Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture articles from November 2005

Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture archives from November 2005

Are you proactive or reactive?(OUR LINE)
November 1, 2005... NEWTON'S Third Law tells us, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The big trick is predicting what that opposite reaction might be and what can be done to prepare for it. Each individual prepares for the future in...

Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only).(DEFENSIVE SWING)
November 1, 2005... DEFENSIVE SWING Trends in the U.S. electronics equipment market (shipments only). % CHANGE JUNE JULY (r) AUG. * YTD Computers/ electronics products -0.2 ...

September sharp for manufacturing.(MARKET WATCH)
November 1, 2005... TEMPE, AZ -- Manufacturing output rose sharply in September, its 28th straight month of growth, with slower deliveries and growing order backlogs. Energy price inflation remains a concern. New orders and production rebounded from August,...

Betting the house on EMS.(MARKET WATCH)
November 1, 2005... SAN JOSE -- Revenues of EMS providers will grow 13% this year, down from 20% last year, according to a report by research firm Technology Forecasters (www.techforecasters.com). The burst of the housing "bubble" coupled with astronomical energy...

Buying more MCMs, PLDs.(MARKET WATCH)
November 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Semiconductor customers will continue to increase consumption of multichip devices and PLDs over the next 12 months, suggests a September survey of purchasing managers by investment bank SG Cowen. In the poll of 250 procurement...

Equipment markets slowing.(MARKET WATCH)
November 1, 2005... LOS ALTOS, CA -- Rising oil prices are dampening the world economy, with Europe and Japan feeling the brunt worse than the U.S. and China. The result: A significant economic slowdown next year. Henderson Ventures (hendersonventures.com)...

Book-to-bills of various components/equipment.(INDUSTRY MARKET SNAPSHOT)
November 1, 2005... INDUSTRY MARKET SNAPSHOT Book-to-bills of various components/equipment. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. Semiconductor equipment (1) 0.84 0.90 0.93 1.05 Semiconductors (2) ...

EDA industry flat in second quarter.(BUT PCB IS UP)
November 1, 2005... SAN JOSE -- EDA Consortium's Market Statistics Service has reported that the electronic design automation industry revenue for the second quarter of 2005 was $1.091 billion, compared to $1.094 billion a year ago. But PCB and MCM revenue...

Molex buys Century Circuits.(AROUND THE WORLD)
November 1, 2005... LISLE, IL -- Molex Inc. has acquired Century Circuits & Electronics, a St Paul, MN-based flex manufacturer. The combined organization will become a part of Molex Printed Circuit Products based in Naperville, IL. Molex said in a release...

Tyco closes Waterbury plant.(CLOSING PAINS)
November 1, 2005... PRINCETON, NJ -- Tyco Electronics has closed its Waterbury, CT plant and laid off 30 employees, completing a shutdown that was announced in May. Work from the plant was moved to a company facility in Jonestown, PA, said Mike Ratcliff,...

AWR updates microwave office suite.(SUITE DEAL)
November 1, 2005... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Applied Wave Research Inc. has released the 2006 version of its Microwave Office design suite for RF/microwave designers. The 2006 rev is said to offer a new integrated filter synthesis solution using Nuhertz Technologies'...

Advanced Circuits under new management.(MEET THE NEW BOSS)
November 1, 2005... AURORA, CO -- Advanced Circuits has a new leader. President John Yacoub became president and CEO in September when CEO Ron Huston sold his share of the company. Huston will no longer be involved with company operations. Yacoub said he and...

Ruwel Denmark insolvent.(BUT THEN AGAIN, NO)
November 1, 2005... GELDERN, GERMANY -- Ruwel AG said it will petition for insolvency for its Ruwel Denmark MS facility in Nykobing. Ruwel AG said in a release that Ruwel Denmark has shown losses over many months during a changeover phase from standard to...

Events.(HAPPENINGS)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... NOVEMBER 1 HALT/HASS Seminar Series in China Shanghai, China Contact: sales@envirotronics.com 1 NationalTour of RoHS/WEEE Compliance Seminar Boston. MA ...

Photocircuits Corp.(FACES)
November 1, 2005... Photocircuits Corp. has added two new sales staff members and one returning member to its sales and marketing team. Alan Abbate was formerly VP of sales and marketing at Tyco Printed Circuit Group. As national sales director, he will help...

OM Group Inc.(FACES)
November 1, 2005... Richard W. Blackburn has been named a director of OM Group Inc. Blackburn joins the director class that will stand for re-election in 2006. He spent approximately 30 years in the telecommunications industry, and served as the president and...

Electropac.(FACES)
November 1, 2005... Otto Jespersen, Arnold Waldner and Bill Letts have retired from Electropac. They have a combined total of 60 years of executive management service at Electropac companies in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Flex Interconnect Technologies.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Flex Interconnect Technologies has been ranked 21st amongst the 50 fastest growing privately held companies in Silicon Valley by the San Jose Business Journal. The ranking is based on the percentage of growth in the fiscal year revenue over...

Advanced Circuits.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Advanced Circuits has been ranked 28th in the Technology Fast 50, a ranking by Deloitte & Touche of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in Colorado. The ranking was based on Advanced Circuit's 90% revenue growth from 2000 to 2004.

Test Technology International donated a PCB electrical tester to Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, AL for use in the school's printed circuitry program.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Test Technology International donated a PCB electrical tester to Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, AL for use in the school's printed circuitry program. Zero Defects will furnish materials that will complement the tester's use in the...

Magneti Marelli Powertrain has purchased Mentor Graphics' System Vision software.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Magneti Marelli Powertrain has purchased Mentor Graphics' System Vision software for analyzing analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuitry.

Excellon Automation.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Excellon Automation has relocated to new corporate offices and a North American production facility in Rancho Dominguez, CA.

Multi Circuits of Oshkosh, WI, has purchased a Bacher Imaging Systems PEPS 700 MA post-etch punch.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... Multi Circuits of Oshkosh, WI, has purchased a Bacher Imaging Systems PEPS 700 MA post-etch punch. Bacher Systems is part of Burkle's FabFour Machinery Alliance.

PPG Industries.(IT'S A DEAL)
November 1, 2005... On Nov. 1 PPG Industries raised its prices $.06 per pound for all fiberglass shipments in North and South America, largely due to rising energy prices. The company will not enter into long-term contracts without price flexibility to offset...

You can't judge a book by its cover; things aren't always what they seem, for good and bad.(ROI)
November 1, 2005... IT'S AMAZING WHAT you learn when you least expect it. Whether going though mundane chores, enjoying family time or traveling, those little "ah ha" moments often prove to be the most enlightening and educational. You would be amazed what you can...

The relationship of components, alloys and fluxes, Part 2: in this installment, the author reviews the interactions of fluxes with components and alloys, respectively.(COUNTDOWN TO LEAD-FREE)
November 1, 2005... Components vs. Fluxes 1. Solder Bumping Solder fusion on wafer. For electroplated or evaporated solder bumps on wafer, the bumps need to be fused with spin-coated fluxes to eliminate the porosity of the bumps or round up the bumps. The...

The 2005 designer and design engineer salary survey: salaries hold firm overall. But location is everything, and some areas of the U.S. are far behind the average.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2005... The results of the 2005 PCD&M Salary Survey are in, and there's plenty of good news, as well as some not-so-good news. This year, 71% of respondents (designers and design engineers) reported an increase in their base salaries in the past 12...

Managing the challenges in RF/microwave designs: because of the growth in mixed-technology products, designers often can't use traditional PCB layout tools for RF, and RF tools won't work with non-RF circuits. So what's the solution?(RF/MICROWAVE DESIGN)
November 1, 2005... Not long ago, a cell phone was a cell phone and a car sound system was just a car sound system. Today, the sound system and the cell phone are integrated via a Bluetooth RF link to provide built in hands-free functionality. More traditionally...

Artwork Protection Films firm up; APF leads to new products, performance.(BETTER PHOTOTOOLING)
November 1, 2005... I LAST WROTE about artwork protection films last year. Since then, these products have emerged as real workhorses in phototool/artwork departments. Considering the substantial growth and popularity APF has enjoyed for the last year and a half,...

ROHS compliance strategies: there are several ways to ensure that you're in compliance with the EU's hazardous material rules. The trick is determining which is the best for your company.(LEAD-FREE)
November 1, 2005... In July 2006, the way electronic equipment manufacturing companies operate in the European Union will change forever. At that time, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive goes into effect. The regulations, designed to limit...

The Asian market: Taiwan: despite their political differences, Taiwan and China do agree on a few things. A look at the explosive growth of Taiwan's PCB manufacturers and their presence in China.(GLOBAL MARKETS)
November 1, 2005... Taiwan's board-making presence in China has been growing each year. A preliminary study indicates that the total production value of PCBs in China by Taiwanese makers represents almost 35% of China's output. Despite the current political...

Yes, size does matter; sometimes, shorter is better.(NO MYTHS ALLOWED)
November 1, 2005... MOST SIGNAL INTEGRITY problems stem from reflections of the signal at impedance discontinuities. Luckily, this is also the easiest problem to fix. By following a simple rule of thumb, the reflection problems created by stubs can be avoided. ...