Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture articles from December 2005

Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture archives from December 2005

The year in review.(OUR LINE)
December 1, 2005... AT the end of each year, editors feel compelled to expound on the events of the past year. Since most of you know what happened and probably have a decent idea why these things happened, I'll try to put things in context. For many...

Defensive swing.(MARKET WATCH)
December 1, 2005... DEFENSIVE SWING Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % CHANGE JULY AUG. (r) SEPT. * YTD ...

Manufacturing stayed strong in October.(MARKET WATCH)
December 1, 2005... TEMPE, AZ -- Manufacturing output slipped slightly but remained strong in October. New orders and production remained near their 12-month highs. Overall, it was the 29th straight month of growth, according to the latest Institute for Supply...

Q3 PC shipments rise sharply.
December 1, 2005... STAMFORD, CT -- Worldwide PC shipments totaled 55 million units in the third quarter of 2005, a 17.2% increase from last year, driven by lower prices and mobility, according to Gartner Inc. (www.gartner.com). Dell remains the market leader,...

Cellphones ring up gains.
December 1, 2005... FRAMINGHAM, MA -- Worldwide shipments of cellphones rose 19.1% year-on-year to 203.8 million units, led by Nokia and Motorola, research firm IDC (www.idc.com) said. New products, portfolio refreshes and new form factors contributed to...

Upswing ahead for ICs in '06.
December 1, 2005... SARATOGA, CA -- The average selling price for Its is expected to resume growth in the first quarter of 2006, following a 15% decline from a high in January 2005 and a stagnation in August at $1.58. Advanced Forecasting (www.adv-forecast.com)...

Industry market snapshot.(MARKET WATCH)
December 1, 2005... INDUSTRY MARKET SNAPSHOT Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. MAY JUNE Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.84 0.90 Semiconductors (2) 4.1% ...

Electronics Workbench updates Multisim, DesignSuite.(MARRYING DESIGN & TEST)
December 1, 2005... TORONTO -- Electronics Workbench has launched Multisim 9, along with Ultiboard 9 and Ultiroute 9. These tools form the Series 9 DesignSuite, an engineering solution designed to bridge the gap between design and test. Multisim 9 integrates...

Ansys acquires Harvard Thermal.(M&A ACTION)
December 1, 2005... SOUTHPOINTE, PA -- Ansys Inc. has acquired thermal modeling software developer Harvard Thermal. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Ansys develops simulation software for computational fluid dynamics, electromagnetic and...

UP Media Group makes 2006 'Year of The Designer'.(In Recognition)
December 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- UP Media Group Inc. (UPMG) has officially announced the Year of The Designer--a yearlong celebration that will honor PCB designers throughout 2006. "Everyone likes to feel that they are appreciated or that what they do is...

DDi has new CEO, but risks delisting.(MEET THE NEW BOSS)
December 1, 2005... ANAHEIM, CA -- Bruce McMaster, president, CEO and a director at DDi Corp., has resigned from each of those positions, effective immediately. The board of directors has appointed Mikel Williams, senior vice president and CFO, as president and...

Events.(HAPPENINGS)(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... DECEMBER 6-8 Implementing Lean Manufacturing and Beyond Mobile, AL Contact: www.lean.org/Events/ 7-9 International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium Bethesda, MD Contact: ww.ece.umd.edu/isdrs2005/ 13 Schematic Capture with...

RJR Circuits.(FACES)
December 1, 2005... Sharon Kutcher is the new vice president of operations at RJR Circuits in Denver, CO. Formerly the quality director, she will have direct management and operational responsibilities for increasing the firm's revenues and customer base as well...

Electrochemicals.(FACES)
December 1, 2005... Bob Metcalf has joined Electrochemicals as strategic accounts manager. He will be based in Southern California, responsible for growing business to a group of key fabricators in North America. Metcalf has over 15 years of sales and marketing...

Rogers Corp.(FACES)
December 1, 2005... David Lipari has been named the new marketing manager of Rogers Corp.'s Advanced Circuit Materials Division in Chandler, AZ. Lipari will be responsible for managing the business unit's global marketing functions. He has served as the vice...

Phoenix International.(FACES)
December 1, 2005... Travis Johnston, Rob Boser and Dwayne Miraldi have been promoted at Phoenix International, a manufacturer of electronics for harsh environments. Johnston is a printed circuit board designer II. He has been with Phoenix since 1996 and was...

China-based communication device maker and wireless supplier.(IT'S A DEAL)
December 1, 2005... China-based communication device maker and wireless supplier ZTE Ltd. has purchased Mentor Graphics' XtremePCB.

Austin American Technology has selected Technical Resources Corporation (TRC) to represent its cleaning equipment and technologies in Florida, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.(IT'S A DEAL)
December 1, 2005... Austin American Technology has selected Technical Resources Corporation (TRC) to represent its cleaning equipment and technologies in Florida, the Caribbean and Costa Rica. TRC has sales and service offices in Tampa and Boca Raton, Florida, as...

Dow Corning Corp.(IT'S A DEAL)
December 1, 2005... Dow Corning Corp. has expanded its application center in Shanghai, China. Located in the Songjiang Industrial Zone, the expanded center adds another 2,500 meters2 of space for laboratories and equipment. Dow Corning will hire several dozen...

Dynaco Corp.(IT'S A DEAL)
December 1, 2005... Board maker Dynaco Corp. has received a Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) certification from the Small Business Administration. The certification is valid for three years and entitles qualified companies to price evaluation adjustments of up...

Share the wealth of knowledge: you might learn something from a competitor. But only if you're willing to reciprocate.(ROI)
December 1, 2005... ALL GOOD THINGS begin with a concept. I think that PCB designers understand this better than anyone, because they are the ones who take that concept and develop it into a viable design. But board fabricators have not been far behind....

Tin Whisker management guidelines: although full understanding of whisker growth is lacking, these specifications and practices will reduce risks.(COUNTDOWN TO LEAD-FREE)
December 1, 2005... DESITE MORE THAN five decades of research on tin whiskers, there is no consensus on the mechanisms that control whisker growth, although much progress has been made. We do know that tin-based plating--the preferred surface coating for leads on...

Modeling and simulation at system level: technology goes forward, but modeling and simulation--from design through manufacture--face many bottlenecks.(SIMULATION)
December 1, 2005... As products become more complex and fast-paced market conditions shorten product development lead times, design engineers are increasingly turning to modeling and simulation to reduce design cycle time, provide insight into complex problems,...

Via modeling: accurate modeling can keep your vias from becoming problems, especially at high speeds. But watch that return current.(INTERCONNECT)
December 1, 2005... The via is more important to your interconnect arsenal than ever. PCB designers have to deal with high pin-count devices and shrinking PCB real estate, making use of the via almost mandatory. However, the through-hole via can have a significant...

TDR for differential pair characterization, Part 2: single-ended and differential TDR signatures encompass broad signal integrity applications.(INTERCONNECT STRATEGIES)
December 1, 2005... TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRY (TDR) can generate a wealth of information regarding high-speed PCB traces and other interconnect elements, valuable for signal integrity analyses and accurate prediction of digital system performance. Impedance...

Laser marking matrix codes on PCBS: the one-dimensional barcodes used on groceries don't work as well on circuit boards. The data matrix codes work in low light and can hold a myriad of information.
December 1, 2005... Manufacturers of a variety of electronic devices are increasingly seeking a reliable, cost-effective method for identifying and tracking products through the manufacturing cycle, sales distribution and after-sale warranty verification. An...

In search of profitable western PCB production, Part 1: yes, there is money to be made building boards--and supplying materials to board shops--outside Asia.(PROFIT MARGIN)
December 1, 2005... The PCB industry in Europe and North America evolved from high-volume manufacturing into a much more specialized, time-critical model. As this change has occurred, few manufacturers have managed to maintain profitability, but the broader masses...

DIY Faraday cage.(off the SHELF)
December 1, 2005... Mu-copper foil provides electromagnetic shielding of rooms, buildings and appliances. This material can be applied as wallpaper and reportedly turn a room into a Faraday cage with an attenuation level of 40 to 80 dB. Said to be capable of...

Infrared LEDs.(off the SHELF)
December 1, 2005... Infrared versions of the EP2 and EP4 LEDs are designed for use in remote control and charge-coupled devices, infrared applied systems, smoke detectors and security lighting. The EP2 and EP4 operate at currents of 350 and 700 milliamps,...

Spray coater.(off the SHELF)
December 1, 2005... With the KU-450 soldermask spray coater, the ink preparation unit has defined process parameters and can be adjusted by a touch panel. The ink can be refilled without interrupting the spraying process, and panels can dry in the associated oven....

Phototool film.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... The Duratool Eclipse Micro Matte line of diazo phototool films is said to offer improved emulsion adhesion, more chemical scratch resistance and increased film base thickness. Reportedly saves customers time and money by simplifying ordering...

Casting resin.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... The transparent Wepuran casting resin VT 3402 KK-NV-UVP reportedly has a high UV light stability. Said to protect potted substrates against weathering influences caused by UV radiation. These casting resins are reportedly ideal for applications...

Low-loss materials.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... Polyclad Laminates has launched GETEK HR high-speed, low-loss laminates and prepregs. The CAF-resistant, lead-free assembly-compatible materials are said to deliver enhanced thermal performance and high reliability required by PCB assemblers...

Laser marking systems.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... The FiberTower Series fiber laser marking systems are reportedly more reliable and affordable than C[O.sub.2] and YAG lasers. Said to mark metals, plastics and other nonmetallics and to be ideal for tool and part marking, barcoding,...

Simulation software.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... The Visual System Simulator software is targeted at designers of WiMAX-certified broadband wireless access products. Meets IEEE 802.16-2004 wireless specifications, and reportedly includes framing, randomization, RS-CC coding, interleaving,...

Protel translators.(OTHERS OF NOTE)
December 1, 2005... Two translators allow Protel files to be imported into the Intercept environment. The layout translator reportedly allows PCB designers to import Protel design files into Intercept's Pantheon layout tool. Schematic translator imports Protel...

Tricks of the trade: a little known trick for reducing crosstalk.(NO MYTHS ALLOWED)
December 1, 2005... NEAR-END CROSSTALK in a transmission line bus can often exceed the allocated noise budget. This can be a disaster if it isn't caught before the board goes to fab. For example, in a 3.3 v CMOS system, the allocated noise budget for...