CircuiTree articles from September 2003

CircuiTree archives from September 2003

Serving two masters?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... Am I the only one to see an inherent contradiction between Denny McGuirk's call to arms with respect to Buy American legislation for defense contracts and the IPC's solicitation of Asian membership? Earlier this year, IPC joined with a Hong...

No explanation.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... In CircuiTree's July issue, Nilesh Naik states, "I doubt if any explanation of why IPC has expanded it's efforts to China will be convincing." I can fully understand a learned society's wish to do so, but as the U.S.'s PWB Trade Association,...

America: future third world country?(Letters)
September 1, 2003... [Regarding Brad Dirkman's letter in the July issue]: Go Brad. Couldn't have said it better myself. One thing Brad left out is the greed factor and lack of morals, which I believe has been a major player in keeping our guys satisfied while in...

Value selling.(Web Spotlight)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... For the first time in over two years, we're beginning to see signs of economic recovery. Electronic equipment orders are on the upswing. Stock prices, as an indicator of business sentiment, are up by 30-40% since their March lows. With all...

Exiting gracefully.(Web Spotlight)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Every business owners exits his business. There are no exceptions, seldom any second chances and many hurdles to exit successfully. Condition such as illness, death, bankruptcy or divorce may dictate a sale. While most owners have some idea of...

(Re)invention is the mother of necessity.(The Way We See It)
September 1, 2003... As our industry scrapes along the bottom of this vicious business cycle, there is one question we all must ask ourselves: Are we content with merely surviving or will we actually become more fit as an industry? We've eliminated waste in...

Understanding backplane capacity migration: tough economic times mean fewer resources and less risk-taking. Enabling backplanes currently in the field to address more capacity will help companies deal with these issues.
September 1, 2003... The High Speed Backplane Initiative (HSBI) was formed in 2002. Its initial efforts were aimed at developing serial link technology capable of sending serial data at rates of 4.976 to 6.375 Gb/s across existing backplane environments up to a...

Fine lines in high yield (Part XCVI): back-drilling of plated throughholes on backplanes.(Tech Talk)
September 1, 2003... In designing and manufacturing high-speed digital large-format boards such as backplanes, great attention is given to maintaining signal integrity and to minimizing signal loss. One source of such signal degradation and loss are plated...

An opportunity for self help, but was it taken?(Fein-Lines)
September 1, 2003... The major topic of consternation among North American and European PWB fabricators and their suppliers has been--and continues to be--the rash to Asia for PWB sourcing by EMS and OEM companies. Great anxiety and even anger is shown, especially...

Industry veteran Boissoneau leaves legacy.(Russ Boissoneau )(Obituary)
September 1, 2003... Manchester, NH -- On June 30, 2003 the circuit board industry lost a legend with the passing of 84-year-old Russ Boissoneau at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire. Co-founder and former Vice-President of the Electropac Family of...

Dosatron International.(People)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Dosatron International added Gary Berglund as the new Sales Manager for the Pacific Northwest. He will be the contact for all of Oregon, Washington and Northern California. Berglund has several years of experience in chemical sales and...

IEC Electronics.(People)(Timothy S. Fox appointed as Director of Business Development)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Newark, NY -- IEC Electronics Corp. named Timothy S. Fox as Director of Business Development. Fox previously held the position of Business Development Manager at IEC, and was with the company from 1993 through 1997. During that period, sales...

ITT Industries.(People)(Edward W. Williams appointed as Senior Vice President CFO )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... White Plains, NY -- ITT Industries Inc. appointed Edward W. Williams as Senior Vice President CFO of the corporation. A 16-year ITT veteran, Williams most recently was Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller. Williams replaces David J....

Park Electrochemical.(People)(Mark Carlson appointed business director)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Lake Success, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. named Mark Carlson as Business Director Global RF Microwave Materials. Carlson will be responsible for the global marketing and sales of RF/ Microwave printed circuitry materials manufactured by...

Taiyo America.(People)(Jody Williams appointed)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Carson City, NV -- Taiyo America Inc. hired Jody Williams as New Business Development Manager. Williams will be based out of his home office in Rowland Heights, Calif. He was most recently employed as process engineering manager at Multek Inc....

SunJet.(People)(Grant Shouldice and David Albin appointed to North America and UK posts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... SunJet appointed Grant Shouldice, Technical Support Manager USA in North America. He is responsible for ink integration and customer technical support in North America. Grant will be based in the recently established SunJet Technical Support...

IPC.(People)(Institute of Printed Circuits appoints Sharon Starr as director of market research)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Northbrook, IL -- IPC named Sharon Starr its director of market research. She will oversee all industry statistics and market research activities, conduct qualitative and quantitative business-to-business research and manage special studies...

Graphic.(People)(Graphic PLC hires Rob Bench)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Rob Bench joined Graphic Plc's expanding sales organization. His sales career spans over 30 years from Sales Director of Circast to Forward Circuits, Viasystems and the Taiwan-based Chinpoon. In 1999, Bench was 'Salesman of the Year' at...

GSPK Circuits.(People)(Philip Kelshaw appointed)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Knaresborough, UK -- GSPK Circuits Ltd. appointed Philip Kelshaw as its new Sales Manager. He will be responsible for further developing the sales organisation and exploiting new and potential market opportunities across varying business...

Canadians are North Americans, too.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... I read the article on "Buy American" and I am not sure I understand what the issue is regarding PCB's in the military market. I presume that since the article is in CircuiTree and there is reference to the IPC that we are addressing the PCB...

It's the jobs, stupid.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... The governments of both the U.S. and Canada aren't realizing the loss this industry has incurred in the last few years. In the big picture, we might not be considered a large contributor to the GNP. But let this happen to the auto industry and...

Time to bring back 3D molded circuits?(Circuits Unusual)
September 1, 2003... Plastics in Your Future? During a luncheon meeting with plastics innovator John Harker and associates, we discussed new trends in the injection molding field. Harker is CEO of Matrix Inc., a high-tech plastics fabrication company...

Getting active with passives: IPC's first international conference on embedded passives; embedded passive technology is becoming more widely used, as leaders like Motorola made over 85 million cell phones (GPS) with embedded resistors and capacitors. How fast will other OEMs follow?(use of embedded resistors and capacitors in circuit design growing)(Transcript)
September 1, 2003... Embedded passive components are considered an important emerging technology and an opportunity for the American IMS companies to add value and differentiate their products from other geographic regions. Last fall, the IPC New Technology...

Destination Minneapolis for industry rebound.(News From Northbrook)(Institute of Printed Circuits annual meeting an industry information leader)
September 1, 2003... Getting authorization for a travel request these days is not an easy task. For many, it's simply irrelevant as one no longer has an employer. For others who have managed to survive the relentless barrage of shrinking margins, shifting...

3M's Microinterconnect Division gets certified.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Austin, TX -- The 3M Microinterconnect Systems Division (MSD) headquarters (Austin, TX) received ISO 9001:2000 certification for design, development, deployment and management of global business processes for commercialization of flexible...

DuPont appoints Insulectro as national distributor.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Research Triangle Park, NC -- DuPont Electronic Technologies announced plans to appoint Insulectro as a national distributor for leading brands serving the rigid and flexible PWB fabrication industry: DuPont[TM] Riston[R] photopolymer dry film...

HMS-Hollmuller sees positive trends in business.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Germany -- HMS Hollmuller reported first quarter sales increased by 15 % over the last year in spite of the currently difficult situation in the PCB industry. As a specialist for wet-processing machine solution, HMS's managing director, Joe...

Atotech, Rena develop 'Total Solution Concept'.(Suppliers)(new metal deposition technology adopted)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Berlin -- Rena, a German semiconductor manufacturing company, decided on the Total Solution Concept for metal deposition technologies jointly developed by Atotech and Rena. This concept is designed to speed up the process qualification and...

Mentor Graphics acquisitions add to portfolio.(Suppliers)(DDE-EDA A/S acquired)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Wilsonville, OR -- Mentor Graphics Corp. acquired the assets of DDE-EDA A/S, a Denmark-based supplier of advanced packaging solutions. With this acquisition Mentor gains technology and additional expertise in multi-chip modules, hybrid, radio...

Amkor Names Cookson Electronics best supplier.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Foxboro, MA -- Amkor Technologies Korea presented Cookson Electronics the 2002 Best Supplier Award for supplier excellence during the most recent Supplier Quarterly Quality Review. The annual award recognizes the outstanding performance of...

Orbotech nets major AOI order.(Suppliers)(automated optical inspection units ordered)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Yavne, Israel -- Orbotech Ltd. received a major order for ten additional automated optical inspection (AOI) systems from AU Optronics, a Taiwanese manufacturer of thin film transistor liquid crystal displays. These systems, which are designated...

Viking Test Services, Leicester Circuits ink deal.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Viking Test Services announced the sale of another Emma high speed Flying probe test system to Leicester Circuits Ltd. Leicester Circuits purchased its first system almost two years ago. Due to increased demand for quickturn proto-type...

Taconic establishes academic research program.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Taconic established a program to assist academic faculty and students in their research of Microwave and RF design applications. Faculty and students involved in non-funded research programs or lab classes in need of substrate materials can...

Park Electrochemical: N4000-7 FR-4 available in Europe.(Suppliers)(dielectric substrate system available in Europe)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Lake Success, NY -- Park Electrochemical Corp. said its N4000-7 FR-4 dielectric substrate system is now available in Europe with manufacturing at Park's Nelco business units in Cologne, Germany and Mirebeau, France. The N4000-7 will be offered...

Cemco-FSL delivers system to Zot Engineering.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Waterlooville, UK -- Cemco-FSL sold a 24" Conveyorized Direct Metallization System to Zot Engineering (Musselburgh, Scotland). The system is configured to utilize Electrochemicals' "Shadow[R]" process exclusively. The line is capable of...

Electra Polymers & Chemicals relocates U.S. operations, gets accreditation.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Electra Polymers & Chemicals Ltd. relocated its U.S. operational base from California to Chicago. Electra has appointed Ron Linde, Chicago Manager since 1995, as Sales Manager, North America. He can be contacted on 630-587-2847. In other...

Tin Technology moves, launches Soldertec Global.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Soldertec, part of the Tin Technology Group, moved into modern facilities at Curo Park, St. Albans, northwest of London. In other news, David Bishop, Managing Director, announced the launch of Soldertec Global, and its new-tiered membership...

Flexible circuits: a suitable alternative for implementing engineering change orders?(Flexible Thinking)
September 1, 2003... Flexible circuits have found employment in untold numbers of applications over their storied history, from mundane earthbound consumer products to glorified and otherworldly space hardware. The applications continue to explode and it is...

Galvo based laser scanning systems.(Seeing The Light)(Column)
September 1, 2003... The popularity of lasers in industrial, microelectronic, and medical applications is steadily growing, lasers have established themselves across a wide range of materials processing tasks--among them marking, micro-machining, rapid prototyping,...

Sun also rises: an exclusive interview with Sun Microsystem's PWB Group reveals how the company qualifies PWB suppliers, conducts bids, and develops new technology requirements.(Interview)
September 1, 2003... Sun Microsystems wrote down $90 million in excess inventory due to the downturn. While that's not exactly pocket change, it's much better than the $2 billion its Silicon Valley peer Cisco Systems wrote down during the same period. How did Sun...

Riding in the caboose on the recovery train.(Market Outlook)(leading economic indicators rose during the summer)
September 1, 2003... Mid-summer brought a lot of encouraging news: consumer and business confidence jumped, the leading indicators "picked up steam," and electronic equipment shipments and orders surged. Clearly we are on our way to a global recovery. Unfortunately...

Rogers introduces R/flex[R] 3850 bi-clad liquid crystalline polymer material.(Products)(new laminate is introduced)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Rogers, CT--Rogers Corp. introduced a new product for the R/flex[R] 3000 family of Liquid Crystalline Polymer (LCP)-based circuit materials. Complementing the R/flex 3600 LCP, single-clad laminate introduced last year, the new R/flex 3850...

DownStream technologies ships CAM350 release 8.0.(Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Bolton, MA--DownStream Technologies LLC announced CAM350 Release 8.0 is now available to the 3600 installed users under current maintenance contracts. It also revealed a variety of promotions and discount incentives. It is the first major...

DFM introduces two new products.(Products)
September 1, 2003... Northampton, MA--DFM, the third party supplier of electronic design products and services for the Cadence[R] SPECCTRA[R] autorouter, introduced two new products: MakeDO E and MakeDO E+. MakeDO E performs offline batch syntax checking of DO...

Advanced plating technologies introduces modeling and plating simulation.(Products)
September 1, 2003... Laguna Niguel, CA--EIMC--Advanced Plating Technologies (Electroplating Innovation in Modeling Concepts) announced electroplating applications improvement with unique plating engineering software and plating engineering services. The software...

Sensor products reveals new metrology tool.(Products)(pressure sensing film introduced)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... East Hanover, NJ--Sensor Products Inc. unveils Pressure Points[R] tactile force indicating films. Pressure Points represent a new method of utilizing Pressurex tactile pressure sensor film (TPSF). Pressure Points, a metrology tool in assessing...

Phoenix shows off 'v/tome/x'.(Products)(non-destructive testing system introduced)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Wunstorf, Germany--Until recently, non-destructive testing with high-resolution computed tomography has only been feasible with immense constructions in larger scientific laboratories, phoenix|x-ray is now closing this technological gap...

Masterbond introduces flexible epoxy resin system.(Products)(two component, flexible epoxy resin system developed)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Hackensack, NJ--Master Bond EP51FL is a new two component, flexible epoxy resin system developed for high performance bonding. EP51FL has a 1:1 mix ratio, weight or volume. It cures rapidly at room temperature and has a setup time of 30-40...

Transene reveals radiation curing materials.(Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Transene Company introduced the TUV series of radiation curable materials. TUV-100 and TUV-200 employ 100% solids acrylate based chemistry to effect cure even of thick layers in seconds when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Dual-cure...

Lloyd Doyle introduces 6000 HDI.(Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Lloyd Doyle added a brand new AOT system to its range. The 6000 HDI is designed for ultra-fine line PCBs with circuit geometries down to 25-micron line and space, and is particularly suitable for BGA and CSP substrates. The new system uses...

Intelicoat system harnesses extreme conditions.(Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Intelicoat has developed an adhesive system for wire harness replacement in the automotive industry. The new product MLPCH (Monotherm Laminate Polyester Copper Harness) complements the existing MLPC range of copper polyester laminates available...

Cookson Electronics 'restructures' portfolio, will sell speedline.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... As part of a wide restructuring plan, Cookson Electronics, a division of Cookson Group Plc, said it will sell its equipment business, exiting the market. This decision will not affect their materials businesses: Alpha Metals, Fry, Enthone,...

Foregoing the crystal ball: KSL chases a diversified market.(Inside Germany)(Column)
September 1, 2003... There will never be complete certainty about the best business strategy, optimal location or investment timing and appropriation. Such assessments, by nature, involve making projections about markets, the economy, and geopolitical developments....

Impact of panel thickness on registration.(Between The Conductors)(Column)
September 1, 2003... Through via registration intuitively becomes more challenging with increased panel thickness. Registration of vias with respect to patterned features on innerlayers of laminated multilayer panels depends upon the accuracy and precision of many...

Advanced circuits unveils free Web-based board review.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Aurora, CO -- Advanced Circuits announced its FreeDFM.com service can now check designs for boards with up to 10 layers. Advanced Circuits introduced FreeDFM.com, a free Web-based design-check for manufacturability service earlier this year.

Circuit World achieves AS9000 certification.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Circuit World Corporation has achieved certification to and compliance with SAE AS9000, Aerospace Basic Quality System Standard. It ensures that the PCB maker manufacturers quality products to its aerospace industry customers.

Merix's Hollinger: expect first quarter sales to increase 25%.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Company chairman and CEO, Mark Hollinger, remains cautiously optimistic that the turnaround has begun. He said "Our fourth quarter reflects an increase in sales over the third quarter, and we ended the quarter with a book-to-bill ratio of 1 to...

Endicott ISO 9001:2000 compliant.(Fabrication)(Endicott Interconnect Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Endicott, NY -- Endicott Interconnect Technologies Inc. announced that its Quality Management System has been registered as compliant with the ISO 9001:2000. Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) was chosen as Endicott Interconnect's...

ESS Capital acquires MPC Circuits.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Calgary -- ESS Capital Inc. entered into a Letter of Intent in respect of the proposed acquisition of MPC Circuits Ltd. (Ottawa, Ontario) for consideration of $665,000 (Cdn.) payable by the issuance of 2,260,000 common shares of the corporation...

Holaday Circuits achieves ISO9000:2000 and AS9100:2001 certification.(Fabrication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Minnetonka, MN -- Holaday Circuits Inc. received both the ISO 9000:2000 and the Avionics Industry AS9100:2001 Certification. The audit and certification was completed in April by TUV America Inc.

Kyocera transfers SLC business to IBM Japan.(Fabrication)
September 1, 2003... Tokyo, Japan -- Kyocera Corp. and IBM Japan Ltd. have reached an agreement for the transfer from IBM Japan to Kyocera of the SLC (laminated high-density PCB) business of the Yasu Site of IBM Japan, and have executed a business transfer...

Drill smear in high aspect ratio, high reliability backpanels: chemical and plasma processing: this article addresses the limitations of the wet chemical process and explores the benefits and low cost of ownership of plasma treatment.
September 1, 2003... All PCB manufacturers are faced with the challenge of removing drill smear from via holes. The two industry methods for removing drill smear are wet chemical (usually permanganate) and gas plasma. Panels manufactured with standard materials and...

Are you world class? Ask your customers.(View From The Middle)(Column)
September 1, 2003... "Perception is reality." I used to have this quote from my favorite business author, Tom Peters, hanging in my office to remind me of this fact. The phrase "world class" rings hollow if you are the only one saying it about your organization....

Events.(Electronics industry trade shows and conferences)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2003... September 21-24, 2003 2003 GHz Interconnect Workshop Poco Diablo Resort (Sedona, AZ) Call David Light at 408-894-0389 or e-mail dlight@sunright.com September 23, 2003 CEMCEX 2003 Advanced SMT & Packaging Prague, Czech Republic Visit...