CircuiTree articles from April 2002

CircuiTree archives from April 2002

Letters.
April 1, 2002... Service--Not Price--Should Define Business Relationships I just finished reading Rolf Funer's letter [CircuiTree, February 2002, page 3], as well as the columns written by Steve Gold and Richard Kessler in the same issue. I remember the...

Talk about a trade imbalance. (The Way We See It).(Column)
April 1, 2002... Some people say the U.S. doesn't export enough anymore. When it comes to our industry, I'm not sure about that. Let's start with our exporting volume capacity overseas, It's no secret that many publicly owned North American, Japanese and...

Factory design and automation. (Between the Conductors).
April 1, 2002... In the last column, a case for collaborative research and development was discussed. Offshore competition, particularly from mainland China, poses a significant threat to printed circuit manufacturing in North America. Economics are the primary...

Correction for Advanced west/FabTech telephone number.(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2002... CircuiTree listed the wrong telephone number for Advanced West/FabTech on the second page of their insert (page 120-A) published in March. The telephone number should have read 877-773-4567. Please make a note of the correct number. We regret...

Flextronics builds $20 million facility in North Carolina. (EMS Report).(Flextronics International Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Charlotte, NC--Flextronics International Ltd. announced plans to build a $20 million design and manufacturing facility geared towards optical technology in Youngsville, North Carolina, The new plant will be one of two technology campuses in the...

Sanmina-SCI closes Canadian PCB plant. (EMS Report).(Sanmina-SCI Corp. closes plant in Canada, acquires plants in France, Spain and Germany)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Brockville, Canada--According to published reports, Sanmina-SCI will shut down its Ontario PCB facility no later than November, laying off 350 people. The plant was previously owned by Nortel Networks and purchased by SCI Systems in 1999 before...

ACT Manufacturing delisted from Nasdaq. (EMS Report).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Hudson, MA--ACT Manufacturing Inc. announced that its common stock was delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange. The company intends to seek to have one or more market makers quote its common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board. On December 21,...

Celestica releases fourth quarter results. (EMS Report).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Toronto, Canada--Celestica Inc. announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2001. For the fourth quarter, revenue was $2,448 million, down 29 percent from $3,448 million in the fourth quarter of 2000. Adjusted...

Plexus receives 2001 Industry Award. (EMS Report).(Plexus Corp.)
April 1, 2002... Richmond, KY--Plexus Corp. received the 2001 Madison County, Kentucky, Industry of the Year Award. The Richmond Chamber of Commerce presented the award to Plexus at their annual awards banquet, held at Eastern Kentucky University. Receiving the...

Solectron wins Microsoft repair contract. (EMS Report).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Milpitas, CA--Solectron Corp. won a contract to provide repair services for Microsoft's Xbox video game console in Asia. This follows the company's October 2001 victory in which it also gained the rights to provide repair services in North...

Valor, Flextronics ink deal. (EMS Report).(Valor Computerized Systems Inc. will provide computer-aided manufacturing products to Flextronics International Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... San Diego, CA--Valor Computerized Systems announced that Flextronics instigated a further round of investment in Valor's CAM engineering products for advanced DFM and machine programming as part of the company's new eFlexDesignSM process....

Viasystems fourth quarter revenues still negative. (EMS Report).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... St. Louis, MO--After being dropped from the New York Stock Exchange in January 2002, Viasystems Group Inc. announced more bad news as it posted negative earnings for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2001. Net sales for the quarter...

Changing of the guard-again. (Fein-Lines).(Jack Keys)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... We all hear how things are changing, and how this industry will never be the same. Indeed, I remember when this was a relatively young industry. The average age of the "movers and shakers" was 35, and retirement was still an abstract concept....

People.(electronic componenets industry)
April 1, 2002... PhotoMachining PhotoMachining added Dr. Oleg Derkach to its staff as an applications scientist. Dr. Derkach graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), and worked at Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy as a...

Registraion & Knowledge through and across your panel: Registration is a looming challenge for fabricators delving into higher technology. How do we measure, understand and control this important process?
April 1, 2002... As modem photoimageable materials allow us to resolve finer lines, the biggest challenge facing the higher technology fabricator is registration. In a world of increasing layer counts where agility equals survival, how do we measure, understand...

The EMS industry finds Japan a tough nut to crack. (Asian Aspects).
April 1, 2002... Last year at this time, I suggested that the rate of outsourcing and selling of OEM factories would depend on how bad the recession was. We all know now that the current recession is about the worst anyone has seen. What has that meant to the...

Christopher Group, Shipley hold training seminar. (Suppliers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Santa Ana, CA--As part of the marketing and support program for Shipley's PCB manufacturing equipment, the Christopher Group and Shipley Co. held an advanced customer training seminar on February 7, 2002, at Christopher's demonstration facility...

Automa-Tech opens new Shanghai branch. (Suppliers).(Automa-Tech Shanghai)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Val De Reuil, France--Automa-Tech SA established a new branch in Shanghai, China, providing a closer service center to area customers. Automa-Tech Shanghai is a Chinese registered company located in WaiGaoQuiao, Free Trade Zone, Shanghai. The...

ESI, Samsung strike deal. (Suppliers).(optoelectronic equipment)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Portland, OR--Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (ESI) signed an agreement with Samsung Techwin to provide vision software and hardware for pick-and-place capital equipment. Delivery began in February 2002. The agreement is worth $1 million...

Multek places order with Cemco FSL. (Suppliers).(Multilayer Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Waterlooville, UK--Cemco FSL announced the receipt of an order for the third Alchemy D Series system sold into North America to Multilayer Technology Inc. (Irvine, CA). The fully automated hot air leveling system is built to process up to 200...

Compeq installs FASTechnologies Server. (Suppliers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Elk River, MN--FASTechnologies Inc. and Compeq Intl. announced the installation of the first SmartParts Monitoring Server, a Web-based drill and router monitoring system, at Compeq's Salt Lake City facility. The system provides a real-time...

Elmatco announces North American deliveries. (Suppliers).(Elmatco Products Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... New Haven, CT--Elmatco, the exclusive North American distributor for Lauffer Pressen GmbH (Horb, Germany), announced some recent North American deliveries. The following companies installed multi-press semi-automatic lamination systems: Alpha...

Tapco Associates opens New Chicago service center. (Suppliers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Chicago, IL--Tapco Associates completed its move into a new facility in Elk Grove Village, Ill, At nearly twice the size of its former facility, the new location is designed from the outset for optimal efficiency, quality and speed. The new...

ECI Technology introduces West Coast division. (Suppliers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... East Rutherford, NJ--ECI Technology introduced a newly established U.S. West Coast division, This division is responsible for developing and supporting ECI's customers for its chemical monitoring systems in the semiconductor and PCB markets....

Polyclad China operation receives OHSAS 18001 certification. (Suppliers).(Polyclad Laminates Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Londonderry, NH--Polyclad Laminates Inc. received certification to the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 specification for its operation located in Dalian, P.R. China. ONY (Switzerland) conducted the independent,...

GIL Technologies opens China office. (Suppliers).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Shenzhen, China--GIL Technologies Inc. opened a sales office in the industrial trade center of Shenzhen, China. The new office is expected to serve as a technical and sales resource to users and manufacturers of RF/microwave, high-speed...

Century Printed Circuits buys Cimnet software. (Suppliers).(Century Printed Circuits Ltd., Cimnet Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Downers Grove, IL-Cimnet Systems Inc. sold its Paradigm[R] S/ERP (specialized enterprise resource planning) software to Century Printed Circuits Ltd. for its plant in Shenzhen, China. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Century Printed Circuits makes...

Marseco installs equipment. (Suppliers).(contract with Pronto Circuit Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Huntington Beach, CA-Marseco Inc. announced the delivery of an innerlayer chemical clean line, and a develop-etch-strip line to Pronto Circuit Technologies, Inc. The new lines have been installed in the fabricator's new facility (approximately...

LPKF sells new laser systems. (Suppliers).(LPKF Laser and Electronics AG)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Garbsen, Germany--LPKF Laser & Electronics AG recently sold two new laser systems. A North American company acquired a MicroLine Laser. This company already has several of these systems. This laser system will be used for Laser Direct...

Quantum Group elects president. (Suppliers).(Quantum Performance Group LLC names Dan Feinberg president, announces new quarterly report)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... San Clemente, CA--At the Quantum Group's annual meeting, Dan Feinberg was elected president. This position is held on a rotating basis among founding members. The Quantum Group also announced an expansion of its tri-yearly newsletter, "Quantum...

Mania Barco's gent office changes contact info. (Suppliers).(Belgium phone number change)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Gent, Belgium--Mania Barco recently changed its business contact information. As a consequence, the general phone number is now +32 9 216 99 11; the fax number is + 32 9 216 99 12; and the customer care hotline is + 32 9 216 99 00. The Belgian...

PerfecTest announces orders and installations. (Suppliers).(multiple companies choose PerfecTest P3 systems)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Redmond, WA--PerfecTest Corp. announced the following companies have purchased and installed PerfecTest P3 systems for controlling innerlayer registration in high-density multilayer PCBs: Anaren Microwave (NY); ISU Petasys America (CA); TTM...

Is anybody out there? (Seeing the Light).(Column)
April 1, 2002... Sometimes I have to step back and put things in perspective to realize just how lucky I am. First off, I get to write this column every month. Now, many people might think it is a royal pain to write something every month, usually several weeks...

EIPC and Italian-based PICSEL announce spring conference program.
April 1, 2002... Milan, Italy--The European Institute for Printed Circuits (EIPC) and the Italian-based association Production Italiani Circuiti Stampati per L'Electtronica (PICSEL) based in Milan, Italy, revealed the conference program of their jointly...

Irvine tapped to lead DuPont's.(interview with Peter Irvine, head of DuPont's new business, DuPont Integrated Circuit Packaging & Interconnects)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... IC Packaging & Interconnects Business DuPont recently formed a new business to expand into the lucrative market of packaging and interconnects in the electronics industry. Named "DuPont Integrated Circuit Packaging & Interconnects," the...

Fine lines in high yield (Part LXXIX) problems with residual, excess copper in print/etch and tent/etch processes (Part B). (Tech Talk).
April 1, 2002... This column is the second of a series on the subject of excess copper, and deals with defect causes related to lamination, exposure and phototooling. Lamination Problems Leading to Excess Copper Excessive lamination temperature can...

IPC members' help is needed to delay EPA reporting deadline.(compliance with Toxic Release Inventory program)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Northbrook, IL--The PC needs its members' input immediately. Last year, EPA lowered the reporting threshold for lead under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program. This rule will affect all EMS and PWB facilities, as well as many OEMs and...

Intelligent software: The Holy Grail for survival? (Zen and the Art of Information Technology).(Brief Article)(Column)
April 1, 2002... Many of you remember the Jetsons: a normal, middle-class cartoon family who showed how life might be in the future. If you don't remember, just take a trip to Shanghai. The city is reminiscent of the Jetson era--minus the flying cars. Some of...

Liquid Crystalline Polymer: The next generation of high-performance flex circuit materials.
April 1, 2002... Liquid Crystalline Polymer is gaining recognition as a flexible circuit materials choice in several high performance electronic markets. Process results of a single-clad LCP-copper laminate illustrate the effects of process variable on final...

HDI's improvement of signal integrity: (Part 2). (Happy Thoughts).(three part series)
April 1, 2002... This is the second part of a three-part series focusing on how HDI can significantly improve the electrical performance of electronics, and how it solves a number of signal integrity problems (for Part One, see my January 2002 column, page...

M~Wave taps into Asia: While many board fabricators operated at a loss in 2001, M~Wave saw its profits steadily rise. Learn how a domestic quick-turn shop transformed itself into a global PCB broker by leveraging its Asian relationships.
April 1, 2002... When Joe Turek founded Poly Circuits in 1988 within earshot of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, he had some ideas. Turek figured his company would be one of many small U.S. printed circuit board makers specializing in a specific technology. In Turek's...

Rozario Named Finalist in Entrepreneur of the Year. (Fabrication).(Rex Rozario)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Devon, UK--Rex Rozario OBE received the "Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist" award, sponsored by Ernst & Young, Citibank, The Times and Vodafone. The annual awards are described as the Oscars for entrepreneurs in recognition of their business...

U.S. book-to-bill ratios improve to 0.94. (Fabrication).(electronic components industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Northbrook, IL--The U.S. PWB industry book-to-bill ratio for December 2001 was 0.94. Sales billed (shipments) in December 2001 decreased 40.4% from December 2000, and orders booked decreased 35.2% from December 2000. Compared to 2000, bookings...

M~Wave, Federal Signal Corp. Sign contract. (Fabrication).(to supply printed circuit boards)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Bensenville, IL--As part of a five-year supply chain management contract, M-Wave Inc. announced it will ship $10-15 million worth of printed circuits to Federal Signal Corp. (FSS). Federal Signal (Oakbrook, IL) manufacturers safety and rescue...

DDI posts fourth quarter loss, sees signs of stability. (Fabrications).(DDI Corp. finance)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Anaheim, CA-DDi Corp. reported an adjusted net loss of $3.6 million, or $0.07 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2001. The company's financial results included a fourth quarter restructuring primarily related to facilities closures announced...

Pronto Circuit Technologies opens new facility. (Fabrication).(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Fort Lauderdale, FL-Pronto Circuit Technologies celebrated the completion of its new thin-core inner layer processing facility during an open house on February 7,2002. The new facility contains new equipment dedicated to inner layer processing,...

Labtech receives UL approval for microwave substrates. (Fabrication).(Underwriters Laboratory)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Presteigne, UK-Labtech, part of the Intelek Group and U.K-based manufacturer of microwave PCBs, received Underwriters Laboratory approval for softboard circuits manufactured using specialist microwave substrates RF35 and RF35P from Taconic....

Sheldahl to shut down flex subsidiary. (Fabrication).(International Flex Technologies)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Northfield, MN-Sheldahl Inc. announced its wholly owned subsidiary, International Flex Technologies (IFT), will cease operations in its Endicott, New York, facility. The company said it has notified employees that operations would conclude by...

Aspocomp, Perlos have high "Asperations" for new R&D Company. (Fabrication).(research and development)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Helsinki-Aspocomp Group Oyj and Perlos Corp. announced that they agreed on founding a joint research and development company. The new company has been named Asperation Oy, and its ownership will be shared equally between Aspocomp Group Oyj and...

The advantages of infrared curing: If infrared technology is your future for curing inks, here's some critria you need to keep in mind.(printed circuit board industry)
April 1, 2002... Most of us are constantly trying to keep pace with a fast-moving and sophisticated printed circuits industry. Many processes are in a constant state of evolution, and tack dry/curing of inks has reached that evolving process. Today's...

Introduction: Assembly and Solderability. (The Board Authority).(printed circuit board industry, CircuiTree)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 1, 2002... This issue of The Board Authority is a first. It combines two distinct, yet closely related disciplines: Assembly and Solderability. They go together like wine and cheese, Laurel and Hardy--you get the picture. The solderability preservation of...

An overview of processes and solderability performance of HASL alternatives.(circuit board finishes)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Surface finish is about connectivity. It is the surface to which the connection from the board to a device occurs. However, a surface finish used for solderability purposes only is, at best, a compromise. In an ideal world the...

Silver & Change: A tale of Silver, Copper, Nickel and Gold.(printed circuit boards)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Change is all around us. Change is inevitable. In the small, specialized world of PCB surface finishing, this axiom is especially true. Over the past ten years, the only predictability in circuit board finishing has been steady, evolving,...

The evolution of mass soldering.(printed circuit boards)
April 1, 2002... We live in a world of change. Just a few years ago, it was rare to see a computer used in a scholastic setting other than extensive research conducted by a university. Now, it is expected that all schools offer access to computers. This has...

SMT equipment and requirements for a contract manufacturer.(surface mount technology; electronic component manufacture)
April 1, 2002... The world of the EMS contract manufacturer (CM) is forever evolving. In the early 1980s, the equipment was very primitive and component types were limited to passive components. By today's standards, they would be classed as course pitch...

Board finishes for the EMS provider.(electronics manufacturing services; printed circuit boards)
April 1, 2002... What is the EMS provider looking for in an ideal board finish? A single board finish that is consistent, predictable, very solderable, reliable, and suitable for all applications. The ideal finish has a number of characteristics. It is one...

To System-Test or not to System-Test.(printed circuit boards)
April 1, 2002... In a perfect world, System Test should not be needed. The world, of course, is far from perfect, and the hierarchy of System Test is well known. First is In Circuit Test (ICT). Second, Functional Test. Finally, there is System Test. There are...

Improved fault coverage in a combined X-ray and in-circuit test environment.(printed circuit boards)
April 1, 2002... Over time, increasingly complex PCBs have dictated changes in manufacturing test methodologies. Test methods have evolved from manual visual inspection, to include some combination of automatic optical inspection, in-circuit test and functional...

Plated through hole reliability with high temperature lead-free soldering.(printed circuit boards)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND This testing was a joint project between Alcatel and Sanmina Corp. Alcatel designed the test boards, wrote the test plan, completed the Weibull analysis, and evaluated the data. Sanmina fabricated the test...

The evaluation of Tin Silver Bismuth and Tin Silver copper no-lead solder pastes and reflow techniques.(printec circuit boards)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... A study was conducted during the spring of 2001 to qualitatively evaluate a number of new no-lead solder pastes and reflow techniques. This study' built upon experience gained in a previous evaluation of no-lead solders and evolving industry...

The demand for environmentally friendly(er) materials.(electronic components industry)
April 1, 2002... For the past ten years we have all seen the need for and felt the pressure to increase the use of environmentally friendlier materials. The demand for reduction or elimination of the use of lead in electronic devices is reaching a new highwater...