Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture articles from February 2005

Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture archives from February 2005

A game of chance? Hardly.(Our Line)
February 1, 2005... AS PCD&M columnist Peter Bigelow points out this month, you never know when you might learn something. Some of history's greatest discoveries and inventions came about purely by chance. Physicists are currently celebrating--if physicists...

In memoriam.(Our Line)
February 1, 2005... The staff of PCD&M and UP Media Group would like to extend our sympathies to the victims and survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Donations to the devastated areas can be made through all UP Media Group Web...

Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only).(Dead Lines)
February 1, 2005... DEAD LINES Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % CHANGE SEPT OCT. (R) Computers/electronics products -2.7 ...

December good for manufacturing.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2005... TEMPE, AZ -- Manufacturing growth accelerated in December, driven by a significant increase in new orders. Production ticked down--its third straight decline--but backlogs firmed, said the Institute for Supply Management (www.ism.ws). ...

PC user ranks to double by 2010.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2005... SAN JOSE -- The number of PCs in use worldwide will reach almost 1.3 billion by the end of the decade, up from about 575 million today. With markets in Europe, the U.S. and Asia reaching maturity, the bulk of the growth will come from emerging...

IC gear sales dip ahead.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2005... STAMFORD, CT -- Worldwide semiconductor capital equipment spending grew about 61% last year but spending in 2005 is projected to drop 15%, according to Gartner Inc. All major segments of the capital equipment market are forecast to decline...

China getting connected.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2005... BEIJING -- Connector manufacturers in China will produce $3 billion worth of connectors this year, about 60 million parts. In a report, Global Sources said $2.1 billion worth of connectors--50 million pieces--were produced in 2004. There...

Consumer convergence.(Market Watch)
February 1, 2005... FRAMINGHAM, MA--Digitization of media, expansion of broadband options, proliferation of new converged devices, and collision and consolidation of market leaders will define the top consumer trends in 2005, says IDC (www.idc.com). Big winners...

Books-to-bills of various components/equipment.(Industry Market Snapshot)
February 1, 2005... INDUSTRY MARKET SNAPSHOT Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. AUGUST SEPT. OCT. NOV. Semiconductor equipment (1) 1.01 0.94 0.96 1.00 Semiconductors (2) ...

RJR circuits MakesTop 50.(Around The World)
February 1, 2005... DENVER, CO -- RJR Circuits Inc. (www.rjrinc.com) has been named one of the Top 50 Family-Owned Companies in Colorado for 2004. RJR came in at No. 39 in the ranking, which was sponsored by Colorado Biz magazine. RJR specializes in quickturn and...

Mentor gives PCB tools flex, rigid-flex capabilities.(Around The World)
February 1, 2005... WILSONVILLE, OR -- Mentor Graphics Corp. (www.mentor.com) has incorporated design capabilities for flex and rigid-flex boards into its Expedition and Board Station RE PCB layout tools. Mentor said in a release that it is meeting the needs of...

Desantage now DesignAdvance Systems.(Around The World)
February 1, 2005... PITTSBURGH -- EDA software developer Desantage Corp. has changed its name to DesignAdvance Systems Inc. and formed an alpha test program for its first product, Circuit-Space, an automated component placement tool. The alpha team partners are...

NEMI nabs new name.(A Rose By Another Name)
February 1, 2005... HERNDON, VA -- The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (www.nemi.org) consortium today changed its name to the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, or iNEMI. "As a member-driven organization, we evolve to meet the...

EDA industry down 2% in Q3.(But PCB Holding On)
February 1, 2005... SAN JOSE -- The Electronic Design Automation Consortium's Market Statistics Service (MSS) announced that total Q3 revenue, including Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP), was $953 million, a 2% decrease from Q3 2003. Revenue for PCB and...

Sugden teaching free PCB West class.(The Best Things In Life)
February 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- PCB West 2005 attendees are invited to attend a free workshop on "Demystifying Controlled Impedance Boards" that will be taught by PCB Design Expert Mary Sugden on Sunday, March 6 from 6 pm--8 pm in the Cypress Room at the Westin...

Wise reports increased YOY revenue.(Wise Up)
February 1, 2005... NEWBERG, OR -- WISE Software Solutions Inc. (www.wssi.com) reported that annual 2004 revenues were up 15% in North America and 6% internationally over 2003. The CAM software and services provider said the growth was the result of increased...

DownStream CAM350 now supports ODB++.(I Think I Cam)
February 1, 2005... BOLTON, MA -- DownStream Technologies' CAM350 Release 8.7 includes ODB++ and PCB arraying as part of its basic configuration. The latest version of its PCB CAM solution is part of what DownStream (www.downstreamtech.com) calls an aggressive...

Teradyne to lay off 320, take $11m charge.(Around The World)
February 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Teradyne Inc. (www.teradyne.com) will lay off 320 employees and vacate a plant in California as part of an effort to cut expenses. The company will take an $11 million charge. In an SEC filing, Teradyne said it would terminate...

November book-to-bill down from October.(Flex Still Flying)
February 1, 2005... BANNOCKBURN, IL -- The North American PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for November 2004 dropped to 0.96, the first month the ratio has fallen below parity (1.00) since April 2003. Looking at rigid and flex circuits separately, the book-to-bill...

Advanced Dielectric Division of Taconic.(Faces)
February 1, 2005... Manfred Huschka will assume the role of vice president of global sales for the Advanced Dielectric Division of Taconic. This new position will be in addition to his role as GM of Taconic's operations in Ireland. Huschkawill be responsible for...

Tapco.(Faces)
February 1, 2005... Roy Devadas has joined Tapco as information technology manager. Devadas brings eight years of IT management experience from Medela Inc., and five years as application development manager for Abacus Data Systems. Rob Shah has signed on as...

Innovative Circuits Inc.(Faces)
February 1, 2005... Norm Filer has been named marketing manager of Innovative Circuits Inc. He has 25 years of experience in marketing and production. Filer served as manufacturing manager with Electronic System Products for eight years, and previously worked at...

IEEE-USA.(Faces)
February 1, 2005... Dr. Gerard A. Alphonse became IEEE-USA president on Jan. 1. An IEEE Fellow with more than 50 US patents, Alphonse plans to lead IEEE-USA in tackling issues relating to innovation and offshore outsourcing. He hopes to bring together technical...

Tyco Printed Circuit Group.(It's A Deal)
February 1, 2005... Tyco Printed Circuit Group plans to open its unfinished plant in Salem, OR. The facility, used as storage for years, will develop flex and HDI boards.

Torrey Hills Technologies LLC has inked a strategic alliance agreement with China Saneway Microelectronics Materials Co. Ltd.(It's A Deal)
February 1, 2005... Torrey Hills Technologies LLC has inked a strategic alliance agreement with China Saneway Microelectronics Materials Co. Ltd. for the development and worldwide marketing of high-performance heat sinks. The initial products offered are CuW, CuMo...

Innovex purchased the assets used to manufacture adhesiveless, copper clad polyimide from Gould Electronics Inc.(It's A Deal)
February 1, 2005... Innovex purchased the assets used to manufacture adhesiveless, copper clad polyimide from Gould Electronics Inc. Copper clad polyimide is the base material utilized by Innovex to manufacture flexible circuits. Concurrent with the purchase,...

Events.(Happenings)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... FEBRUARY 1-4 electronicIndia Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre, New Delhi, India Contact: www.electronica.de 15 Schematic Capture with Protel 2004 Ware, Herts, UK Contact:...

Cold calls leaving you cold? Let's put the selling back into sales.(Power Selling)
February 1, 2005... Whatever happened to the cold call? What has happened to telemarketing? The more I work with salespeople the more I am aware of a trend away from the basic "meat and potatoes" type of selling we all grew up with. I know that the...

Continuing education: get out and attend a few industry events. You just might learn something.(ROI)
February 1, 2005... IT'S AMAZING WHAT you can learn when you least expect it. Almost by accident, you may uncover the missing piece of a puzzle, or information that sends you down the road to success. The chance to learn new things, even by accident, is just one...

Length matching for high-speed differential pairs: loops and serpentines can add length to eliminate imbalance in your differential pairs.(Interconnect Strategies)
February 1, 2005... THIS COLUMN WILL DISCUSS the significance of length matching for high-speed differential pairs and how to achieve it. When routing high-speed differential pairs two important considerations include (1): 1. Maintaining constant separation...

10 steps toward RoHS directive compliance: manufacturers will likely need documented, auditable systems to prevent noncompliant products from entering the EU.(Countdown To Lead-Free)
February 1, 2005... THE EU'S ROHS Directive imposes unprecedented regulatory restrictions on substances used in electronics. The targeted substances are cadmium, mercury, lead and hexavalent chromium, along with polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated...

In the mix: tips for mixed-signal design: avoiding preconceived notions is a must if you want to design efficient mixed-signal boards.(Mixed Signal)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... In many cases, engineers have preconceived notions about mixed-signal designs and how analog and digital placement, partitioning and associated design should be performed. However, the truth of the matter is that every mixed-signal board design...

The future of CAD libraries: will IPC-7351 be adopted globally? Take a look into the creation of a land pattern standard.(CAD Libraries)
February 1, 2005... The CAD land pattern library is one of the most important but often overlooked aspects of the electronics industry. By applying industry standard requirements, designers can gain competitive advantage through the automation of processes, from...

An alternative PCB architecture for high-speed chip-to-chip signal transmission: copper's 'limits' can be stretched by routing high-speed signals through the top of the package.(Signal Integrity)
February 1, 2005... Although today's optical data transmission technologies are loaded with road-blocking issues--including high cost, high power requirements, limited infrastructure and lack of experienced engineers--the need is not yet dire for the bandwidth...

The gift that keeps on giving: a checklist for making your shop more productive and economical.(Better Phototooling)
February 1, 2005... IN THE SPIRIT of the new year, I present some tips to help improve your production, cut down on reworks and increase shop floor satisfaction. Remember this checklist and 2005 may be kind to your bottom line. Phototooling Densitometers...

Asia: supply and market: led by demand for consumer electronics--and flexible circuits--Asian board makers remain in the pole position.(Markets)
February 1, 2005... For the past few years, the business environment in Asia has outpaced both the European and North American markets. Production of all classes of PCBs has, in some cases, seen double-digit increase rates, with flexible interconnects leading the...

The effects of lead-free on PCB fabrication: assemblers may bear most of the brunt of the movement away from lead, but board shops won't be getting off unscathed. Materials, finishes and processes are all likely to be affected.(Lead-Free)
February 1, 2005... The push for lead-free solder assembly has led to many investigations into PCB materials and finishes. These are primarily based on discerning the capability of the materials to withstand the higher temperatures of the lead-free soldering...

Who's this issue's expert?(Ask The Experts)
February 1, 2005... Q: I am designing a PWB for a high power DC to DC converter. With a large array of solid state switches, heat generation will be a big issue. Are there board materials that can help with managing the heat? A: There are a lot of possible...

PCB Design Conference West 2005.(PCB West 2005 Preview)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... Exhibition: March 8-9, 2005 * Conference: March 7-11, 2005 Santa Clara Convention Center * Santa Clara, CA The PCB Design Conferences are the first and only PCB design-oriented conferences developed specifically to meet the needs of PCB...

BGA socket.(Off the shelf: machines materials tools systems software)
February 1, 2005... This open-top burn-in socket was designed for 1.0mm pitch BGA devices. The NP440 series does not have an actuation cover, allowing the integration of an external thermal solution with optimized fin height. The NP440 series features a single...

Thermal models.(Off the shelf: machines materials tools systems software)
February 1, 2005... Alpha Novatech provides thermal models for most of its standard heatsinks on its SmartParts3D Web site. Design engineers can download validated thermal models of approximately 330 different Alpha Novatech parts and incorporate them in their...

Prototyping system.(Off the shelf: machines materials tools systems software)
February 1, 2005... Based on the Roland EGX-20 milling machine, the reengineered Ximetrix DGX-20XB is designed for milling and drilling small proof-of-concept prototype circuit boards: corrected table/head geometry, support for industry standard .125" shank bits,...

Polyamide laminate.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... The new Zytel LX series of HTN high-performance polyamide is said to withstand higher peak reflow temperatures than other polymers. Other reported advantages include less part breakage, water-controlled molds and faster molding with more design...

Design collaboration tool.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... InterComm EDAcompare is used to compare and identify changes in PCB designs early in the product development process. Said to allow companies to decrease time-to-volume, increase product quality and ultimately reduce overall product cost....

PCB design software.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... Available to current customers, Visula 7.0 is said to deliver greater productivity through improved routing automation and new constraints manager. Improvements include damage repair, additional INI file settings for the layout editor and...

Design software upgrade.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... The SP2 service pack has over 150 enhancements to the Protel 2004 design system, New features include faster net analysis, support for cutouts in solid polygon pours, and support for copying from PCB documents to the Windows clipboard. Free to...

Prototyping system.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... The Quick Circuit 5000 HS40 can achieve spindle speeds up to 40,000 rpm Said to offer better quality drill holes and faster throughput than the standard Quick Circuit 5000. Quick Circuit systems produced since 1997 are upgradeable to the HS40...

Simulation software.(Others Of Note)
February 1, 2005... Ansoft's Simplorer SV v7 is a free, down-loadable version of Simplorer. Said to be ideal for engineering students studying power electronics, drive technology, electromagnetic actuators and electric machines, controls, transportation...

Still good bang for the buck: OI' faithful FR-4 shows no signs of fading into that good night.(No Myths Allowed)
February 1, 2005... I often hear the questions: When will copper reach its limits? When will it be necessary to switch to optical interconnects? Actually, we should be asking when FR-4 will reach its limits, and what will we do about it? The answer is, pretty."...