CircuiTree articles from May 2007

CircuiTree archives from May 2007

Wal-Mart to score sustainability of electronic products in 2008.(Data Transfer)
May 1, 2007... Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has released criteria as part of a scorecard to evaluate consumer electronics suppliers on the environmental sustainability of their products. Starting in 2008, Wal-Mart will ask suppliers to fill out the scorecard,...

Solder mask.(Supplier Spotlight News)(solder masks from Taiyo America Inc.)
May 1, 2007... Taiyo America has been manufacturing world-class solder masks and associated materials since 1995 and has become the LPI solder mask market share leader in the Americas by a wide margin. Its parent company, Taiyo Ink Manufacturing Company of...

How about some North American success stories?(The Way We See It)(significance of China market for circuit manufacturers)
May 1, 2007... Much has been said over the past month or so regarding the closing of Photocircuits. I could armchair quarterback what happened, but I will leave that to the experts. Dan Feinberg provides his thoughts in "Fein Lines" and guest columnist...

Bergquist releases metal core PCBs to keep powerful LEDs cool.(Technology Today News)
May 1, 2007... The Netherlands -- Bergquist has developed Bond-Ply TCP-1000, designed to meet the thermal management challenges of high-brightness LED applications. This new product can effectively compete with epoxy glass on aluminum constructions and offers...

Mentor releases next generation of PADS, synthesis support for Xilinx Virtex-5 SXT FPGAs.(Technology Today News)
May 1, 2007... Wilsonville, Ore. -- Mentor Graphics Corporation has released the next generation of PADS[R] flow, with the introduction of PADS2007. This version offers designers and engineers the ability to implement RF and microwave circuitry with highly...

Metrohm releases new analyzer.(Technology Today News)
May 1, 2007... Switzerland -- Metrohm has released ProcessLab, a new AT LINE Analyzer that uses well-established hardware and software, including the company's Titrando titrator[TM] and tiamo[TM] software. The new system can be used at several different...

LPKF releases new flex circuit processing technology.(Technology Today News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Wilsonville, Ore. -- LPKF has released a compact laser system designed to cut precise openings in polymide coverlayer foils and to cut flex circuits. MicroLine UV 3000 provides flexibility, reliability, and high precision and reduces product...

RoHS-International releases China RoHS declaration table template.(Technology Today News)
May 1, 2007... Christchurch, New Zealand -- RoHS-International has released a declaration table for China RoHS, available in MS Word and containing 26 of the most-used assembly names in English and Chinese. This development is an effort to make declaration...

Sigrity unveils OptimizePI.(Technology Today News)(power delivery system)(Sigrity Corp. introduces OptimizePI power delivery system )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Santa Clara, Calif. -- Sigrity has released OptimizePI, a next-generation power delivery system (PDS) that is the first to provide minimum-cost decoupling capacitator (decap) selection and placement to achieve desired performance. The system...

Cemco-FSL launches horizontal immersion system.(Technology Today News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Hampshire, U.K. -- Cemco-FSL has made available a new horizontal immersion system designed for immersion silver and other alternative solderable and protective coatings. The system's small footprint design incorporates patented roller-less...

Indian Printed Circuit Association and IPC ink deal on joint venture Training Center.(Data Transfer)
May 1, 2007... The Indian Printed Circuit Association and IPC have formed a joint venture to provide training services to the Indian market. The Industry Association Training Center (IATC) will be located in the facilities of the secretariat of the IPCA in...

Aspocomp enters agreement with Chin Poon.(Fab Focus News)(Aspocomp Group Oyj to acquire 49 percent minority interest from Chin Poon Holdings)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Helsinki, Finland -- Aspocomp Group Oyj has entered into an agreement with Chin Poon Holdings, its Taiwanese partner. The agreement allows Aspocomp to acquire Chin Poon's 49 percent minority interest in ACP Electronics Ltd, the two companies'...

CIREP receives Nadcap accreditation.(Fab Focus News)
May 1, 2007... France -- CIREP, a subsidiary of PCB manufacturer CIRE Group, has received National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap) accreditation. CIREP is one of only three PCB manufacturers in the world to have this high...

DDi Corp. announces 2006 financial results.(Fab Focus News)(Financial report)
May 1, 2007... Anaheim, Calif. -- DDi Corp. reported Q4 FY 06 net sales of USD 43.3 million, adjusted EBITDA of USD 4.3 million, and net loss of USD 95,000. Fiscal results include operations of Sovereign Circuits, which DDi acquired October 23, 2006, and...

Hon Hai announces increased February sales.(Fab Focus News)(Financial report)
May 1, 2007... Taiwan -- Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., announced that non-consolidated sales for the month of February show a 41.52 percent year-over-year increase at NTD 71.58 billion. Thus far in 2007, accumulated sales have increased 35.19 percent...

Indiana Life Sciences acquires Electronic Control, Inc.(Fab Focus News)
May 1, 2007... Indianapolis -- Indiana Life Sciences, Inc. (ILSI), has acquired Electronic Control, Inc., marking the company's sixth acquisition in the past 18 months. According to ILSI CEO Michael Knieser, this acquisition supplements its existing printed...

Global Innovation Corp releases 2007 financial results.(Fab Focus News)(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Wylie, Tex. -- Global Innovation Corp released its financial results for the three and six months ended January 31, 2007. For the three months ended January 31, revenue decreased USD 9,088,258, a net decrease of USD 998,040, or 11 percent, from...

Cimnet Systems Holding company changes name.(Fab Focus News)
May 1, 2007... Indianapolis -- As of March 8, M2M Holdings Inc. officially became Consona Corporation. Affected by the change is Cimnet Systems[TM] ERP, which will now be under the renamed Consona Industry Solutions division. According to M2M, nothing is new...

Titan announces strategic initiatives.(Fab Focus News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Dallas -- Titan Global Holdings Inc. announced the company's strategic initiatives for FY 07 and beyond. Titan's initiatives capitalize on the increasing global demand for products and services that promote international connectivity and...

Screaming Circuits receives ISO 9001:2000 certification.(Date Transfer)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Screaming Circuits has received ISO:2000 certification, one of a series of actions by the company to improve its service levels and make the prototyping process easier to the end customer. In addition, Screaming Circuits has also launched an...

Via hole plugging technology for HDI and via-in-pad designs--focus on material properties and performance.
May 1, 2007... Abstract The continued fast pace toward miniaturization is leading circuit board designers to push the envelope on integration density. This trend is driving fabricators to look closely at methods and processes that will enable the move...

Prototron Tucson names new GM.(Power People News)
May 1, 2007... Redmond, Wash. -- Kim O'Neil has been appointed general manager of Prototron Circuits' Tucson facility. In addition to serving as Prototron's engineering manager, O'Neil also previously held positions with Hadco, Sanmina, and Teradyne. For...

Rajinder Rai new Endicott VP.(Power People News)
May 1, 2007... Endicott, N.Y. -- Rajinder Rai has been appointed vice president, research and development, for Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. Effective immediately, he is responsible for the management of resources and support functions for current...

CircuiTree names China editor.(Power People News)
May 1, 2007... CircuiTree has named Laya Chen its China editor. In this new position, Chen will be responsible for translating technical feature articles and news reports for the magazine's China audience and further building the magazine's presence in China....

R. A. Srinivas new ESI VP.(Power People News)
May 1, 2007... Portland, Ore. -- Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESI), has appointed industry veteran Dr. R. A. Srinivas as vice president of marketing. He will manage the company's overall market strategies for product and brand management and...

February IPC book-to-bill indicates upward turn.(Data Transfer)
May 1, 2007... The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for February 2007 climbed to 0.96; the flexible circuit ratio increased to 0.97. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in February 2007 reflected these gains and grew...

Uitra-thin embedded passive laminates: can make the difference in meeting performance and space requirements.
May 1, 2007... Background The global electronics industry is exhibiting a widespread and growing interest in the technology of embedded passives. This interest can be attributed to three primary benefits. First, embedded passives have far less parasitic...

Flexible circuit design-concept to connection.
May 1, 2007... You have finally finished up the design of the PCBs for your electronic device, and all that is left is to connect them together. You soon realize there isn't enough room in your enclosure for board stacking connectors, and you really don't...

IBM sees the light, demonstrates world's fastest optical chipset.(Data Transfer)
May 1, 2007... IBM scientists revealed a prototype optical transceiver chipset capable of reaching speeds at least eight times faster than optical components available today. This technology could be integrated onto PCBs to allow the components within an...

Lean sigma part V: lessons learned from Willy Wonka.(View From the Middle)
May 1, 2007... One of my students told me recently that while she was studying diligently one evening, her son was watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She said "Professor [I love it when they call me professor!], as I sat there listening to the...

Preselection programs for PCBs and OEMs: advantages and options.
May 1, 2007... Discovering the Benefits of Preselection As products become more sophisticated and exotic, the worldwide movement to make smaller and less expensive lead-free products has OEMs turning to new rigid and flexible PCB solutions. The selection...

Back to basics part 15--more conductor routing concerns.(Flexible Thinking)
May 1, 2007... In Part 14 of this series, the discussion focused on the basic issues of conductor routing and offered some guidelines and caveats relative to routing metal circuits on flexible substrates. As mentioned in that discussion, many leading CAD...

The industry has problems, but the industry is no longer the problem.(Fein-Lines)(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2007... I honestly believe this, but it was not always so. Many of the North American-based PWB fabricators who have gone out of business in the past three to four years did so not because of what they were doing in the last year of their existence but...

The need for an embedded passives cost/performance trade-off tool.(Happy Thoughts)
May 1, 2007... Introduction I have had the pleasure now of teaching several classes on hands-on embedded passives (EP) design. This is a lot of fun, as there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a complex new technology like EP come to life on a circuit...

Endicott awarded USD 164 million in Department of Defense contracts.(Data Transfer)
May 1, 2007... Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc., has been awarded multiple contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense, totaling USD 164 million. The contracts call for Endicott to produce card frame assemblies including organic semiconductor...

3M and Antares Advanced Test Technologies sign global agreement.(Supply Line News)
May 1, 2007... Austin -- 3M's Electronic Solutions Division and Antares Advanced Test Technologies have signed a global distribution agreement, allowing Antares to sell 3M Textool-branded BGA Test and Burn-In Sockets outside of Japan. This agreement creates...

Invotec invests in Burkle roller coater.(Supply Line News)(Invotec invests in DRC 3000 model roller coating system from Robert Burkle GmbH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Freudenstadt, Germany -- Robert Burkle GmbH has sold its DRC 3000 model roller coating system for installation at Invotec's Blackburn site for the application of liquid resists. This investment provides Invotec with the capability to deploy LDI...

Cemco-FSL announces sale to Spirit Circuits.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Hampshire, U.K. -- Cemco-FSL announced the sale of its horizontal immersion silver plating system to Spirit Circuits. This latest small footprint design incorporates patented roller-less laminar flow process chambers and fluid knife rinses to...

Elcoteq awarded multi-year Redline contract.(Redline Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Irving, Tex.; Espoo, Finland; and Hong Kong -- Elcoteq SE was awarded a multiyear contract by Redline Communications, enabling Redline to accelerate production of its products and infrastructure solutions. Elcoteq will be the primary EMS...

Micropulse Plating Concepts sells units to China and Europe.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Lyon, France -- Micropulse Plating Concepts (MPC) sold Titraplate CP units to Multek's Zuhai and MFS's Changsha, China, plants, Rohm and Haas's Shanghai and Italy laboratories, Technic Korea and SEA, and Electrochemicals Germany. MPC also sold...

Camtek announces 2006 financial results.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Migdal Haemek, Isreal -- Camtek has released its Q4 06 and full-year 2006 results, showing Q4 revenue increases of 8.2 percent at USD 21 million and full-year revenues up 58.7 percent at USD 100.0 million. Net loss for Q4 was USD 2.2 million,...

Rockwood reports strong results for 2006.(Supply Line News)(Financial report)
May 1, 2007... Princeton, N.J. -- Specialty chemicals producer Rockwood Holdings, Inc., has announced strong results for Q4 FY 06 and full-year 2006. Q4 net sales including Groupe Novasep were up 9.6 percent to USD 835.5 million; year-to-date net sales...

UMC to open office in Hyderabad Technology Park.(Supply Line News)
May 1, 2007... Hsinchu, Taiwan, and Hyderabad, India -- UMC plans to open a customer support office in India's Hyderabad Technology Park to provide design support services for India-based customers and UMC customers operating design centers in the area. UMC...

Zuken and ADEPT-SiP collaborate on system-in-package technology.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Munich and Westford, Mass. -- Zuken has joined the ADEPT-SiP project to develop a rigorous methodology to assist organizations worldwide in the design and manufacture of system-in-package (SiP) technology. This right-first-time design and...

2007 CPCA show review: news, reviews, and sports from Shanghai.
May 1, 2007... China is the world's leading PCB manufacturer, representing more than 26 percent of the world's USD 48.2 billion with more than 3,000 companies and a double-digit growth rate. A country of this magnitude in manufacture, let alone population...

Fine lines in high yield (part CXL): selling air.(Tech Talk)
May 1, 2007... The dielectric constant (Dk, or k, or permittivity) of air (practically the same as that of vacuum) is as low as it gets: Dk = 1. If a copper signal path is surrounded by a dielectric whose dielectric constant is low, then signal propagation...

Flat end markets + inventory/order corrections = early 2007 slowdown.(Market Outlook)(Industry overview)
May 1, 2007... The long-expected 2007 slowdown now appears well underway. Fortunately, due to much better controlled stock levels (compared to the 2000 bubble), this downturn should not be a replay of 2001. However, the robust 2006 expansion has ended and...

Sourcing in Europe--is Asia really cheaper?
May 1, 2007... This article draws attention to the frequent misconception between cheap and competitive. Hidden costs and plenty of risks linked to procurement overseas may nullify any anticipated cost savings. For which volume does it make sense to go to...

Photocircuits et al.--was there a better way?(Guest Editorial)
May 1, 2007... I just read a story about Photocircuits closing down. Apparently annual sales have declined from more than USD 400 million a few years ago to presently less than USD 90 million annually. Perhaps there are those who feel sadness and...

SOMACIS ends Korea partnership, plans new opportunities.(Data Transfer)(Somacis Holdings terminates partnerships with Somacis Korea Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SOMACIS Holding has terminated the industrial partnership between itself and SOMACIS Korea Co. Ltd., the Korean company specialized in the production of PCBs for mobile phones and LCD screens. The joint venture, which was entered into in...

Cookson announces surcharge on tin-bearing solder pastes.(Data Transfer)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials announced a surcharge on tin-bearing solder pastes, due to a global tin shortage. The cost of tin is currently at a 19-year high at over USD 14,000/metric ton. The surcharge will be effective 30 days from...

Argonne National Laboratory and University of Illinois researchers develop flexible electronics.(Data Transfer)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are developing flexible electronic structures with the potential to bend, expand, and manipulate electronic devices....

Harvard and Rohm and Haas sign license agreement.(Data Transfer)(Harvard University. Office of Technology Development )(Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cambridge, Mass., and Marlborough, Mass.--Harvard University's Office of Technology Development and Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials have signed a licensing agreement giving Rohm and Haas exclusive rights to manufacture and market a novel...

Events.(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2007... JPCA Show May 30-June 1, 2007 Tokyo International Exhibition Centre Tokyo, Japan Web site: www.jpcashow.com EIPC Summer Conference May 8-9, 2007 Edinburgh, Scotland Web site: www.eipc.org IPC...