CircuiTree articles from August 2005

CircuiTree archives from August 2005

Merix CEO unhappy with financial results, promises job cuts.(Merix Corp. (Forest Grove, Oregon))(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Forest Grove, OR -- Merix reported final consolidated financial results for the quarter and year ended May 28, 2005. Sales for the quarter increased 15.9% to $51.6 million compared to $44.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004....

Countdown to compliance.(Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances)
August 1, 2005... The clock is ticking; the deadline is looming. On July 1, 2006 the European Union, via the "restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment," or RoHS Directive, will begin restricting the material...

Time for prospectors to go west?(market size of electronics industry in india)
August 1, 2005... Six years ago, CircuiTree Editor Roy Sakelson penned a cover story on India's PCB industry. At the time it was too small to earn a spot on most global manufacturers' radar screen, clearly playing second fiddle to China. Though the Chinese Gold...

Masking the heat: thermal stress and its effects on solder masks.(thermal analysis)
August 1, 2005... In material science circles one jokingly refers to the "first law of material sciences:" Everything can be destroyed by force. Strictly speaking, this law naturally does not exist, but is very true. In a serious sense the proclamation that...

Remembering Ron Daniels: 'Elvis has left the building'.(Biography)
August 1, 2005... As I write this I am near the end of what has been a spectacular vacation with family in Alaska. Today, however, as it a portent of what the day's news would bring, I awoke to rainy skies and grey, rolling seas. My spotty Internet connection...

Taiyo Ink introduces new resist ink.(Products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Tokyo -- Taiyo Ink Mfg. Co. developed a resist ink for PCBs that is so good at conducting heat away from chips that it eliminates the need for a heat sink on the CPU in small devices like cellular phones. The PSR-4000HS Series resist inks boast...

Nitto Denko develops photo-sensitive epoxy.(Products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Osaka, Japan -- Nitto Denko Corp. developed a unique new photo-sensitive epoxy material which can be used for optical waveguides. This new material is highly transparent in the near-infrared range, and flexible, so that optical circuits can be...

Ami Doduco introduces lead-free solders.(Products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Pforzheim, Germany -- Ami Doduco offers the PCB industry a new flux material for hot-air leveling using lead-free solders. Lead-free Doflux meets the need for hot-air leveling fluxes that can activate the new solder coatings at these higher...

Prime offers non-contact double circuit board detector.(Products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Prime Controls Inc. developed a new non-contact Double Circuit Board Detector using a single sensor. Prime's Model DS160 control and sensor detects copper thickness changes and multiple boards that fail to separate in automatic destackers or...

HMS Hollmuller unveils flexplater at JPCA show.(Products)
August 1, 2005... Tokyo -- Joe Kresky, managing partner of HMS Hollmuller, said that one of the highlights at this year's JPCA Show was the company's ComPlate UTM designed for 50 [micro]m base material with 1-3 [micro]m copper cladding. "The superior quality of...

Hitachi Chemical gets Cute'.(Hitachi Chemical Co develops glass fiber)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Tokyo -- Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. developed a glass fiber reinforced plastic for the production of multi-layer PCBs with a high degree of flexibility. Named "Cute," the composite part is about 50 [micro][micro]m thick; it has high flexibility...

Free software program advances 2D handheld scanners.(Products)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... Renton, WA -- Microscan's free user interface software ESP[TM] (Easy Setup Program) now makes it easy to read bar code and 2D direct part marks with the MS-Q series of handheld imagers. Previously designed for use with Microscan's line of fixed...

BETAsoft reveals SiP thermal analysis software.(Products)(System in Package )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... BETAsoft introduced new thermal analysis software: BETAsoft-SiP/MCM. Made to support System in Package (SiP) and System on Chip (SoC) designs, the software can also be used for the thermal analysis of packages such as Chip on Board with...

OICM announces model 563 for copper thickness measurement.(Products)(Oxford Instruments Coating Measure)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Elk Grove Village, IL -- Oxford Instruments Coating Measurement (OICM) introduces the Model 563, a handheld gauge with features and technology that allow for quick and accurate measurement of copper clad laminate, electroless and electrolytic...

EIT develops circuitized substrate.(Endicott Interconnect Technologies Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Alexandria, VA -- Voya Markovich, Thomas Miller and Frank Egitto of Endicott Interconnect Technologies have developed a method of making a circuitized substrate. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to a...

IPC council reports best lead-free solder.(Institute of Print Circuits)(IPC Solder Products Value Council)(Final Report--Round Robin Testing and Analysis of Lead Free Solder Pastes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Bannockburn, IL -- Imagine how much easier the transition to lead free would be if manufacturers didn't have to research which solder to choose. According to IPC Solder Products Value Council's (SPVC's) lead free testing program, there are now...

Passing the test: a PCB industry veteran evaluates six systems involving parametric analysis coupons and characterizations. Does your PCB facility pass the test?(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... Ever wonder how you'll improve profits and endure all the changes that the RoHS legislation has created? One way is to understand your processes, what causes your yield losses and how your boards perform. The best tools I know for doing this is...

Smooth move: CMK makes ultra-level boards.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Tokyo -- CMK Corp. has developed a way to fabricate boards that are so smooth that surface irregularities are kept below 0.1 micron, according to the Nikkei Business Daily. The company has already begun shipping samples of the boards to...

A testboard for the ages.
August 1, 2005... How do you train sixteen engineers to manufacture printed circuits--all by yourself? Imagine yourself back in 1983: You are alone in Taiwan, and wondering whatever made you think this was going to work! But you quickly master your fear by...

Research and markets: world electronics market to grow by 5%.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Dublin -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of "World Electronic Industry: 2004-2009" to their offering. The recent evolution of the world electronics markets has confirmed the major trends that had appeared by the end of 2003....

Continuous improvement through group dynamics.(teamwork and objectives of good team)(Column)
August 1, 2005... I have written in past columns about the importance of teams, and the direct correlation that they have to Continuous Improvement (CI) and goal attainment. I won't rehash the history, but will restate that "formal improvement teams are arguably...

Aspocomp increases share of P.C.B. Center in Thailand.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Helsinki -- Finnish PCB maker Aspocomp will buy an additional 24 percent share of its Thai subsidiary P.C.B. Center Co. Ltd. for three million euros ($3.68 million), raising its stake to 75 percent, Reuters reported. P.C.B. Center's 2004 sales...

M-Flex acquires Applied Optics.(Fabrication)(Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Anaheim, CA -- Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (M-Flex) entered into an agreement with Applied Image Group Inc. and its subsidiary, Applied Optics Inc., to purchase for approximately $6.3 million in cash substantially all of the assets of...

Schweizer Electronic recovers from fire.(Fabrication)
August 1, 2005... Schramberg -- Schweizer Electronic AG said its first production line is operational once again at its Schramberg plant after a major fire caused production to stop on June 1st. The company's nearby HDI plant, completed in 2002, was not affected...

Ibiden expands headquarters.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Japanese PCB giant Ibiden Co. plans to complete the construction of its new headquarters in Ogaki by the end of November 2005, at an estimated cost of $16.75 million, reported the Japanese News Digest. Ibiden started the construction works in...

Fine Pitch buys Teradyne's PCB unit.(Fabrication)(Teradyne Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts))(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Boston, MA -- Teradyne, Inc. sold its printed circuit board manufacturing unit based in North Reading, Mass., to Fine Pitch, Inc., a business of Solectron. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "This agreement is a win for all involved," said...

Tokyo surprises: sorry America--but the tradeshow that reveals the newest applications in PCB technology doesn't open in Anaheim. A report from the trenches during JPCA Show 2005.(printed circuit boards)(Japan Printed Circuit Association)
August 1, 2005... Among all of the PCB-related trade shows that occur each year, Japan's JPCA Show is by far the most comprehensive. This year was no exception, with 530 companies exhibiting in Tokyo, according to its sponsor: the Japan Printed Circuit...

Flex, Chips and RFID: synergy in Minneapolis.(Institute for Printed Circuits conference)(Flexible Circuits and Chip Scale packaging conference)
August 1, 2005... The 2005 IPC Flexible Circuits and Chip Scale packaging conference (held in Minneapolis in late June) added radio frequency identification (RFID) to the blend this year. RFID technology is now at a crucial point. Flexible circuitry remains...

Fine lines in high yield (part CXIX): moving thin, flexible substrates--Part A.(TechTalk)
August 1, 2005... As flexible and rigid-flex boards have become increasingly popular, especially in hand-held devices, the need for damage-free handling and transportation of very thin base material through processing equipment has gained even greater...

Invint for sale.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... East Kilbride, Scotland -- Invint Ltd. announced it is for sale. Bill Matthews, the company's managing director, stated "We set this business up in 2003 with a view to exiting once we had developed a reasonable intellectual property portfolio....

Electrolube taps new US distributor.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Electrolube, a UK manufacturer of electrochemicals, announced a new collaborative relationship with Christopher Associates Inc, to represent Electrolube's product range in the Americas. Christopher Associates (Santa Ana, CA) operates throughout...

Lenthor Engineering snags supplier award.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Milpitas, CA -- Lenthor Engineering received notification from Hach Ultra Analytics of Grants Pass, Oregon of Lenthor Engineerings's 2004 Outstanding Supplier rating.

MacDermid acquires Autotype Int'l.(Suppliers)
August 1, 2005... Denver, CO -- MacDermid Inc. acquired Autotype International Ltd. and associated entities from Norcros (Holdings) Ltd. of the UK. With locations in Wantage UK, Chicago, Singapore and Denmark, Autotype is a high-tech producer of specialty coated...

3M reveals FPC on web.(3M Canada Inc flexible circuits for display applications)(Flexi Print Circuits)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Austin, CA -- Electronic circuit and packaging designers can get a good look at 3M brand flexible circuits for display applications, thanks to a new feature on 3M's Web site: www.3M.com/display. The company produced a sample circuit to...

ECT announces more sales.(Suppliers)(Everett Charles Technologies/atg)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Pomona, CA -- Northrop Grumman Interconnect Technologies (Sterling, VA) and Sanmina-SCI (San Jose, CA) each purchased another A6/16 High-Speed Flying Probe Test System from Everett Charles Technologies/atg.

Burkle North America revamps web site.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Garden Grove, CA -- Burkle North America, Inc. launched the company's new, comprehensive web site: www.burkleusa.com. The new site includes information on the entire range of products offered through the three main product sectors: PWB...

Coherent acquires TuiLaser.(Suppliers)
August 1, 2005... Santa Clara, CA -- Coherent Inc. acquired privately held TuiLaser AG (Munich, Germany) for approximately Euro 22.5 million, net of cash acquired. TuiLaser is a designer and manufacturer of excimer and advanced solid-state lasers.

Piergiacomi announces European sales.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Cranbury, NJ -- Piergiacomi Sud s.r.l. of Castelfidardo, Italy announced the sale of three AMM 20 innerlayer registration and welding machines, two DAL 10 semi-automatic innerlayer distributor machines for use with the AMM 20, three IPM 25...

Lloyd Doyle installs AOT in Japan.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Lloyd Doyle installed its first new 6000 series AOT system in Japan. A high-tech producer of HDI boards has just put an LD6000 [X.sup.2] MVI system into production. This system has been developed to inspect and report on the integrity of...

RBP Chemical Technology adds Thailand blending capability.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Milwaukee, WI -- RBP Chemical Technology signed an agreement with Poly Hitech Co., Ltd. a division of Pata Chemicals and Machinery of Bangkok, Thailand for blending services. Poly Hitech now blends RBP products for use in the PCB industry.

WISE Worldwide Enterprise installs Shadow direct metallization Line.(Suppliers)(Line in Artetch Circuits Ltd)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Parma, Italy -- WISE Worldwide Enterprise srl installed a new Shadow direct metallization Line in Artetch Circuits Ltd. (Littlehampton, UK). The line, completely made in stainless steel AISI 316, represents the alternative to the machines...

Merix, Mania extend outsourcing agreement.(Suppliers)
August 1, 2005... Merix Corp. agreed to a long-term continuation of the electrical test outsourcing agreement with Mania. Within the multi-million dollar contract, Mania retains responsibility for the complete electrical test process at the Merix Forest Grove,...

Flexible circuits and IC packaging ... now serving in the third dimension.(Tape automated bonding circuit technology)(integrated circuit packaging)
August 1, 2005... Flexible circuits have remained the consistently bright spot in the realm of circuit manufacturing since the economic meltdown following the burst of the dotcom bubble. While flexible circuits are found now in nearly every product imaginable as...

Rohm and Haas begins building new China R & D Center.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Shanghai -- Rohm and Haas Company celebrated the official ground breaking for its new China R & D Center in Shanghai. Located on 33,000 square meters (over eight acres) in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong New Area, the facility will serve as...

Westwind open new Shenzhen office.(Westwind Air Bearings Suzhou Company Ltd. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Shenzhen, China -- Westwind Air Bearings Suzhou Company Ltd. is proud to announce the opening of a new sales office in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China. The new sales office will provide local sales support to Westwind's customers in China....

Rigid-flex boards for space packaging take flight: you probably know that by using rigid-flex technology, fabricators can provide smaller, lighter, and more flexible interconnect solutions. But in their search for electronic packaging alternatives, these satellite engineers made some startling discoveries.
August 1, 2005... In the first generation of Indian satellites, electronic packaging was simple, comprised of double-sided PCBs with plated through holes. In the next series of satellites, however, owing to an increase in complexity and interconnection density,...

Mid-year thoughts: flat first half, modest improvement ahead?
August 1, 2005... After an encouraging first quarter, domestic electronic demand slowed in April and May. Fortunately, June looked a bit better and there is guarded optimism for the second half. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] May U.S. electronic equipment...

Rogers Corp.(People)(Charles. M. Brennan III appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Rogers, CT -- Rogers Corp. announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Charles. M. Brennan III to serve as a member of the company's board. Brennan retired as Chairman and CEO of MYR Group Inc. in 2000.

Shane Whiteside appointed to IPC Board.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Bannockburn, IL -- IPC appointed Shane Whiteside, TTM Technologies, as the newest addition to the IPC Board of Directors. He fills the vacancy left by Stan Gentry, Noble Industries, Ltd., who resigned in April. Whiteside will complete the...

Circatex.(People)(appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Circatex has announced key appointments to focus on strategic growth areas in the advanced technologies rigid and flex-rigid PCB market. Dr. Neil Chilton has been appointed Group Technical Director with a focus on advanced technology...

Zero Defects.(People)(marketing agreements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Santa Clara, CA -- Zero Defects and affiliate ZD Test (Cornelius, OR) have announced the appointment of Northwest Circuit Sales (NWCS) as their representative for the region encompassing the states of Washington and Oregon. Based in Tigard,...

In memoriam: inventor of integrated circuit, Jack Kilby.(People)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... Dallas, TX -- Nobel laureate Jack Kilby, whose 1958 invention of the integrated circuit ushered in the electronics age and made possible the microprocessor, has died after a battle with cancer in late June. Kilby died at age 81, said Texas...

Lenthor Engineering.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Milpitas, CA -- Lenthor Engineering expanded its sales organization by contracting with three other companies: TPS and Associates (with offices in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and Kalamazoo, Mich.); Reynolds Marketing (with offices in Phoenix, Ariz.); and...

Park Electrochemical Corp.(People)(Jim Stewart appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Melville, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. appointed Jim Stewart as Vice President of Business Development. He will report to Steve Schaefer, Park's Senior Vice President, Marketing, and will focus on new business development opportunities,...

Gene H. Weiner & Associates.(People)(appointed Mark C. Hehl)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Danbury, CT -- Gene H. Weiner & Associates Inc. appointed Mark C. Hehl as a Senior Associate. He will make available his unique "Business Process Improvement in China" workshops to Weiner's clients. Hehl's work experience, including quality...

Celestica.(People)(appointed James Rowan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Toronto -- Celestica appointed James Rowan as president of Celestica Europe. Rowan previously served as Flextronics' vice president of European operations.

Firan Technology Group.(People)(appointed Joseph Ricci and Kerry Scrase)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Toronto -- Firan Technology Group Corp. appointed Joseph Ricci as CFO. He replaces John Bartkiw, who left the company. In addition, the company named Kerry Scrase as Director of Operations for FTG Aerospace.

Robert Praegitzer.(People)(Praegitzer Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... PCB veteran Robert Praegitzer passed away in June, just shy of his 74th birthday. After making his fortune in the timber industry, he founded Praegitzer Industries Inc. (Dallas, OR) in 1981. The operation is now owned by Tyco Printed Circuit...

Mabbett & Associates.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Bedford, MA -- Arthur Mabbett, President of Mabbett & Associates Inc. (M & A), announced that William Simons achieved registration as a Licensed Site Professional (LSP) by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Clean-up...

Back (drilling) to the future: this article explores the application range, technology method and reliability testing of backdrilling for backpanels.
August 1, 2005... As the signal frequency gets higher and higher, the PCB becomes one of the important factors that affect signal integrity. Figure 1 shows the backpanel system. According to research, the PCB material, transmission trace, connector, chip...

Unorthodox strategies for standards development.(Institute of Print Circuits certification programs)
August 1, 2005... The world of standards development is changing. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We've got to be as innovative as our dynamic industry to keep up with its needs. To reach our goal of getting our standards published more quickly and to stay on...

Forecasting FAQ's.(Finance & Forecast)
August 1, 2005... Q: Is it possible to develop useful forecasts for companies and business markets? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A: For many companies, sales of major divisions or product groups can be forecast with percentage errors in the single digits....

The impact of green technologies.(printed circuit boards)
August 1, 2005... Monday, September 26 Donald Stephens Convention Center Room 28 (Upper level) 5555 N. River Rd., Chicago, IL www.smta.org/smtai 8:00am-4:00pm Understand the impact of environmental legislation on PCB design,...

Events.(expositions)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... August 4, 2005 SMTA/CCA 'Aloha Golf Get Together' The California Country Club (Whittier, CA) Email: fkurisu@msn.com September 25-29, 2005 SMTA International and Assembly Technology Expo Rosemont Convention Center...

Map your strategy: 2005 CircuiTree Buyers Guide.(Directory)
August 1, 2005... Welcome to CircuiTree's annual Buyer's Guide, a comprehensive supplier directory that will help you find the suppliers and distributors you need to contact over the next year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the clock ticks down to July 1,...