CircuiTree articles from October 2007

CircuiTree archives from October 2007

In-Stat reports manufacturing strengthening for Intel.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2007... According to a report by In-Stat, Intel is adding to its competitive position in R&D and manufacturing by transitioning to the 45 nm process node with high-k dielectrics and metal gates beginning in late 2007. By 2009, Intel plans to further...

Flexible circuit materials.(Supplier Spotlight)
October 1, 2007... Custom one- and two-metal layer flexible circuits for fine pitch and/or high-density applications are available from 3M Electronics. The circuits are chemically etched, enabling isolated and free dielectric features--as well as complex and very...

The possibility of two fall classics in Anaheim.(The Way We See It)(trends in market of Printed circuit boards)
October 1, 2007... As we all know, the outlook for the North American PCB market has seen better days. Since 1999, we have watched the world share of PCB production for North America drop from almost 30 percent to right around 10 percent--a huge swing. Adding...

WISE fills orders in Shanghai and California.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Parma, Italy -- WISE Worldwide Enterprise srl received orders for two complete sets of SCRUBSTAR and JETSTAR machines for solder mask pretreatment from Unitech Shanghai. WISE also received an order for FLATSTAR from Winonics, Inc., Brea,...

Stablcor licenses technology to Unicircuit.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Stablcor Incorporated licensed the use of its STALCOR[R] technology to Unicircuit Incorporated, Littleton, Colo. This license demonstrates Unicircuit's commitment to providing cutting-edge technology to its target markets...

Global-Ventec Laminates moves to new facility.(Supply Line)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Warwickshire, England -- In August, Global-Ventec Laminates UK Ltd completed its move to a new building that includes warehousing for laminates, prepreg cold storage, and fabrication facilities for laminates and prepregs in a single unit. ...

Enthone to open new lab in Connecticut.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... West Haven, Conn. -- Enthone Inc. began construction of an advanced plating applications laboratory in West Haven, Conn., scheduled to be completely operational in September. The laboratory and staff mission includes: evaluation and validation...

Excellon expands spindle repair center.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Rancho Dominguez, Calif. -- Excellon Automation expanded its spindle repair center, increasing the capacity and capabilities of the center. Excellon also invested in additional specialized capital equipment to better serve its customers. The...

Lloyd Doyle installs upgrade at Multifor.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Surrey, England -- Lloyd Doyle installed an upgraded system at Multifor Ltd's facility in Quebec. Multifor received a redline 6000X 10 [mu]m system, which will allow it to scan its range of contemporary PCB manufacturing materials.

Valor awarded upgrade contract by Spectral Response.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Yavne, Israel -- Valor Computerized Systems was awarded an upgrade contract by Spectral Response, Inc., to provide vPlan, Valor's next-generation, enterprise-level process engineering software solution for electronics assembly. This software...

Mentor announces Bangalore Design Center Collaboration.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Wilsonville, Ore. -- Mentor Graphics Corporation and RV-VLSI Design Center in Bangalore, India, announced a joint collaboration, where Mentor will provide the Center with leading-edge design tools for classroom instruction and academic research...

Camtek receives multi-million dollar order.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Migdal Ha'Emek, Israel -- Camtek Ltd. received a multi-million dollar order for AOI systems from a leading Taiwan-based PCB manufacturer; the order includes 44 of Camtek's new 3G family Dragon and Orion AOI systems, as well as upgrades to 32...

Zuken offers free simulation design kits.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Munich and Westford, Mass. -- Zuken is off ering free simulation design kits to assist with the integration of Altera Corporation's new Arria[TM] GX FPGAs onto PCBs. These new low-cost, transceiver-based devices are ideal for cost-sensitive,...

Consona software achieves ISO certification.(Supply Line)
October 1, 2007... Indianapolis -- Consona Software, a subsidiary of Cimnet Systems, Inc., achieved ISO 9001 certification for its BPO organization in Mysore, India. According to S. Shivaprakash, director of BPO services for Cimnet Systems, Cimnet's BPO...

Dongguan Somacis Graphic produces first PCB.(Fab Focus)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Chashan, Dongguan City, China -- Dongguan Somacis Graphic PCB Co. Ltd.--incorporated after the joint venture between SOMACIS pcb industries and Graphic plc--in August manufactured its first complete high-tech PCB within its production factory...

Jabil plans consumer electronics and EMS divisions.(Fab Focus)
October 1, 2007... St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Jabil Circuit, Inc.'s board of directors approved a plan to establish consumer electronics and EMS divisions, effective September 1, 2007. The consumer division will meet the distinct needs of the consumer marketplace,...

AT&S to open third plant in Shanghai.(Fab Focus)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Vienna -- AT&S is planning its third plant in Shanghai; it opened its first plant in 2002, and the second plant is now also fully operational. The new plant will add to AT&S' capacity and provide a basis for successfully carrying on with its...

GSPK opens office in Spain.(Fab Focus)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Knaresborough, North Yorkshire -- GSPK Circuits opened a new office in Manlleu, Barcelona, to capitalize on GSPK's growing influence in the Spanish, Portuguese, and French markets. The new office strengthens the company's long-term relationship...

Freedom CAD opens design center in California.(Fab Focus)
October 1, 2007... Nashua, N.H. -- Freedom CAD Services opened a design center in Santa Ana, Calif., enabling the company to provide local PCB layout services to its West Coast customers. According to West Coast business development manager Scott McCurdy,...

Rogers names Tyron investor/PR manager.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Rogers, Conn. -- Rogers Corporation named William Tyron manager of investor and public relations. Tyron will work with senior management to communicate the company's performance and growth strategies to shareholders, the investment community,...

Feinberg joins Verdant board.(Power People)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Dan Feinberg joined the Verdant Electronics board of directors in support of its recently announced Occam Process technology. Feinberg has been involved with "disruptive technologies" most of his career, from the initial...

Marc Chason joins Weiner & Associates.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Danbury, Conn. -- Marc Chason joined Gene H. Weiner & Associates, Inc., as a senior associate, where he will focus on technology and business development. His primary interests are microminiaturization and electronics manufacturing,...

McCurdy joins Freedom CAD.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Nashua, N.H. -- Scott McCurdy joined Freedom CAD as business development manager for the West Coast. McCurdy brings more than 35 years of PCB industry experience to this role, most recently as the president and CEO of McCurdy Circuits, which...

Barrett appointed new FlipChip VP.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Phoenix -- Scott T. Barrett was appointed FlipChip International (FCI) LLC's vice president Asian business development for its semiconductor wafer scale packaging and bumping business in Phoenix and its FCMS joint venture in Shanghai. Barrett...

O'Brien and Glaser join Uyemura.(Power People)(Gerard O'Brien)(Franz Glaser)(Uyemura International Corp )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Southington, Conn. -- Uyemura International Corp (UIC) appointed two new staff members at its Southington, Conn., facility. Gerard O'Brien was named advanced technology/reliability specialist; he also co-chairs the IPC Plating Committee with...

Muhlhauser appointed to Celestica board.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Toronto -- Craig Muhlhauser was appointed to the Celestica Inc. board of directors. Muhlhauser has served as president and CEO of Celestica since November 2006; prior to that, he was the company's president and executive vice president of...

Excellon names Wong new parts business manager.(Power People)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Rancho Dominguez, Calif. -- Excellon Automation appointed Warren Wong North American parts business manager, and his responsibilities include working with customers to ensure they receive the highest-quality parts and support to maximize the...

Valor announces board appointments.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Yavne, Israel -- Valor Computerized Systems announced its new board of directors appointments. Kobi Rozengarten was named chair, bringing more than 25 years of experience in senior management positions at global semiconductor companies. He is...

Gilleo joins Mirror Semiconductor advisory board.(Power People)
October 1, 2007... Irvine, Calif. -- Ken Gilleo joined Mirror Semiconductor Inc.'s technical advisory board. Widely known for his authorship of seven technical books, numerous semiconductor packaging patents, and frequent speaking appearances at professional...

Verdant developing chips-first PCB manufacturing technology.(Technology Today)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Verdant Electronics conceived and is developing an evolutionary new technology for PCBs and PCB assemblies, promising to dramatically improve the way electronic products are made. The new technology reduces the number of...

Digitaltest Unveils Latest developments in advanced test solutions.(Technology Today)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Blankenloch, Germany -- Digitaltest announced developments to its supply of advanced test solutions, including flying probe, in-line, and incircuit testing. With unique drive technology, linear motors, and closed-loop technology, Digitaltest's...

RMD instruments develops screening system with stand.(Technology Today)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Watertown, Mass. -- RMD Instruments LLC released the LeadTracer-RoHS XRF system with a new sample preparation stand. The award-winning system now comes with a sample preparation stand that was ergonomically designed for optimum ease of use and...

Circuit suds introduces green circuit board cleaner.(Technology Today)
October 1, 2007... Beaverton, Ore. -- Circuit Suds introduced a non-volatile and environmentally safe circuit board cleaner, newly formulated to replace cleaners that require special handling and disposal. Nonflammable, with no need for fume evacuation or special...

Rogers develops environmentally safe laminate system.(Technology Today)
October 1, 2007... Rogers, Conn. -- Rogers Corporation developed an environmentally friendly halogen-free, transparent epoxy polyimide laminate system that is not only safe for the environment but also delivers superior performance in an all-inclusive package for...

Sanmina develops first PCB with ESD protection.(Technology Today)
October 1, 2007... San Jose -- Sanmina-SCI Corporation developed what it believes is the world's first PCB with embedded electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection covering 100 percent of the components on the board. The Sanmina PCB division collaborated with...

Zuken and PCB Libraries launch land pattern generator.(Technology Today)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Westford, Mass., Des Plaines, Ill., and Munich -- Zuken and PCB Libraries Inc. launched the IPC-7351A LP Wizard for Zuken's advanced packaging suite, CR-5000. The land pattern generator reduces time to build a standard SMT footprint/symbol for...

Schetty pleads guilty to destruction of trade secrets.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2007... Robert Schetty, vice president for R&D of the advanced technology division of Technic, Inc., pled guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to destroy trade secrets, admitting that he masterminded an industrial-sabotage scheme aimed at...

AT&S revenues up for 10th consecutive quarter.(Financial)(Financial report)
October 1, 2007... Vienna -- AT&S reported a 9 percent increase in revenues for Q1 FY 07/08 at EUR 114.7 million. This is the 10th consecutive quarter that revenues have shown a year-over-year increase. Operating profit was also up 33 percent at EUR 7.8.

TI revenues, Earnings per share increase.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... Dallas -- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) reported revenue of USD 3.42 billion for Q2 FY 07, a 7 percent increase from Q1 FY 07. Earnings per share were USD 0.42, a USD 0.07, or 20 percent, increase from the prior quarter and a USD 0.05...

Northrop Grumman net income increases.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... Los Angeles -- For Q2 FY 07, Northrop Grumman Corporation's income from continuing operations rose 4 percent to USD 460 million, or USD 1.31 per diluted share, from USD 442 million, or USD 1.26 per diluted share, in Q2 FY 06. Sales for the...

Coretec sales down 4.5 percent.(Financial)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Toronto -- Coretec Inc. reported a decrease in sales for Q2 FY 07, down 4.5 percent to USD 21.8 million. This compares to USD 22.8 million in Q1 FY 07 and 22.8 million in Q2 FY 06. Coretec recorded a gross profit of USD 4.3 million or 19.9...

PCB sales jump 13 percent for DDi.(Dynamic Details Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Anaheim, Calif. -- DDi Corp reported that Q2 FY 07 net sales of USD 49.1 million increased 13 percent from Q1 FY 07 and increased 12 percent over PCB sales of USD 43.7 million in Q2 FY 06. Gross margin as a percentage of net sales increased to...

Merix reports loss.(Financial)(Financial report)
October 1, 2007... Beaverton, Ore. -- Merix Corporation reported a loss from continuing operations of USD 80.6 million, or USD 3.89 per share, on revenue of USD 93.6 million for Q4 FY 07. This compares to income from continuing operations of USD 3.8 million, or...

M-Flex reports 20 percent sales decrease.(Financial)(Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Anaheim, Calif. -- Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc., reported a 20 percent decrease in net sales for Q3 FY 07, from USD 130.3 million in Q3 FY 06 to USD 104.1 million. Net sales declined 8 percent between Q2 FY 07 and Q3 FY 07. Net loss for the...

Sanmina revenue down.(Financial)(Financial report)
October 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- Sanmina-SCI Corporation's revenue was down from USD 2.7 billion in Q3 FY 06 to USD 2.5 billion in Q3 FY 07. Sanmina reported a net loss of USD 22.8 million, compared to net income of USD 0.8 million in Q2 FY 07.

Numbers up for Rockwell Automation.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... Milwaukee -- Rockwell Automation, Inc., reported net income of USD 164.2 million, or USD 1.05 per share, for Q3 FY 07. This is up from USD 149 million, or USD 0.83 per share, for Q3 FY 06. Income was USD 167.5 million, or USD 1.07 per share,...

Jabil announces quarterly dividend.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Jabil Circuit, Inc.'s board of directors approved payment of a quarterly dividend to shareholders of record as of August 15, 2007. The dividend of USD 0.07 per share was paid on September 4. The company intends to...

Titan projects record results for electronics and homeland security division.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... Richardson, Tex. -- Titan Global Holdings projected record revenues for its electronics and homeland security division in excess of USD 7 million for Q4 FY 07, a 15 percent increase from Q3 FY 07. The division gained operational efficiencies...

Hon Hai July sales increase more than 39 percent.(Financial)
October 1, 2007... Taiwan -- For the month of July, Hon Hai reported non-consolidated sales of TWD 96.55 billion, a year-over-year increase of 39.53 percent. For the first seven months of July, accumulated sales for 2007 were TWD 607.22 billion, a year-over-year...

Numbers increase for Cisco.(Financial)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco[R] reported Q4 FY 07 net sales of USD 9.4 billion, a year-over-year increase of 18 percent. Net income was USD 1.9 billion GAAP and USD 2.3 billion non-GAAP. GAAP earnings per share were USD 0.31, a 24 percent...

Ensuring reliable and optimal analog PCB designs with advanced analysis for SPICE simulation.
October 1, 2007... PCB designs that have been tested for functional Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) simulation are not optimal and reliable unless the design components are also optimized for parameter values, tolerances, and power...

Gadget Safari to Africa.(From the Lab)
October 1, 2007... Hi, my name is Bob, and I am a gadget junkie. I know this column will be read by my fellow gadget junkies whose job it is to support our industry and keep us all in business. Every one of the gadgets we buy has at least one PCB in it, so, as...

Next-generation packaging platform: organic, or silicon substrates?(Inside the Package)
October 1, 2007... There is a growing opinion among semiconductor companies and OEMs that organic substrate technology may be running out of steam. This perspective comes from looking ahead a few years at shrinking transistor dimensions driven by Moore's law, and...

Managing design handoff from US prototypes to Pacific Rim volume fabricators.(Intelligent Design)
October 1, 2007... In my April column, I covered how the choice of glass weave in laminates can influence the amount of jitter that is added to a high data rate signal (3.125 Gbps and higher) by the PCB itself, and in my July column I covered ways to create very...

Rigid PCB shipments and bookings down, Flexible circuit bookings up.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2007... According to IPC's monthly North American Printed Circuit Board Statistical Program, year-over-year rigid PCB shipments were down 7.1 percent and bookings were down 1.8 percent in July. Rigid PCB shipments were down 10.4 percent and bookings...

Driving costs for flex circuits.(Ask the Flexperts)
October 1, 2007... Q: Why are flex circuits more expensive than comparable rigid PCBs? What are the major cost drivers for flex circuitry? A: The reason that flex circuits cost more than comparable rigid PCBs stems mainly from the materials used to fabricate...

Rigid-flex technology: mainstream use but more complex designs.
October 1, 2007... In the past, flex and rigid-flex technology was typically used in applications that could tolerate long design times. Today, with the rapid increase of flex in consumer products, the design of these products must be highly automated to achieve...

Common effluent treatment plants: a boon for PCB industry in India.(India Perspective)
October 1, 2007... In response to my column in the June issue, Dr. Nakahara, a good friend of mine and a well-wisher of the Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA), wrote very nice feedback and suggested that I write about some of the initiatives of the Indian...

Fine lines in high yield (part CXLV): staying out of trouble in gold electroplating.(Tech Talk)
October 1, 2007... Several gold plating processes are being practiced in PWB fabrication: there is ENIG electroless nickel, immersion gold (ENIG), electroless gold, which allows thicker gold deposits than ENIG, and gold electroplating processes. The most common...

The links between semiconductor forecasts and PCB results.(Growth Curves)
October 1, 2007... The semiconductor market dynamics provide a good measure and indicator of the components and assembly activities in electronics worldwide. BPA has followed these markets for well more than 20 years and can pride itself on being among the best...

Innovative final nanofinish for PCBs with organic metal.
October 1, 2007... For the first time, a few nm-thin layer has been deposited on copper pads of PCBs that efficiently protects against oxidation and preserves its solderability. The nanolayer has a thickness of only nominally 50 nm, containing organic metal (OM...

In pursuit of better global regulations.(Environmentally Speaking)
October 1, 2007... What started out with the European Union's (EU's) ban on lead and other substances in electronics is rapidly becoming the must-have law among the major and emerging industrialized nations. The EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)...

Some thoughts on patents.(Flexible Thinking)
October 1, 2007... For technologists of every stripe, one of the more interesting places to visit is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, be that in person or online (www.uspto.gov). It is a great place to get an understanding of what kind of useful ideas lay in...

Nokia Reports Strong Second Quarter.(Data Transfer)(Financial report)
October 1, 2007... For Q2 FY 07, Nokia reported diluted EPS of EUR 0.32, excluding special items, which grew 39 percent from Q2 FY 06. Operating cash flow was EUR 1.5 billion, and device volumes of 100.8 million units were up 11 percent sequentially and 29...

A funny thing happened on the way to trying to be green ...(Material World)
October 1, 2007... Well, it fi nally happened: the European Union Member States technical experts declared on March 6, 2007, that tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) used as a flame retardant in PCB laminates poses no risk. A fi nal report has yet to be issued, but...

Suppliers to participate in IPC [PCQR.sup.2] benchmark program.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2007... The IPC [PCQR.sup.2] Defense and Aerospace Users Group (DAUG) sent invitations to 41 printed circuit supplier facilities, requesting their participation in this year's capability, quality, and reliability benchmark program. The users group,...

BNP Media acquires professional services division of ascent media.(Data Transfer)
October 1, 2007... BNP Media announced the acquisition of the professional services division of Ascend Media, which includes the food, beverage, and packaging group and the gaming group of magazines, conferences, Web sites, and events. According to Taggart...