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2006 Issues

FEATURES

  • RoHS Transition
    Producing RoHS-Compliant Assemblies at SMC
    A blow-by-blow account of how one mid-tier EMS company made the switch.
    Don Taylor

  • Cover Story
    After the Fire
    Before dawn the phone rings. The caller informs: "The factory is burning." One EMS company's journey through catastrophic loss, and their lessons learned on contingency planning.
    Art Rutledge and Kim Boykin

  • Nepcon China Recap
    Just for Show
    The show is bursting at its seams, despite problems with the building - and some rogue exhibitors.
    Mike Buetow

FIRST PERSON

  • Caveat Lector
    Blowing smoke.
    Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

  • Focus on Business
    The work breakdown structure.
    Dr. Jonathan Linton

  • Global Sourcing
    The "true" China price.
    Mike Buetow

TECH TALK

  • Screen Printing
    It's not the tools' fault.
    Joe Belmonte

  • Better Manufacturing
    The end of the world is at hand.
    Dr. H.J. Zapfardt

  • Soldering Tips
    Reflow profiling power PCBs.
    American Competitiveness Institute

  • Wave Soldering
    How's your pallet?
    Gerjan Diepstraten

  • Test and Inspection
    SPI now, no defects later.
    Jeff Harrell

  • Countdown to Pb-Free
    One month left until RoHS.
    Robert C. Pfahl and Kurt R. Goldsmith

  • Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Industry News
Market Watch
Assembly Insider
Semicon West Product Preview
Ad Index

On the cover: How Fawn Electronics recovered from a fire that devastated the EMS plant. (Courtesy Fawn Electronics)

FEATURES

  • Apex Recap
    Small Firms, Big Ideas
    Thanks in part to the RoHS conversion, companies are busier today than a year ago, but few are thinking about what to do once the Pb-free buzz ends. Plus: Excellence in service.
    Mike Buetow and Robin Norvell

  • AXI Comparison
    AXI Test on Fine-Pitch Components Using Pb-Free and SnPb
    A powerful tool for process characterization during the transition to Pb-free solder, this study revealed less than 10% difference for Pb-free and SnPb TVs under different test coupons.
    Zhen (Jane) Feng, Ph.D., Eduardo Toledo, Dason Cheung, Jeff Newbrough and Murad Kurwa

  • Cover Story
    Running Pb-Free Reflow Profiles without Nitrogen
    TGA/DSC data show paste can be used in extended reflow profiles with reduced dT's even at fast printing speeds.
    Eli Westerlaken

  • Reflow Soldering
    A Comparison of Convection and Condensation Pb-Free Reflow Soldering
    Convection runs at faster cycle times, while condensation is superior for heavier PCBs.
    Dr. Hans Bell

  • Underfill Characterization
    A Fixture for Characterizing Underfill
    How a simple slab of aluminum and a slot to contain a little pane of tempered glass, ringed by adjustable clamps, can aid visibility.
    Tom Clifford

FIRST PERSON

  • Caveat Lector
    Lucky number 8.
    Mike Buetow

  • Letters

  • Talking Heads
    Electronic Systems' Leo Reynolds.
    Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

  • Focus on Business
    What makes a good program manager?
    Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

  • On the Forefront
    Maxed out.
    E. Jan Vardaman

  • Screen Printing
    'Tidying up' the process.
    Clive Ashmore

  • Better Manufacturing
    X-ray goes under the microscope.
    Peter Grundy

  • Soldering Tips
    BGA repair for mixed assemblies.
    American Competitiveness Institute

  • Wave Soldering
    Avoiding solder spikes.
    Gerjan Diepstraten

  • Countdown to Pb-Free
    RoHS and China.
    Richard (Tad) Ferris and Hongjun Zhang, Ph.D.

  • Equipment Advances
    Europlacer's component positioning system.

  • Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Assembly Insider
Industry News
Market Watch
Ad Index
Nepcon East Product Preview
Classifieds

On the cover: Solder bumps are shown during reflow in air. (Courtesy Cobar Europe BV)

FEATURES

  • Thermal Profiling
    The Effect of an Optimized Reflow Oven Recipe on Energy Use
    A case study of how improved thermal profiling and process optimization tools reduce energy use.
    Piotr Kaênica

  • Cover Story
    How Nanotechnology Applies to Electronics
    Manipulating atoms won't obsolete assembly, but instead opens a window into fascinating and creative solutions to current dilemmas (including Pb-free soldering).
    Dr. Alan Rae

  • Parts Conversion
    Conversion of Ongoing Products to RoHS Compliance
    A look at the materials and components aspects of the transition shows the magnitude of the task. Plus: examples of what worked - and what didn't.
    Gary Schulte

  • Pb-Free Case Study
    The Creation and Building of a Pb-Free Product
    A case study in designing and building Pb-free 128Mb USB memory modules.
    Srinivasa Aravamudhan, Joe Belmonte, Anand Bhosale, Alden Johnson, Pat Mattero, Karl Moore and Dr. Gerald Pham-Van-Diep

FIRST PERSON

  • Caveat Lector
    Civics lesson.
    Mike Buetow

  • Talking Heads
    Fabrinet's Mark Schwartz.
    Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

  • Global Sourcing
    Business software to get you moving.
    David Wolff

TECH TALK

  • On the Forefront
    What's up, Doc?
    Dr. Ken Gilleo

  • Screen Printing
    Optimizing a process that you don't own.
    Joe Belmonte

  • Better Manufacturing
    Feeling used.
    Phil Zarrow

  • Soldering Tips
    Tin whisker mitigation standards.
    American Competitiveness Institute

  • Wave Soldering
    Preventing micro solderballs.
    Gerjan Diepstraten

  • Test and Inspection
    Design solutions that aid defect detection.
    Tamara Pippert

  • Countdown to Pb-Free
    The material declaration standard has arrived.
    Richard E. Kubin

  • Process Doctor
    Diagnosis: WOA residues.
    Terry Munson

  • Equipment Advances
    Transition Automation's self-cleaning squeegee.

  • Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Industry News
Market Watch
Assembly Insider
Nepcon East Product Preview
Ad Index

On the cover: Even as technology pushes to the atomic level, there is room for conventional manufacturing practices. (Mark Evans, 2005)

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