CircuiTree articles from March 2006

CircuiTree archives from March 2006

Ritchey has it wrong.(Inbox)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... In the January 2006 issue of CircuiTree, Lee Ritchey opines that laminators need to do more to resolve the ongoing demands of the design community with respect to signal integrity. To paraphrase, Lee states that higher Tg's, lower profile...

India's electronics industry is growing, including the North!(Inbox)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... It is nice to notice that India is being regularly featured in your magazine, proving that India has arrived on the international scene. Anil Kumar has rightly pointed it out by giving the expected growth figures, as well as the details of the...

Another prediction.(Inbox)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... How about one other prediction? After reading umpteen technical magazines and invited to view several hundred technical news sites hosted as a service by magazine publishers, technologists are attempting direct telepathy for technology...

Birch trees, not mahogany.(Inbox)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Having read "The Way We See It" [January 2006] I have to express my deep disappointment about the fact that Nokia is to introduce a mobile phone made of mahogany. They should know that tropical timber is a no-no! And looking at the trees...

2006: the year of RoHS.(Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances)
March 1, 2006... This year, RoHS is the big target on the radar, requiring companies to eliminate six types of contaminates from their products. The big question is will the July 1 deadline be extended? "I would be willing the bet that there will indeed be...

The Japanese bubble.(The Way We See It)
March 1, 2006... The Japanese are a funny bunch. After visiting the PWB Expo last January, held in conjunction with InterNepcon Japan, I started thinking about Japan's business culture--and how it seems to defy the conventional wisdom of global economics. ...

Electrically mediated microetching: how to fabricate fine conductor lines with varying pitches in a production environment.
March 1, 2006... The need for smaller PCBs has resulted in increased packing density on the boards along with finer lines, lower line spacing and smaller pads. Currently, spray etching is the industry standard for patterning copper on PCBs [1]. Below line...

Gould Electronics to close Chandler facility.(Supply Line News)
March 1, 2006... Chandler, AZ -- Gould Electronics, a subsidiary of Nikko Materials Co., Ltd. ("Nikko Materials"), plans to close its Chandler, Arizona, manufacturing facility and U.S. headquarters by April of 2006. "The closing is necessitated by continued...

Insulectro, Nikko Materials negotiate for CAC[R] business.(Insulectro is negotiating with Nikko Materials USA Inc)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Lake Forest, CA -- Insulectro is negotiating with Nikko Materials USA, Inc. (Gould Electronics) to acquire the assets of the CAC[R] business and license the CAC[R] technology for North America. Tim Redfern, President of Insulectro said, "It is...

Nippon Steel Chemical to boost production of CCL.(Supply Line News)
March 1, 2006... Tokyo -- Nippon Steel Chemical Co., which holds a 60% share of the global market for double-layer copper-clad laminate, plans to boost its production capacity by 70% by fiscal 2007 to further consolidate its dominance. The company already had...

Union Tool, EMX team up.(Supply Line News)
March 1, 2006... US Union Tool Company (Buena Park, CA) appointed EMX Enterprises (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada) as its exclusive distributor for its range of PCB cutting tools. This announcement brings together the world's leading maker of PCB cutting tools...

D2M Technologies selects Direct Logix Control Center XP[TM].(Supply Line News)
March 1, 2006... Round Rock, TX -- Direct Logix Inc. announced the purchase made by D2M Technologies of Control Center XP[TM] automated process planning software. The product is an automated rules-driven process planning system that reduces cost, pre-production...

Preco opens new contract manufacturing facility.(Supply Line News)
March 1, 2006... Somerset, WI -- Preco Inc. opened Preco-Miwa Laser Industries, Ltd., a contract manufacturing facility located in Tianjin, China.

Technic announces surface oxidation reduction patent.(Reduction of Surface Oxidation During Electroplating)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Cranston, RI -- Technic Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent Office issued Patent No. 6,982,030 entitled "Reduction of Surface Oxidation During Electroplating." The invention covered by this patent concerns a method for improving the...

Multiline Technology, mie to merge.(Multiline International Europa Limited Partnership)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Multiline Technology Inc. (Farmingdale, NY) and mie LP (Multiline International Europa, Limited Partnership) of Friedrichsdorf, Germany announced a reorganization. Michael Angelo, President of Multiline Technology, and Paul Waldner,...

Burkle North America selects Caledon Controls.(FAB FOUR Product)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Garden Grove, CA -- The Burkle North America FabFour Group announced that Caledon Controls of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada has been appointed to represent certain FAB FOUR products within Canada. They will handle the conventional Lamination...

The alchemy of Nanotechnology.(Circuits Unusual)
March 1, 2006... There's been a steady stream of press releases on Nanotechnology announcing weekly breakthroughs from every corner of the globe. Some of it may even be true! Unfortunately, there's so much hype that the "nano" moniker now proclaims cool...

For teckies, it's just pure fun.(2006 International Consumer Electronics Show)
March 1, 2006... I attended the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show in early January. For those of you that have never attended a CES it is the largest electronics end-user gathering anywhere. The 2006 CES in Las Vegas set several major show records...

Rigid-flexible PCBs: a pliable solution; Why rigid-flexible PCBs can out-perform rigid boards in both performance and system assembly costs.(printed circuit boards)
March 1, 2006... Driven by the rising demands of the electric junction technique, the PCB continues to evolve. On the one hand, the PCB's density (track widths and spaces) is increasing and, on the other hand, new applications demand better component...

Sanmina to get HC-8 Hole Checker from Ceco.(HC-8 Hole Checker)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Ceco Industries, Inc. announced an order from Sanmina-SCI to install a second HC-8 Hole Checker into Sanmina's San Jose, Calif., facility. The HC-8 Hole Checker inspects boards after drilling, plating, or HAL for any deviation against the drill...

Remembering Phillip Hinton.(Data Transfer)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Tucson, AZ -- Phillip Eugene Hinton of Tucson, Arizona, passed away on January 7, 2006. He was 79. He was preceded in death by his mother, Martha; father, Troy, step-mother, Willmetta and brother, Thomas. He is survived by his wife of 57 years,...

Valor establishes business unit in Latin America.(Power People News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Foothill Ranch, CA -- Valor Computerized Systems appointed Dante Dominguez as its General Manager for Latin America, as part of the company's global expansion strategy. Dominguez brings with him 12 years of extensive industrial and managerial...

Flextronics.(Power People News)
March 1, 2006... Singapore -- Flextronics appointed Michael McNamara to the position of CEO. McNamara has held various senior positions during his career at Flextronics, most recently as the company's COO. He has also served Flextronics as President of...

Aculight.(Power People News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Bothell, WA -- Aculight Corp. added Dr. Thomas S. Hartwick to its board of directors. "We are delighted to welcome Tom Hartwick to our board of directors," said Don Rich, Aculight president and CEO. "Tom brings decades of experience in military...

Coretec.(Power People News)
March 1, 2006... Toronto -- Coretec Inc. named Robert Olsen Chairman of the Board, replacing Paul Langston in this office, who remains CEO and president. Olsen has been the Lead Director on the Board of Directors since 2004. Langston said, "This represents a...

Enthone.(Power People News)
March 1, 2006... West Haven, CT -- Jason Maupin was named U.S. Director of Sales by Enthone Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics. Maupin will be responsible for leading the Enthone U.S. sales and technical service team serving the electronics and surface...

P. Kay Metal.(Power People News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Los Angeles, CA -- P. Kay Metal announced that Keith Howell has joined the company as product manager for its new MS2[TM] molten solder surfactant, the first product that eliminates dross from the wave soldering process. Howell comes to the...

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials.(Power People News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Marlborough, MA -- Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials appointed Thomas Wilson to the position of Circuit Board Technologies General Manager for North America and Europe. Wilson was most recently Director of Global Sales Operations for Rohm and...

Circuit Service Inc.(Power People News)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Wheeling, IL -- Theodore J. Mau Jr., the founder and board chairman of Circuit Service Inc. (Wheeling, IL), died of pulmonary fibrosis on December 23rd, 2005 in Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood. He was awaiting a lung transplant, his...

Bekaert flexible circuit material.(Power People News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Research Triangle Park, NC -- Bekaert expanded its U.S. customer service organization, including new positions in R & D, sales, and marketing. Tad Berg-stresser joined Bekaert as a senior research engineer. He has spent almost 17 years in PCB...

The PCB industry: change is the only certainty.(IPC Issues and Answers)(printed circuit boards)
March 1, 2006... Yogi Berra once said, "The future is not what is used to be." Nothing can be truer of the North American PCB industry. Only a few years ago, the industry was in the midst of one of the most devastating downturns in its history. Some were...

Novel OSP coatings for lead-free processes: organic solderability preservative (OSP) coatings are among the leading surface finish options in lead-free soldering because of their excellent solderability, ease of processing, and low cost.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... This article uses Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize the relative thermal properties of a novel high temperature (HT) resistant OSP coating....

Merix expects 3Q sales to reach up to $91 million.(Fab Focus News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Forest Grove, OR -- Merix announced financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2006 ended November 26, 2005. Sales for the second quarter increased 43% to $61.7 million compared to $43.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2005....

Graphic Plc stays on course.(Fab Focus News)
March 1, 2006... Devon, UK -- Graphic Plc claimed that it grew by 21% during the last financial year, while maintaining its self-funded investment program at [pounds sterling]1.2 million to enhance, upgrade and replace its state of the art plant and equipment.

Aspocomp to build HDI plant in India.(Fab Focus News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Chennai -- Aspocomp Group Oyj plans to expand its HDI business operations by building a new PCB plant in Chennai, India. The plant will be India's first high-technology HDI PCB production facility. According to the estimates, the investment...

Lenthor Engineering announces ISO 9001:2000 certification.(Fab Focus News)
March 1, 2006... Milpitas, CA -- Lenthor Engineering was certified ISO 9001:2000 compliant. The Quality Management System is applicable to manufacturing, assembly, test, sales, marketing, customer service and quality support for the manufacture of rigid-flex,...

Firan Technology Group snags $11 million contract.(Fab Focus News)
March 1, 2006... Toronto -- Firan Technology Group Corp. was awarded an $11 million, three-year contract to supply Rockwell Collins with printed circuits. "FTG Circuits has invested incredible efforts over the past few years to build one of North America's...

Photocircuits sold to private investor.(Fab Focus News)
March 1, 2006... Glen Cove, NY -- Photocircuits sold at auction all of its assets, including the assumption of certain liabilities to a long-term equity investor. This sale is to be conducted in accordance with Section 363 of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy...

Lloyd Doyle reveals new solder bump inspection system.(Supplier Spotlight News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Illustrating how the lines between PWB fabrication and packaging continue to blur, Lloyd Doyle recently introduced a new solder bump inspection system. Traditionally an equipment maker focused on bareboard test and inspection, the company is...

Flex circuit acquisitions on the rise.(Data Transfer)(AT & S)(Tofic Company Limited)(Century Circuits)
March 1, 2006... It seems that with the popularity--and higher profit margins--of flexible circuit manufacturers, many rigid PCB fabricators want a piece of the pie. If it's not in one's core competency, why not simply buy a flexible circuit manufacturer?...

M.E. Baker Company acquires MacDermid Equipment shares.(Data Transfer)
March 1, 2006... Cambridge, MA -- M.E. Baker Company (Baker) acquired all of the outstanding shares of MacDermid Equipment, Inc. (MEI) of Springfield, Vermont. With the acquisition, Baker, known throughout the PCB industry for its proven vertical plating...

Fine lines in high yield (Part CXXVI): troubleshooting the PWB fabrication process.(Tech Talk)(Printed Wiring Board)
March 1, 2006... Process engineers in charge of increasing the overall yield of a PWB fabrication process need the tools to track yield trends and to assign probable cause to defect types. Without such tools any process change intended to improve yields would...

Hunter Technology, Thermalworks enter license agreement.(Data Transfer)
March 1, 2006... Hunter Technology (Santa Clara, CA) entered into a licensing agreement with Thermalworks to produce PCB interconnect solutions utilizing STABLCOR[R] laminate products, an advanced thermal management solution for printed circuit board...

The rise of planar printed circuits: the printed circuit planar transformer is rapidly gaining industry approval and has evolved through many improvements to today's strong, tough, high reliability product.
March 1, 2006... High frequency, switching transformers are effectively manufactured as very small, cost-efficient planar transformers. The PCB that replaces the typically wound coils, is flat, extremely durable, high temperature resilient and moisture...

Reflecting on 2005, changing focus to prosper in 2006.(Market Outlook)(Company overview)
March 1, 2006... Chart 1 summarizes how the domestic "electronics food chain" performed in 2005. All sectors except rigid PCB shipments grew on an annual basis. N. American rigid PCBs (Chart 2) enjoyed a strong 1Q'05 but were then relatively flat for the...

Back to basics Part 8: flex circuit cost factor analysis.(Flexible Thinking)
March 1, 2006... It is inevitable that the matter of cost be addressed somewhere in the discussion of any technology under investigation, and flexible circuits are not above scrutiny. The simple truth is that no matter how great the technology, if it cannot...

Excellon Automation releases Concept 129 Intelli-Drill[R] Database and Search Utility.(Technology Today News)
March 1, 2006... Torrance, CA -- Excellon Automation announced its latest solution in helping PCB makers improve production yields. The Concept 129 Intelli-Drill[TM] now includes a companion Database and Search Utility. Together these products will provide the...

Park Electrochemical releases N4000-29 lead free compatible substrate.(laminate and prepreg materials)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Melville, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. introduced its new N4000-29 180[degrees]C Tg substrate. This new advanced material system is now available in North America and is planned to be available in Asia and Europe in the first calendar...

3M multilayer substrate qualified for Staktek high-density memory product.(Technology Today News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Austin, TX -- A multilayer flexible substrate manufactured by 3M Electronics has been qualified for use in Staktek's new ArctiCore memory module and is now in production. The 3M-brand, four-layer substrate helps double the memory density of a...

European PCB market trends: while Asia continues to dominate in consumer electronics, some Europeans have found lucrative markets in other areas. Read on to learn how many of Europe's PCB manufacturers continue to grow.(Industry overview)
March 1, 2006... The printed circuit board is arguably the foundation of most electronics applications. It interconnects all components, and only by this interconnection do they achieve their functionality. In the electronics industry, the value of the PCB is...

Ferro-filled polymer dielectrics: almost everything you ever wanted.(Embedded Passives Update)
March 1, 2006... Imagine the perfect board-level embeddable dielectric. A screen-printable paste, storable for months, processable by standard methods familiar to all board shops, curable in minutes at mild temperatures, low waste, no degrading effects on other...

Events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... IPC CCA Sacramento Day 2006 March 1-2, 2006 Sacramento, CA Email: rcrowe@ipc.org IPC/JEDEC Conference on Lead-Free Components and Assemblies March 6-8, 2006 Santa Clara, CA Email: LFConf@ipc.org CircuiTEX...