar Technologies' (palomar.com) management has bought out the original investor group that spun the company out of Hughes Aircraft in 1995. No financial terms were disclosed. Local management, with Palomar for many years,...

USPTO rejects Tessera claims (again).(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... SAN JOSE--The US Patent and Trademark Office issued an office action confirming the rejections of all claims of a Tessera Technologies' (tessera.com) patent in ex parte reexamination. The patent office also rejected these claims in an earlier...

Riding the storm out at SMTAI.(Industry NEWS)
September 1, 2008... ORLANDO-Orlando: You'll come for the rain. You'll stay for the wind. Or because of it, perhaps. Tropical Storm Fay put a damper on the second annual SMTA International trade show, although those who braved the elements were treated to...

Summer plunge.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % Change April May June * YTD Computers electronics products ...

ISM: manufacturing contraction 'minor'.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... TEMPE, AZ - Economic activity in the manufacturing sector was unchanged in July, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). For the month, new orders dipped 4.6 points to 45%, while production was up 1.4 points to 52.9%. The PMI...

Industry market snapshot.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.92 0.87 0.82 0.79(r) 0.85 (p) Semiconductors (2) 1.34% 1.82% 3.82%...

H1 global chip sales up 5.4%.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... SAN JOSE - First-half worldwide sales of semiconductors grew 5.4% year-over-year to $127.5 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (sia-online.org) reported. June sales of $21.6 billion were up 8% compared to June 2007, and up 0.5%...

Poll: top tier EMS shift ahead.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... EL SEGUNDO, CA - Revenue for the global contract electronics manufacturing industry is set to expand to $432.3 billion by 2012, a CAGR of 7.2% from 2007. That's less than half the 15.5% CAGR from 2002 to 2007, and future consolidation will...

CEA raises consumer electronics outlook.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... ARLINGTON, VA - US shipments of consumer electronics will top $173 billion in 2008, according to new data from the Consumer Electronics Association (ce.org). That's up $2 billion from the trade group's January estimates. The revised...

Metals index.(Market WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Price Per Lb. Date 8/6/07 5/6/08 6/2/08 7/7/08 8/4/08 LME Cash Seller and Settlement for Tin $7.38 $10.99 $9.60 $10.60 $9.84 LME Cash Seller and...

'The heart of assembly'.(Talking Heads)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... Dr. Jan Michiels joined Assembleon (assembleon.com) in September 2007, after spending the bulk of his career at Akzo and Unilever, where he gained experience in everything from telephony and cable TV to polyester yarns, construction materials...

Weathering a trade show storm; Tips on maximizing ROI under the most severe conditions.(Focus on Business)
September 1, 2008... Ever exhibited at a show where traffic was less than you expected? If you've been exhibiting in the past few years, that probably has happened more than once. However, imagine exhibiting at a show where external factors suddenly eliminated much...

The NTI $100 million club; Today, 84% of bare PWBs are built in Asia, and there's no end in sight.(Global Sourcing)
September 1, 2008... Of the 98 fabricators with revenues of $100 million or more in 2007, 31 are from Japan, 27 from Taiwan, 10 from the U.S. and nine from South Korea. This reflects each fabricator's global output, although some companies may not be identified...

Will electronics manufacturing return to north America? Despite the signs, don't hold your breath, our columnist warns.(On the Forefront)
September 1, 2008... With the weakening of the dollar, higher logistics costs, especially transporting goods from Asia to the US, rapid wage inflation in Asia, growing concerns about quality and intellectual property protection, many are asking if manufacturing...

Honoring an industry legend; The late Alden Johnson demystified the printing process.(Screen Printing)
September 1, 2008... This column is dedicated to Alden Johnson, who recently passed away from a heart attack at the age of 64. Alden was not only a longtime member of the Speedline Technologies family, but also as iconic a figure as we see in the stencil/screen...

The role of industry; To move forward, do we need to return to the past?(Better Manufacturing)
September 1, 2008... Everywhere you travel, there are different regimes. Some are democratic, some autocratic, some dictatorships and so on. Industry, electronics in particular, needs political stability but, above all, it needs long-term strategies. A number...

Reflow soldering with a SnCu eutectic Pb-free alloy: the performance matches SAC, but with shinier joints.(Soldering)
September 1, 2008... SnCuNi is an established no-silver Pb-free alloy for wave soldering applications. The alloy is beginning to be applied to reflow applications. This alloy is more popular in wave soldering for numerous reasons, including lower cost (no silver),...

Improving OEE in high mix facilities; Switching to small lot sizes has killed my line utilization. help!(Cover Story)
September 1, 2008... The decision by EMS firms and OEMs to reduce lot sizes on the plant floor to respond to order changes comes at a hefty price. With margins already razor thin, increased changeover frequency fuels the fire, as planned downtime rises and asset...

Effectively managing RF design in utility metering applications EMS companies can be the missing link between meter expertise and distribution.(RF Production)
September 1, 2008... RF-based products are being introduced in virtually every industry. This can present a challenge to industries now integrating RF on a wide scale. What are the typical challenges? Is there a role for electronics manufacturing services...

Solder joint reliability of different BGAs reworked using low melting point Pb-free alloys; Under testing, uniform joint microstructures and reliable joints were observed.(Pb-Free Rework)
September 1, 2008... The initial low melt rework investigation was performed in four sequential phases on RIA2 test vehicles. The first phase was an investigation of joint microstructures resulting after rework using three different low melt alloys. Three...

Converting to VOC-free fluxes; The environmental benefits are clear, but the process window is tighter.(Tech Tips)
September 1, 2008... One way to improve environmental performance is by reducing VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency defines a VOC as "any compound of carbon... which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions."...

Common wave and selective soldering defects and solutions: from bridging to shrinkage, where there's a cause, there's a cure.(Wave Soldering)
September 1, 2008... To reduce defects, materials selection is critical, and process optimization is paramount. Following is a summary of the most common soldering defects in the wave and selective soldering processes, and some of the preventive steps that...

There's something about copper; Characterizing copper erosion in soldering remains elusive.(Pb-Free Lessons Learned)
September 1, 2008... As the industry prepared to convert processes to Pb-free, we used our collective knowledge to predict where the greatest challenges would lie and prepared accordingly. In some cases our concerns were justified; in others, we were a bit overly...

The great testing migration; As 0201s and 01005s pop up, cleanliness monitoring progresses as well.(Process Doctor)
September 1, 2008... Traditional resistivity of solvent extract (ROSE) is a quick board-level assessment of the entire immersed board surface and components in an alcohol water solution. This solution (75% isopropyl alcohol/25% deionized water) is a recirculating...

SEHO's go soldering line.(Equipment Advances)
September 1, 2008... The GoReflow 1.8 and GoReflow 2.3 automatic reflow soldering ovens have five and seven heating zones, respectively, and heating zone lengths of 72.8" and 92.5", respectively, and are suited for small-to-medium-sized production. Designed for...

Solvent-based defluxer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Zestron DS 100 is for water-free and low-temperature cleaning applications. Is designed to remove flux residues from assemblies, ceramic hybrids, power modules and leadframes in self-regenerative closed-loop cleaning systems. Is said to ensure...

Automated lead tinning.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... LTS200 is a programmable, automated machine for conventional lead tinning or reconditioning SnPb parts. Comes with central fluxing station with two solder pots. Handles transistors, capacitors, diodes, axials, radials, QFPs, pin grid array,...

Semiconductor test contacts.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... ZIP features planar contact surfaces produced by test pin manufacturing processes. The Z Interconnect Pin is available in three design configurations: radial, flat, and hybrid. Radial uses machined 3-D components; flat employs 2-D components,...

Dispenser slider valve.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... SV-100 is said to be up to 20% faster than standard auger dispensers; reportedly achieves 20,000 dots per hr. (on 1 mm grid), while delivering dots of less than 0.012" for solder paste types 4, 5 and 6. Dots as small as 0.005" in diameter can...

Multi-user labeling software.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Easylabel 5 is for designing and printing product identification, barcode and RFID labels. Can license multiple copies over a a network; eliminates the need for individually licensed PCs. Is available in packages of 5,10 or 25 user licenses....

UV/dual cure materials.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... RTV 800 series materials, for encapsulating and staking sensitive components, have reported cure speeds of less than 3 sec. Patented chemistry permits paste-like products to cure up to 5/8" thick with minimal energy requirements. Viscosity of...

Universal prototyping system.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Expert-SAFP semiautomatic pick-and-place system is for prototype quantities. Has an air-suspended pick-and-place head, integrated vision and placement system, and picks from reels, sticks, rest tape strips and loose components. Includes turning...

USB-compatible device programmers.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Enhanced 7th Generation programmer models 1710, 2710, 2710M, 4710, 4710-M, 3710MK2 and 3710MK2-M feature high-speed USB 2.0 standard bus to increase communication speeds and reliability. Support devices with densities up to 4 Gb. Replace...

Fuji data setup, parts tracking.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Optel Lean/NXT is a standalone solution that monitors the Fuji NXT placement platform. Communicates in real-time using Fuji Open Interface. Downloads program data directly from Fuji Flexa. Provides data on proper setup, feeder replenishment,...

Environmental compliance manager.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... GreenData Manager PC software collects and manages RoHS compliance status and supplier certificates, material composition substance data, MSL and peak temperature data for Pb-free manufacturing, Sn-whisker mitigation strategies, etc. Will...

Automated PCB documentation.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... BluePrint for PCBs version 2.0 documentation-authoring tool now integrates with CAM350. Reportedly can be used to create and distribute all deliverables required for a PCB fabrication and assembly release package in one electronic file....

Thermally conductive flip chip underfill.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... ME-542 is said to offer improved thermal path for heat reduction. Designed to achieve high reliability for in-package or COB applications and to increase thermal dissipation from the die into the substrate. Has high copper content in substrate....

Mobile handheld dispenser.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... The DX dispensing system includes a refill station for two-component materials. Is said to dispense a variety of ratios. Multiple handheld dispensers can be refilled with one refill station; uses two transfer pumps that feed from 5 gal. bulk...

12-zone reflow oven.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... The longer, 12-zone Pyramax reflow oven features 350[degrees]C maximum temperature, a flexible platform configuration and a comprehensive menu of options. Capabilities include reduced nitrogen consumption and lower power use. Features...

Water-Soluble solder paste.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... WS170 is intended for Sn62/Sn63 applications. Reportedly produces fully wetted, shiny solder joints, and has the activity to solder to common hard-to-wet alloys such as gold, platinum, palladium, silver, Alloy 42 and bare copper. Print speeds...

Manual vacuum tweezer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... V8901-HLM-B, for handling SMD packages, is self-contained and manually operated. Has six cups; sizes are 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". Comes with two of each cup, one on a straight probe and the other on a bent probe. Is made from ESD-safe materials,...

High-volume AOI.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Upgraded YTV F1 Series AOI inspects solder and lead defects, component presence and position, correct part, polarity and through-hole parts. Is said to be for high-volume or high-mix manufacturing environments; also for pre/post-reflow...

Anti-yellowing conformal coatings.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... Elpeguard SL 1307 FLZ series are 1-pack fastdrying polyacrylic resins for yellowing resistance. Cured ink film can be soldered at soldering iron temperature; can be removed by means of product-specific thinner. Colorless fluorescent adjustments...

On-board gang programmer.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... MultiWriter pps is said to use concurrent programming to program up to 24 parts each of up to 16 different types simultaneously (up to 384 chips). Reportedly speeds programming for microcontrollers and flash memories mounted on boards. Enables...

'9-Thermocouple' profiler.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
September 1, 2008... KIC Explorer 9 profiler uses modern hardware and features a total of nine thermocouples using standard type K TC connectors. The channel completes the range of compact profilers. Is said to feature easy-to-use software. The optional auto-focus...