CircuiTree articles from July 2005

CircuiTree archives from July 2005

KPCAshow 2005 attendance not 'lackluster'.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... On behalf of the Korea Printed Circuit Association (KPCA), I appreciate CircuiTree's interest and article about the KPCAshow 2005, which was held from last 19-21 April in Seoul, Korea. However, I would like to mention one thing, especially the...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... In a newsletter sent out on May 19, 2005 ["Capitol Hill Day Gets a Boost"], CircuiTree reported that there were no EMS providers in attendance during IPC's Capitol Hill Day event designed to lobby U.S. Congressional representatives on behalf of...

Countdown to compliance.(RoadToRoHS)
July 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...

Stop the hate.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc)(Debate over China's currency manipulation)
July 1, 2005... Debate rages over China's currency manipulation. The Chinese government refuses to let its yuan "float" independent of the U.S. dollar, because doing so would undermine the substantial trade imbalance it now enjoys. Small businesses, especially...

Investing for success by building a market strategy.(MarketingMatters)
July 1, 2005... When faced with a task that you really don't want to do (let's say cleaning out the garage) how do you approach it? Do you focus on all the things you would rather do instead? Or perhaps you make a list and prioritize, with a whole group of...

Samsung's big idea: Samsung's engineers are betting that a new method for building HDI boards will displace traditional subtractive and semi-additive processes. Introducing the circuit transfer process.
July 1, 2005... As anyone in the cut-throat business of HDI manufacturing can tell you, electronic devices are evolving, becoming faster, smaller, more multi-functional--and cheaper. As a result, more boards require high-density construction. But keeping...

Circuit-Wise files for Chapter 7.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Stephen Mettler, president of Circuit-Wise (North Haven, CT), said the company has ceased production due to rising costs (e.g. electricity, health insurance, laminate, metals, etc.) and fierce foreign competition. The company filed for Chapter...

Prestwick gets ISO 14001 certification.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Prestwick Circuits announced its certification to ISO14001:2004. Additionally, the company received recognition as a Sony 'Green Partner,' awarded to suppliers who seek to reduce their negative environmental impact.

Coretec acquires Unicircuit.(Fabrication)(circuit boards)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Toronto -- Coretec Inc. entered into a Letter of Intent to merge with Unicircuit Inc. Coretec issued 6 million common shares in exchange for all the common shares of Unicircuit. Coretec also issued $3.1 million of a new class of preferred...

PCi takes another step in rigid flex Circuits.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Minneapolis, MN -- Printed Circuits Inc. purchased and installed a DP-100SL Laser Direct Imaging System from Orbotech Ltd. The investment is key to helping the company manufacture rigid-flex products. Ken Tannehill, President of PCi, said "At...

DDI, Sierra Proto Express purchases A6/16 Flying Probe Test System.(Fabrication)(Dynamic Details Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Pomona, CA -- Dynamic Details Inc. (DDI), and Sierra Proto Express both purchased the A6/16 High-Speed Flying Probe Test System from Everett Charles Technologies/atg.

Tyco Electronics to shut Austin PCB plant.(Fabrication)
July 1, 2005... Austin, TX -- Tyco Electronics Corp. plans to close its 240,000 square-foot Austin manufacturing plant by July. Approximately 190 employees will lose their jobs as a result. Mike Ratcliff, a spokesman for Tyco Electronics, says the work will be...

China Currency Coalition names co-chairmen.(AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L. Trumka)(Doug Bartlett, Chairman of Bartlett Manufacturing Company Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Washington, DC -- A high-level union official and the chairman of one of the oldest family-owned circuit board manufacturers in the United States were named co-chairmen of the China Currency Coalition. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L....

Fine lines in high yield (Part CXVIII): photoresist color.(TechTalk)
July 1, 2005... Most photoresists contain a colorant that serves no function in the generation of patterns through photolithography. The only exceptions might be the use of a dye to shift the wavelength range of the photo-response of the resist, or a...

Arlon.(ASK THE EXPERT)
July 1, 2005... Featured Arlon Expert [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vince Weis, Applications Engineer Q: We are trying to design reduced-cost polyimide flex-rigid products for applications requiring bend to fit but that don't necessarily need to undergo...

PCB suppliers team up to benefit fabricators.(printed circuit boards)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... RBP Chemical Technology, Taiyo-America and Uyemura International Corp. held their third technical seminar on May 17th at the Holiday Inn (Elk Grove Village, IL). The seminar covered four main process areas: Strip-Etch-Strip, Surface Preparation...

Prestwick Circuits invests over [euro]1 million in Mania equipment.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TT Electronics Prestwick Circuits Ltd., one of Europe's largest PCB manufacturers, and a subsidiary of global electronics manufacturing giant, TT electronics plc, underlined its ongoing commitment to best practice with a significant investment...

Minnesota flex: Minnesota flexible circuit manufacturers--small, medium, and large--play for high stakes in a flex industry that has its share of sharks.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... If you're a flexible circuit manufacturer, chances are life is good. While many North American rigid PCB fabricators are struggling, the flex industry has quietly outgrown its niche market status. Flex circuitry drivers include mainstream...

Why follow E-3?(Fein-Lines)(Electronic Entertainment Expo )
July 1, 2005... E-3 or the Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles every year during May. On first blush the show seems to be populated by 90,000 fourteen-year old geeks and 10,000 booth babes. While the total number of people who cram themselves...

Back to basics, Part 4: adhesives for flex circuits.(FlexibleThinking)
July 1, 2005... Having in the last two parts of this series discussed flexible base materials and metal foils, it is now time to join these two building block materials together. That brings us to a review of adhesives used in flex circuit construction. The...

Advanced Industrial Services, Chemcut sign agreement.(Suppliers)(electronics industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Chemcut Corp. awarded an exclusive agency agreement to Advanced Industrial Services (AIS) to look after their operations in the United Kingdom. In other news, Chemcut awarded an exclusive agency agreement to R & H Industrial Services represent...

WISE Software reaffirms commitment to IPC-2581.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Newberg, OR -- WISE Software reaffirmed its position on the support of the IPC-2581 "OffSpring" format by announcing that Beta testing of a bidirection interface for GerbTool will begin in June 2005. Alpha testing of the interface has been in...

Park Electrochemical conducts lay-offs.(Suppliers)(machinery industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Park Electrochemical Corp. announced 35 lay-offs at its Neltec Europe SAS subsidiary in Mirebeau, France. The facility now has 103 employees. The company expects to record a one-time termination benefits charge of approximately $1 million...

Betz & Company relocates.(Suppliers)(electronics industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Cranbury, NJ -- Betz & Company relocated to new headquarters at 31 Hagerty Lane, Cranbury, NJ 08512, phone/fax 609-860-7904.

Ceco installs new laser Overarm at Tyco.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Ceco Industries installed its newly developed TA1000C Laser Overarm Micrometer at Tyco Printed Circuits in Connecticut. Using proprietary software and lasers to achieve an accuracy of [+ or -] 0.0001", the TA1000C measures and records thickness...

Precience joins Mentor open-door program.(Suppliers)(Mentor Graphics[R] OpenDoor(SM) program)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Precience Inc. announced a new integration that delivers powerful support for Mentor PADS[R] layout software. Working through the Mentor Graphics[R] OpenDoor(SM) program, Precience enhanced its PCBNavigator integration solution to enable Orcad...

WISE Worldwide Enterprise sells into U.S.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Parma, Italy -- WISE Worldwide Enterprise srl introduced the new UltraFlex line into the USA market with the order received from Northrop Grumman (Springfield, MO) for a chemical line. The series is a new concept range of machine (developer,...

HATS[TM] System implemented at major OEM.(Suppliers)(Rockwell Collins acquires Highly Accelerated Thermal Shock (HATS[TM]) System from Integrated Reliability Test Systems Inc. )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Anaheim, CA -- Integrated Reliability Test Systems (IRTS), Inc. announced that Rockwell Collins has purchased a Highly Accelerated Thermal Shock (HATS[TM]) System. The system, scheduled to be installed in September, will service Rockwell...

Cemco announces new order.(Suppliers)(Cemco FSL enters into a contract with EDO MBM Technology Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Waterlooville, UK -- Cemco FSL announced an important equipment order with EDO MBM Technology Ltd. (Portslade, England), one of Europe's leading flexible circuit manufacturers. The company ordered a new etching and stripping system together...

Viking installs MicroJet at Elcon PCB.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Viking installed a MicroJet direct legend printing system at Elcon PCB (Denmark). The MicroJet system, manufactured by MicroCraft, uniquely prints every board with its own bar code and serialization.

Electronic waste recycling gathers steam in the United States.(EnvironmentallySpeaking)( Environmental Protection Agency)
July 1, 2005... End-of-line (EOL) management of electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing concern. EPA has estimated that 63 million personal computers became obsolete in 2003, potentially creating four billion pounds of e-waste. Additionally, increased sales of...

Celestica.(People)(Craig H. Muhlhauser appointed )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Toronto -- Craig H. Muhlhauser has been appointed Celestica's president and executive vice president, Worldwide Sales and Business Development. Muhlhauser will lead Celestica's global sales and business development effort. In a related...

Park Electrochemical.(People)(Fred Hickman III appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Melville, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. announced that Fred Hickman III was named Vice President, OEM Marketing. His new responsibilities will involve a more industry specific focus in the global OEM marketing of Park's advanced composite...

Matrix USA.(People)(Bob Berg appointted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Toronto -- Bob Berg joined Matrix USA as National Sales Manager. He has over 20 years of sales, marketing and technical service management experience in the PWB marketplace.

Merix.(People)(Anaya Vardya resigns and Steve Robinson appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Forest Grove, OR -- Merix Corp. announced that Anaya Vardya, Senior Vice President of Operations has left the company. Steve Robinson, President of Data Circuit Systems recently acquired by Merix, will assume responsibility for the company's...

Everett Charles Technologies.(People)(Patrick Flynn appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Pomona, CA -- Everett Charles Technologies' (ECT) Patrick Flynn, President of ECT's Capital Equipment and Services Group and Semiconductor Test Group, has been named President of ECT. Flynn succeeds David Van Loan, who was named President of...

Cemco appoints new German agent.(People)(Antonio Gutierrez appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Waterlooville, UK -- Cemco FSL appointed Antonio Gutierrez of AG-Tronik (Reichelsheim, Germany) as their new agent for machinery, spares and service. Email: A.Gutierrez@t-online.de. For a list of positions available, check in at NDS...

JEDEC, iNEMI update tin whisker and lead-free surface finish guidelines.
July 1, 2005... Herndon, VA -- The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) announced the availability of two documents intended to help manufacturers reduce the risk of tin whiskers in lead-free products. The first is JEDEC standard...

Multilayer lamination methods for PTFE-based PCBs: if you're wondering about the different types of applications, bonding films, prepregs, equipment needs, and bonding methods used to produce low- and high-count PTFE multilayer boards, this article is for you.
July 1, 2005... Teflon[R] (PTFE) microwave laminates are increasingly being used in both RF and digital designs. Higher frequencies and data rates require material with a very low electrical loss, consistent dielectric constant, and tight thickness tolerance....

EIPC Technology Trip to China opens doors.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In the last eight years, Europe has seen approximately half of its PCB fabricators go out of business. The reason wasn't due to shrinking demand; rather, it was a global sea change. As everyone knows, sources in Asia can supply PCBs at lower...

WISE Software improves GerbTool.(Products)(product introduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... WISE Software announced GerbTool[TM] version 14.1, providing over 100 unique enhancements to the core capabilities of GerbTool. Focusing on the user's ability to validate a design for DfM issues, improvements include netlist analysis and...

Gore introduces new low loss microvia material.(Products)(W. L. Gore & Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Elkton, MD -- W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. launched the new MICROLAM[R] 630 dielectric, the lowest-loss microvia material affording the best cost/performance solution for high frequency microvia modules and PCBs. This material consists of...

Rogers introduces RO4350B[TM] high frequency materials.(Products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Rogers, CT -- Rogers Corp. featured its new, thinner RO4350B[TM] high frequency circuit materials for high-speed digital and test applications at this year's IMS/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium. The material offers an combination of...

Park Electrochemical reveals halogen-free substrate.(Products)(product introduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Melville, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. introduced its new N4000-7 EF[R] halogen-free, 165C Tg substrate. It is a lead-free compatible material that provides excellent thermal and moisture resistance properties and exceeds the electrical...

Polyclad Laminates introduces lead-free materials.(Products)(product introduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Franklin, NH -- Polyclad Laminates Inc. introduced Polyclad[R] 250HR laminate and prepreg materials. With a 150C glass transition temperature (Tg) and 350C decomposition temperature (Td), 250HR is ideally suited for mid-Tg, lead-free...

Sigrity unveils CoDesign Studio.(Products)(product introduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Santa Clara, CA -- Sigrity Inc. announced CoDesign Studio, a complete chip and package co-design solution for analyzing the performance of the combined power delivery system. CoDesign Studio is the first EDA solution to simultaneously...

CCMP goes green.(Products)(product introduction )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Anaheim, CA -- CCMP Inc. added two new products to its mass lam line. The first, MultiClad LF (Tg 180) is a multilayer package manufactured on a lead-free assembly compatible laminate and prepreg sytem. The package is compatible with commonly...

My capacitor can beat up your capacitor.(comparition between Embedded and Passives capacitors)
July 1, 2005... One of the reasons for switching from surface mount passives to embedded is the claim that the latter exhibits less parasitic electrical behavior. Ideally, a given passive would be a pure component; a resistor would show only resistance without...

Who's doing well in the U.K. printed circuit board industry?
July 1, 2005... Not many years ago, there were over 400 PCB manufacturers in the U.K. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Where are they now? I went to the Brighton Nepcon and found a dozen of them. I logged-on to the Web site of auctioneer Henry Butcher and...

Where are we in the business cycle?(MarketOutlook)(growth of electronic components industry)(investment plans of AT and S Co.)(Chin-Poon Industrial Company Ltd. to expand capacity)
July 1, 2005... The current business cycle is playing its course. We are on the downward slope (Chart 1) but fortunately, due to a controlled inventory situation, the trough should not be that deep or long lasting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Semiconductor...

Standardized PCB benchmarking data: one click away.(printed circuit boards)(Institute of Print Circuits introduced database)(association of electronics industry)
July 1, 2005... The Process Capability, Quality, and Relative Reliability (PCQ[R.sup.2]) Database [1, 2] began in September 2000 when IPC formed the D-36 Subcommittee to establish a family of test patterns, a testing protocol, and a database that details the...

Isola to move Philippines production to China, Taiwan.(BetweenTheConductors)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Chandler, AZ -- Isola Group announced it will move product manufactured in its Philippines factory to Suzhou, China and the recently expanded Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan facility. The company is also in the planning process of multi-million dollar...

Events.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... July 16-19, 2005 Nepcon Thailand Bitec (Bangkok, Thailand) Visit: www.nepconthailand.com August 4, 2005 SMTA/CCA 'Aloha Golf Get Together' The California Country Club (Whittier, CA) Email: fkurisu@msn.com ...