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FEATURES

NTI-100
The 90-10 Split
Currency fluctuations had a big impact on the largest 104 printed circuit board manufacturers in 2011. Still, while making up less than 4% of the world's shops, the NTI-100 contributed more than 80% of the revenue.
by Dr. Hayao Nakahara

Markets
2011: A Very Good Year for EMS
After an extraordinary 2010, no one expected another large jump in contract electronics manufacturing sales in 2011. But that’s just what happened. A look at the trends, including near-shoring.
by Randall Sherman

EHS
Environmental Impacts and Control for the Electronics Manufacturer
Environmental impacts will be different between manufacturers, but the goal is the same: to identify, control and improve. Here's a methodology to identify and institute controls to mitigate negative impacts to the environment.
by Scott Mazur

Talking Heads
P.D.-NCAB Deal Accelerates the Changing Channel
David Wolff discusses the decision behind board distributor P.D. Circuits' sale to NCAB.
by Mike Buetow

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Bringing it back.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  Migration inflation.
  Peter Bigelow

TECH TALK

• Tech Tips
  Felling the bridges.
  Robert Dervaes

• Process Doctor
  Cleaning RF high-frequency hardware.
  Mike Bixenman

• Solar Technologies
  How PV cells are used.
  Tom Falcon

• Defects Database
  Sink the float.
  Dr. Chris Hunt

• Getting Lean
  Understanding your workforce.
  Carlos Rodriguez

• Technical Abstracts
  In Case You Missed It.

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FEATURES

QFN ReworkQFN Rework
Simple, Fast High-Reliability Rework of Leadless Device
A recent NASA/DoD study of the impact of leadless device reliability after rework compares older methods such as solder paste printing the site location with newer techniques, including device pad bumping and polyimide stencil placed over the land patterns.
by Bob Wettermann

Solder Paste InspectionSolder Paste Inspection
Applying the Data
SPI machines generate huge quantities of valuable data that often go underutilized. New software-based applications, however, use the data generated during print inspection to automatically control and improve the overall SMT process.
by Chrys Shea

Talking Heads
SMTC: Sitting Pretty in San Jose
Paul Blom, executive vice president, operations at SMTC, has firm ideas about the contract assembler's focus on the Silicon Valley at a time when Tier 1 firms have downsized local operations.
by Mike Buetow

ESD
Discontinuing Use of the Machine Model for Device ESD Qualification
Long relied upon for component ESD qualification, the machine model is being rapidly discontinued, and for good reason.
by Charvaka Duvvury, Robert Ashton, Alan Righter, David Eppes, Harald Gossner, Terry Welsher and Masaki Tanaka

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Why Apple will revive onshoring.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  "Details to follow."
  Peter Bigelow

• Focus on Business
  Long live the King.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• Screen Printing
  Finely tuned.
  Clive Ashmore

• Tech Tips
  Bottom side tombstoning.
  Robert Dervaes

• Process Doctor
  Refractive deflected.
  Michael McCutchen

• Test and Inspection
  Growing your talent.
  Adrian Cheong

• Defects Database
  Side terminations.
  Dr. Chris Hunt

• Materials World
  No more grease.
  Jie Bai

• Technical Abstracts
  In Case You Missed It.

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FEATURES

Reflow SolderingReflow Soldering
Thermal Profiling Small PCBs
Every board, no matter the size, shape or thickness, requires a unique thermal profile for a perfect assembly process. Paste type needs to be accounted for, as does thermocouple placement. Consider these rules-of-thumb for optimizing the profile.
by Simon Ilustre

ECTC RECAP
Out on Safari at ECTC
Attendance jumped at the annual component technology show, spurred by interest in 2.5D packaging.
by Sandra Winkler

EMS SourcingEMS Sourcing
Why Mexico (Again) Matters
As wages continue to rise in China and fuel costs escalate worldwide, some North American manufacturers are reevaluating their global operations to determine if production locations are optimal, reinvigorating discussion over whether China or Mexico is best for lower-cost production.
by Tonya Vinas

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Model behavior.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  No such thing as too big to fail.
  Peter Bigelow

• Global Sourcing
  Rebalancing the supply chain.
  Wally Johnson

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  Not your father's MCM.
  E. Jan Vardaman

• Getting Lean
  Standardization vs. customization.
  Chris Munroe

• Test and Inspection
  Overlapping test strategies.
  Andrew Tek

• Technical Abstracts
  In Case You Missed It.