Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture articles from April 2006

Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture archives from April 2006

Countering the counterfeiters.(OUR LINE)
April 1, 2006... PLASMA equipment maker Plasma Etch recently discovered that counterfeit plasma machines bearing its name were being marketed and sold in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and elsewhere in the Pacific Rim. It's an old story for the Carson City, NV-based...

Key manufacturing index looking good.(MARKET WATCH)
April 1, 2006... TEMPE, AZ -- The PMI index of U.S. manufacturing rose in February as the sector grew for the 33rd straight month. The February PMI rose 1.9 points to 56.7%, according to the latest institute for Supply Management (www.ism.ws) poll. A score over...

ATE gear sales improving.(MARKET WATCH)
April 1, 2006... PALO ALTO, CA -- Makers of automatic test equipment for PCBs are likely to obtain a major share of their revenues from functional testing and the boundary scan segment in the next five years. Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com) in February...

2006 promising for IC sales.(MARKET WATCH)
April 1, 2006... SARATOGA, CA -- Revenues and unit sales of ICs worldwide in 2005 grew 7.8% and 10.6%, respectively, and 2006 is expected to be even more robust, said Advanced Forecasting, a semiconductor forecasting firm. "Our forecast showed an upward...

Dow Epoxy raises prices globally.(AROUND THE WORLD)
April 1, 2006... HONG KONG -- Effective April 1, Dow Epoxy will increase prices for its epoxy resins in regions around the world. In Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and India, the company will increase prices by US$150/MT for its liquid and solid...

DownStream posts 13% YOY revenue jump in 2005.(MARLBOROUGH MEN)
April 1, 2006... MARLBOROUGH, MA -- DownStream Technologies announced that year-to-year sales revenue increased by 13% in 2005. The company said in a release that the numbers were the result of increases across all geographical areas for its CAM350 tool,...

January book-to-bill healthy.(HAPPY NEW YEAR)
April 1, 2006... BANNOCKBURN, IL -- The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for January 2006 stayed strong at 1.09, and the North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio jumped back up to 1.30. These ratios are based on monthly data...

Cipsa to invest $15 million in India.(Investment Time)
April 1, 2006... BANGALORE, INDIA -- Spanish PCB manufacturer Circuitos Impresos Profesionales (Cipsa) has formed a joint venture in India with entrepreneurs Anil Gupta and Alok Garg. They plan to set up a manufacturing facility in Doddaballapur, near...

Ansoft board approves 2-for-1 stock split.(AND THEN THERE WERE TWO)
April 1, 2006... PITTSBURGH -- Ansoft Corp.'s board of directors has approved a 2-for-1 stock split in the form of a 100% stock dividend subject to the company's stockholders voting in favor of a proposal to increase the authorized common stock of the company...

Plasma Etch still plagued by counterfeiters.(IMITATION NOT ALWAYS FLATTERY)
April 1, 2006... CARSON CITY, NV -- Plasma Etch USA reported that counterfeit plasma machines are still being marketed and sold under the name Plasma Etch Inc. The machines are being marketed by Kilo-Walker Science and Tech Co. Ltd in China, Taiwan, Malaysia...

DesignAdvance hits funding milestone.(FINDING FUNDING)
April 1, 2006... PITTSBURGH -- DesignAdvance Systems Inc. reported it has completed a $3 million second round of funding and graduated from The Technology Collaborative's Jumpstart program. "We have a field proven solution for PCB design and are now...

AT&S completes acquisition of Tofic.
April 1, 2006... VIENNA, AUSTRIA -- AT&S has finalized the acquisition of Tofic Ltd., a Korean manufacturer of flexible PCBs. The consolidation of Tofic is expected to take place by June 30, 2006. Effective April 1, 2006, AT&S's controlling manager, Markus...

JR Controls buys Cosmotronic.
April 1, 2006... IRVINE, CA -- TC Cosmotronic has been acquired by JR Controls, adding a military provider of rigid and rigid-flex printed circuit boards and assemblies to its family of companies. According to a news release, the Cosmotronic management team has...

DDi regains Nasdaq compliance.
April 1, 2006... ANAHEIM, CA -- DDi Corp. has received notification from Nasdaq that the company has regained compliance with the $1 per share minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq National Market, pursuant to Nasdaq...

Circatex cuts workforce in half.
April 1, 2006... SOUTH TYNESIDE, UK -- PCB manufacturer Circatex has eliminated half of its workforce due to a decline in orders. Joint administrators Hunter Kelly and Charles King of Ernst & Young said in a news release that 86 workers have been let go,...

On the floor with innovative circuits.(Flex, military are winners for Atlanta area firm)
April 1, 2006... George Schudy didn't plan to be CEO of a circuit board shop. With his background in finance, Schudy could have gone into a myriad of other industries. But he and Dale Lovell cofounded Innovative Circuits Inc. during the high-rolling days of...

Events.(HAPPENINGS)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... APRIL 18 SMTA Mini-Conference on Building Your RoHS Due Diligence Defense Milwaukee, WI Contact: www.smta.org/news/smta_calendar 25-27 CICMT 2006: IMAPS/ACerS International Conference and...

DDi.(FACES)
April 1, 2006... DDi has named Robert Houghton vice president of information technology. Houghton will lead DDi's IT efforts to drive technology throughout the company's manufacturing facilities, while increasing efficiencies in DDi's corporate business...

Park Electrochemical.(FACES)
April 1, 2006... Park Electrochemical has appointed Carl Smith vice president of advanced composite operations. Smith will supervise the operations of FiberCote Industries, Park's wholly owned, advanced composite materials manufacturing subsidiary in Waterbury,...

Reptron Electronics.(FACES)
April 1, 2006... Reptron Electronics has appointed Chris O'Brien as vice president of sales and marketing. O'Brien will assume responsibility of the company's sales force and all selling activities while reporting to Reptron's CEO, Paul Plante.

DEK Northern Europe.(FACES)
April 1, 2006... Jim Williams has been appointed area general manager for DEK Northern Europe. He will be based in the company's headquarters in Weymouth and take responsibility for development of the company's sales, service and brand management activities in...

NEC Corp. has adopted Sigrity's XcitePI and CoDesign Studio tools for power integrity analysis of NEC's next generation.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... NEC Corp. has adopted Sigrity's XcitePI and CoDesign Studio tools for power integrity analysis of NEC's next generation of supercomputer products.

Valor Computerized Systems has successfully implemented its DFM solution, based on the Enterprise 3000 platform.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... Valor Computerized Systems has successfully implemented its DFM solution, based on the Enterprise 3000 platform, at Siemens Bocholt in Germany.

Thermalworks has inked an agreement with DB Management Group, which will act as its lead marketing firm.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... Thermalworks has inked an agreement with DB Management Group, which will act as its lead marketing firm. D.B. Management will take on responsibility for marketing all Thermalworks products.

CEMCO-FSL, based in Hampshire, UK, has sold a 24" Quicksilver Hot Air Levelling machine to GSPK Circuits.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... CEMCO-FSL, based in Hampshire, UK, has sold a 24" Quicksilver Hot Air Levelling machine to GSPK Circuits of North Yorkshire, UK.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies has hired the sales representative firm NovaPack Technologies.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... Endicott Interconnect Technologies has hired the sales representative firm NovaPack Technologies to strengthening the company's European infrastructure.

Zuken will provide PCB design tools to Lockheed Martin under the terms of a long-term contract the two companies recently signed.(IT'S A DEAL)
April 1, 2006... Zuken will provide PCB design tools to Lockheed Martin under the terms of a long-term contract the two companies recently signed. Zuken's CR-5000 high-speed design suite and its signal integrity design tool suite, CR-5000 Lightning, are among...

Deja vu all over again: the more things change the more they stay the same--or do they?(ROI)
April 1, 2006... I OVERHEARD AND SOME interesting conversations during the recent IPC meetings and Expo/APEX show. Maybe it was just the beautiful southern California weather, but I had this funny feeling I had been transported back in time--back to the mid...

A common solution for materials declaration: the new IPC-1750 series standardize the collection, tracking and disclosing of material content.(COUNTDOWN TO LEAD-FREE)
April 1, 2006... Ed.: The IPC-1750 standards and users guide are available as a free download at ipc.org/175x. For the complete article, see www.pcdandm.com/cms/content/ view/2420/95 RoHS Directive is driving electronics manufacturers to manage and...

Timing analysis principles for digital PCBs, part I: timing concepts for digital design margin optimization and failure prevention.(INTERCONNECT STRATEGIES)
April 1, 2006... IN HIGH-SPEED DESIGN, the need frequently arises for board-level (static) timing computations, in order to maximize system performance (margins) and to avoid failures. Signal integrity analyses often involve evaluation of both signal quality...

Getting your multilayer board fabricated: assumptions can be costly, so communication is more critical than ever.(THE SHOP FLOOR)
April 1, 2006... It's important for OEMs and EMS providers to understand the many factors that affect multilayer board fabrication. Multilayer boards once averaged fewer than six layers, but now normally start at four layers and go up to 40 and even more. PCBs...

Designing PCBs with mixed materials: mixing the right high-speed, high-frequency materials can improve your board design and keep costs down. But it pays to talk to your board shop.(LAMINATES)
April 1, 2006... It's a fact that some PCB base materials offer better thermal, mechanical, functional or high-frequency performance than others. The higher-performance materials also carry a higher price tag than the FR-4 spectrum and other similar materials....

UL approval and rigid-flex: rigid-flex is tougher and more costly to get UL-approved than rigid or flex. Finding the right supplier is key.(CERTIFICATION)
April 1, 2006... Often PCB designers include a note on their fabrication drawings requiring that parts meet the conditions of UL 94 VO. Because of product liability insurance requirements, designers must assure that their products meet the flammability...

Demonstrating the lead-free capability of PCBs: it takes performance testing--as well as conformance testing--to ensure that your board can survive the increased temperatures of lead-free assembly.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... The industry is rapidly approaching the deadline for implementing the requirements of the European Union's Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), which will go into effect on July 1, 2006. The legislation will ban six substances from...

Peelable solder masks in modern PCB fabrication: potential fields of application and processing abound as this handy device nears 30.(SOLDERING)
April 1, 2006... Peelable solder masks have been around since 1977. Since that time, it has been inconceivable to fabricate PCBs or flat packs without using peelable solder masks to protect selected areas from direct contact with solder or process chemicals....

Designing for 3D flex circuits: working with flex has its rewards, if you follow a few rules.(GUEST COLUMINST)
April 1, 2006... IN A WORLD of mobile flip-phones and miniature video cameras, the ability to bend or shape circuitry in three dimensions within a product's package is becoming critical. When more space yields lower margins, there is little wonder why...

The Korean currency problem: appreciation of the won is hurting the peninsula's exports. But China may be in the same boat soon.(THE FLEX MARKET)
April 1, 2006... COMPARED TO THE currencies of other economically leading countries, the Korean won is the cheapest currency. One U.S. dollar is worth about 1,000 won. The largest bill is 10,000 won and it's worth only US$10. Visitors to Korea who change...

Employment predictions for 2006: be on the lookout for labor shortages, flexible employers and--yes--more offshoring.(CAREER CARE)
April 1, 2006... I PREDICT THAT 2006 will be a banner year for candidates seeking employment. The employment market for 2006 has emerged as a candidate's market. Here are my predictions for the year: 1. Labor shortages will become acute and painful for...

Thermal test system.(off the SHELF)
April 1, 2006... The T3Ster (pronouncedTrister) thermal testing system can test up to eight components at once. Said to measure thermal impedance curves rather than artificially composing them from individual responses given to heat pulses. Structure functions...

AOI system.(off the SHELF)
April 1, 2006... The standalone OptiCon BasicLine 1M/4M is based on a new AOI hardware platform. The modularly extendable camera is said to allow selection between a 1 and 4 megapixel camera module. The system's new platform reportedly offers higher test speed,...

LCMC substrates.(off the SHELF)
April 1, 2006... Low-cost metallized ceramic (LCMC) substrates are an economic substitute for expensive thick film materials containing platinum-palladium. There is reportedly a significant reduction of solder leaching typical of conventional thick film...

Terminal blocks.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... DIN rail-mounted terminal blocks use an extrusion technique to remove insulation on wires before connecting them to a control panel or manufacturing equipment. Connection time is reportedly reduced by 70% compared to other connection systems....

Microwave laminates.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... AD300A microwave laminate was designed to support base station antennas/power amplifiers where low loss and low PIM is critical. Also said to be well suited for RFID reader antennas, tower mounted amplifiers and multimedia transmission systems....

Simulation software.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... New complex software models have been added to the SPICE simulation tool suite. Examples include: Unitrode/Texas Instruments UC3855 power factor pre-regulator and UCC2891 PWM controller; International Rectifier IR1150 one-cycle control PFC;...

Prototype tool.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... Databank is a Web-based virtual prototyping tool that reportedly allows designers to quickly assess various connectors, laminate materials and PCB stackup configurations for high-speed signaling objectives ranging from 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps....

Terminal base housing.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... The Combicen MSTBO 2.5 is designed for use in through hole reflow processes. Manufactured from high-temperature resistant polyamide for use in lead-free solder processes. Integrated suction surface saves both time and costs in processing, since...

RoHS parts catalog.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
April 1, 2006... Newark InOne has released a 580-page catalog devoted to electronic products that are compliant with RoHS rules. The front section of the catalog contains a guide designed help engineers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico comply with the...

An EMC sweet 16: a handful of of rules that can help you achieve good EMC design.(NO MYTHS ALLOWED)
April 1, 2006... MORE THAN 10 years ago, the Electro-magnetic Compatibility Lab at the University of Missouri-Rolla developed a set of board-level design rules which, if followed, would maximize the chance of a product passing an EMC certification test. Two...