CircuiTree articles from October 2006

CircuiTree archives from October 2006

ITAR: help or hindrance?(Inbox)(International Traffic in Arms Regulations)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... There is an open debate between the Department of State and industries and academia regulated by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) concerning how harmful the regulatory restrictions are for U.S. businesses and higher education...

Venture Outsource electronics industry survey reveals valuable insight.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2006... Venture Outsource announced some of the findings from its online, industry survey, "Eyes on Electronics Outsourcing Industry 2006." Several hundred respondents from technology OEM, EMS providers and ODM companies, and suppliers to these...

Ten years after ...(The Way We See It)(technological changes)(Column)
October 1, 2006... It is with mixed emotions that we co-write this, our last column in CircuiTree. By the time you read this, we will both have taken new jobs, one in the industry and one outside of it. We want to say "thank you" to all of you who continue to...

Image is everything: exposure and registration challenges when manufacturing rigid-flex boards? Try laser direct imaging (LDI).
October 1, 2006... The manufacture of rigid-flex boards remains challenging. Very tight registration demands must be met using high quality and uniform exposure whilst working with non-stable materials and non-planar panel surfaces. The result is generally...

MacDermid CEO, partners offer to purchase outstanding stock.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2006... Denver, CO -- MacDermid, Inc., a specialty chemical manufacturer Located in Denver, Colorado, announced that it had received a proposal letter from Daniel H. Leever, its chairman and chief executive officer, and Court Square Capital Partners to...

Time for a change.(technological innovations)
October 1, 2006... There is a joke going around the Net. The teenager says to his grandfather, "When you were young you had none of the cool things we have today: no computers, no iPods, no GPS, no HDTV, even your TV was black and white. You did not have cell...

H.C.S.C. Environmental celebrates 25th anniversary.(Data Transfer)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Campbell, CA -- Steven Paul Carnevale, the owner of H.C.S.C. Inc., announced the company is celebrating its 25th year in business. H.C.S.C. Environmental has consulted over 30 electronics companies in environmental compliance, advising them on...

Coretec purchases real estate in Denver.(Fab Focus News)
October 1, 2006... Toronto -- Coretec Inc. purchased the property and building associated with its manufacturing facility in the greater Denver area. The transaction includes a 22,800 sq.ft. building on 1.41 acres of land as well as an adjacent parcel of land...

DDi sells Veritek Manufacturing, acquires Sovereign Circuits.(Dynamic Details Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Anaheim, CA -- DDi Corp. signed agreements relating to two strategic transactions. On August 8, 2006, DDi signed an agreement providing for the sale of its assembly business to Veritek Manufacturing Services LLC, for approximately $12 million...

HannStar to spin off PCB unit.(Fab Focus News)
October 1, 2006... Taiwan-listed HannStar Board Corp. is planning to spin off its PCB unit to raise $90 million, joining the growing number of Taiwanese firms tapping Hong Kong's equity market. HannStar Board International, the world's largest PCB supplier for...

Ruwel AG gets new financial partners.(acquired by Bear Stearns Companies Inc., BlueBay Asset Management and Cargill Value Investment )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Geldern, Germany -- Through a transaction arranged by the global Investment Bank Bear Stearns, a group of investors consisting of Bear Stearns, BlueBay Asset Management and Cargill Value Investment has acquired all outstanding loans of Ruwel...

GSPK Circuits expand service offering to include test.(purchased test equipment from Mania)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Knaresborough, North Yorkshire -- GSPK Circuits Limited purchased test equipment from Mania. The test facility, previously supplying subcontract work to GSPK companies, will now provide direct support and test requirements to PCB manufacturers...

IPC releases July book-to-bill ratios.(of printed circuit boards)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Bannockburn, IL -- The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for July 2006 remained positive at 1.02. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio held steady at 1.01. These ratios are based on monthly data collected...

Viasystems develops closed loop backdrilling system.(Viasystems Group Inc.)(Joseph A.A.M. Tourne and Patrick P.P. Lebens )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Alexandria, VA -- Joseph A.A.M. Tourne of Helmond, Netherlands, and Patrick P.P. Lebens of Sittard, Netherlands, have developed a method for backdrilling at least one plated hole formed in a circuit board. According to the U.S. Patent &...

UK survival guide: like many western countries, the UK has seen its share of PCB manufacturing operations decline. But some UK companies continue to thrive. What's their secret?
October 1, 2006... I am sitting drinking tea in the Crediton, Devon factory of Graphic plc, discussing the state of the printed circuit industry in the UK with Graphic's chairman and founder, Rex Rozario OBE, reflecting upon where and when it all began. In...

Electronic clothing: once science fiction, now science fact.(Flexible Thinking)
October 1, 2006... Electronics have permeated nearly every facet of modern life. There are few things that have escaped scrutiny for potential improvement by way of electronic augmentation either for practical (e.g. an ultrasonic toothbrush with a timer) or...

PCB fabrication peeves and praises.(Intelligent Design)
October 1, 2006... Peeves In working with PCB fabrication suppliers, or for that matter, any supplier, it is always best to have data when discussing problems. Yet the issue I often encounter is lots of data and little or no effort to analyze the data. ...

New dry-film developments for laser direct imaging: new dry-film-developments designed to take advantage of the latest generation of LDI-equipment that utilizes 405nm technology.
October 1, 2006... Laser Direct Imaging has a very long history. Much development effort has been invested over the last 30 years, and it is only now that system capabilities are matching industry needs. Advances in laser- and resist-technologies have now laid...

Eltek awarded $1.2M high-end flex-rigid PCBs orders.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2006... Petach-Tikva, Israel -- Eltek Ltd. received two orders valued at $1.2 million for flex-rigid PCBs that will be used in the production of advanced medical equipment. The flex-rigid PCBs are expected to be delivered during the remainder of 2006...

Enthone launches Chinese and German Websites.(Supply Line News)
October 1, 2006... West Haven, CT -- Enthone Inc. strengthened the company's website, www.enthone.com, by introducing dedicated Simple Chinese and German language content throughout the site. The content provides both global best-in-class product information, as...

Excellon to represent Automa-Tech PCB production equipment.(Supply Line News)
October 1, 2006... Rancho Dominguez, CA -- Roy Cripps, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, announced that Excellon has entered into an agreement with its partner Automa-Tech to represent its PCB production equipment. The agreement covers the entire product...

Agere Systems adopts Sigrity's Unified Package Designer.(Supply Line News)
October 1, 2006... Santa Clara, CA -- Sigrity Inc. announced that Agere Systems adopted Unified Package Designer (UPD) for use in the design of its advanced semiconductor packages. Agere chose UPD due to the strength of its advanced feature set to support their...

Specialty Coating Systems opens Costa Rica facility.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Indianapolis, IN -- Specialty Coating Systems Inc. (SCS) opened its newest Parylene coating facility in Heredia, Costa Rica. The 8,000-square-foot facility, located in the Global Park Free Zone, is the company's first in Costa Rica and the 10th...

TTM Technologies uses Orbotech Imaging Systems.(Supply Line News)
October 1, 2006... Billerica, MA -- Orbotech Inc. announced that TTM Technologies Inc. purchased and installed two Paragon[TM] Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) systems and three LP[TM]-9008 laser plotters for use in its bare PCB manufacturing facilities in Washington,...

Holders Technology subsidiary forms new company in China.(Supply Line News)(Dongguan Hui Zhan Electronic Limited)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Holders Technology announced the registration of Dongguan Hui Zhan Electronic Limited in Dongguan, Southern China. This new company is a Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise and is a 100% subsidiary of the Hong Kong company, Topgrow Technologies...

K & L Microwave receives ISO 14001 certification.(Supply Line News)
October 1, 2006... Salisbury, MD -- K & L Microwave Inc., part of Dover Corporation's Microwave Products Group[R], has received ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS). Implementing an ISO-certified EMS greatly improves K & L's...

SiliconPipe announces first full technology Lincense.(Supply Line News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... San Jose, CA -- SiliconPipe announced that the company has secured a use license agreement with an unnamed company. For business reasons, the licensee prefers to remain anonymous for the present time. "We are extremely pleased that we were...

Flexibles: a tale of two markets.(mobile phones and printed circuit boards)
October 1, 2006... The big market numbers for flexible circuits worldwide are being driven by just one major factor: mobile phones. This huge market is driving the development of material and process technologies but only as these apply to the particular needs of...

Hidden champion: LPKF laser & electronics AG; Despite its success, LPKF's achievements have gone largely unnoticed. What makes it so profitable, and what can one learn from them?(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Put very briefly, LPKF produces systems and machines for electronics production. It is the world market leader for laser systems for the production of solder paste stencils and wafer stencils, as well as for environmentally friendly solutions...

2006 CircuiTree LIVE Conference Series.
October 1, 2006... Don't Miss Out... October 16th... An Additional Full Day of Flexible Circuitry Manufacturing Techniques taught by CircuiTree contributors Karl Dietz and Happy Holden. TAIWAN Conference Schedule 7:30-8:30 ...

Dynamic & Proto Circuits.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Stoney Creek -- Dynamic & Proto Circuits Inc. announced Eric Jansen and Bryant Karner have joined the Quality Department at DAPC. Eric and Bryant will be responsible for impedance, registration and process controls within the company's quality...

Asymtek.(promoted Robert L. Ciardella, John Byers and Alec Babiarz )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Carlsbad, CA -- Asymtek announced a series of executive management changes that maintain continuity in the organization's leadership needed for long-term success for the precision dispensing company. Robert L. Ciardella is transitioning from...

Technic.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Cranston, RI -- Eric Stafstrom has joined Technic Inc. as a Global Product Manager bringing with him over 20 years of plating, engineering, customer service and marketing experience in the PCB, semiconductor and metal finishing markets.

Ceco Industries.(appointed Mike Foggia )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Ceco Industries appointed Mike Foggia as Director of Sales and Marketing. He has over 25 years of experience in the PCB industry, most recently as Global Technology Director for Rohm and Haas EM Division. He will be working closely with Ceco's...

Merix.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Forest Grove, OR -- Merix Corporation appointed Kelly E. Lang to Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Lang succeeds Janie S. Brown, who retired in January 2006.

Park Electrochemical Corp.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Melville, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. appointed James L. Zerby the Vice President and Controller of the company. Prior to joining Park, Zerby was CFO of Photocircuits Corporation from 1991 to March 2006.

Vulcan Electric Company.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Porter, MN -- Vulcan Electric Company named J. Michael Sapienti as Group Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Sapienti will oversee worldwide sales, marketing and customer service for the flexible circuit and thermal products group.

Christopher Associates.(appointed Michael Moreau, Alice Wu and promoted Martin Gershenson )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Santa Ana, CA -- Christopher Associates announced several key personnel moves. Alice Wu, formerly export sales manager of C Sun Manufacturing (Lin Kou, Taiwan, R.O.C.) has joined the company as Asian Business Manager. Her responsibilities will...

Excellon Automation.(Power People News)
October 1, 2006... Rancho Dominguez, CA -- Excellon Automation announced that Son Nguyen has rejoined Excellon as a Systems Specialist and as an addition to its service team in the Southern California Area. For a list of positions available, check in at NDS...

Isola reports 'dramatic' growth for Pb-free laminates.(Data Transfer)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Chandler, AZ -- Isola Group, a designer, developer and manufacturer of high performance base materials for the printed circuit board industry, reported dramatic growth for its lead free capable laminates. According to Ed Kelley, Director of...

Fine lines in high yield (Part CXXXIII): safe lighting in yellow room exposure areas.(Tech Talk)
October 1, 2006... The subject of Safe Lighting has been previously covered in Tech Talk (No. 71, August, 2001). This column includes some updates, mostly concerning sourcing. The PWB industry standard photolithographic process uses negative working photoresists...

IPC on EPA steering committee examining TBBPA alternatives.(Environmentally Speaking)
October 1, 2006... Science was once again ignored as environmental groups were taking aim at their latest target: brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Although the risk of death or injury from fires involving consumer products can be reduced 30 to 90 percent or...

The whole story: exploring ways to improve the accuracy of finite element analysis in micro drill-bit design.
October 1, 2006... With the rapid advancements in printed circuit board manufacturing and packaging technology, three factors challenge engineers when it comes to mechanical hole drilling. First, micro drill-bit diameters are becoming smaller as the microvia...

China PCB market: diverse offerings range from bill of materials to testing.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2006... Greater China companies offer PCB services starting from design to small run board production to redesign and re-evaluation of existing board layouts to increase performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Mainland China produced 110.57...

Improved lead-free SAC 305 no-clean formulation.(Technology Today News)
October 1, 2006... Lincoln, RI -- EFD Inc. Solder Paste Group introduced an improved no-clean solder paste product family specifically formulated for SAC 305. Lead-free formulations are known to leave dull, matte finishes, but the new clear, colorless no clean...

Enthone introduces CUPROSTAR[R] CVF1 microvia fill acid copper.(Technology Today News)
October 1, 2006... West Haven, CT -- CUPROSTAR[R] CVF1 acid copper plating process has been introduced by Enthone Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics. Specially developed for filling blind microvias and plating through-holes simultaneously in vertical DC...

Christopher reveals high performance exposure units for solder mask applications.(Technology Today News)
October 1, 2006... Santa Ana, CA -- Christopher Associates Inc. introduced the UVE M720 manual exposure unit for solder mask imaging, as well as the UVE-M525 high performance solder mask system. Developed by C Sun Manufacturing Ltd. for high reliability/high...

SchmartBoard nominated for World Technology Award.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2006... Fremont, CA -- SchmartBoard, the developer of a new technology that has significantly simplified the creation of electronic circuits for hobbyists, education and industry, has been nominated for a 2006 World Technology Award in the IT Hardware...

"Busy season" requiring careful attention.(Market Outlook)
October 1, 2006... Despite "cooling" business conditions, domestic end-market demand improved in July as electronic equipment orders jumped significantly (Chart 1). Military electronics (Chart 2) were a key driver. Typically defense orders swing wildly from...

Events.
October 1, 2006... ESCC: European Supply Chain Convention October 4-5, 2006 Cologne, Germany Website: www.eipc.org Email: kwestenberg@eipc.org CircuiTree LIVE Advanced Technologies for Packaging, Flex, and Rigid Flex October 16-17,...