Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture articles from June 2004

Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture archives from June 2004

More research needed on Sn-Pb alternatives.(Letters: our readers respond)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... I READ WITH interest your editorial "For Lead, No Blue Sky" (Ourline, April 2004). I feel strongly that banning tin-lead solder in avionics or any safety-related electronics is decidedly wrongheaded. Safety should come first. I don't feel...

Questions on Pb-free.(Letters: our readers respond)
June 1, 2004... AFTER TRYING TO keep abreast of the latest news and developments on these subjects for, what seems to be forever, I've given up, because nobody has the complete answers to the practical problems ensuing. Simple things, like which is the tin...

Military speak.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2004... MILITARY SPEAK Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % CHANGE JAN. FEB. MARCH * YTD ...

Manufacturing production still rising.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2004... TEMPE, AZ -- The manufacturing sector continued its recovery in April, growing for the 11th consecutive month. New orders contracted slightly, but production and employment were up, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws). Survey...

Gateway sales to grow 525% by 2008.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2004... OYSTER BAY, NY -- While broadband gateways--home networking services that contain both a modem and router--are generally open to either DSL or cable standards, the apparent strategies of DSL and cable service providers are having a significant...

More strength seen for ICs.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2004... SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Sales of ICs will grow 29% this year, to $215 billion and could approach 2000's record high. While bearing the good news, In-Stat/MDR (instat.com) in late April said the current recovery "should not be interpreted as a...

Industry market snapshot.(Market Watch)
June 1, 2004... INDUSTRY MARKET SNAPSHOT Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. DEC. JAN. FEB. MARCH Semiconductor equipment (1) 1.23 1.19 1.15 1.10 Semiconductors (2) 11%...

Epec tale.
June 1, 2004... Epec Inc. in April purchased the business of Gultech North Carolina, a manufacturer of prototype PCBs. Gultech had acquired the plant from Accudyne.

Blowing out candles.
June 1, 2004... CCMP Inc., a mass lam contractor, celebrated its 10-year anniversary in April.

Japan in sight.
June 1, 2004... Coreco Imaging (corecoimaging.com), a supplier of machine vision components and services, has opened an office in Tokyo. Also, Match Plasma Systems (marchplasma.com) has established offices in the Nordson facility in Tokyo.

Sanmina-Shanghai?
June 1, 2004... Sanmina-SCI president Randy Furr suggested during a conference call with analysts that the EMS company may be looking at China as a possible site for expansion.

Wise men.
June 1, 2004... Wise Software Solutions (wssi.com) has inked a non exclusive agreement under which Megratec Ltd. will distribute and provide first-level support for its GerbTool CAM software in Russia. Wise also named Unicraft Co. to provide distribution and...

Etch away.
June 1, 2004... Flex board maker Basic Electronics is outsourcing its plasma treatment and etch requirements to Match Plasma Systems (marchplasma.com).

Spice of life.
June 1, 2004... Intusoft's (intusoft.com) Spice modeling capability has been extended at no charge to users of the company's ICAP/4 simulation software.

Got paper?
June 1, 2004... The SMTA is seeking papers on processing and packaging for the Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium, Jan. 25-27, in Hawaii. Submit a 500-word abstract by Aug. 2 to smta.org/ pan_pac/call_for_papers.cfm.

Alone in India.
June 1, 2004... Altium Ltd. (altium.com) named Embedded Systems Solutions (embeddedindia.com) as sole reseller in India. "India is shaping up to become a world powerhouse for the design and development of a wide range of high-tech products," said Kayvan...

Cleaning up.
June 1, 2004... Serfilco Ltd., which makes chemical and metal finishing treatment systems, will buy the assets of R.P. Adams Co., a maker of self-cleaning strainers, filters and heat exchangers.

3M ramps.
June 1, 2004... 3M (mmm.com) is scaling up production of its embedded capacitor material, C-Ply, following several successful customer qualification programs.

Collaboration vendors collaborate: PTC acquires Ohio Design.(Design)
June 1, 2004... NEEDHAM, MA -- PTC (ptc.com) in April closed on a deal to acquire Ohio Design Automation (ohio-da.com), the New Hampshire-based electronics design collaboration software supplier, for $12 million in cash. Ohio Design will be run as a...

EE layoffs continue: Q1 unemployment rate up.(Design)
June 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Employment of U.S. electrical and electronics engineers continues to decline, according to first-quarter data compiled by the Department of Labor. The number of employed EEs fell 22,000, to 327,000 in the first quarter from...

Return to Santa Clara: PCB Design West 2005.(Design)
June 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- PCB Design Conference West, the annual conference and exhibition for PCB engineers, designers and manufacturers, will return next year to the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The show, which will take place March 7-11, is...

Hiya, Hytek.
June 1, 2004... EMA Design Automation (ema-eda.com) has added Hytek to its sales and support channel in the Silicon Valley EDA market. EMA will also begin selling TurboTools Corp.'s CablEquity line of cable and electrical wiring design tools. "With the...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2004... Due to a reporting error, in the May 2004 issue ("Is the Supply Chain Finally Unchained?") we inaccurately stated that Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials and Grace Electron are in joint R&D on platforms for embedded passives and...

Titan teams up: will build for large PCB maker.(Manufacturing)
June 1, 2004... FREMONT, CA -- Titan General Holdings Inc. has entered into a distribution relationship with a major offshore circuit board supplier, the company said on May 6. The offshore partner, which Titan declined to name, had revenues over $100 million...

Dow hikes epoxy prices (again): 3D time this year.(Manufacturing)
June 1, 2004... MIDLAND, MI -- Effective June 1, Dow Chemical will increase prices in North America for epoxy resins used in PCB laminates, its third price hike this year. In an April statement, Dow announced price increases of 10 cents/lb, for liquid and...

Moving in.(Manufacturing)
June 1, 2004... SHANGHAI -- PCB capacity additions in Asia continue unabated as several companies announced plans for massive increases in production space. In Shanghai, Shenzhen Fast-print Circuit Technology Co. Ltd. is putting in a PCB facility of an...

Rep. Hyde, Carano offer aids at USPCA meeting: USPCA admonishers free trade agreements.(Manufacturing)
June 1, 2004... ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL -- Calling free trade "the seed of our own destruction," Chicago area circuit board manufacturers gathered the night of April 13 to press U.S. Representative Henry Hyde (R-IL) to help stem the flow of PCB procurement...

EA takes stake in new U.S. flex shop: expansion ahead for quick turn flex circuits.(Manufacturing)
June 1, 2004... FRANKLIN, NH -- Electronic Apparatus in April acquired ownership interest in Quick Turn Flex Circuits LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Franklin, NH, business unit will be renamed EA-Quick Turn Flex Circuits LLC...

Events.(Happenings)(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... JUNE 2-5 JPCA Show Toyko. Contact: JPCA. show@jpcanet.or.jp 15-17 SMT/Hybrid/Packaging 2004 Nuremberg, Germany. Contact: mesago.de 16-18 European Mictoelectronics and Packaging Symposium Prague, Czech Republic....

Mentor Graphics.(Faces)
June 1, 2004... Mentor Graphics promoted Syed Gilani to general manager of its Pads business unit, responsible for defining business strategies and leading marketing and engineering. Gilani was director of Mentor's San Jose operations, leading product...

Uyemura (UIC).(Faces)
June 1, 2004... Uyemura (UIC) promoted George Milad (pictured) to national accounts manager for technology. UIC also hired Richard DePoto for technical sales in the Northeast.

TT Electronics Prestwick Circuits.(Faces)
June 1, 2004... TT Electronics Prestwick Circuits named Hodi Mirafsari environmental engineer to manage environmental initiatives, waste management and recycling. He was environmental process engineer at Circatex Ltd.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies.(Faces)
June 1, 2004... Endicott Interconnect Technologies named Michael Arp vice president and CFO. LeeAnn J. Levesque was named general manager of homeland security, responsible for strategic growth and a proprietary baggage screening product line. She was director...

Eurotherm.(Faces)
June 1, 2004... Eurotherm promoted Christopher King to product manager, recorder and data management products. He was northeast regional sales manager.

Christopher Associates Inc. (christopherweb.com) installed an HC 610 hole inspection system.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... Christopher Associates Inc, (christopherweb.com) installed an HC 610 hole inspection system at ISU Petasys (isupetasys.com).

Thales Avionics selected Visiprise Manufacturing MRP system.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... Thales Avionics selected Visiprise Manufacturing MRP system, from Visiprise Inc.

Uyemura (UIC) named Dymco Associates as its representative.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... Uyemura (UIC) named Dymco Associates as its representative in New England and New York.

ACT Electronics (actmfg.com) standardized on Tecnomatix's (tecnomatix.com) eMPower assembly and test suites across its U.S. manufacturing and design facilities.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... ACT Electronics (actmfg.com) standardized on Tecnomatix's (tecnomatix.com) eMPower assembly and test suites across its U.S. manufacturing and design facilities. Also, Bosch Security Systems (boschsecuritysystems.com) selected eMPower for its...

Mack Technologies Inc. (macktech.com) implemented Valor's (valor.com) Trilogy 5000 CAD-to-Assembly tool at its Westford, MA, EMS site.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... Mack Technologies Inc. (macktech.com) implemented Valor's (valor.com) Trilogy 5000 CAD-to-Assembly tool at its Westford, MA, EMS site, and plans to roll out the tool in new production sites in Florida and Mexico.

TT Electronics Prestwick Circuits purchased a Posalux.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... TT Electronics Prestwick Circuits purchased a Posalux (posalux.ch) UltraSpeed 6000-5 Dual drill.

Merlin Circuits (merlincircuit.co.uk) has purchased a Microcraft.(It's A Deal)
June 1, 2004... Merlin Circuits (merlincircuit.co.uk) has purchased a Microcraft (microcraft.jp) Emma ELX 6146 tester.

Why I like the USPCA: the real value of America's new PCB organization lies in its potential to reassert the importance of fabricators.(Power Selling)
June 1, 2004... DOUG AND JOE and the rest of the gang got it done last month. In a meeting of the U.S. Printed Circuit Alliance in Chicago, U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde came and listened to their needs. Excellent! (See PCD&M's exclusive coverage on pg. 12.) As most...

Invest your IQ, not your cash: better times call for investing in process improvements, not more capacity.(ROI)
June 1, 2004... NOW THAT THE business climate in our industry seems to be improving I'm amazed at how often I find myself in arguments with manufacturing managers. I say something that I think is basic and obvious, yet no matter how I say it the response I...

'Spice' up your design: predicting electromagnetic fields is no longer a luxury in the high-speed arena. Fortunately, many of today's EM simulators remove the guesswork.(No Myths Allowed)
June 1, 2004... MOST OF TODAY'S designs are in the high-speed regime, where interconnects are no longer transparent to the signals. If the interconnects' electrical properties are not taken into account, the product probably will not work. But how do we...

Design modeling checks and balances: should you use 3D field solvers or measurement-based modeling methods for high-speed modeling? Actually, they work great together.(Design Modeling)
June 1, 2004... With electronics increasing in speed and density, while at the same time operating at reduced voltage margins, designers must avail themselves of multiple design methods to ensure robust, conservative and cost-effective systems. It is no longer...

Improving material selection through BoM optimization: the BoM is your design, and there are many ways to improve its accuracy and functionality to aid downstream processes--and avoid costly redesigns.(BoM Management)
June 1, 2004... OEMs will not be surprised to learn that over 25% of an engineer's time is spent on parts-related issues, and over 70% of a product's cost is locked in at the design and development stage. Much of this cost is wrapped up in parts-related...

Conductor heating of embedded resistors: resistor heating has the potential for problems, but knowing the power dissipation and temp limits allow designers to thermally manage the outcome.(Getting Embedded)
June 1, 2004... MY COAUTHOR RICHARD Snogren and I have been discussing embedded resistors and the heating associated with them for the past two years. We have had conversations with quite a few others regarding this topic and recently have been garnering a lot...

Spotting interconnect defects: ICDs can't be reworked, but attempts to detect them are surprisingly minimal.(The Plating Rack)
June 1, 2004... WELL, WE'RE IN trouble now. If voiding issues are not enough to keep everyone hopping, interconnect or interplane separation surely will be. Unlike voids, whereby if detected in time the panels can be reprocessed, it is impossible to rework ICD...

Silicon and its future impact on PCBs: a look at coming assembly and packing requirements, based on the ITRS silicon roadmap.(Silicon Trends)
June 1, 2004... The silicon roadmap, or International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, is published every two years, with an update of the Assembly and Packaging chapter published in the NEMI roadmap. In the most recent ITRS, published last rail, the...

Round the clock: a coupon's actual misregistration is always worse than can be seen in any single mount's cross-section.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Circuit boards are mature. Specifications and industry classifications have been established; supply-chain partnerships developed; processes and materials qualified; data transfer worked out; workmanship and process control finessed into...

Total system verification.(off the Shelf)
June 1, 2004... Hot-Stage 4.2 high-speed virtual prototyping tool features support for electrical board descriptions (part of the IBIS standard), definition of hierarchical stimuli, advanced skew handling and improved autorouting. EBD support enables...

Congruent inspection.(off the Shelf)
June 1, 2004... Dual-VU integrated inspection system displays x-ray and vision images side-by-side in real rime, at magnifications up to 40X. Functions as a full-featured x-ray or vision inspection system. For multilayer and assembled PCBs and BGAs. Has a 70kV...

8-bit microcontroller.(off the Shelf)
June 1, 2004... The PIC10F family contains a 4 MHz internal oscillator and 8-bit timer. Is said to be the first flash microcontroller of its kind in a 6-pin, SOT-23 package. Can replace 555 timers. Suitable for PCB and ASIC bug fixes and feature upgrades,...

RTU design flow.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... PADS2004 design flow features an enhanced HyperLynx tool suite for pre- and post-layout SI simulation and analysis, a new spreadsheet-based stackup editor and a quick terminator for differential resistors. OrCAD schematic and symbol library...

Low noise oscillator.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... CCHD-950 (clock version) and CVHD-950 (VCXO version) crystal oscillators come in FR-5 9 x 14 mm SMD packages and provide 162dBc/Hz noise floor. Generate frequencies between 50MHz and 100MHz. Operating range up to -40[degrees] to 85[degrees]C....

Belt splicing.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... EZSplice conveyor belt splicing strand reportedly provides rapid installation and repair of Flat-Flex open-mesh, stainless steel wire betting. Installs in minutes, and eliminates the need for intricate lacing and weaving of wire across the...

Fine-line laminate.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... R/flex 3850 double-clad laminate has a Dk of 2.9, for controlled impedance combined with dimensional stability for fine-line applications. Comes in a range of copper and film thicknesses and in standard panel formats. R/flex 3000 family also...

Warpage measurement.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... ATEC/DS, for automated thermal expansion and dimensional stability measurements, uses noncontact image processing to measure dimensional stability at ambient temperature and CTE from ambient to 250[degrees]C. Is capable of continuous thermal...

High capacity plasma etchers.(Others Of Note)
June 1, 2004... HP series of plasma etchers increases the performance of bonding, soldered applications, coatings and eliminates wastes often associated with other processes. The HP 32 has a capacity of 32 18 x 24" panels per load and HP 48 has a capacity of...

Dump the data.(Our Line)
June 1, 2004... IN God we trust," goes the saying. "All others must bring Data." According to IPC, PCB shipments were up 32.6% year-over-year through Match, and bookings were up 42.8%. Not ton shabby, though the comeback loses some of its luster when we...