CircuiTree articles from January 2005

CircuiTree archives from January 2005

When will Americans wake up?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... A milestone was reached in September [2004]. For the first time ever, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of more than $500 million per day with one country. The country, of course, was China. Even more shocking, the trade ratio between our two...

Don't discount insoluble anode innovations.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... First I would like to commend Karl Dietz for his "Tech Talk" column that he wrote in the November issue of CircuiTree ["Fine Lines in High Yield (Part CX): The Use of Insoluble Anodes in Copper Electroplating"]. He clearly defined the inherent...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2005... In our November feature, "European Union: Equipment Suppliers Craft a Global Approach," we quoted Hayao Nakahara as saying Viasystems Mommers' would incur losses between 5-10% in 2004." To clarify, Nakahara meant that he expected the company's...

Isola's high speed digital and RF roadmap.(SupplierSpotlight)
January 1, 2005... Several years ago the highest frequency encountered in digital circuits was below 20 MHz. Now, with data rates in enterprise applications moving up from 622 Mbps for the Gigabit Ethernet all the way up to 10 Gbps with OC-192 and up to 40 Gbps...

The dollar: strength in weakness.(TheWayWeSeeIt)
January 1, 2005... If one didn't know any better, the headlines in many papers might be cause for alarm: "Dollar in Free Fall," "Dollar at All Time Low Against Euro," "Will Foreign Governments Dump Dollar?" So it goes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why the...

Implementing embedded passives: a discussion of a "typical" design flow, from planning and specification through design, layout, manufacturing and finally, test. It will also give an analysis of an EP toolset, defining its capabilities and limitations.
January 1, 2005... Embedded passives (EP) technology is nothing new. It has been available since the 1970s in the form of embedded resistors. EP was long regarded as a technology that's expensive and difficult to design and manufacture, something only the defense...

Back to basics: flexible circuit structures.(FlexibleThinking)
January 1, 2005... As the flexible circuit industry continues to grow, thrive and expand the horizon of possibilities for the electronics interconnection and packaging industry, it remains an important task to remain mindful of our roots and the valuable lessons...

Dollars and common environmental and safety sense: IPC's EHS benchmarking survey.(EnvironmentallySpeaking)(Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Steering Committee)
January 1, 2005... In these cost-conscious times, we must use every tool at our disposal to the best of our advantage. IPC's Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Steering Committee's benchmarking surveys provide member companies a way to assess the...

Enthone introduces Envision[R] HDI guide.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... West Haven, CT -- Enthone Inc. published the Envision[R] HDI guide. The literature piece provides a comprehensive overview of a new, single-pass direct metallization system designed to provide complete coverage of blind vias and high-aspect...

Oak-Mitsui to open research and development facility.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Hoosick Falls, NY -- Oak-Mitsui announced the opening of a copper foil research and development facility in the U.S. The activities of the center will be managed by Oak-Mitsui Technologies and will coordinate efforts with the R & D being...

Orbotech receives major order from Global Flex.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Yavne, Israel -- Orbotech received a multimillion dollar order from Global Flex (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., for additional, multiple Spiron-8800 VIP[TM] AOI systems, a LP[TM]-9008 laser plotter and CAM software. Including this order, Global Flex will...

Adding lam capacity with OEM Press Systems.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Vacuum lamination press manufacturer, OEM Press Systems, installed a Vac-Q-Lam Hot Press at Everett Charles Technologies (Tempe, AZ). OEM's Hot Press with micro-processor controls is skid mounted and ship pre-wired and pre-plumbed from their...

PCBexpress creates site for Canada.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... PCBexpress now manufactures and ships quick-turn prototypes in Canada. Due to the overwhelming increase in Canadian customers, PCBexpress created a specialized website dedicated to Canada: www.PCBexpress.ca.

HMS reports 40% increase in turnover.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... HMS Hollmuller reported that its turnover for 2004 is up 40% over 2003. Managing director Joe Kresky said "After a three-year economic low in the PCB industry, in which investment in machinery was also drastically scaled back, we have been able...

GOPEL has successful electronica.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... During electronica, GOPEL electronic announced the first family of PXI instrumentation supporting extended boundary scan test strategies. The new product family includes digital I/O modules, a mixed signal I/O module as well as several power...

Camtek makes first Dragon sale in the U.S.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Migdal Haemek, Israel -- Camtek Ltd. announced that TTM Technologies ordered several of Camtek's Dragon systems. These systems will be used for AOI of diversified products in its mass production lines. "Winning TTM as a customer is a...

Viking Test Services sells more Emmas.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Viking Test Services sold an Emma moving probe tester to Viasystems Mommers (Echt, Netherlands). The MicroCraft system was chosen as it can test resistance measurements to mohms level on through holes with an accuracy of 0.2%. In other...

Specifying controlled impedance & communicating stackups.(HappyThoughts)
January 1, 2005... In the last few months I have been using a terrific new software tool for creating multilayer stackups and calculating the controlled impedances of these multilayers. The software is SB200 and SI8000 from Polar Instruments in the UK...

Recognizing intelligent design: when reviewing a PCB design, some board fabricators don't first determine what is possible vs. what is reasonable before they commit to the manufacturing job. Do you know the difference?(printed circuit boards)
January 1, 2005... The role of PCB fabricators in the PCB design process has always been an important one. And, with the complexity and speed of today's PCBs, the contribution of fabricators in ensuring that a board is built right the first time becomes even more...

Seminars and presentations: why don't more take advantage?(Fein-Lines)
January 1, 2005... Recently, while attending IPC's Senior Management sessions the day prior to the Fall TMRC presentations (Scottsdale, AZ), I was reminded of the high value of these lectures especially for those who have not been around for a million years....

Raw materials prices available on IPC Web site.(Fabrication)
January 1, 2005... To increase awareness of metals prices, IPC is providing a new addition to its Web site. Visit www.ipc.org/metalprices for reports on the prices of copper, gold, indium, lead, nickel, silver and tin from the London Metal Exchange.

Del Mar Electronics show enhances 2005 program.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The CEO of SpaceDev Inc. and team member of SpaceShipOne, Jim Benson, will present the keynote address at this year's Del Mar Electronics show (April 27-28, 2005) in Del Mar, California. SpaceDev Inc. (San Diego, CA) led by Benson saw their...

Parlex gets Web site makeover.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Methuen, MA -- Parlex launched a new corporate website. The site features significant enhancements to its technology library and improvements in navigation to unify corporate identity and support multilingual content. Visit www.parlex.com.

Sheldahl changes name to Multek Flexible Circuits.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Irvine, CA -- Multek, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flextronics announced that Sheldahl has changed its name to Multek Flexible Circuits Inc. Multek acquired Sheldahl in September 2004. Multek Flexible Circuits will continue to provide...

Prototron Circuits goes national.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Redmond, WA -- Prototron Circuits has developed a strong national customer service network to match its extensive product offerings to a varied client base. Prototron now has experienced circuit board sales people in Arizona, New...

AT & S.(appointed Harald Sommerer )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Vienna -- AT & S appointed Harald Sommerer CEO effective from July 1, 2005, succeeding Willi Doerflinger, the company said. The new head of the technology department will be Heinz Moitzi, previously plant manager in Leoben, southeastern Austria...

Elcoteq.(appointed John-James Farquharson and Harri Ollila)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... John-James Farquharson was appointed Senior VP, Human Resources and member of the Elcoteq Management Team. He will be responsible for human resources management and development globally. Harri Ollila was appointed Senior VP, Strategic...

DDi.(appointed Mikel H. Williams)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Anaheim, CA -- DDi Corp. appointed Mikel H. Williams, as CFO. Williams replaces Joseph P. Gisch. Gisch will continue working with the company in an advisory capacity.

Matrix USA.(appointed George Willis)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Mississauga, ON -- Matrix USA entered into a partnership with George Willis (Northeast Circuit Technologies) to support the sales of Matrix products in New England. George recently joined Matrix from the Circuit Supply Division of EIS. He...

Printed Circuits Corp.(appointed Joseph D'Andrea )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Norcross, GA -- Joseph D'Andrea joined Printed Circuits Corp, bringing a wealth of experience with him having served in the interconnection technology industry for over 30 years.

Ceco Industries.(appointed John Sun )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Shanghai -- John Sun joined Ceco China as Sales Manager and International Liaison. He has a degree in Mechanical Equipment Manufacture & Design, with extensive background in equipment sales and customer support. Email him at...

A struggle for survival: the state of Europe's PCB industry.
January 1, 2005... Producing PCBs in Europe is an ongoing struggle for survival for manufacturers. Competition from Asia and India, issues such as RoHS compliance and added investments to meet demands from new technical innovations loom like black clouds on the...

Circatex host Digital Manufacturing seminar.
January 1, 2005... UK printed circuit fabricator Circatex hosted an Institute of Circuit Technology seminar on Digital Manufacturing in South Shields on 10th November, attended by an enthusiastic audience of almost fifty delegates. Circatex Chairman Steve...

Is this anything?(EmbeddedPassivesUpdate)
January 1, 2005... This installment's title is borrowed from one of my favorite segments on David Letterman. The curtain rises and some strange but intriguing circus-like act plays out for just a few seconds, then the curtain suddenly comes down again. Dave and...

DownStream Technologies launches CAM350 Macro-Exchange.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Bolton, MA -- DownStream Technologies LLC launched CAM350 Macro-Exchange as part of its existing website (www.downstreamtech.com). This section, part of a larger initiative to encourage more activity between active CAM350 users, allows for...

Rogers material library for PCB layer stackup now available.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Waterlooville, UK -- Polar Instruments announced that the Rogers high-speed PCB materials library is now available for the Polar SB200a PCB layer stackup design system. This means that designers and fabricators have easy access to the full...

Mentor Graphics pioneers new DFM technology.(Products)(design for manufacturing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Wilsonville, OR -- Mentor Graphics added functionality for the Calibre[R] design-to silicon platform in the form of Calibre Transition, Measure and Analyze to address critical design for manufacturing (DFM) requirements. Mentor also outlined...

University of Louisville selects IKoClassic Slim Version.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Denville, NJ -- ECSI Inc. added the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Louisville to its growing list of microfabrication customers. The University recently selected ECSI's new IKoClassic Slim Version, the...

Orbotech introduces Discovery[TM] series.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Yavne, Israel -- Orbotech introduced its new Discovery[TM] series of AOI systems for PCB production. Designed with new SIP Technology[TM], Discovery incorporates Orbotech's Push-to-Scan[TM], the easiest, most user-friendly AOI operation on the...

Smart Sonic ultrasonic stencil cleaners assure PCB integrity.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Canoga Park, CA -- Smart Sonic Corp. designed its ultrasonic stencil cleaning process to clean at very low power density (watts/liter) as early research by GEC Marconi and the EMPF Laboratory indicate that lower power density equals higher...

Uyemura, Network Electronic Marketing team up.(Products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Ontario, CA -- Uyemura-USA (UIC) entered into an alliance with Network Electronic Marketing Inc. (Phoenix, AZ), allowing both companies to offer a new approach to direct current acid copper plating. Network has a unique system, called EZ Plate,...

10 business cycles in 25 years.(MarketOutlook)(appointments)(change of company name)
January 1, 2005... Those who have been in our industry for a while have learned to accept the cyclical nature of our business. Reaching into the archives Chart 1 shows the ten business cycles we have lived through from 1980 to 2005. A few comments apply: ...

Fine lines in high yields (Part CXII): alkaline etching (Part A).(TechTalk)
January 1, 2005... Several "Tech Talk" columns have dealt with acid cupric chloride etching topics, in particular the issues associated with fine line etching. Alkaline, or ammoniacal etching on the other hand has gotten attention only in the context of spent...

CTS acquires SMTEK International.(Board Buyers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Elkhart, IN -- CTS Corporation agreed to acquire SMTEK International Inc. CTS will acquire all outstanding shares of SMTEK at between $14.20 per share and $15 per share. Consideration paid will be in the form of 75% cash and 25% CTS common...

Motorola expects good 2005 handset sales.(Board Buyers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Hong Kong -- Motorola Inc., the world's second largest maker of mobile phones, said it expects its sales of handsets to grow faster than the market in 2005 after it lost market share in the third quarter. "I think we'll grow faster than the...

Siemens, Huawei Technologies establish JV.(Board Buyers)(Joint ventures)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Beijing -- Siemens AG will set up a joint venture with China's largest network equipment firm, Huawei Technologies Co., to produce TD-SCDMA equipment and handsets, Huawei said. The joint venture, TD Tech, will be based in Beijing on a total...

Sanmina to shut third New England factory.(Board Buyers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Westbrook, MN -- Sanmina-SCI announced that by March 2005 it plans to close its electronics enclosures facility located in Westbrook, Maine, costing more than 300 people their jobs. "We just have more facilities than we have work to fill," said...

Can we believe the polls?(BetweenTheConductors)
January 1, 2005... The presidential election is over, and George W. Bush will remain President of the United States of America for another four years. Throughout the campaign, the print, television, radio, and Internet media reported the results of opinion polls...

IPC Expo product showcase.
January 1, 2005... On February 22-24, 2005, IPC will host its annual Printed Circuits Expo, APEX, and Designers Summit in Anaheim, California. After perusing these products and services, stop by the booths and meet these exhibitors face to face for more...

Events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... January 19-21, 2005 6th Annual Printed Wiring Board Expo Tokyo Big Site (Tokyo, Japan) Visit: www.pwb.jp/english January 25-27, 2005 Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium and Exhibition Sheraton Kauai Resort (Kauai,...