CircuiTree articles from November 2007

CircuiTree archives from November 2007

Rigid PCB shipments and bookings down in August.(Data Transfer)(Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(printed circuit board)
November 1, 2007... According to IPC's North American PCB Statistical Program, rigid PCB shipments were down 10.1 percent and bookings were down 5.1 percent in August 2007 compared to August 2006. Between July 2007 and August 2007, shipments and bookings were up...

Exposure systems.(Supplier Spotlight News)(Printed circuit boards in demand)
November 1, 2007... Increasingly, many PCB manufacturers in North America juggle numerous jobs with varying requirements to gain a competitive edge and improve profits. Price pressures, dwindling margins, and availability of used equipment fuel a growing...

It's a shrinking market, so add more shows.(The way We See It)
November 1, 2007... In January, I wrote about my adventures getting to the 2006 International Printed Circuit & Electronics Assembly Fair in Dongguan, China. As I wrote in my column, I was prepared to pitch a fit about how difficult it was for me to get there (be...

Automa-Tech merges with ORC Imaging.(Supply Line News)(Automa-Tech Advanced Technologies)(ORC Imaging Corporation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Val de Reuil, France -- Automa-Tech Advanced Technologies announced a merger with its branch company, ORC Imaging Corporation, Calif.; under the new structure, all UV exposure products will be marketed under Automa-Tech-ORCi. ORC Imaging's...

Precision Technology to launch CAM and engineering operation.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Indianapolis, Ind. -- Cimnet Systems Inc. announced that its customer Precision Technology Inc. (PTI) launched a front-end CAM and engineering operation in less than 45 days using Cimnet's business process outsourcing services. After a 30-day...

Cadence acquires Clear Shape Technologies.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- Cadence Design Systems, Inc., acquired Clear Shape Technologies, Inc. This acquisition uniquely positions Cadence as the only EDA company that can deliver manufacturing awareness and lithographic correctness for all layers...

PCB Libraries collaborates With National Instruments to develop LP Wizard.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Des Plaines, Ill. -- PCB Libraries, Inc., announced its collaboration with the National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group to develop the IPC-7351 LP Wizard for Ultiboard, a CAD library management tool. An earlier version of the LP Wizard,...

RFIC Solutions increases productivity with Cadence Virtuoso platform.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Bangalore, India -- Cadence Design Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd. announced that RFIC Solutions increased its productivity twofold by adopting the Cadence[R] Virtuoso[R] custom design platform; RFIC successfully completed two tapeouts within one...

HP acquires MacDermid ColorSpan Inc.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Palo Alto, Calif. -- HP signed a defnitive agreement to acquire MacDermid Color-Span Inc. from MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC. The acquisition extends HP's presence into the sign shop and quick-printing market as well as its position as a...

Christopher Associates signs agreement with First EIE.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Santa Ana, Calif. -- Christopher Associates signed an agreement with First EIE S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, to distribute and provide engineering support for its photoplotters and inkjet printing systems in the North American printed circuit...

Stablcor signs licensing agreement with Everett Charles Technologies.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Stablcor Incorporated licensed the use of its STABLCOR[R] technology to Everett Charles Technologies' semiconductor test division.

Park Electrochemical proposes restructuring in France.(Supply Line News)(at its Neltec Europe SAS )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Melville, N.Y.-Park Electrochemical Corp. proposed to restructure its operations and reduce its workforce at its Neltec Europe SAS business unit located in Mirebeau, France. Park commenced an information and consultation process with its...

GVL UK installs new Slitter, achieves UL accreditation.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Warwickshire, U.K. -- GVL UK Ltd installed a new Rosenthal Prepreg Slitter at its Leamington Spa, U.K., facility. This machine significantly increases the in-house prepreg fabrication capacity and increase the company's ability to supply...

Printar signs distribution agreements in the U.K. and France.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Rehovot, Israel -- Printar Ltd. announced two new distribution agreements: one with Adeon Technologies BV for the U.K. market and one with Lerau in Paris. According to Nachum Korman, president of Printar North America and Europe, "These new...

Vertical Circuits partners with DEK International and Creative Automation Company.(Supply Line News)
November 1, 2007... Scotts Valley, Calif. -- Vertical Circuits Inc. partnered with DEK International and Creative Automation Company for the delivery of high-throughput, of -the-shelf, vertical interconnect manufacturing solutions to IC fabricators and...

Sampo bank opposes Aspocomp merger.(Fab Focus News)
November 1, 2007... Helsinki, Finland -- On May 10, 2007, the board of directors of Aspocomp Group Oyj decided to merge the subsidiary Aspocomp Oy with its parent company; the planned implementation date was September 30. Sampo Bank plc, however, opposes the...

Elcoteq Beijing receives government awards.(Fab Focus News)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Hong Kong -- Elcoteq SE announced that Elcoteq Beijing was honored with two awards issued by Beijing governmental committees. Elcoteq received these awards for the contribution it made in fostering harmonious business practices and accelerating...

Graphic Plc approved to ISO 9001.(Fab Focus News)(Somacis Graphic )
November 1, 2007... Devon, U.K. -- Graphic Plc announced that Somacis Graphic of Dongguan, China, is now ISO 9001 approved. This came just two months after the company began production of HDI PCBs. The facility follows in the footsteps of Graphic Plc and Somacis...

FlexOne receives ISO 13485:2003 certification.(Fab Focus News)
November 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- FlexOne achieved ISO 13485:2003 Medical Device Quality certification; this certification is recognized as the worldwide benchmark for high-quality medical device development and manufacturing.

Endicott awarded Department of Defense contract modification, multi-year contract by Raytheon.(Fab Focus News)
November 1, 2007... Endicott, N.Y. -- Endicott Interconnect Technologies (EI) was awarded a USD 19 million contract modification by the U.S. Department of Defense. The modification is to existing work for additional multi-chip module assemblies and equipment in...

M-Flex names Beckenbaugh chief technology officer.(Power People News)(William Beckenbaugh)(Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Anaheim, Calif. -- Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (M-Flex), named William Beckenbaugh its new chief technology officer. Becken-baugh will assume the responsibility of advancing the company's packaging and flex printed circuit technology base...

Abrams Named IPC director of government relations and environmental policy.(Power People News)(Fern Abrams)(Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Bannockburn, Ill. -- IPC announced that Fern Abrams, director of environmental policy, assumed responsibility for IPC's government relations activities. Current environment, health, and safety activities focus on lead free and other materials...

Bioh Kim new Enthone manager.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... West Haven, Conn. -- Enthone, Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics, appointed Bioh Kim process integration manager, electronic materials. In this role, Kim will be responsible for integrating new chemical processes into the products and...

Rieck joins Sun Chemical European team.(Power People News)(Uwe Rieck of Sun Chemical UK)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Midsomer Norton, U.K. -- Sun Chemical Circuits appointed Uwe Rieck as European sales technician. Rieck has more than 10 years of experience in the circuits industry, specifically in equipment and PCB process; he previously worked at Wurth...

Plexus appoints CFO, executive officers.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... Neenah, Wis. -- Plexus Corp.'s board of directors appointed Ginger M. Jones to the position of vice president, chief financial officer. Other new appointments include: Mike Buseman, senior vice president, global manufacturing operations; Steve...

Sanmina-SCI announces personnel changes.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- Sanmina-SCI Corporation named Joseph R. Bronson president and chief operating officer; he was also elected to the board of directors. Bronson will be responsible for the company's business execution, financial results,...

Rosenfeld new chair of printar board.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... Rehovoth, Israel -- Printar Ltd. appointed Arie Rosenfeld chair of its board of directors; he has served on the board since mid-2006. Rosenfeld is a managing partner of Dor Ventures and also served as chair of XAAR plc in Cambridge, U.K, and...

Thompson joins Technic team.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... Anaheim, Calif. -- Glenn Thompson joined Technic Inc.'s technical account management team. To this role, he brings more than 15 years of experience in seeking out and developing new business throughout Mexico, Texas, and the New Mexico border;...

UMC reorganizes management structure.(Power People News)
November 1, 2007... Hsinchu, Taiwan -- UMC vice chair Peter Chang retired October 1, and UMC is reorganizing its management structure to better serve its customer base. Current executive vice president Shih-wei Sun took the position of chief operating officer for...

Rogers releases glass-reinforced hydrocarbon/ceramic laminates.(Technology Today News)
November 1, 2007... Rogers, Conn. -- Rogers Corporation released RO4500[TM] laminates, joining the Rogers RO4000 product family of high-performance antenna-grade materials. The new glass-reinforced hydrocarbon/ ceramic laminates provide the controlled dielectric...

Cadence collaborates with Stratosphere to Increase 45 nm semiconductor yield, releases SoC verification kit.(Technology Today News)
November 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- Cadence Design Systems, Inc., is collaborating with Stratosphere Solutions, Inc., to increase 45 nm semiconductor device yield by addressing a critical emerging challenge: manufacturing variability. The collaboration also...

Direct Logix and Artetch Circuits release unique DFM Technology.(Technology Today News)(Direct Logix Inc. and Artetch Circuits Limited )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... West Sussex, U.K. -- Direct Logix Inc. and Artetch Circuits Limited announced the production release of Control Center, automated design for manufacturing (DFM) for PCB designers. The DFM technology allows PCB designers to receive manufacturing...

PAL unveils latest innovation in electroless copper equipment.(Technology Today News)
November 1, 2007... Shrewsbury, U.K. -- Process Automation International Ltd announced its latest innovation in electroless copper equipment: continuous vertical desmear/elec-troless. The system combines the quality and production advantages associated with...

Mentor launches Multimedia solution for Nucleus OS and Inflexion platform.(Technology Today News)
November 1, 2007... Wilsonville, Ore. -- Mentor Graphics Corporation launched the Inflexion Platform[TM] Multimedia Feature Pack for Nucleus[R] OS, a new paradigm for manufacturers of mass market consumer electronic devices to bring advanced audio and video...

Simberian unveils Simbeor 2007 update.(Technology Today News)(Simberian[TM] Inc)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Seattle, Wash. -- Simberian[TM], Inc., released an updated Simbeor[TM] 2007, which provides unique and innovative software capabilities that help PCB and package designers deliver next-generation products in less time. New features include...

Technic releases new immersion silver process.(Technology Today News)(Technic Equipment Corp.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Cranston, R.I. -- Technic released Argen-tomerse NC, a nitrate-free immersion silver process for use as a solderable finish on PCBs and other electronic devices. Argentomerse NC operates at a slightly alkaline pH and produces a thin, uniform...

YESTech releases next-generation AOI solution.(Technology Today News)(YesTech Inc. released automated optical inspection system)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... San Clemente, Calif. -- YESTech released its next-generation YTV B3 benchtop automated optical inspection system for populated PCBs; the upgraded system now comes standard with state-of-the-art Fusion Lighting[TM]. The B3 system offers up to a...

Nokia and IBM partner, transfer R&D activities.(Data Transfer)
November 1, 2007... Nokia Siemens Networks and IBM signed an agreement including the transfer of specific parts of Research and Development Center activities for four business lines of the Service Core and Applications Business unit to a subsidiary of IBM. With...

Titan announces record bookings for Electronics and Homeland security unit.(Financial News)
November 1, 2007... Richardson, Tex. -- Titan Global Holdings announced record bookings of USD 7.6 million for its Electronics and Homeland Security Division in Q4 FY 07. Titan previously announced revenue guidance indicating this division would generate revenues...

Mentor revenue up 15 percent.(Financial News)(Financial report)
November 1, 2007... Wilsonville, Ore. -- For Q2 FY 07, Mentor Graphics Corporation reported a 15 percent increase in revenue over Q1 FY 07 at USD 205.7 million. Earnings were USD 0.03 per share on a GAAP basis, up from a loss of USD 0.01 in Q2 FY 06. On a non-GAAP...

Northrop Grumman declares quarterly dividends.(Financial News)
November 1, 2007... Los Angeles -- Northrop Grumman's board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of USD 0.37 per share on the company's common stock. Also declared was a dividend of USD 1.75 per share on the company's Series B convertible preferred stock.

Park electrochemical declares quarterly dividend.(Financial News)
November 1, 2007... Melville, N.Y. -- Park Electrochemical Corp.'s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of USD 0.08 per share. The dividend is payable November 1 to stock-holders of record at the close of business on October 3.

Agilent orders up 7 percent.(Financial News)
November 1, 2007... Santa Clara, Calif. -- For Q3 FY 07, Agilent Technologies reported orders of USD 1.31 billion, a 7 percent year-over-year increase. For the same quarter, revenues were USD 1.37 billion, an 11 percent year-over-year increase, and GAAP net income...

Eltek reports revenue decrease.(Financial News)(Financial report)
November 1, 2007... Petach-Tikva, Israel -- For the three months ended June 30, 2007, Eltek Ltd. reported revenues of USD 8.6 million, compared to USD 9.6 million the previous year. Eltek attributes this decrease to reduced sales to the company's largest customer;...

Hon Hai sales increase more than 40 percent in august.(Financial News)
November 1, 2007... Taiwan -- Hon Hai's non-consolidated sales for August showed a year-over-year increase of 40.5 percent at TWD 100.36 billion. Accumulated sales for the first eight months of 2007 showed a 41.18 percent year-over-year increase at TWD 707.58...

A myopic view of the past 20 years of PCBs.(CircuiTree)
November 1, 2007... When Chris Jorgensen gave me a call and asked me to reflect on industry changes during the past 20 years on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of CircuiTree, I agreed on the premise that my account would be anecdotal, personal, and colored by...

Disruptive technologies are suddenly all the rage.(Fein-Lines)(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2007... Let's face it, the PWB industry basically uses processes that have evolved from what we were doing in the '50s and '60s. I recall making 18-layer boards with flushed nickel-rhodium switch plates and high-density circuits in 1968 using earlier...

Dow Corning receives patent for new method of making thin films.(Data Transfer)
November 1, 2007... Dow Corning Corporation's Advanced Technologies and Ventures Business received a U.S. patent on a new method for making low dielectric constant (low-k) silicon carbide and hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide thin films. This next-generation method...

An Introduction to the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association.(HKPCA Perspective)(Organization overview)
November 1, 2007... Mission and Objectives Established in 2000, the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA) is a Hong Kong-based nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights and interests of its member companies in the...

20 Years of interconnect defects.
November 1, 2007... Agreat number of changes have taken place in our industry since CircuiTree was first published 20 years ago. We have seen a once-dominant North American PWB industry shrink to less than 12 percent of the world market. We have seen the emergence...

Improving flexibility with cross hatching.(Ask the Flexperts)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... Q: I've heard that cross hatching plane layers on a flex circuit can improve flexibility. Is this true, and how much more flexible will the circuit become if I use cross hatching? A: The amount of flexibility gained when cross hatching...

Will 3D ICs replace PCBs?(Happy Thoughts)(Integrated circuit)(printed circuit boards)
November 1, 2007... Have you paid attention to the new growing field of 3D ICs and packaging? It caught me by surprise how fast this application took off. I am very familiar with embedded passives (EP) and the growing application of embedded actives, but I did not...

IDC reports PC market outlook remains strong.(Industry overview)
November 1, 2007... According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, PC shipments are projected to rise 12.6 percent in 2007 to 257.5 million units. This a slight increase from IDC's previous forecast, reflecting a 28 percent year-on-year increase in portable PC...

IPCAexpo 2007 Review: the little show in the growing market that could.
November 1, 2007... India has grown from an emerging market to what most in the electronics manufacturing industry are now calling a growth market. India has already grown enough in size and scale over the past few years to put it on pace with China, which still...

Fine lines in high yield (Part CXLVI): resist loading in aqueous developers.(Tech Talk)
November 1, 2007... To properly control the developer chemistry in a feed-and-bleed operation, the addition of fresh developer solution ("feed") needs to be tied to the rate of consumption of carbonate, the active ingredient in the developer. There are a number of...

Lean sigma part VII-the Pareto Principle.(View From the Middle)
November 1, 2007... "The most dangerous kind of waste is the waste we do not recognize." - Dr. Shigeo Shingo, Consultant to Toyota Motor Corporation The Pareto Principle Around the turn of the twentieth century, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto made...

The Occam process: A new paradigm of promise for printed circuit manufacturing.
November 1, 2007... For more than half a century, the electronics assembly industry has been both defined and limited by the use of electronic solder technology to attach components to PCBs. However, with the European Union's (EU's) mandate for lead-free solder,...

Back to basics part 18--terminations and interconnection features for flex circuits (continued).(Flexible Thinking)
November 1, 2007... The previous installment of this series on flexible circuits looked at termination design requirements, explaining the need for fillets and looking at hole dimensioning issues. This installment will again focus on the important topic of...

Muted recovery: seasonal electronic upturn offsets housing drop.(Market Outlook)
November 1, 2007... Following the sub-prime mortgage/housing/financial crisis revelations in August, the U.S. economy reeled. A great worry was less liquidity and buying confidence, causing lower consumer and business spending. The Fed reacted by cutting rates 0.5...